Buy a 4.3 or 4.7 vantage v8

[Cooks]

Looking to purchase my first Aston Vantage around 2/3 years old. Not sure whether to go for the 4.7 or 4.3. Any thoughts on the major differences other than engine size that sHould be important to consider??.

[bogie]

lots of small improvements were made. Most noticable is interior fascia different, some prefer the older style others dont

Ive had my Vantage nearly 6 years now. If buying again right now, I would just buy a 4.7 at the lower end (older) end to minimise depreciation. These cars take mileage and being used very well, so an early 4.7 in the right spec would be my choice

spend £20 on Grants book www.astonmartinreview.co.uk for all you want to know

[bananarob]

Definitely 4.7

[DB9 Ian P]

I have had both and it would definitely be the 4.7 V8V for me. Substantial improvement to the interior! Faster car and worth the extra you will have to pay for it.

Best advice is get Grants book and drive both versions to compare. Have fun with your search

[whoami]

Had both, 4.7 much better in many (sometimes small) ways.

Sport pack cars better still.

[JBE68]

I bought my first Aston in March, a 4.7 V8 Vantage manual with the Sports Pack, and it is epic.

[Jon39]

When looking to buy my first AMV8, I too was uncertain about the 4·3 and 4·7 differences. After research, found that the 4·7 does have numerous detailed improvements.

The first 4·7s were Model Year 2009. I think the first cars were delivered to customers in September 2008. The recession had started then, so some new 4·3 cars were still unsold and were registered in 2009.

Externally (not very much difference) - Radio aerial removed from roof (now in windsceen). Road wheels changed to 20 spoke (or 5 spoke on Sportpack cars) from model year 2009 to 2011.

Internally - A DBS type centre console was fitted, the SatNav changed to a hard disk drive type. Key fob unit (Emotion Control Unit don't you know) replaced a conventional steering column key.

People who have driven both, say the increased engine torque is noticable and provides more flexibility in higher gears.

My 4·7 car is on ordinary suspension, which I find quite hard enough, especially on poor road surfaces.

I have not driven the automated manual (Sportshift), but have heard some people say 'buy the manual'. I think the criticisms are mostly about parking and moving in stop start traffic.

One really good option to look out for, is the 700 watt Premium Audio. Absolutely brilliant.

.....................................

TEXT OF THE 4·7 MODEL ANNOUNCEMENT.

23 May 2008.

Now with 4.7 litre V8 and output of 420bhp with peak torque of 470Nm, making it more flexible. 0-60mph 4.7 seconds and top speed of 180mph (288km/h). Combined European fuel economy and CO2 emissions are also improved by 13% with Sportshift™. New centre console and revised switchgear and the introduction of an ECU replacing the previous V8 Vantage key. Externally, the acclaimed V8 Vantage design appearance is enhanced with a range of new standard and optional 19’’ alloy wheels. Increase in cylinder bore facilitated by a move to cylinder liners that are pressed into the pre-machined aluminium alloy block, allowing a thinner liner than was possible with the cast-in design of the 4.3 litre engine. New forged steel crankshaft provides the 91mm stroke and incorporates new holes in the counter weights for reduced rotating mass and improved inter-bay breathing. New forged steel con-rods and cast aluminium pistons complete the capacity-related changes. Standard manual stick-shift gearbox and the optional Sportshift™ transmission benefit from a modified clutch and flywheel, reducing clutch pedal efforts and delivering a 0.5kg weight saving, reducing the rotating masses within the powertrain, and hence increasing engine responsiveness. Sportshift™ now also has the capability to take inputs from the steering wheel enabling the current gear to be held when the car is negotiating a corner and hill descent detection, allowing a low gear to be held, maximising the effects of engine braking. V8 Vantage also now benefits from Bilstein dampers as standard; these low-friction dampers provide improved levels of dynamic capabilities and further improve ride quality.

[whoami]

Jon39 said:

People who have driven both, say the increased engine torque is noticable and provides more flexibility in higher gears.

In day-to-day driving, that's the biggest difference.

[Cooks]

Thanks, sounds like early 4.7 might be the model to go for. Any specific problems with a 3 year old model that I need to look out for?

[yeti]

If you an afford either of them, then the 4.7 is a no brainer

[theno23]

I prefer the 4.3, but there's not a lot in it.

IMHO, the 4.3 dash looks better (though it's harder to use), and the engine sounds better.

If you get an N400 you can't tell the torque/power difference, and they all have sports suspension.

The DVD satnav is a bit less convenient when travelling in Europe, but it's easier to upgrade the maps.

- Steve

[sukh_m]

Just to throw a spanner in the works, I went to test a drive a 4.3 and 4.7 few weekends ago and didn't think the difference was substantial. Just depends on your budget, I thought the 20-25k extra cost was not worth it to me as the 4.3 is still pretty quick and I won't be driving it daily. Its also only 0.2s slower than the 4.7 (0-62mph).

Drive both see what you think, you might think the opposite to me

[Cooks]

In terms of servicing costs what do I need to be aware off with a 3year old model? Is it worth taking out an extended warranty?

[bogie]

Cooks said:

In terms of servicing costs what do I need to be aware off with a 3year old model? Is it worth taking out an extended warranty?

its not really a warranty, its mechanical insurance policy ...so by its nature the majority of people pay their premium, the insurers make a load of profit and the occasional owner has bad luck, big bills and gets it covered

So are you feeling lucky?

most of the issues with these cars are minor niggles and have been well addressed buy now. Lots of the small issues or consumable bills are not covered by these insurance policies

I just put the £1500 a year in a car fund, so far, after 6 years (3 out of warranty) im quids in ...biggest non warranty bill has been a wheel bearing

there have been meany threads on this, and there are couple of horror stories from people that had bad luck and bought the Friday afternoon car or "lemon"....out of 10000+ owners, someones going to get a duff one sooner or later.....

[Murph7355]

Best thing to do is to do some good research on here for the common niggles, then check the paperwork of any car you are looking into to ensure those jobs have been done.

I've been doing the same as bogie on the warranty and so far (touch wood) no issues. Warranty firms are profitable businesses. Ask yourself why.

[Speedraser]

theno23 said:

I prefer the 4.3, but there's not a lot in it.

IMHO, the 4.3 dash looks better (though it's harder to use), and the engine sounds better.

If you get an N400 you can't tell the torque/power difference, and they all have sports suspension.

The DVD satnav is a bit less convenient when travelling in Europe, but it's easier to upgrade the maps.

- Steve

The N400 is a great car, but I have to disagree -- the difference is still pretty clear, especially the difference in torque. Obviously, there is 20 hp between a 4.3 and an N400, and then another 20 hp to the 4.7. But the N400 gains 7 lbs/ft over the standard 4.3, while the 4.7 gives 37 lbs/ft more than the N400. That's a big difference. Moreover, the N400's gains over the standard 4.3 come mainly at higher revs, whereas the 4.7's advantages comes across the rev range, but is probably most noticeable at low to mid revs.

In case it doesn't sound like it, I think the 4.3 is a great car, and the N400 is better still. The difference to the 4.7 is not night and day, but it is, IMO, quite noticeable.

[bogie]

I think taken in isolation, for a driver who hasnt much experience of a Vantage then a quick drive of each car, the difference may not be so apparent unless you do some tests to demonstrate them

drive along in 5th and 6th at 60-70mph and see what the engine response is like, that usually shows up where the extra 47lbft of torque is

I know of a few people who have test driven a 4.3 and come away underwhelmed, because in their mind a 4L + V8 engine should pull like a train and have bags of torque... The power delivery is quite linear, although its flexible and quite well managed, it can require you to drop 2 gears at "normal" road speeds for an overtake

So the 4.3 does require you to work at it to extract its performance...but is NOT a slow car by any stretch of the imagination

in a 4.7, its much more flexible at the same speeds....

Perhaps in the heyday of the modern turbo diesel commuter some people have been made a bit lazy in their driving style

[sukh_m]

bogie said:

I think taken in isolation, for a driver who hasnt much experience of a Vantage then a quick drive of each car, the difference may not be so apparent unless you do some tests to demonstrate them

Your probably right, I only drove them for short periods of time so on a day-to-day basis i wouldn't know what they were like especially the pull in 5th.