V8 Vantage Robustness and High Mileage

[biggles330d]

I see lots of examples of clearly well cared for V8V's with many seemingly done 30-40k miles in the last 10-15 years. As they are now creeping down to the £23-£28k range for an early car with several on offer at about 80k miles at about that price, I am curious to owner experiences for how a V8V manages a bit more use?
Both the mileages noted above I really take with a pinch of salt - I guess that its not difficult to wind the clock on these?

If I found one at 70-80k miles with a view to not being too worried about it being a garage queen but to view as a longish term proposition for long road trips and relatively regular use and an expectation of keeping on top of proper maintenance, fundamentally, how do they stand up to 100k miles + of 'normal' use in terms of wear and tear? I've only really noted that clutches are a weak point, but other problem areas appear to be much the result of lack of typical lack of use more than bad design.

If I ran one to 120-130k miles over several years, would it essentially be unsalable (although I can't believe value would collapse to £10k or anything like that!)

[Speedraser]

Here's an old thread on this: https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...

And a more recent one: https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?t=18...

[biggles330d]

Ah, missed both those. Thanks.

[Dewi 2]

biggles330d said:

Both the mileages noted above I really take with a pinch of salt - I guess that its not difficult to wind the clock on these?

Many owners of AMs treat them as occasional use 'toys', so therefore there are a number of low mileage cars around. Quite a few of those will be keepers, so won't often become available. The extra price for these cars, might turn out to be less than the subsequent repair bills for high mileage examples.

If anyone chooses to undertake the illegal act of changing an odometer reading, they cannot easily disguise the usual givaway, which is a worn interior. Making the interior of an Aston Martin look perfect again, can be at huge cost. Possibly the AM diagnostic system can reveal true mileages


Your concerns about low use cars might perhaps not be justified. My own car is now ten years old and yet to reach 20,000 miles. It hibernates each winter, but under strict conditions and at other times, there is never an engine start unless the drive is more than 25 miles, therefore avoiding repeated cold engine wear and condensation remaining within engine and exhaust. The only unexpected failures since new have been, magnet slipped in glove box mechanism, clutch failure and a worn damper (door opening). The first fault was a warranty repair, clutch failure enabled the much better twin plate to be fitted, the damper replacement cost about £50.
I think you will agree, an excellent result for 10 years of enjoyment.
The VH era Aston Martins are well built cars and were developed with Ford engineers closely monitoring progress.
Look after them and they can cope with high mileages. Some of the prototype cars reached huge mileages.

Enjoy your car when you have chosen it.

Many buyers do seem to look for low-use cars, although the AM in this advert must be quite extreme!

https://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C1192231

Edited by Dewi 2 on Thursday 28th January 13:50

[Riddochg]

I have a 2006 Vantage that has been my daily driver for the last 12 years. Replaced a TVR Tuscan that alternatively tried to kill me or break down.

The Aston is really well built for a low production car. There isn't a rattle or squeak from mine. The 4.3L engine is unstressed and not fragile in any way. Inevitably clutches go. I'm on 80,000 miles with one clutch change.

The car goes out in all weather no problem. If you use a sensible specialist like BR or DAE then running costs are quite manageable.

Good luck!

[bogie]

I owned my first Vantage from early 2007 to 2016 and put 86k miles on it. Never broke down and on original clutch until 73k miles. Just consumables and a few common faults like sensors, squeaky belts. I have seen a car with 130k on it in for a service at main dealer whilst I was there. It looked like it had 30k miles on it.

If looked after there is no reason why they shouldn't last as well as any other car. They were built to Ford group durability standards.

Everything depends on consumable condition. You could get a well maintained car, put 20k miles on it with just oil change services.....that would be lucky. Or you could get a car that is fine for 18 months then needs a clutch, discs, pads, tyres and you need to spend £6k that year (more than 30% of the cars value at that point)

There are not enough 130k mile examples out there to determine value....trade value with 80k miles on is probably high teens and they are on the market for £24k upwards. In another 5 years maybe we will see more high mileage examples.

[paulrog1]

There's not many V8V that have done over 100K so your in unknown territory for common high mileage issues. You'll have the common suspension and brake wear like any car.

Clutch wear issues but thats been done to death here.

The more Gaydon related issues are condensation in front and rear lights that, IMO, lead to failure to LEDs, V8 front cover oil leak. Door modules etc.

I would defo do it, loads of info here especially if your good with the spanners so can do some of the work and a garage.

Defo things to do-

Replace the battery and always use a battery conditioner.
Disconnect the tracker
Check the rad for swelling
Check the rear subframe for corrosion

Also checkout the youtube videos by Redpants, Bamford Rose and Aston 1936

Edited by paulrog1 on Thursday 28th January 10:54

[stuthemong]

FWIW, my old 60k vantage interior was better than most 10k mile cars I see. Not without blemish, but quality lasts if cared for. The cars can take the mileage, but if neglected they show it!

[Manners79]

50k miles on a late 2010 4.7 roadster. Wears it miles well and on a private plate most folk think it is only 4-5 years old (not that I care about that). Judging from its comprehensive history file and what I've had to spend on it in 18 months (less than £100 on non-routine maintenance / repairs) it seems very robust and what I really like is the ability to do some jobs myself. There will always be exceptions and quirks of course but in many ways I prefer a car that has done 5k-8k miles pa over a garage queen that does 2k a year in short trips.

[biggles330d]

Interesting replies and quite reassuring in many ways. As the owner of a Discovery 4 I'm used to 'investing' in preventative maintenance to try and mitigate the realistic possibility, well publicised, of numerous ways it could have a terminal failure with little warning or at least throw an unwelcome big bill.

My question I guess relates to the well publicised risk of 911's of a certain era and their bore score / IMS failings, and other premium manufacturers who's products appear to be surprisingly fragile in places. Having read a fair bit about the V8V, there isn't that much I've found that suggests the engines prone to premature wear or similar design issues. I was keen to hear if the experience of others who have used their cars more extensively bore this out.

Seems the V8V really is a robust machine compared to its peers.

Edited by biggles330d on Thursday 28th January 13:29

[andyvvc]

2008MY 84,000+ miles. New clutch and flywheel fitted by last owner at circa 70k miles. Other than the rear subframe needing a clean and treating no major issues noted on any of its history.

As has been said, use a decent Indy and running-costs are decent too.

[Riddochg]

Biggles very good Bamford Rose on the topic of buying a high mileage Aston and what to look for.

https://www.facebook.com/BamfordRoseLTD/videos/que...

[V8V Pete]

stuthe said:

FWIW, my old 60k vantage interior was better than most 10k mile cars I see. Not without blemish, but quality lasts if cared for. The cars can take the mileage, but if neglected they show it!

Totally agree with this. Mine is on 40K and the interior looks virtually new. It has also run essentially fault free for the last 4 years with excellent preventative maintenance by superb Indy (BR). It gets driven hard including track days so gets through consumables (mostly tyres and rear brake pads due to the DSC) but has certainly never let me down and is a joy to own.

[BiggaJ]

I think if you talk to BR, DAE, AHM or VE they will most all probably tell you these cars wear their miles well, engine/transmission issues are not things that tend to go wrong but they are hand built cars and as such they all have their little differences/foibles, thats what AHM have told me and shown me on cars they've had in when I've been around.

A good independent is key to making sure they are kept in good order, but it seems to be the little things rather than the big things that fail.

I would not be too put off by mileage as long as the car has a good history, my personal car isn't high mileage bought late in 2020 being a 2009 4.3 with 21k on it but I still phoned round all the dealers that had serviced the car over it's time to get a feel for it, some paperwork they could provide (data protection laws prohibit them from giving you anything but if pushed they will provide some detail with names of previous owners removed) if the car does not come with a huge amount of previous paperwork.

The clutch and timing chest seal tend to be the big/costly items. You cant see of the seal is leaking without taking off the undertray covers so it's good to have a car checked over before parting with your cash.

[vernierMike]

Yup agree with all that - for what are perceived as very high miles the car looks fantastic and perform brilliantly, the interior fresh and still smells great (I have nourished the leather though...) and I think they wear the miles really, really well. The running gear is tough and if maintained well will give years and years of enjoyment. MUCH more so than the rear-engined cars that have a number of fundamental design and materials-choice flaws!!! I know, I've had them.

I suppose I am a convert but my philosophy of buy well-cared for at high miles for a number of quality brands, whilst there are things like general wear and tear, it's a great value equation particularly if you can wield a spanner.

[biggles330d]

Great feedback, thanks everyone. There's a specialist relatively local to me in Scotland, well, 25 miles away, Martin's Aston Services who seems to have a good reputation.

[BiggaJ]

biggles330d said:

Great feedback, thanks everyone. There's a specialist relatively local to me in Scotland, well, 25 miles away, Martin's Aston Services who seems to have a good reputation.

I had not heard of them before your mention of them. A quick search shows them to get good reviews and they seem reputable.
Go talk to them before buying, get a feel for their workshop and if like me with AHM, you may get chance to talk to owners of the cars in the garage. I found this to be invaluable.
Get the garage guys to list a string of things you need to look for before buying a car, it's the little things as much as the big things. Try build up a rapport with them.

Good luck in your search and hope you get a car worthy of your time and money. They are a great car to own and drive and you have some fantastic roads up there in which to enjoy the cars handling.

[telum01]

I've got a hair over 90k on my 2007 V8V and it's been very solid.
The lingering issues have not stopped me from daily driving it. A few accidents in it, rebuilt it each time without hesitation.
I supercharged it with over 80k miles and haven't thought twice... a couple weeks after installing the supercharger, I took it on a 4200-mile road trip.
For a high-mileage Aston (60k+ miles) you'll have things to do to maintain it, but that's true of any sports car.
You'll also have your lemons, which again is true of any car.

[dlgis]

As a Disco4 owner your concerns about big bills are understandable. A small leak in the exhaust crossover pipe to turbo2 was a recent body off job for me and cost a few bob, and then we all play Russian roulette with will our crankshafts snap or not.
So I did lots of research on potential issues when looking at various car options and came to the conclusion that a v8 vantage is one of the better gambles. Yes you could have a clutch go and that would set you back 3-3.5k, but you would be extremely unlucky to have an engine let go, which on a Disco is a higher risk 10-15k possibility.
My conclusion - buy one 👍

[paulrog1]

Yeah defo go for it, the V8V is a great car as it is reliable without any major issues every car will get.

The engine seems to be bombproof.

Plus the driving experience is fantastic.

Personally I would get a V12, I've got a DB9 and the V12 engine is superb!!!!

Post up the pic's when you get it..........enjoy.