To Rapide or not Rapide...
Discussion
Hello all!
I've just sold my second V8 Vantage after just under 2 years (had one back in 2012 for 3 years too) - with the new lifestyle of wfh and having to ferry about 3 children, the Vantage was getting less and less use (and was a maginal use-case to start with - but I was swept up in a post-LM24 haze of V8 love).
So here I am, with just a Touran (trusty diesel bus) and Leaf (trusty milk float) for company for Mrs Delta and I, for work / family duties.
With that in mind and the impending doom of ICE cars, clearly there is no better time to be considering a V12 for family logistical needs. I know the well trodden path is to get a V12V - but I can't leave most of the family behind, again.
A couple of regulars here have Rapides, (I've done a good read of the key threads) - but looking at the stuff for sale, there are HUGE discrepancies in prices of S (£48k-£100k+ and non-S cars (£30k-47k) for no reason (condition / miles) I can determine.
I'm looking for a 2012 non-s car with the more palatable nav and with the heated / cooled seats and screens (I think £40k ish should secure one?). It seems like a £20k leap to get one year newer and some extra horses isn't money well spent, in my view.
So would welcome any experience of ownership / issues / great things about these rare beasts! My other options are really a Macan (I don't like Panamera) or a GL63 - not similar I know, but will ferry folks around with a bit of fun here and there.
I suspect I will have a long wait to find something that fits the bill. Until then, I will focus on range anxiety in my 8 year old Leaf.
Thank you!
I've just sold my second V8 Vantage after just under 2 years (had one back in 2012 for 3 years too) - with the new lifestyle of wfh and having to ferry about 3 children, the Vantage was getting less and less use (and was a maginal use-case to start with - but I was swept up in a post-LM24 haze of V8 love).
So here I am, with just a Touran (trusty diesel bus) and Leaf (trusty milk float) for company for Mrs Delta and I, for work / family duties.
With that in mind and the impending doom of ICE cars, clearly there is no better time to be considering a V12 for family logistical needs. I know the well trodden path is to get a V12V - but I can't leave most of the family behind, again.
A couple of regulars here have Rapides, (I've done a good read of the key threads) - but looking at the stuff for sale, there are HUGE discrepancies in prices of S (£48k-£100k+ and non-S cars (£30k-47k) for no reason (condition / miles) I can determine.
I'm looking for a 2012 non-s car with the more palatable nav and with the heated / cooled seats and screens (I think £40k ish should secure one?). It seems like a £20k leap to get one year newer and some extra horses isn't money well spent, in my view.
So would welcome any experience of ownership / issues / great things about these rare beasts! My other options are really a Macan (I don't like Panamera) or a GL63 - not similar I know, but will ferry folks around with a bit of fun here and there.
I suspect I will have a long wait to find something that fits the bill. Until then, I will focus on range anxiety in my 8 year old Leaf.
Thank you!
Wish I could offer some advice on the Rapide.
I did look at a few myself last year while viewing Vantages because they represent great value for money and like you I have two boys that I initially thought would enjoy the ride but then I thought nah, they can have a go in the Vantage i ended up buying one at a time
The Rapide is a much better looking car than the Panamera to my eyes also.
I did look at a few myself last year while viewing Vantages because they represent great value for money and like you I have two boys that I initially thought would enjoy the ride but then I thought nah, they can have a go in the Vantage i ended up buying one at a time
The Rapide is a much better looking car than the Panamera to my eyes also.
I feel reasonably well qualified here! I have had a vantage 4.7 (sports pack) and moved into a Rapide for the back seats/kids etc.
They are not as different as you might think to a DB9. The Rapide is a luxury saloon/GT one moment, but with the adaptive suspension and all the sports modes on it turns into something quite different altogether and feels like the large sports car that it is.
The fact it has the V12, sounds like a total animal and does all the other stuff so well is a bonus. Yes it maybe slower on paper, not much of that matters when you are burbling along and wham the throttle down as it still goes like a rocket and is all the more surprising that you are four up doing it!
I love mine!
They are not as different as you might think to a DB9. The Rapide is a luxury saloon/GT one moment, but with the adaptive suspension and all the sports modes on it turns into something quite different altogether and feels like the large sports car that it is.
The fact it has the V12, sounds like a total animal and does all the other stuff so well is a bonus. Yes it maybe slower on paper, not much of that matters when you are burbling along and wham the throttle down as it still goes like a rocket and is all the more surprising that you are four up doing it!
I love mine!
I had a Rapide S after my DB9 and before my V12VSM.
Loved it and wish I kept it.
They drive brilliantly.
They are not huge in the back, a 6 footer can fit in, once there you are snug but not uncomfortable it is the climbing in and out that is harder.
I had no issues with mine in 2 years of ownership.
Loved it and wish I kept it.
They drive brilliantly.
They are not huge in the back, a 6 footer can fit in, once there you are snug but not uncomfortable it is the climbing in and out that is harder.
I had no issues with mine in 2 years of ownership.
ReformedPistonhead said:
I had a Rapide S after my DB9 and before my V12VSM.
Great loyalty to the Aston Martin marque, RP.
If you wish, please add a post to this topic. We might reach an 8th page.
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
I bought mine from a main dealer, but thought process was exactly the same as you.
Find the best non S 2012 car I could as opposed to a year newer S which is much the same with the 6sp box, but more power. Fwiw the “newer interim garmin nav” nav is still a bit pants but looks nicer and brighter. What is true is it looks better still closed and I prefer to use Waze on a long trip.
My point is don’t get too hung up on the the nav as a point of differentiating the non S cars. I did and it does limit your pool of cars somewhat. Then try finding one in a shade other than gray/black etc (I happen to like grey so that’s fine!)
It would be spec, condition etc. I think a few early non s came with a special edition pack (luggage, all glass buttons, all the screens, ritzy wheels) so may be worth hunting one down (if they even exist!) as that could feel very special indeed, but have Volvo nav.
The price differential seems to have closed in on the early 6sp S cars. I have seen some superb colours (bronze, burgundy, bright blues) on those early 6sp S cars is thats of interest as they do seem to come in at a lower price level.
However there still seems to be a real leap up to the 8sp with shadow pack and final vanquish dash.
Miles wise, they are definitely among the higher mileage Astons out there for age. Some would appear to have done more motorway work purely by dint of their nature etc. I wouldn’t let that put you off if condition was up to snuff! They are incredibly well put together.
Good luck!
Find the best non S 2012 car I could as opposed to a year newer S which is much the same with the 6sp box, but more power. Fwiw the “newer interim garmin nav” nav is still a bit pants but looks nicer and brighter. What is true is it looks better still closed and I prefer to use Waze on a long trip.
My point is don’t get too hung up on the the nav as a point of differentiating the non S cars. I did and it does limit your pool of cars somewhat. Then try finding one in a shade other than gray/black etc (I happen to like grey so that’s fine!)
It would be spec, condition etc. I think a few early non s came with a special edition pack (luggage, all glass buttons, all the screens, ritzy wheels) so may be worth hunting one down (if they even exist!) as that could feel very special indeed, but have Volvo nav.
The price differential seems to have closed in on the early 6sp S cars. I have seen some superb colours (bronze, burgundy, bright blues) on those early 6sp S cars is thats of interest as they do seem to come in at a lower price level.
However there still seems to be a real leap up to the 8sp with shadow pack and final vanquish dash.
Miles wise, they are definitely among the higher mileage Astons out there for age. Some would appear to have done more motorway work purely by dint of their nature etc. I wouldn’t let that put you off if condition was up to snuff! They are incredibly well put together.
Good luck!
Well, a month into looking and having viewed two examples that seemed to stack up over the phone, one had a very shady service history (advertised as full AM history but actually a bunch of stamps from a Land Rover place in an industrial estate - wtf?!) and was tatty with some cheap paint repair to the rear quarter. The other looked mint for the age with a proper AM history but had the dreaded misfire so badly the entire car shook on idle - and this is at a (non-AM) dealer.
The price discrepancies continue - with a 2012 car below 40k and a 2011 above 50k... given the trade value on a 2010 car is below 30k, I just can’t understand the pricing spread.
The driving experience is so different to the Vantage, it was a bit of a shock, but I think it was growing on me in the short drive I had. It was remarkably quiet in the cabin, even in sport - so once I do find an example I can buy, that will need fixing!
The price discrepancies continue - with a 2012 car below 40k and a 2011 above 50k... given the trade value on a 2010 car is below 30k, I just can’t understand the pricing spread.
The driving experience is so different to the Vantage, it was a bit of a shock, but I think it was growing on me in the short drive I had. It was remarkably quiet in the cabin, even in sport - so once I do find an example I can buy, that will need fixing!
krisdelta said:
Well, a month into looking and having viewed two examples that seemed to stack up over the phone, one had a very shady service history (advertised as full AM history but actually a bunch of stamps from a Land Rover place in an industrial estate - wtf?!) and was tatty with some cheap paint repair to the rear quarter. The other looked mint for the age with a proper AM history but had the dreaded misfire so badly the entire car shook on idle - and this is at a (non-AM) dealer.
The price discrepancies continue - with a 2012 car below 40k and a 2011 above 50k... given the trade value on a 2010 car is below 30k, I just can’t understand the pricing spread.
The driving experience is so different to the Vantage, it was a bit of a shock, but I think it was growing on me in the short drive I had. It was remarkably quiet in the cabin, even in sport - so once I do find an example I can buy, that will need fixing!
Mine had a quicksilver sports exhaust on it; sounded mad!The price discrepancies continue - with a 2012 car below 40k and a 2011 above 50k... given the trade value on a 2010 car is below 30k, I just can’t understand the pricing spread.
The driving experience is so different to the Vantage, it was a bit of a shock, but I think it was growing on me in the short drive I had. It was remarkably quiet in the cabin, even in sport - so once I do find an example I can buy, that will need fixing!
If you start pushing them they shrink around you, I would say mine was a nicer drive when pushing on than the DB9 was.
Good luck with the continued search!
ReformedPistonhead said:
I had a Rapide S after my DB9 and before my V12VSM.
Winderful loyalty RP.I wonder in the future, whether my multiple ownership topic will ever have a post;
'I had a DBX after my DB11 and before my new V8V'
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
Just to keep this updated, I have indeed taken the plunge and have placed a deposit on this beauty (2011 car) from Just Astons up in Macclesfield.
I've not seen it in the metal and there is a fair amount of prep to be done, but their sales guy Dan has been really helpful and they seem to have a great reputation amongst other folks here - so I'm sure I'll get a cracking car on pick-up day.
I've not seen it in the metal and there is a fair amount of prep to be done, but their sales guy Dan has been really helpful and they seem to have a great reputation amongst other folks here - so I'm sure I'll get a cracking car on pick-up day.
krisdelta said:
Just to keep this updated, I have indeed taken the plunge and have placed a deposit on this beauty (2011 car) from Just Astons up in Macclesfield.
I've not seen it in the metal and there is a fair amount of prep to be done, but their sales guy Dan has been really helpful and they seem to have a great reputation amongst other folks here - so I'm sure I'll get a cracking car on pick-up day.
Looks great - they're building up their sales side, not I think to become big volume players, but to retail quality cars and retain customers for future sales and servicing. Reputation is everything, so low volume and fully sorted, sensible priced cars will be the order of the day.I've not seen it in the metal and there is a fair amount of prep to be done, but their sales guy Dan has been really helpful and they seem to have a great reputation amongst other folks here - so I'm sure I'll get a cracking car on pick-up day.
Jon39 said:
Good looking car, that deserves to have a caring owner, Kris.
The (or one of the) previous owner(s) had an MoT advisory, brake pad worn. One year later, MoT fail and would you believe it, brake pad worn beyond limit !
I've looked closely at 4 cars and all of them have "foibles", one had only been serviced twice in 7 years "full service history", another had a fake "main dealer" service history and another a misfire that shook the entire car
There are things that need sorting on this, but it's in the right place to get them spotted and done. Given when the last owner got this it probably cost them @£90k it's amazing, really.
The good news is, it's been used, regularly - 53k miles which I'll be adding to quite quickly
Sorry missed this thread as the No1 Rapide fanboi (who also has a Macan that you were looking at)!
Glad you took the plunge - you won't regret it - had 2 over 7 years now. Very reliable and handle really well - very planted, stable, surefooted, communicative and with a lovely throttle balance.
You enjoying?
Glad you took the plunge - you won't regret it - had 2 over 7 years now. Very reliable and handle really well - very planted, stable, surefooted, communicative and with a lovely throttle balance.
You enjoying?
Ken Figenus said:
Sorry missed this thread as the No1 Rapide fanboi (who also has a Macan that you were looking at)!
Glad you took the plunge - you won't regret it - had 2 over 7 years now. Very reliable and handle really well - very planted, stable, surefooted, communicative and with a lovely throttle balance.
You enjoying?
Ah... the main man! I've read your threads on your cars Glad you took the plunge - you won't regret it - had 2 over 7 years now. Very reliable and handle really well - very planted, stable, surefooted, communicative and with a lovely throttle balance.
You enjoying?
Thanks for spotting this thread. Well... I'm waiting for the car to be ready, seats are being restored and need to be back in for a fresh MOT and owners old plate coming off too, so hoping to view next Saturday, all being well she'll be heading home with me then. I've high hopes as Just Astons seems to have a great rep. Loving Concours blue though! Gassing Station | Aston Martin | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff