Uneducated and buying a vantage.
Discussion
Having gone around in circles, looked at super cars (realised not for my budget!) and test drived a few cars. Today I test drove an aston and can’t stop grinning.
I want to spend less than £50k. Today have found a private seller with a 2015 in the colour combo I want 4.7 Vantage S, 40k miles. Price seems a little low for the 2015 model and it’s 220 miles away.
Can anyone give me advice on how to approach this? questions I should ask? Thanks!
P.S. is there an equivalent to Rikki, Kendal way? (I should add I’ve checked the reccomended specialists list and can’t find one!)
I want to spend less than £50k. Today have found a private seller with a 2015 in the colour combo I want 4.7 Vantage S, 40k miles. Price seems a little low for the 2015 model and it’s 220 miles away.
Can anyone give me advice on how to approach this? questions I should ask? Thanks!
P.S. is there an equivalent to Rikki, Kendal way? (I should add I’ve checked the reccomended specialists list and can’t find one!)
Edited by Llcooldl on Sunday 1st May 19:49
Edited by Llcooldl on Sunday 1st May 20:49
Same as buying any used car really, check all the paperwork and most important service history. Wouldn't be concerned about independent vs dealer history more about what its had done and when.
The condition of the consumables is important as big bills early on can give a negative experience of the brand.
Check when it last had a clutch is the the largest potential bill at £3k ish then a set of discs\pads\tyres can be near £5k for OE parts
lots of info here https://www.redpants.lol/info-maintenance-guide
Have a good look around it for paint bubble issues, around door mirrors, edges of doors, mirror arm corrosion, all potential areas you may need to spend ££ sorting it out. Wouldn't be concerned about 1 or 2 minor bits, but if every panel on the car needs respraying its not going to be cheap.
Do your due diligence and get it bought
The condition of the consumables is important as big bills early on can give a negative experience of the brand.
Check when it last had a clutch is the the largest potential bill at £3k ish then a set of discs\pads\tyres can be near £5k for OE parts
lots of info here https://www.redpants.lol/info-maintenance-guide
Have a good look around it for paint bubble issues, around door mirrors, edges of doors, mirror arm corrosion, all potential areas you may need to spend ££ sorting it out. Wouldn't be concerned about 1 or 2 minor bits, but if every panel on the car needs respraying its not going to be cheap.
Do your due diligence and get it bought
Llcooldl said:
Update I’ve found a car with 5000 miles, 2015. I’m guessing clutch issues etc won’t be an issue? Do I need an independent inspection if it’s being serviced by Aston Martin this week?
Most garages now seem to throw in a “health check” FOC at a service (aka: an opportunity to gently pressure the owner into parting with a bit more cash). If you’re able to, ask to see what the health check says.
Llcooldl said:
Update I’ve found a car with 5000 miles, 2015. I’m guessing clutch issues etc won’t be an issue? Do I need an independent inspection if it’s being serviced by Aston Martin this week?
5000 miles in 7 years? I'd be more concerned that seals, dampers, etc might have dried out from lack of use. Vantages (and Astons in general) thrive more from actually being driven than sitting about, flat-spotting their tyresI'd be inclined to have a look at its MOT history on the DoT (or whatever they call it these days) website to see if it's been used sparingly every year or if it's been laid up for long periods, and when it last did any mileage.
It’s been laid up the past two years. The last year it’s done 100 miles. It’s due an MOT in 2 months…
No it’s not too far away but I can’t get there until Thursday and the dealer is saying there are two other interested party’s. I lost out on two others over the weekend but I can’t see myself buying a car without getting it checked out by someone who knows what they are doing!
No it’s not too far away but I can’t get there until Thursday and the dealer is saying there are two other interested party’s. I lost out on two others over the weekend but I can’t see myself buying a car without getting it checked out by someone who knows what they are doing!
Edited by Llcooldl on Monday 2nd May 18:33
Llcooldl said:
It’s been laid up the past two years. The last year it’s done 100 miles. It’s due an MOT in 2 months…
If you can bag a 2015 Vantage with 5,000 miles for £50k or less then it's a no-brainer in my opinion. Looking at advertised prices - yes, dealer prices it's true - such a car would be high £50k's or more, if a manual. That said, I would want an independent inspection of a car which has stood still for some time. 
Llcooldl said:
Ok thanks, sounds like I’m doing the right thing. It’s £56k. I’ll wait until I hear from rikki tomorrow.
I presume it's the car in Ely? Yes it looks really nice, and with mileage so low you shouldn't have any issues with the clutch or brakes. If it's on its original tyres they'll be seven years old; some say you should replace tyres of that sort of age, which would be £700 ish.The seller is a generic trader rather than an Aston specialist and it looks like he's only been around for a few months. But at £56k I'd certainly be interested.
I have found that people are keen that Astons have been serviced every year (or 18 months perhaps if mileage has been very low) so it should have had at least four or five services by now, hopefully at a main dealer or (even better in my opinion) a good specialist. It should be easy to check the MOT history and get a vehicle check (I have used Vcheck which was fine). Bear in mind that if it is overdue a service, that'll be the thick end of £1000 at somewhere reputable.
Anyway, happy hunting!
Edit: just looked again at the advert on A/T. It looks like it doesn't have cruise control, which may or may not matter to you.
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