Buying the best you can afford when mileage is so critical
Discussion
I'm looking to buy a gen 2 Vanquish S very soon and have done a ton of research and looked at a few cars.
One common piece of advice is to buy the best you can afford but these cars are so sensitive to mileage that this becomes quite subjective. Looking at main dealer cars only and the standard and condition of all the cars is pretty much on a par. I want a car I'm not worried about using so don't want to pay a premium for a low mileage example.
These cars are so rare and finding one with exactly the right interior and exterior spec is going to be next to impossible and compromises will need to be made if I don't want to wait years on the chance that a unicorn becomes available.
So with this in mind, does the buy the best you can afford become less relevant if buying from a main dealer where the condition of the car is good, the spec ticks most of my personal preferences, and the only price driver seems to be the mileage?
One common piece of advice is to buy the best you can afford but these cars are so sensitive to mileage that this becomes quite subjective. Looking at main dealer cars only and the standard and condition of all the cars is pretty much on a par. I want a car I'm not worried about using so don't want to pay a premium for a low mileage example.
These cars are so rare and finding one with exactly the right interior and exterior spec is going to be next to impossible and compromises will need to be made if I don't want to wait years on the chance that a unicorn becomes available.
So with this in mind, does the buy the best you can afford become less relevant if buying from a main dealer where the condition of the car is good, the spec ticks most of my personal preferences, and the only price driver seems to be the mileage?
I'd be more worried about a low mileage car.
I don't move in the rarefied atmosphere of a Vanquish 'S' but all Astons tend to like being driven. I got my V8V a few years ago though a main AM dealer as a one-owner car with under 6k miles on it and I can honestly say that it feels better and fully "run-in" now that it has just over 20k on it.
The chances of you finding exactly the spec you want sounds a bit like joining a unicorn hunt. Good luck!
I don't move in the rarefied atmosphere of a Vanquish 'S' but all Astons tend to like being driven. I got my V8V a few years ago though a main AM dealer as a one-owner car with under 6k miles on it and I can honestly say that it feels better and fully "run-in" now that it has just over 20k on it.
The chances of you finding exactly the spec you want sounds a bit like joining a unicorn hunt. Good luck!
Maybe my question wasn't clear. It wouldn't be the first time. 
I'm not bothered about mileage and am just as happy buying a 10k car as a 20k car.
If a main dealer has 2 cars that look to be of an equal standard but one is £20k cheaper and the only reason seems to be because it has done far fewer miles does that make it the 'better' car to buy or does 'buy the best you can afford' not really apply in this situation?
Or am I completely overthinking this?
I'm not bothered about mileage and am just as happy buying a 10k car as a 20k car.
If a main dealer has 2 cars that look to be of an equal standard but one is £20k cheaper and the only reason seems to be because it has done far fewer miles does that make it the 'better' car to buy or does 'buy the best you can afford' not really apply in this situation?
Or am I completely overthinking this?
AndrewT1275 said:
Maybe my question wasn't clear. It wouldn't be the first time.
I'm not bothered about mileage and am just as happy buying a 10k car as a 20k car.
If a main dealer has 2 cars that look to be of an equal standard but one is £20k cheaper and the only reason seems to be because it has done far fewer miles does that make it the 'better' car to buy or does 'buy the best you can afford' not really apply in this situation?
Or am I completely overthinking this?
Dont you mean more miles and therefore cheaper?I'm not bothered about mileage and am just as happy buying a 10k car as a 20k car.
If a main dealer has 2 cars that look to be of an equal standard but one is £20k cheaper and the only reason seems to be because it has done far fewer miles does that make it the 'better' car to buy or does 'buy the best you can afford' not really apply in this situation?
Or am I completely overthinking this?
As already posted these cars are better with regular use. Every time I talk to an AM tech they say the same ‘the ones with problems are the ones that do few miles’. Ignore the miles and buy on condition. And as you will be using the car regularly, low mileage seems a bit of a pointless premium if you are not going to carry on the same, so in your example I’d save the money and buy the car that has been used more if both cars were essentially the same.
I’ve recently bought a 2019 Vanquish S, one owner, fastidiously maintained and in beautiful condition, but higher miles. It’s been PPF’d from new, driven without a passenger by the condition of the seat and only minimal wear that the only most OCD eye would notice on the drivers. It was the colour and spec I’d been searching for and was bought for less than earlier, lower mileage cars that had more previous owners and clearly not as well cherished.
As I buy cars to use and enjoy, the I’d see a higher depreciation on a lower mileage car that I’d paid a premium for.
It’s my 5th Aston in 16 years of owning them and without any doubt, in my opinion, the best of the bunch by a long way.
As I buy cars to use and enjoy, the I’d see a higher depreciation on a lower mileage car that I’d paid a premium for.
It’s my 5th Aston in 16 years of owning them and without any doubt, in my opinion, the best of the bunch by a long way.
handyman 1417 said:
It’s my 5th Aston in 16 years of owning them and without any doubt, in my opinion, the best of the bunch by a long way.
You are another loyal owner Drew.
Certainly deserve a regular Christmas card from the Chairman.
I might have asked before, but have you posted on my 'Owners who have bought more than one car' topic?
Please post ownership details if you would like to.
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
AndrewT1275 said:
If a main dealer has 2 cars that look to be of an equal standard but one is £20k cheaper and the only reason seems to be because it has done far fewer miles does that make it the 'better' car to buy or does 'buy the best you can afford' not really apply in this situation?
What sort of mileage are you talking about with each of these? How many miles a year will you put on it? How long do you expect to keep it for?LooneyTunes said:
What sort of mileage are you talking about with each of these? How many miles a year will you put on it? How long do you expect to keep it for?
My mileage and residuals are not really relevant.The question is really about what 'the best you can afford' means in this context.
The replies so far seem to suggest that a cheaper higher mileage car is as good as a more expensive lower mileage car if they are of similar condition. So just buy on condition.
AndrewT1275 said:
LooneyTunes said:
What sort of mileage are you talking about with each of these? How many miles a year will you put on it? How long do you expect to keep it for?
My mileage and residuals are not really relevant.The question is really about what 'the best you can afford' means in this context.
The replies so far seem to suggest that a cheaper higher mileage car is as good as a more expensive lower mileage car if they are of similar condition. So just buy on condition.
As you say, there are sometimes spec compromises but you may well kick yourself later for buying a “better” car than one closer to/meeting your preferred spec. Been there, done that, with an interior spec in the past.
AndrewT1275 said:
My mileage and residuals are not really relevant.
The question is really about what 'the best you can afford' means in this context.
The replies so far seem to suggest that a cheaper higher mileage car is as good as a more expensive lower mileage car if they are of similar condition. So just buy on condition.
Your mileage is highly relevant to this, big difference between buying a car to own for 4 years and put 10k miles a year, versus buying a car you might keep for a year or two and put 2k on.The question is really about what 'the best you can afford' means in this context.
The replies so far seem to suggest that a cheaper higher mileage car is as good as a more expensive lower mileage car if they are of similar condition. So just buy on condition.
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