Buying a 2014 V8 Vantage

[dhallworth]

A good few years ago I did an awful lot of research into buying a 2007 V8 Vantage, however, we decided at the time that the timing wasn't right so we put it on the back burner. I did a lot of reading up on spec's and must have options on the 2007 cars and was fairly clued up on the spec after buying Grant's book.

I'm now looking at and thinking about putting a deposit down on a 2014 Manual V8 Vantage.

The condition of the car and the service history look great.

It appears to have the later/larger slash cut exhaust tips that sit flush with the rear bumper as some of the later cars do along with the bigger brakes and 6 pot calipers.

Unfortunately, as we're mid house move, Grant's book is in a box in storage and after a quick look this morning, without tearing the storage unit apart I cannot find it so am unsure of what was standard, what was optional and what changes had been made for a March 2014 registered car.

The car I'm looking at has 3 owners and has covered a smidge over 50k miles. The last owner only traded it in for a newer Vantage as he struggled with the clutch after a knee replacement. There's no history of it having had a clutch so I'm going into it prepared to fit a clutch to it. The specialist who serviced it 3 weeks ago reckon the clutch felt good though and weren't concerned about it when I called them and spoke to them. They actually rated the car highly.

I'd be grateful for any thoughts and suggestions people have on the later cars as most of my homework had been focussed around the 2007 era cars when looking previously. What was optional extras? Are there any must have options? Anything in particular to look out for on a 4.7?

The car isn't with an AML dealer, it's with a specialist car dealer who seem to only have good reviews on Google. The guy at the dealer sounded very genuine on the phone and his comments matched with what the specialist said. The car is a 270 mile trip from me so I'm trying to do as much homework as I can before embarking on a 600 mile round trip to go and see it.

If I buy it outside of AML, can it be inspected and covered under a Timeless warranty for the 1st year to give peace of mind?

Thanks in advance!
David.

[LTP]

A 2014 car will have all of the improvements made at the 2012.25MY, when lots of the 'S' features were standardised across the range. You didn't say whether the car you're looking at is an 'S' or a non-'S', but the differences are much smaller than they were in the pre-2012 cars. All Aston cars have a long list of options, so I won't attempt to list the differences here, but the "big" ones tend to be:

• the non-'S has "comfort" suspension rather than the harder "Sports" on the 'S'
• the 'S' produces 10 bhp more at 430 bhp and slightly more torque across the range (I doubt you'd notice it in the real world - I think it was Aston justifying the 'S' moniker)
• the non-'S' exhaust system is more subdued than the one on the 'S', achieved by a different back-box
• the 'S' has unique interior trim with 'S' embroidered badges
• the 'S' tended to come with an Alcantara steering wheel (but could be specified in leather)

Off the top of my head, that's about it

Your comment about the clutch (and this probably would have fixed the previous owner's issue) is to have a twin-plate clutch fitted, which improves the take-up and lightens the clutch pedal considerably. AML sell a twin-plate for the manual, so you're not reliant on specialists - but a specialist might be cheaper, if only because of labour rates.

As far as getting your car onto the "Timeless" scheme, the answer is yes it can, but it will have to pass a (paid) inspection first, and have any issues fixed.

[dhallworth]

Thanks for the reply.

This one is a Non S variant. I’m quite pleased about that as I don’t enjoy a particularly hard ride and more then likely won’t be driving it anywhere near hard enough or often enough to need the stiffer set up

[LTP]

dhallworth said:

Thanks for the reply.

This one is a Non S variant. I m quite pleased about that as I don t enjoy a particularly hard ride and more then likely won t be driving it anywhere near hard enough or often enough to need the stiffer set up

No problem. And your logic is exactly why I went for a non-'S' The other thing to consider is tyres. The OEM Bridgstones are junk, and make the low-speed ride harsh; I fitted Conti SportContact 6's and it was as if I'd had all the suspension bushes changed; the newer SportContact 7's are allegedly even better. Your choice of tyres is yours, of course.

[dhallworth]

I was hoping to get one that had something like Pilot Sport 4S on it but this one has Bridgestones on the front and I’ve believe they’ve just put 2 new Bridgestones on the back due to perishing.

When I bought my XFR in 2018, I binned a new set of the Dunlop SP Sport Max after 12 months as they were dire and replaced them with a set of PS4S. Looks like I’ll be doing something similar again!

[Import]

Agree with Ltp…the conti’s are a great upgrade..

[nickv12]

Sorry, but one correction: the sports suspension could be spec’d on non-S cars too.

I’d really advise the “comfort suspension” for the condition of UK roads. It was also possible to have this option on S cars.

Really, there’s virtually no meaningful difference between V8 and V8S models beyond trim differences post 2012.25 MY. Both a brilliant!

[Jon39]

dhallworth said:

The last owner only traded it in for a newer Vantage as he struggled with the clutch after a knee replacement.

That amused me.

As you will be aware, the OEM clutch certainly does have a heavy pedal.
However, a replacement twin-plate changes that to a light pedal, with a slightly extended bite point.

Changing to a newer Vantage would have cost many times more than having a twin plate clutch fitted.

Anyway, I have heard many amusing reasons why people 'justify' changing cars. A popular one is that the warranty has just expired and so it will (somehow immediately) begin costing a lot to repair.

All to your advantage though, because another car has become available.

[Go60 Jay]

Hi,

The S has carbon fibre front and rear, instead of black plastic. As has already been said, the suspension is harder. I had Bridgestones on my car and they were terrible. Came almost new with the car but they had to go. I have heard good things about the Conti’s but I went for the Pilot Sport 4s and am very happy with them. Better traction, hops about less, smoother and has less road noise. The S also has a valved air box. But not much more power. I think the stitching is different too with the S also stitched in.

John

[996Type]

If you can kill two birds with one stone and have an authorised main dealer do the pre -Timeless inspection, it will flag any issue that might need fixing before you buy.

From memory there are 2 levels of AM warranty and a car of this age might fall into the second category which is managed via a 3rd party and slightly less comprehensive than Timeless. Worth also getting a quote for if it could be made to comply again and weighing up what putting that money into a repair budget could do for you.

[LTP]

dhallworth said:

I was hoping to get one that had something like Pilot Sport 4S on it but this one has Bridgestones on the front and I ve believe they ve just put 2 new Bridgestones on the back due to perishing.

When I bought my XFR in 2018, I binned a new set of the Dunlop SP Sport Max after 12 months as they were dire and replaced them with a set of PS4S. Looks like I ll be doing something similar again!

You can get PS4S for the post-2012 cars with the wider rear wheels and wider tyres, but you have to use a front tyre developed for Mercedes and with a Merc "MO1" sidewall marking if you want to keep with the specified tyre sizes. Hence my Conti choice.

[dhallworth]

Thanks for all the information guys.

I've emailed AML this evening to see if they will provide me with either a build sheet or a list of added options when the car was new so that I can understand what's fitted and what isn't.

Tomorrow might be a happy day!

David.

[dhallworth]

Options sheet back from AM at 05:40 this morning! Someone was an early bird, that's for sure.

This car has a few options:

It's got out of range paint, I believe it's a Q colour.

Under the options section, it also has:

Audio System: Aston Martin 700W Premium Audio
Bluetooth: Bluetooth Telephone Preparation
Brake Calipers: Brake Calipers - Red
Cruise Control: Cruise Control
Facia Trim (Trim Inlay): Piano Black Facia - Graphite Trim
Front Parking Distance Sensors: Front Parking Sensors
Gearbox Type: Manual
Handbook Language: English
Interior Rear View Mirror: Auto Dimming Interior Rear View Mirror
IP Language: Language - English
Parking Cameras: Reversing Camera
Satellite Navigation: Satellite Navigation System
Seat Belts: Seatbelts - Black
Seat Heating: Heated Front Seats
Seat Type: Sports Seat
Seating Arrangement: 2 Seater
Sports Pack: Comfort Suspension
Tail Lamps: Clear Rear Lamps
Wheels: 19Inch V Spoke Graphite Dt Wheels

[EVR]

dhallworth said:

Options sheet back from AM at 05:40 this morning! Someone was an early bird, that's for sure.

This car has a few options:

It's got out of range paint, I believe it's a Q colour.

Under the options section, it also has:

Audio System: Aston Martin 700W Premium Audio
Bluetooth: Bluetooth Telephone Preparation
Brake Calipers: Brake Calipers - Red
Cruise Control: Cruise Control
Facia Trim (Trim Inlay): Piano Black Facia - Graphite Trim
Front Parking Distance Sensors: Front Parking Sensors
Gearbox Type: Manual
Handbook Language: English
Interior Rear View Mirror: Auto Dimming Interior Rear View Mirror
IP Language: Language - English
Parking Cameras: Reversing Camera
Satellite Navigation: Satellite Navigation System
Seat Belts: Seatbelts - Black
Seat Heating: Heated Front Seats
Seat Type: Sports Seat
Seating Arrangement: 2 Seater
Sports Pack: Comfort Suspension
Tail Lamps: Clear Rear Lamps
Wheels: 19Inch V Spoke Graphite Dt Wheels

Reads like a well-equipped car!

[alscar]

Being nosy and having a quick look at AT might that be be the one for sale at a dealer starting with A ?!

[dhallworth]

Was for sale

It was indeed.

[alscar]

Advert was wrong in that they said grey callipers and yours has red but no matter -congratulations.
My first Aston was an SP10 special edition also painted in that Ceramic Grey which is a great colour especially in the sun.

[dhallworth]

There's a few things from the spec sheet that aren't right on the listing

[dhallworth]

Deposit paid, just need to arrange collection now.

[V8VS]

Congratulations mate. I’m sure you’ll be made up with it. There’s definitely more shove behind the 4.7’s. The quicker steering also makes a notable difference. Pictures needed once you have collected it.