Discussion
Probably a brave move but am currently debating an old Vanquish v12. Probably a low mileage garage queen but I’ve certainly seen a fair few threads not just on here with some pretty horrific bills, anything to be aware of? Probably a huge list at this age so healthy contingency fund needed?
jimbo761 said:
Probably a brave move but am currently debating an old Vanquish v12. Probably a low mileage garage queen but I ve certainly seen a fair few threads not just on here with some pretty horrific bills, anything to be aware of? Probably a huge list at this age so healthy contingency fund needed?
As DS says, get a PPI done by David..They are cars that need to be driven and a garage queen could give you a host of problems. It will probably not have the magnetic gearbox upgrade done, which is vital.
Some people prefer the early cars but if your budget can stretch, go for an S.
McGurk have a very nice S in at the moment. Mid £50k and it will be a good one.
Astonowners.com is the place to get info.
Having just taken the plunge, I opted for a S model as it encompasses all the upgrades and improvements that took place throughout the model’s existence. This is common for all Aston Martin mainstream production cars, in my opinion: the low volume manual build process allows them to continuously improve and tweak a car that may not have been perfect at the start. Hence why I got a very late model VH era Vantage too.
The only concern I had about mine when I bought it a couple of weeks ago, is that it had experienced very low mileage per year for quite a few years (and sitting just under 20k miles for a 20 year old car). Sitting cars do not improve. It has virtually new Michelin types fitted in terms of wear… but were fitted 2020.
I bought this particular example because it has excellent service history. A lot has been thrown at it by Aston main dealers, including HWM, and the specialist David Such of https://v12vanquish.com/ - I have a lot to thank previous owners for, for not scrimping on costs.
In the past 2 weeks, I’ve driven it 500 miles in mixed conditions, but around 300 of those on free flowing, often twisty A, B and C roads. And it’s proving to be absolutely superb. The gearbox is the main surprise because of how good the ASM (early SportShift] is. Extremely quick changes and smooth with it. (My 2018 V12 Vantage is a SportShift for reference.)
But the big question is whether it’s expensive to run? Yes. It will be around 2x the Vantage, potentially. Servicing is more. Plus it’s more likely to need more attention than the Vantage as it’s over twice the age, and every car, brand, etc. can’t avoid the perishing of components over time. So, I’ve budgeted for that, but can justify it as at the moment even the best examples are complete bargain basement prices! That won’t last much longer, I think.
Buy the best you can. Buy by condition and service history and not spec. And then drive it!
The only concern I had about mine when I bought it a couple of weeks ago, is that it had experienced very low mileage per year for quite a few years (and sitting just under 20k miles for a 20 year old car). Sitting cars do not improve. It has virtually new Michelin types fitted in terms of wear… but were fitted 2020.
I bought this particular example because it has excellent service history. A lot has been thrown at it by Aston main dealers, including HWM, and the specialist David Such of https://v12vanquish.com/ - I have a lot to thank previous owners for, for not scrimping on costs.
In the past 2 weeks, I’ve driven it 500 miles in mixed conditions, but around 300 of those on free flowing, often twisty A, B and C roads. And it’s proving to be absolutely superb. The gearbox is the main surprise because of how good the ASM (early SportShift] is. Extremely quick changes and smooth with it. (My 2018 V12 Vantage is a SportShift for reference.)
But the big question is whether it’s expensive to run? Yes. It will be around 2x the Vantage, potentially. Servicing is more. Plus it’s more likely to need more attention than the Vantage as it’s over twice the age, and every car, brand, etc. can’t avoid the perishing of components over time. So, I’ve budgeted for that, but can justify it as at the moment even the best examples are complete bargain basement prices! That won’t last much longer, I think.
Buy the best you can. Buy by condition and service history and not spec. And then drive it!
Castrol for a knave said:
Good effort , miles = smiles
Use the good weather to get the subframe painted/Bilt Hambered ( as a Vantage owner, I suspect you know the drill).
I fitted spacers to my undertray bolt holes, so there is a 5mm gap between it and the subframes
I visited Auto Ice Blast, near Tewkesbury/Cheltenham the other week to get my Vantage chassis and subframe cleaned and Dinitrol corrosion protected, and was really happy with the result.Use the good weather to get the subframe painted/Bilt Hambered ( as a Vantage owner, I suspect you know the drill).
I fitted spacers to my undertray bolt holes, so there is a 5mm gap between it and the subframes
The Vanquish is now booked in for the same treatment. I'm interested to see what condition it's in.
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