V8V Reliability
Discussion
Hi everyone,
I have always wanted a 997 and am finally in a place to get one but the other day whilst checking insurance quotes my mind wondered to the V8V. Whilst performance wise they are very similar in looks the V8V is far superiour!
I was surprised to find it £200 cheaper to insure and since have not stopped thinking about one.
However I have a colleague with one and he has been plagued with issues. Similarly on reading any extended road test am getting further doubts on reliability. I would be looking at an early model in the low 40's from a dealer to get the warranty for some reassurance.
My question is, on a 5 year old V8V do these problems persist or have they mostly been ironed out by this stage?
I have always wanted a 997 and am finally in a place to get one but the other day whilst checking insurance quotes my mind wondered to the V8V. Whilst performance wise they are very similar in looks the V8V is far superiour!
I was surprised to find it £200 cheaper to insure and since have not stopped thinking about one.
However I have a colleague with one and he has been plagued with issues. Similarly on reading any extended road test am getting further doubts on reliability. I would be looking at an early model in the low 40's from a dealer to get the warranty for some reassurance.
My question is, on a 5 year old V8V do these problems persist or have they mostly been ironed out by this stage?
I would go as far to say as extremely reliable, they do have there quirks as per any car, I can not remember the last time I had to have a V8 recovered, on a 100k plus hire car that is abused daily and from memory has not been serviced in 30000 miles the only thing that has failed was the power steering pump because someone topped up the reservoir with water, everything else has been just your standard wear and tear items, it does not seem to matter if they are used daily or once a month they stand the test of time and mileage really well,
Mine's an 06 now with just over 40k. I've had it since October 2009 (at 28k miles), bought from a dealer. Early on it had a couple of niggles (1st-2nd gear change which is well documented on here, air con compressor squeaking) which were sorted immediately under warranty. Since then it has been in Rick's care but it has only needed a service, new rear brake pads and an additive to the power steering fluid to stop a groan on hard cornering (diagnosed and sorted by Rick FOC). I drive it every day with a big smile!
I've been following the forum since getting mine and I would say the vast majority are very reliable - the trouble is the minority that aren't (as with any marque) tend to grab the headlines. If you buy from a dealer you will have that peace of mind.
I've been following the forum since getting mine and I would say the vast majority are very reliable - the trouble is the minority that aren't (as with any marque) tend to grab the headlines. If you buy from a dealer you will have that peace of mind.
I've had minor things: squeaky breaks, plastic fell off dash, engine pulley made a weird noise, roof and deflector fight every time you open it, and currently experience some funny gear change issues.
But still every single time you get back into the car your heart starts racing and all the problems go away, I knew I would like a V8 Vantage, but I didn't realise quite this much!
ETA: Dealership experience at the 3 I've been to has all been beyond fantastic and they fix everything and are very kind about it in the process.
But still every single time you get back into the car your heart starts racing and all the problems go away, I knew I would like a V8 Vantage, but I didn't realise quite this much!
ETA: Dealership experience at the 3 I've been to has all been beyond fantastic and they fix everything and are very kind about it in the process.
mine is over 5 years old/60K miles now and Ive not had any major issues, just a couple of niggles like ANY car really
mind you, some people have different ideas of "reliability"
to one person that means: "has it ever let you down, failed to start?/spent weeks off the road "
to another person : "any minor trim, MIL, window adjustment, squeaks" are BIG issues (they expect perfection) and they take it back to the dealer moaning...6 months later they sell it and buy something German, hoping its different
Astons are hand assembled cars, quality control is good of course, but there are minor niggles, most of which have been documented on here many times....
actually getting a few year old car thats been used, rather than sat in a garage most of its life, would likely be better - if the owner uses it daily they will have sorted all the niggles by 1st or 2nd service
usually its the 3 year old garage queen, thats done a few Sunday outings and been put away again, that will have all the new car niggles waiting for you....
so buy accordingly..check the service records or ask the owner what probs have been fixed etc
mind you, some people have different ideas of "reliability"
to one person that means: "has it ever let you down, failed to start?/spent weeks off the road "
to another person : "any minor trim, MIL, window adjustment, squeaks" are BIG issues (they expect perfection) and they take it back to the dealer moaning...6 months later they sell it and buy something German, hoping its different
Astons are hand assembled cars, quality control is good of course, but there are minor niggles, most of which have been documented on here many times....
actually getting a few year old car thats been used, rather than sat in a garage most of its life, would likely be better - if the owner uses it daily they will have sorted all the niggles by 1st or 2nd service
usually its the 3 year old garage queen, thats done a few Sunday outings and been put away again, that will have all the new car niggles waiting for you....
so buy accordingly..check the service records or ask the owner what probs have been fixed etc
I came to the V8 from 2 997's...
To be fair, the 997's were fantstic (Gen I and Gen II). I did have an RMS sorted under warranty - but other than that, no issues whatsoever.
I would say that the Aston does have a few more 'quirks'...just little things - but it seems that this is just part of the ownership experience. As you say, the Astons just look so much better than 911's... they have class. Every drive in the V8 feels special, as opposed to being out in the 997, which was awesome when pushing hard - but wasn't much of an experience when poppiong to the corner shop.
They are very different cars.... both put a smile on your face... it's just that the V8 puts the smile on your face more often and longer!
To be fair, the 997's were fantstic (Gen I and Gen II). I did have an RMS sorted under warranty - but other than that, no issues whatsoever.
I would say that the Aston does have a few more 'quirks'...just little things - but it seems that this is just part of the ownership experience. As you say, the Astons just look so much better than 911's... they have class. Every drive in the V8 feels special, as opposed to being out in the 997, which was awesome when pushing hard - but wasn't much of an experience when poppiong to the corner shop.
They are very different cars.... both put a smile on your face... it's just that the V8 puts the smile on your face more often and longer!
I recently faced exactly the same dilemma - I was going to buy a 997 S as a daily driver. It had never been a dream car but seemed to tick the necessary boxes. I have long lusted after the Aston V8V and will credit Murph on here for pointing out how little extra I would need to spend to buy one. I collected my 2006 V8V 3 weeks ago and I'm delighted with it. Happy hunting 
Same here, looked at a 997S but the V8V is much more of an occasion, everyone who sees it loves it, and they don't look at you with to&&er written all over their face.
Reliability, mines a 55 plate and had only 19k on it when I picked it up 5 months ago now on 24k. It's had a new thermostat under warranty, 1st to 2nd gear change is a bit clunky when cold but not too bad. The only other thing that bothers me is the speaker grill in the drivers door rattles slightly with low frequencies, apart from that it's faultless.
I'd also agree on the dealer experience, not sure what I was expecting, maybe some pompous arse on the service desk (BMW's for the past 10 years). What a breath of fresh air. Surpassed all my expectations and seems to be better value than servicing an M///.
Reliability, mines a 55 plate and had only 19k on it when I picked it up 5 months ago now on 24k. It's had a new thermostat under warranty, 1st to 2nd gear change is a bit clunky when cold but not too bad. The only other thing that bothers me is the speaker grill in the drivers door rattles slightly with low frequencies, apart from that it's faultless.
I'd also agree on the dealer experience, not sure what I was expecting, maybe some pompous arse on the service desk (BMW's for the past 10 years). What a breath of fresh air. Surpassed all my expectations and seems to be better value than servicing an M///.
I get the feeling you're going to keep getting similar answers here.
We've run one for 4.5 years/35,000 miles. 3.5 years of those the vantage was our only car.
In that time, one new wheel bearing (under warranty), one faulty thermostat (under warranty), new (if I recall) oil pressure relief valve (under warranty), new headlight ballast (fixed by me for about £60). Servicing is reasonable, every drive is an event and everyone loves the car. You'll get let out of junctions, people you've never met will come running up to you saying " F&^k me man, that's gorgeous". That has happened more than once.
There is not a single day when I pop the garage door open and don't smile.
Don't be afraid of a few miles. Buy one, remove fuse 22 and keep smiling.
We've run one for 4.5 years/35,000 miles. 3.5 years of those the vantage was our only car.
In that time, one new wheel bearing (under warranty), one faulty thermostat (under warranty), new (if I recall) oil pressure relief valve (under warranty), new headlight ballast (fixed by me for about £60). Servicing is reasonable, every drive is an event and everyone loves the car. You'll get let out of junctions, people you've never met will come running up to you saying " F&^k me man, that's gorgeous". That has happened more than once.
There is not a single day when I pop the garage door open and don't smile.
Don't be afraid of a few miles. Buy one, remove fuse 22 and keep smiling.
mikey k said:
Shmee said:
roof and deflector fight every time you open it
Mines never a problem - I put it in the loft the day I got it 
Generally it has been superb nothing other marques don't suffer - puncture, squeaky brakes & sticking hand brake.
Mine was the most unreliable new car I've owned for many years and let me down big time - repeatedly. Several complete breakdowns. Numerous non starts plus many other smaller 'niggles'. Very very poor for £80k+ car. Only ever had the grand total of one prob. during ownership of four new Porsches.
notax said:
...and will credit Murph on here for pointing out how little extra I would need to spend to buy one. I collected my 2006 V8V 3 weeks ago and I'm delighted with it. Happy hunting
My work is done Thanks Chris...glad you're loving it!OP - mine's 4yrs old and done 43k miles or so. Never let me down thus far. It had a few niggles that were sorted at the first two services, but all of them are known "issues" and if a car's been cherished I'd say they should have been dealt with by now (only one took two fixes, the rest have never recurred to date).
Even the wear and tear bits seem to last. Rear tyres are 20k-23k mile items. Fronts double that. Rear brakes about 30k. Fronts on mine still have some left but suspect they'll need doing before 50k. Clutch I daren't mention for fear of courting trouble, but mine's still on its original.
The only thing to really consider is when to put a Tubi on
Most of the genuine bits of aggro you hear of are from 5 or 6 years ago I reckon, when the cars were new. The niggles experienced then typically have fixes that are well known. Have a bit of a read through this forum and you'll know what to ask the dealers
Murph7355 said:
Rear brakes about 30k. Fronts on mine still have some left but suspect they'll need doing before 50k.
Interesting I was looking at mine whilst having a puncture done 
and noticed the rears were wearing more than the frontsThat's either trial braking or sticking hand brake calipers
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