RE: Aston Martin V8 Vantage: PH Buying Guide
Discussion
The running costs are pretty high unfortunately as the brand also has customers that pay £300,000 for a car! So servicing, parts, etc are all priced accordingly. I had to replace a headlamp on my Vantage once, which was £1,400!!! Even when using a non-specialist the Aston parts are still expensive, and OEM are not cheap 
petop said:
I have what i think is the sweet spot, 4.7, Manual, 2008. In fact its a ex-Aston owned car (hasten to add I have had no issues with this being ex-Aston owned). No side skirts and to top it, its the only 4.7 Fire Red non-S in the UK.....unless someone comes forward to disprove me.
Wait out and look for one, they are worth it!
That is stunning Wait out and look for one, they are worth it!
TheRainMaker said:
petop said:
I have what i think is the sweet spot, 4.7, Manual, 2008. In fact its a ex-Aston owned car (hasten to add I have had no issues with this being ex-Aston owned). No side skirts and to top it, its the only 4.7 Fire Red non-S in the UK.....unless someone comes forward to disprove me.
Wait out and look for one, they are worth it!
That is stunning Wait out and look for one, they are worth it!
I had a 4.3 V8V manual for around 2.5 years.
I had the usual issues with scabby door mirror arms, the window modules played up so they didn't drop on opening and closing, the drive belt was noisy on very cold mornings on start up and the supplying main dealer seemed unable to sort things out. They also trashed the paint finish on my red calipers when replacing the discs and pads. An apprentice in a Ford dealer would have done a better job.
All that aside, the car was utterly beguiling and wonderful to drive. More than enough performance for me, with a sensational soundtrack, beautiful steering and a surprisingly supple ride making it a great GT car. I had the premium sound system which was superb, bluetooth, heated seats etc. I experienced some random warning lights (usually brake related) but all that was down to the battery condition. When using the car regularly those issues disappeared and it definitely benefited from regular use. But then most cars do.
I bought it to tick a box but find that now it's gone there is pretty much nothing else that appeals to me.
I miss it terribly and think I will have to own another one.
I had the usual issues with scabby door mirror arms, the window modules played up so they didn't drop on opening and closing, the drive belt was noisy on very cold mornings on start up and the supplying main dealer seemed unable to sort things out. They also trashed the paint finish on my red calipers when replacing the discs and pads. An apprentice in a Ford dealer would have done a better job.
All that aside, the car was utterly beguiling and wonderful to drive. More than enough performance for me, with a sensational soundtrack, beautiful steering and a surprisingly supple ride making it a great GT car. I had the premium sound system which was superb, bluetooth, heated seats etc. I experienced some random warning lights (usually brake related) but all that was down to the battery condition. When using the car regularly those issues disappeared and it definitely benefited from regular use. But then most cars do.
I bought it to tick a box but find that now it's gone there is pretty much nothing else that appeals to me.
I miss it terribly and think I will have to own another one.
Aside from Fuel and main dealer servicing there not as expensive as people seem to think, Don't forget when this was built Aston was owned by Ford, Who also at the time owned Volvo Land Rover and Mazda,
You'l be surprised how many of the parts are taken from other makes.
4 new Brembo brake discs and padget pads along with hand brake pads under £400 from Scuderia Car Parts (before Brexit) and how often you going to have to change disc & pads?
For example a pair of air filters fitted by AM £350!
Pair of filters from i think a Ford Focus on Ebay £20.
Pollen filter filter fitted from AM £120
Mazda filter less than £10 and 10 minuets to change.
You'l be surprised how many of the parts are taken from other makes.
4 new Brembo brake discs and padget pads along with hand brake pads under £400 from Scuderia Car Parts (before Brexit) and how often you going to have to change disc & pads?
For example a pair of air filters fitted by AM £350!
Pair of filters from i think a Ford Focus on Ebay £20.
Pollen filter filter fitted from AM £120
Mazda filter less than £10 and 10 minuets to change.
I've had mine for 5 years, 2011 V8VS. What an Aston will cost a new owner to run depends on two things: 1. how much was done by the previous owners/s and 2. What the new owner wants out of the car.
Previous ownership and maintenance
History is everything. Any Aston needs careful, fastidious maintenance. Its a hand built car and as such needs to be taken care of more carefully to remain A1, with minor fixes and adjustments always required here and there, and expensive components will fail and need replacement. Coupled with that, all owners must accept that as both as a high performance car and also as an expensive, luxury car from a niche builder any Aston will never, ever be 'cheap' to run and maintain properly, even if inherited in perfect condition.
A lesson I learned the hard way was to buy the best maintained car you can, not the cheapest - as this will work out less expensive in the long run. Look for evidence of work carried out by competent people. High miles should equal high maintenance and high spending. There should be lots of receipts and the owner should be able to tell you exactly what they have done.
If a Vantage has been properly maintained, then the only real weak points are the V8 single plate clutch, the light units and some of the ancillary electrical systems. The clutch costs roughly £3k to replace at an independent, and doesn't last as long as it should. The V12 twin plate clutch/lightened flywheel upgrade can be retrofit to the V8 by a good specialist (like Bamford Rose) and with an ASM reflash improves things considerably in terms of smoothness, speed and robustness, though the lightened flywheel can make the transaxle transmission chatter a little more at low revs. LED sections fail in the lights, might not always fail an MOT but looks awful. The only fix is to replace the whole unit - £1k per corner. Rears were known to let water in. Light unit condition is however easy to check when purchasing. Electrical gremlins are made much worse by a non tip top battery - keep it on trickle charge, and If not already done, disable the tracker as it kills the battery. The only electrical issues I had were related to the tracker (draining the battery and causing all manner of error messages), the TPMS (flat batteries in the senders) and a faulty external temperature sensor (£10 part fitted in 15min). The gearbox is solid, just look for leaks (half shaft seal can go), and the V8 engine is also solid, look for leaky cam cover gaskets as this is a much more expensive fix than it should be. Otherwise, just listen for unusual noises - there really should not be any.
So - assuming you buy a good car, that has been maintained, and wants for nothing at purchase - Assuming you will actually use the car, lets say 6000 miles a year, then budget on spending approx £600 a year for basic service at a specialist (remember its largely just oil/filter change and general check over), £600 average a year on consumables (tyres, brakes, fluids etc) and a further £1800 on properly maintaining the car, stuff like suspension and drivetrain components, clutch, trim niggles, TPMS, paint bubble repairs and other bits and pieces to keep the car A1. Reckon on 3k per year and you can only be pleasantly surprised if you don't spend that in a given year - but always be prepared that if you keep the car for a decent a period of time, and you want to properly take care of it, then this is what it will cost you, as will any similar car. Just look for evidence that the previous owner/s have done the same...
So then you've bought the dream supermodel of a car car - now you decide what you want from it...
For many - reality begins to dawn that the V8 Vantage just isn't as good a car as it should be, yes its pretty and shouty but it has real dynamic and power shortcomings. The good news is that the car really can be dramatically improved, the bad news is the cost - reckon on £20k (if you don't do the work yourself, half that if you do) to properly sort and upgrade it, to get the most out of it as a drivers car, and not be embarrassed by your mates in 997's on track days or just away from the lights
Many owners, if the car is kept for a year or two, and the 'Aston attachment' grows despite the cars shortcomings, many start to think about 'improving' their car, there are quite a few key upgrades that can be done to the earlier 4.3 cars to bring them more into line with the 4.7 and later cars, which despite being essentially still the same car, were evolved over the long production run into a far sweeter machine. Think of the amazing GT8 - still essentially the same car as a 2005 4.3, many of its bits can just be bolted on. The bodywork mods of the later cars or sportier versions (sills, wheels, clear lights etc) can freshen an older car, the bigger brakes from the 2011-on 'S' can be retrofitted, the V12 clutch upgrade dramatically improves the transmission, free breathing tuned exhaust headers and motorsport catalysts will improve engine responsiveness and increase top end power (roughly: +35hp on 4.3, +30hp on 4.7 and +25hp on 'S' - the gains of this great mod diminish a bit with later cars because later cars became a little better breathing as standard). The Bilstein springs and dampers from the later cars can be retrofitted, even with switchable options. The 4.3 can be rebuilt as a 4.7 etc. Even the Vantage S can be improved with tuned headers, primary cat delete, engine remap, switchable Bilsteins and the twin plate V12 clutch and lightened flywheel and ASM2 remap.
So the answer to the question about maintenance is easy enough - budget a realistic £3k per year, potentially much more if you buy a neglected car. Though be warned that this isn't the real question - the real question is whether you will get the 'Aston attachment' - and start really spending money
Previous ownership and maintenance
History is everything. Any Aston needs careful, fastidious maintenance. Its a hand built car and as such needs to be taken care of more carefully to remain A1, with minor fixes and adjustments always required here and there, and expensive components will fail and need replacement. Coupled with that, all owners must accept that as both as a high performance car and also as an expensive, luxury car from a niche builder any Aston will never, ever be 'cheap' to run and maintain properly, even if inherited in perfect condition.
A lesson I learned the hard way was to buy the best maintained car you can, not the cheapest - as this will work out less expensive in the long run. Look for evidence of work carried out by competent people. High miles should equal high maintenance and high spending. There should be lots of receipts and the owner should be able to tell you exactly what they have done.
If a Vantage has been properly maintained, then the only real weak points are the V8 single plate clutch, the light units and some of the ancillary electrical systems. The clutch costs roughly £3k to replace at an independent, and doesn't last as long as it should. The V12 twin plate clutch/lightened flywheel upgrade can be retrofit to the V8 by a good specialist (like Bamford Rose) and with an ASM reflash improves things considerably in terms of smoothness, speed and robustness, though the lightened flywheel can make the transaxle transmission chatter a little more at low revs. LED sections fail in the lights, might not always fail an MOT but looks awful. The only fix is to replace the whole unit - £1k per corner. Rears were known to let water in. Light unit condition is however easy to check when purchasing. Electrical gremlins are made much worse by a non tip top battery - keep it on trickle charge, and If not already done, disable the tracker as it kills the battery. The only electrical issues I had were related to the tracker (draining the battery and causing all manner of error messages), the TPMS (flat batteries in the senders) and a faulty external temperature sensor (£10 part fitted in 15min). The gearbox is solid, just look for leaks (half shaft seal can go), and the V8 engine is also solid, look for leaky cam cover gaskets as this is a much more expensive fix than it should be. Otherwise, just listen for unusual noises - there really should not be any.
So - assuming you buy a good car, that has been maintained, and wants for nothing at purchase - Assuming you will actually use the car, lets say 6000 miles a year, then budget on spending approx £600 a year for basic service at a specialist (remember its largely just oil/filter change and general check over), £600 average a year on consumables (tyres, brakes, fluids etc) and a further £1800 on properly maintaining the car, stuff like suspension and drivetrain components, clutch, trim niggles, TPMS, paint bubble repairs and other bits and pieces to keep the car A1. Reckon on 3k per year and you can only be pleasantly surprised if you don't spend that in a given year - but always be prepared that if you keep the car for a decent a period of time, and you want to properly take care of it, then this is what it will cost you, as will any similar car. Just look for evidence that the previous owner/s have done the same...
So then you've bought the dream supermodel of a car car - now you decide what you want from it...
For many - reality begins to dawn that the V8 Vantage just isn't as good a car as it should be, yes its pretty and shouty but it has real dynamic and power shortcomings. The good news is that the car really can be dramatically improved, the bad news is the cost - reckon on £20k (if you don't do the work yourself, half that if you do) to properly sort and upgrade it, to get the most out of it as a drivers car, and not be embarrassed by your mates in 997's on track days or just away from the lights
Many owners, if the car is kept for a year or two, and the 'Aston attachment' grows despite the cars shortcomings, many start to think about 'improving' their car, there are quite a few key upgrades that can be done to the earlier 4.3 cars to bring them more into line with the 4.7 and later cars, which despite being essentially still the same car, were evolved over the long production run into a far sweeter machine. Think of the amazing GT8 - still essentially the same car as a 2005 4.3, many of its bits can just be bolted on. The bodywork mods of the later cars or sportier versions (sills, wheels, clear lights etc) can freshen an older car, the bigger brakes from the 2011-on 'S' can be retrofitted, the V12 clutch upgrade dramatically improves the transmission, free breathing tuned exhaust headers and motorsport catalysts will improve engine responsiveness and increase top end power (roughly: +35hp on 4.3, +30hp on 4.7 and +25hp on 'S' - the gains of this great mod diminish a bit with later cars because later cars became a little better breathing as standard). The Bilstein springs and dampers from the later cars can be retrofitted, even with switchable options. The 4.3 can be rebuilt as a 4.7 etc. Even the Vantage S can be improved with tuned headers, primary cat delete, engine remap, switchable Bilsteins and the twin plate V12 clutch and lightened flywheel and ASM2 remap.
So the answer to the question about maintenance is easy enough - budget a realistic £3k per year, potentially much more if you buy a neglected car. Though be warned that this isn't the real question - the real question is whether you will get the 'Aston attachment' - and start really spending money
Morning guys,
I’m looking at a 2006 V8 Vantage (~35k miles) on sale for £35k. Full service history and looks in fantastic condition.
Looking for any advise /things to look out for. I’ve been told the clutch normally goes about 40k, also headlights leaking water can be a common issue? This will be my first AM (previous cars S3, M4 and F type) so want to make sure I’m not missing anything.
Thanks in advance!
I’m looking at a 2006 V8 Vantage (~35k miles) on sale for £35k. Full service history and looks in fantastic condition.
Looking for any advise /things to look out for. I’ve been told the clutch normally goes about 40k, also headlights leaking water can be a common issue? This will be my first AM (previous cars S3, M4 and F type) so want to make sure I’m not missing anything.
Thanks in advance!
Sadly I’ve fallen out of love of my 2007 V8V. Beautiful car. Great engine. Fun to drive. That’s where it stops. Continued pathetic issues make them a hole to put your money into. Never ending. This is my second Aston both fitted with poor quality parts. My wife drives around in her Qashqua never in the garage. Apart from brakes etc. I’ve always wanted an Aston Martin. And now I’m tired of telling folk how wonderful it is. I guess wanting to support the brand and not admit to its unreliability. Ofcourse other cars have their annoying ways. But I can’t Waite to spend another couple of grand so I can get rid of it. I never thought I would hear myself say that. The thing is. I know some one who has an Aston workshop. And I see how many are always going back for repairs and parts. Old and newer models.
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