RE: Aston Martin V12 Vantage: Spotted
Discussion
I think a V8 N400 is the sweet spot in the Vantage range. The original 4.3 remapped from 380 to 400 bhp
Fully loaded, ltd edition with a numbered sill plaque
Has the best bits of the athestics : side skirts, clear rear lights and lovely 5 spoke alloys.
Not as quick as the V12 but in real world conditions fast enough
Better balanced than the V12 which another poster has already mentioned
My tip would be the roadster with a manual shift
Fully loaded, ltd edition with a numbered sill plaque
Has the best bits of the athestics : side skirts, clear rear lights and lovely 5 spoke alloys.
Not as quick as the V12 but in real world conditions fast enough
Better balanced than the V12 which another poster has already mentioned
My tip would be the roadster with a manual shift
Edited by mhurley on Tuesday 28th August 13:58
SAG6Y said:
That’s my baby! She definitely has 17k miles so not sure where the other number has come from. It’s been a great car but I’ve now got a 991 GTS hence selling the V12V. Awesome car and the sound is just amazing! End of an era no doubt.
Good Luck with the sale SAG6Y , Its a stunning looking car.Chr1sch said:
I've always thought the interior was cr@p for a car of that price point, they are undeniably pretty, yet agree with general sentiment that they are bit dated now
Agreed. Saw one and the interior is shocking. The door cards looks old and exposed allen key heads look way cheaper than what the cheaper Ikea or argos furniture could cook up.The centre console armrest is terrible. That little rectangular hole in the picture where you're supposed to put cups in doesn't really fit any cup. Also your elbow falls into that hole when driving, irritating my elbow. There is a tiny block that you're supposed to fit when you don't have a cup - looks like a tetris reject and doesn't fit all that well.
Dials are a bit hard to see at a quick glance when you are doing a very (un)healthy speed.
Panel gaps are assymetrical ( I asked the salesman if it had been in a crash - He gave me a funny look)
Does sound glorious though. better than any car to date that i've heard.
Chr1sch said:
I've always thought the interior was cr@p for a car of that price point, they are undeniably pretty, yet agree with general sentiment that they are bit dated now
Really i love the interior, leather everywhere including the whole steering column, carbon fibre door pulls , Alcantara roof linning and on mine piano black fascia. All put together solidly and very classy imo obviously.Oh and a superb gear lever.
I owned one of these for a year and although I loved it in some ways, ultimately I was left very confused and frustrated by it. It seemed to tick all the boxes - stunning looks, spine tingling sound, stinking naturally aspirated engine and handy dimensions and yet I wasn’t sad to see it go. In a nutshell, the traction was awful and the suspension struggled to cope with anything less than perfectly smooth roads, bucking its way down the sort of A/B roads that Porsches flow down. In other words you can’t often actually use anything like the full performance. I don’t know which country it was developed for but it certainly wasn’t the UK! Having owned Ferraris and Porsches whose identities and abilities are unquestionable, I so wanted the Vantage to match up on ability as well as looks but instead was left in awe of the brand management job AM gave done in spite of the products (I have driven other models). No wonder they have got into bed with Mercedes...
fmnjg said:
the traction was awful and the suspension struggled to cope with anything less than perfectly smooth roads, bucking its way down the sort of A/B roads that Porsches flow down. In other words you can’t often actually use anything like the full performance.
Of the various critiques on this thread ("looks dated to me"...no s
t, Sherlock, it's a 13 year old design 
) this is valid.This was largely addressed by the Vantage S that, as well as another 55bhp, had some serious chassis work done, including three-way adaptive dampers. This was somewhat undone by the move to the (at the time) much-maligned SportShift automated manual box. It's actually a perfectly suited gearbox to the car but too many people expect (and drive it like) a DSG/ZF Auto and are surprised when it's not silky-smooth. This was later addressed by the introduction of the 7sp dogleg manual.
Early SS3 V12 Vantage S are ridiculous value, IMO. My £90k would be going on this:
https://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/...
fmnjg said:
No wonder they have got into bed with Mercedes...
Strange comment, given the thing you seemed to most love about the V12V was the character and noise of the engine. Which is the one thing that has made way due to the Mercedes tie-up 
JaseB said:
I agree prices have softened a by maybe 5% in the last coupe of months, in line with most classic type cars.
A 29k mile car for £57k would have been a wise purchase though no?
I paid £72k for mine 3 years ago, I imagine a dealer would still put it up for something around that today so yeh not an investment but not a depreciation money pit either.
The £70-80k cars feel like the sweet spot to me, there's a couple of bargains in there. I'm sure that one at 90 is stunning but I imagine there'll be minters in the cheaper seats too.
DK has one like yours Jase, £78k. I doubt its as good .A 29k mile car for £57k would have been a wise purchase though no?
I paid £72k for mine 3 years ago, I imagine a dealer would still put it up for something around that today so yeh not an investment but not a depreciation money pit either.
The £70-80k cars feel like the sweet spot to me, there's a couple of bargains in there. I'm sure that one at 90 is stunning but I imagine there'll be minters in the cheaper seats too.
Edited by JaseB on Tuesday 28th August 13:39
AdamV12AMR said:
Of the various critiques on this thread ("looks dated to me"...no st, Sherlock, it's a 13 year old design rolleyes) this is valid.
This was largely addressed by the Vantage S that, as well as another 55bhp, had some serious chassis work done, including three-way adaptive dampers. This was somewhat undone by the move to the (at the time) much-maligned SportShift automated manual box. It's actually a perfectly suited gearbox to the car but too many people expect (and drive it like) a DSG/ZF Auto and are surprised when it's not silky-smooth. This was later addressed by the introduction of the 7sp dogleg manual.
Early SS3 V12 Vantage S are ridiculous value, IMO. My £90k would be going on this:
https://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/...
What a lovely spec that is. This was largely addressed by the Vantage S that, as well as another 55bhp, had some serious chassis work done, including three-way adaptive dampers. This was somewhat undone by the move to the (at the time) much-maligned SportShift automated manual box. It's actually a perfectly suited gearbox to the car but too many people expect (and drive it like) a DSG/ZF Auto and are surprised when it's not silky-smooth. This was later addressed by the introduction of the 7sp dogleg manual.
Early SS3 V12 Vantage S are ridiculous value, IMO. My £90k would be going on this:
https://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/...
I accept the point about the engine as it was magnificent albeit never likely to last in the current era. I was thinking more about other influences and inputs that help in the general modernisation and user friendliness that Astons so badly needed, even if it is at the expense of ‘character’.
I am always just a bit bemused by the Aston/Porsche comparisons and some owners views..... Personally I just can't compare an Aston and a Porsche in terms of what's best, because (IMO) they do different things differently... My two main babies are a TVR Chimaera and a V8V, and I am often asked which one I prefer, and, although they have much in common (V8, manual, RWD, two seats) they provide two very different driving experiences, and as such any preference is based on intended use (e.g. track day/B road top down hoon or dirty weekend in expensive hotel 
)
Also, I don't commute, so neither of these cars is a daily, and for shopping and tip runs I have an old Volvo estate
Time will come for me when the TVR is too much, it's highly modified, exceptionally quick, and it's not good for my back
I wouldn't swap the TVR for a Porsche, but, If I did have to commute for work, and spend a lot of time behind the wheel, a Carrera 4S would be right at the top of the list.......
As long as there was a V12V in the garage for weekend fun
)Also, I don't commute, so neither of these cars is a daily, and for shopping and tip runs I have an old Volvo estate
Time will come for me when the TVR is too much, it's highly modified, exceptionally quick, and it's not good for my back
I wouldn't swap the TVR for a Porsche, but, If I did have to commute for work, and spend a lot of time behind the wheel, a Carrera 4S would be right at the top of the list.......As long as there was a V12V in the garage for weekend fun
cayman-black said:
raphaelbittner said:
Having been fortunate enough to drive both the V8 and V12, I must say that the former is a much better balanced car. The V12 is very, very heavy on the front end. This being said, the V12 is the one that will better keep its value.
Hmm drive a V8 lovely , drive a V12 WANT. The V12 is by far the better drive .Gregor-lun1d said:
Vocht said:
Very nice but I feel the prices still have a way to fall. I'd be looking at a Ferrari 550 if I wanted to get a front engined manual V12 experience fix at this price point.
and you'd need at least another £10k before you got off the mark with a 550 manualDream car.
The later manual ones even came without a horrid gearstick. But I’d forgive it because it is so cool. Really couldn’t care less if you can buy something obvious from Stuttgart that is faster, cheaper, more precise (insert PH Porsche fanboy cliche here) it is besides the point. It’s a small coupe with a V12, a manual gearbox and a bloody Aston Martin badge on the front! Fantastic they even made it.
The later manual ones even came without a horrid gearstick. But I’d forgive it because it is so cool. Really couldn’t care less if you can buy something obvious from Stuttgart that is faster, cheaper, more precise (insert PH Porsche fanboy cliche here) it is besides the point. It’s a small coupe with a V12, a manual gearbox and a bloody Aston Martin badge on the front! Fantastic they even made it.
baconsarney said:
I am always just a bit bemused by the Aston/Porsche comparisons and some owners views..... Personally I just can't compare an Aston and a Porsche in terms of what's best, because (IMO) they do different things differently... My two main babies are a TVR Chimaera and a V8V, and I am often asked which one I prefer, and, although they have much in common (V8, manual, RWD, two seats) they provide two very different driving experiences, and as such any preference is based on intended use (e.g. track day/B road top down hoon or dirty weekend in expensive hotel )
Also, I don't commute, so neither of these cars is a daily, and for shopping and tip runs I have an old Volvo estate
Time will come for me when the TVR is too much, it's highly modified, exceptionally quick, and it's not good for my back I wouldn't swap the TVR for a Porsche, but, If I did have to commute for work, and spend a lot of time behind the wheel, a Carrera 4S would be right at the top of the list.......
As long as there was a V12V in the garage for weekend fun
I completely agree and have flitted between 10 year old Ferraris and modern Porsches, the former fulfilling the role of the weekend fun and the latter capable of doing anything. I had hoped that the V12V would fulfill the Ferrari role but I found it so frustrating that my earlier Boxter and current Carrera S are actually much better weekend cars too as the driving experience is so much more satisfying. I am fortunate enough also to have a 430 tucked away for the long term and it is just in a different league to the V12V although I wouldn’t use it every day. )Also, I don't commute, so neither of these cars is a daily, and for shopping and tip runs I have an old Volvo estate
Time will come for me when the TVR is too much, it's highly modified, exceptionally quick, and it's not good for my back
I wouldn't swap the TVR for a Porsche, but, If I did have to commute for work, and spend a lot of time behind the wheel, a Carrera 4S would be right at the top of the list.......As long as there was a V12V in the garage for weekend fun
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