RE: The Brave Pill: Aston Martin V8 Vantage

[sidewinder500]

Another great brave pill this week. And again envious how cheap you can get cars of this ilk in UK, in Germany it would be closer to 30 - 32 k£, even with that mileage.
Over here, 997.2 with over 100 k miles won't be sold / offered below 30k €.
As lots of you I would always go for condition (and owners) and not for miles, sometimes you can get a gem, but it takes a while.
Was looking at an 2006 4.3 with 110 k mls for 36 I € last year, looked good in pictures, but in person a scruffy dog of a car, too much of an unknown for that money. Considering this AM, I would need some time to come to terms with that drab dark red inside and would refurbish the wheels in silver, but otherwise what a special car for that little outlay.
I certainly like that one, and as far as mechanical horror stories go, you can go pop with everything Porsche or your Italian exotic as well.
Regarding this one has spent its time being loved, nothing to fear.
Somebody should go for it and post its experience here

[Harry Flashman]

The chap who looked after mine (local garage, after I had had enough of pi55taking from dealers and London specialists) chopped the costs of my brake replacement (all discs, pads, handbrake bits etc) by two thirds on the specialist quote. I supplied the parts. I like my cars perfect, so I spent a lot of time sorting my car, and then using it. My final drive back in it before it went, from the Goodwood Festval of Speed, remains one of my favourite experiences in a car. In terms of how to run these more cheaply, but with proper attention to quality:

I had a spring company make up a set for me for less than the cost of a single new one from AM.

I bought Bilstein dampers of the correct spec, rather than the AM ones.

I bought a pair of LED rear lamps from eBay for far less than the cost of a single replacement one from AM or AstonMartinBits.

I bought the correct Volvo door window ECU/Modules rather than getting AM to supply them at three times the price. Sadly I had to have a specialist do the work as my man did not want to touch anything electronic on these.

I bought an aircon condensor from AM bits.

I bought trim bits like number plate surround, splitter etc from ebay and had them fitted by my mechanic.

There are ways to run these at a reasonable price and still take care of them, but you need to do your homeworks. They are parts bin cars in some respects, so you can win. I swapped mine for a CLS63AMG as I needed something practical. The difference in build quality is not just obvious, it's hilarious: but this is the difference between Aston and a proper volume manufacturer, so a bit unfair to compare.

These cars are cheap for a reason - servicing costs are a joke for what they do (oil change and check quites were £600 from specialists, but most won't buy without the stamp in the book, so the Aston community can charge what they want).

Also, my man (Merc specialist, who also takes care of my old W124 convertible) stated that the build quality underneath, when he was rebuilding the brakes and suspension for me was "like a kit car". Now he deals in old Mercs, so he may be a bit biased as far as a car's quality is concerned, but still.

Do I miss the car? Yes. I'd have another. But as a keeper, worked on by a mechanic I trust, and I would go nowhere near a dealer/specialist for work. Which would of course make resale impossible.

Here's mine just before it went. Grainy pic, but the only one of it I have with the Merc in shot too, and I know how this forum likes a W124!

Untitled by baconrashers, on Flickr


Still the best looking Aston of recent times, especially in unadorned 4.3 spec. Black does it no favours - these look best in gunmetal grey or something a bit more fun, which will be the colour of my next one! Yes, there will be another, one day. 4.7 manual roadster. Had mine been a roadster, I would have kept it having done all that work. Unlike many on here, I am a convertible fan.

Untitled by baconrashers, on Flickr

But in topic, please, please don't by a cheap one, unless you have a large fund. A high mileage car like the one in thread can have a tonne of cash thrown at it and still be worth bugger all. Spend the extra money, find a lower mileage one and make sure it has had a load of work done to it. You have all been warned!!

Edited by Harry Flashman on Saturday 4th May 18:27

[Harry Flashman]

Mine is about to be for sale, as a friend and fellow PHer took it on. If anyone wants a properly sorted one, let me know and I will put you in touch - they all have common faults (like AC, window modules, broken springs, etc etc - and I rectified every one of these on mine). But it will not be at the price of the one on this thread!

[dafydd2008]

foliedouce said:

I had a 2006 4.3 for a couple of years - lovely car, never went wrong, not cheap to service has been eluded but no more than my TVRs. Back in the day you could get good maintenance from Rick & Kay at DMS, since closed down

Also great presence and loads of friendly comments.

I'd have another one but would go for a newer 4.7 but then that's really the point of the Brave Pill!

Looking at the how well this has been maintained, I think it would be worth a punt. Maybe sub £20k though

I remember Rick & Kay from DMS
I wonder what happened to the company, as Rick was a true AM nerd and looked after my V8 during the time of ownership.

The V8 is still a great car to look at and a bargain if you get a loved one.

[sidewinder500]

Harry Flashman said:

The chap who looked after mine (local garage, after I had had enough of pi55taking from dealers and London specialists) chopped the costs of my brake replacement (all discs, pads, handbrake bits etc) by two thirds on the specialist quote. I supplied the parts. I like my cars perfect, so I spent a lot of time sorting my car, and then using it. My final drive back in it before it went, from the Goodwood Festval of Speed, remains one of my favourite experiences in a car. In terms of how to run these more cheaply, but with proper attention to quality:

I had a spring company make up a set for me for less than the cost of a single new one from AM.

I bought Bilstein dampers of the correct spec, rather than the AM ones.

I bought a pair of LED rear lamps from eBay for far less than the cost of a single replacement one from AM or AstonMartinBits.

I bought the correct Volvo door window ECU/Modules rather than getting AM to supply them at three times the price. Sadly I had to have a specialist do the work as my man did not want to touch anything electronic on these.

I bought an aircon condensor from AM bits.

I bought trim bits like number plate surround, splitter etc from ebay and had them fitted by my mechanic.

There are ways to run these at a reasonable price and still take care of them, but you need to do your homeworks. They are parts bin cars in some respects, so you can win. I swapped mine for a CLS63AMG as I needed something practical. The difference in build quality is not just obvious, it's hilarious: but this is the difference between Aston and a proper volume manufacturer, so a bit unfair to compare.

These cars are cheap for a reason - servicing costs are a joke for what they do (oil change and check quites were £600 from specialists, but most won't buy without the stamp in the book, so the Aston community can charge what they want).

Also, my man (Merc specialist, who also takes care of my old W124 convertible) stated that the build quality underneath, when he was rebuilding the brakes and suspension for me was "like a kit car". Now he deals in old Mercs, so he may be a bit biased as far as a car's quality is concerned, but still.

Do I miss the car? Yes. I'd have another. But as a keeper, worked on by a mechanic I trust, and I would go nowhere near a dealer/specialist for work. Which would of course make resale impossible.

Here's mine just before it went. Grainy pic, but the only one of it I have with the Merc in shot too, and I know how this forum likes a W124!

Untitled by baconrashers, on Flickr


Still the best looking Aston of recent times, especially in unadorned 4.3 spec. Black doea it no favours - these look best in gunmetal grey or something a bit more fun, which will be the colour of my next one! Yes, there will be another, one day. 4.7 manual roadster. Had mine been a roadster, I would have kept it having done all that work. Unlike many on here, I am a convertible fan.

Untitled by baconrashers, on Flickr

Edited by Harry Flashman on Saturday 4th May 18:25

That is a gorgeous looking car, that 4.3.
Agree reg colours, as gunmetal grey looks good on almost everything...
But also like that A124, looks just like mine

[sidewinder500]

BTW is the position of the gearknob something you get used to, in my test drive last year I felt it was about 2 or 3 inches too far back, a little awkward sometimes

[Nerdherder]

Such a beautiful and appealing car. Hard to resist but not sure if the brave pills on my shelf are strong enough.

[Cold]

"Kit car" suspension component and (Brembo) brake parts, yesterday






There's embellishing to tell a tale and then there's just making stuff up.

[Harry Flashman]

Cold said:

"Kit car" suspension component and (Brembo) brake parts, yesterday






There's embellishing to tell a tale and then there's just making stuff up.

Heh. He was actually talking about the quality of the bonding on the aluminium tub, rather than the components themselves, that are beyond reproach...I should probably have specified.

I've owned Morgans and Astons, and crawled over and worked on both. Neither of their in-house stuff compares well to a mass-engineered car like a Porsche or Mercedes (I have owned and worked on these too).

[Cold]

The adhesive bonding of the tub is the same (and borrowed) tech that Lotus have used since the mid-90s to great acclaim and success. It's based on aircraft construction tech, is extremely strong and means the aluminium retains its torsional rigidity that might otherwise be lost if welded.
I'm not sure what experience your mechanic might have of the industry of aluminium bonding but I'd be interested to see a kit car manufacturer that offers a bonded tub that he feels is a good comparison.

[Fermit and Sexy Sarah]

I am aiming for a V8 Vantage, it has to be Toro Red, black leather. Will be looking to get one in the mid £30k's. Also I plan to take it to GMR and get the 580bhp Supercharged conversion. We've got a house renovation to pay for before, but when the time comes I'll be sure to nudge Harry and any other V8V owners past and present for as much advice as possible. IMO, now is the time to buy them. These scream classic, and won't be affordable for ever.

[stevie777777]

Been considering a Vantage for some time - however thought better of it for the moment and just bought another C63 W204 coupe...but to echo some on this thread, this Vantage example is not cheap enough (at £24k)...might be worth a risk at £19K...but you will never resell it with that mileage -
but wont stop my buying a grey 4.7 with black leather in the future though!

[Taylor James]

"Sort after". One key. Marmite interior colour. The mileage. Too expensive. That could quickly owe you £25K + and it falls into the death zone where the car is too painful to scrap and you can't get your money back in parts so it's sell for peanuts or swallow a bill that takes your investment in the car way above its worth. I doubt the trade would pay more than £15K for it, at which point it's worth a punt..

[phil_cardiff]

I'd love an N430 that looks like an early 4.3. Pretty much the first car I'd build following a mega lottery win.

[Harry Flashman]

Cold said:

The adhesive bonding of the tub is the same (and borrowed) tech that Lotus have used since the mid-90s to great acclaim and success. It's based on aircraft construction tech, is extremely strong and means the aluminium retains its torsional rigidity that might otherwise be lost if welded.
I'm not sure what experience your mechanic might have of the industry of aluminium bonding but I'd be interested to see a kit car manufacturer that offers a bonded tub that he feels is a good comparison.

Whilst I am sure that your ownership experience has been fabulous, and your worship of these cars is justified, the point I am making is that my mech commented that he did not think that the V8V is very well built, nor that it had held up particularly well over time. I related a comment, rather than making a judgement.

My judgement is that my car (an example of one, so not terribly representative) had a lot of things go expensivy wrong with it, whereupon I found that parts prices are pretty steep.

But please, feel free to counter this with a story of utmost reliability.

[Caseybramley]

The most overrated car brand in the world I honestly can't see the appeal of Aston Martins when a Porsche or Ferrari is similar money

[anonymous-user]

If someone had a older Aston say from the 60s/70s, gleaming, no one would take notice of what mileage was on it, it's while this one still comes in the modern category it's an issue I suppose.

[uuf361]

I had one (4.3 Roadster in 2008/9)bought at 700 miles and 9 months old, and it was possibly the worst car I’ve ever owned overall. I kept it for 5 months (and about a dozen trips to the dealer).

It should have been awesome but was hugely disappointing in many ways - at least I sold it for a profit as the market recovered......

[Mole51]

My Dad owns a 2007 V8 Vantage which has just ticked over 40,000 miles and must admit these used examples are a very tempting proposition.

I should give some warnings though. Long term average MPG is 18 and servicing is indeed expensive from a specialist, but you should already know that.

What I do have to warn others about though is the little faults that just keep cropping up. First was the rear lights which are heavily susceptible to water ingress on older models and eventually failed and had to be replaced at a cost of £700. These were replaced with the facelift clear version which are supposed to be improved yet misting has started to appear in them again.

The driver’s door window 50% of the time catches the A pillar as the door is closed, making the car think the door hasn’t been closed properly and it won’t lock until you open the door again and close it gently. This also happens on the passenger door but not as much.

Neither folding mirrors work anymore and must manually be engaged outwards with a press of both mirror adjustment buttons in the cabin.

The fuel filler cap release no longer works; you have to enter the boot and pull on a cheese string (which is apparently very delicate) to open it; not the most flattering when you pull into a petrol station in an Aston!

The rear lower metal grille rusts and paint has come off of a part behind the lower front grille leaving a white patch.

What’s bad about the above is they’ve all been looked at by a reputable specialist and there are no cheap/easy fixes; it’s usually complete new units etc.

In terms of driving dynamics, don’t expect this to come across as a sharp sports car. I owned an E46 M3 alongside this and there was no comprison. The Aston’s manual clutch is incredibly vague with an almost non existent biting point, the manual box is mushy, throttle response rather terrible, and the steering, while featuring a large amount of feel, has no connection to the rear and leaves you guessing if the rear has yet to break traction.

Having said all that, nothing quite beats getting into it and going for a blast and hearing that V8 roar which puts a smile on your face every single time. As the article says, you still get looks of appraisal from onlookers who think you’re driving a £70k car. Additionally 5 minutes fumbling about in the fuse box and removing fuse 22 gives you a free and very significant exhaust volume boost!

I don’t think anyone could be disappointed in owning a V8 vantage; but be prepared for additional costs from all the Volvo/Ford parts slowly dying and if you’re really into your driving dynamics you may come away disappointed.

[Mole51]

Harry Flashman said:

The chap who looked after mine (local garage, after I had had enough of pi55taking from dealers and London specialists) chopped the costs of my brake replacement (all discs, pads, handbrake bits etc) by two thirds on the specialist quote. I supplied the parts. I like my cars perfect, so I spent a lot of time sorting my car, and then using it. My final drive back in it before it went, from the Goodwood Festval of Speed, remains one of my favourite experiences in a car. In terms of how to run these more cheaply, but with proper attention to quality:

I had a spring company make up a set for me for less than the cost of a single new one from AM.

I bought Bilstein dampers of the correct spec, rather than the AM ones.

I bought a pair of LED rear lamps from eBay for far less than the cost of a single replacement one from AM or AstonMartinBits.

I bought the correct Volvo door window ECU/Modules rather than getting AM to supply them at three times the price. Sadly I had to have a specialist do the work as my man did not want to touch anything electronic on these.

I bought an aircon condensor from AM bits.

I bought trim bits like number plate surround, splitter etc from ebay and had them fitted by my mechanic.

There are ways to run these at a reasonable price and still take care of them, but you need to do your homeworks. They are parts bin cars in some respects, so you can win. I swapped mine for a CLS63AMG as I needed something practical. The difference in build quality is not just obvious, it's hilarious: but this is the difference between Aston and a proper volume manufacturer, so a bit unfair to compare.

These cars are cheap for a reason - servicing costs are a joke for what they do (oil change and check quites were £600 from specialists, but most won't buy without the stamp in the book, so the Aston community can charge what they want).

Also, my man (Merc specialist, who also takes care of my old W124 convertible) stated that the build quality underneath, when he was rebuilding the brakes and suspension for me was "like a kit car". Now he deals in old Mercs, so he may be a bit biased as far as a car's quality is concerned, but still.

Do I miss the car? Yes. I'd have another. But as a keeper, worked on by a mechanic I trust, and I would go nowhere near a dealer/specialist for work. Which would of course make resale impossible.

Here's mine just before it went. Grainy pic, but the only one of it I have with the Merc in shot too, and I know how this forum likes a W124!

Untitled by baconrashers, on Flickr


Still the best looking Aston of recent times, especially in unadorned 4.3 spec. Black does it no favours - these look best in gunmetal grey or something a bit more fun, which will be the colour of my next one! Yes, there will be another, one day. 4.7 manual roadster. Had mine been a roadster, I would have kept it having done all that work. Unlike many on here, I am a convertible fan.

Untitled by baconrashers, on Flickr

But in topic, please, please don't by a cheap one, unless you have a large fund. A high mileage car like the one in thread can have a tonne of cash thrown at it and still be worth bugger all. Spend the extra money, find a lower mileage one and make sure it has had a load of work done to it. You have all been warned!!

Edited by Harry Flashman on Saturday 4th May 18:27

Can I ask what the issue was with your windows? Our doors sometimes don’t shut properly as the window catches on the A pillar and you can’t lock the car until the door has been opened and then closed gently.

If this is the same issue what parts did you get and how much in total was it to fix?