RE: The Brave Pill: Aston Martin V8 Vantage
Discussion
Caseybramley said:
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
What a stupid comment.Ok firstly i do own a Vantage so ill naturally be biased. But which Ferrari are we saying is similar money which also less faults and is say faster if those are the 2 criteria you are basing your assumption on?
As for Porsche......and i have had them as well, lets go for a 2005 996 as a similar proposition. Just make sure though you dont keep driving it thinking that the IMS may let go (yes i know its rare but Astons dont have similar types of issues written about them).
And whilst its a well used old adage but try pulling out of a junction in a 911 or a Vantage......i am glad its overrated as i seem to be able to be let out a lot sooner.
I'd always pined for these since they came out so had one for a year and stuck about 4,000 miles on it. Used a bit of oil and some issues when leaving it for more than a couple of days without a trickle charger which lead to a new battery (£70 off the top of my head, and a lot of swearing), but other than that it was fine. Used a tank of fuel every time I took it out at 13mpg but that's not really an issue. As mentioned clutches on these are pretty sensitive, as well as O2 sensors but other than that it seemed pretty solid for what it was. Plus if you need expensive parts like replacement springs you could always just go full bore sacrilege and lower it like I did.
Lost £800 on it with depreciation over 12 months, although could've probably held out for more. Proper little muscle car. All the controls were incredibly heavy so a bit of a work out but absolutely savage noise from the thing and a nice cabin to be in. Would happily have another, although it was a bit of a 'late 20s lets do this before I look like I'm recently divorced' YOLO moment but I'm glad I did.
Attracted a lot of attention too, while some people here don't 'get' the fascination with Astons, Joe Public is very much the flipside of that coin.
Lost £800 on it with depreciation over 12 months, although could've probably held out for more. Proper little muscle car. All the controls were incredibly heavy so a bit of a work out but absolutely savage noise from the thing and a nice cabin to be in. Would happily have another, although it was a bit of a 'late 20s lets do this before I look like I'm recently divorced' YOLO moment but I'm glad I did.
Attracted a lot of attention too, while some people here don't 'get' the fascination with Astons, Joe Public is very much the flipside of that coin.
I put 83000 miles on my first 2006 Vantage that I bought ex demo in 2007. It was one of the most reliable cars owned over a 9 year period. running costs are pretty similar to a big engined German luxury car, its only really the clutch that is a big expense if/when it goes. The original clutch lasted 73k miles so not that bad.
If you buy one with good consumables and a clutch already done, you may get lucky and manage a couple of years "cheap" Aston Martin motoring with just a £650 fixed price service each year. With minimal depreciation at this age, its got to be one of the nicest cars to experience for a couple of years for £30k.
Thing is, once you've had one, you might not want to be without one
If you buy one with good consumables and a clutch already done, you may get lucky and manage a couple of years "cheap" Aston Martin motoring with just a £650 fixed price service each year. With minimal depreciation at this age, its got to be one of the nicest cars to experience for a couple of years for £30k.
Thing is, once you've had one, you might not want to be without one
Interesting the article stating that it wouldn't rust. Mine had rust appearing on the drivers door by the wing mirror mount (which had previously corroded) and rust where the windscreen joined on to the roof panel.
It was still under AM warranty (the corrosion was ten years IIRC) but they weren't interested. Same when the rear light cluster failed and the local dealer charged a naive me £750 for a replacement.
I loved it, but the build quality was lack luster in places. Silver birch with the oxblood interior was delightful mind
It was still under AM warranty (the corrosion was ten years IIRC) but they weren't interested. Same when the rear light cluster failed and the local dealer charged a naive me £750 for a replacement.
I loved it, but the build quality was lack luster in places. Silver birch with the oxblood interior was delightful mind
Its an old unreliable chestnut to generalise about this this reliability thing - especially when consumables are inappropriately included in the mix.
I know 911's that have bankrupted owners from issues borne of the blueprint stage... Astons however are regarded as often not supremely cutting edge and the benefit of that is a tried and tested chassis, transmission and components. No car is free of issues of course and all of the manufacturers produce lemons, but beyond being a fan boi, my experience over 5 years is a very positive one. One £146 TPMS module. One window trim £300. One exhaust noise valve pump - £120 - ohh and 40,000 glorious noisy miles all over Europe and the Highlands!
It always pays to use one's noggin when maintaining an older car - so easy and reassuring to throw money at a main dealer. My big one will be 12 x coils and plugs in year 7, the next time. I may well however source the coils direct from the manufacturer for £35 rather than £120 and know I can get 12 plugs for £50 rather than £200! I still keep a FMDSH annual service mind as they always do me a deal and have never let me down or tried anything on.
I know 911's that have bankrupted owners from issues borne of the blueprint stage... Astons however are regarded as often not supremely cutting edge and the benefit of that is a tried and tested chassis, transmission and components. No car is free of issues of course and all of the manufacturers produce lemons, but beyond being a fan boi, my experience over 5 years is a very positive one. One £146 TPMS module. One window trim £300. One exhaust noise valve pump - £120 - ohh and 40,000 glorious noisy miles all over Europe and the Highlands!
It always pays to use one's noggin when maintaining an older car - so easy and reassuring to throw money at a main dealer. My big one will be 12 x coils and plugs in year 7, the next time. I may well however source the coils direct from the manufacturer for £35 rather than £120 and know I can get 12 plugs for £50 rather than £200! I still keep a FMDSH annual service mind as they always do me a deal and have never let me down or tried anything on.
Had my v8v for a very short time. Too short for the absence of repair bills to have any real meaning.
But visually and audiably - one of my favourite cars.
I have a modified 911 which will outclass it in terms of performance, but I didn't have the same worry of something going wrong in the Aston.
I found the performance and build quality a little dissapointing, ford switchgear, a few electrical gremlins, and felt no faster than the Z4M which preceeded it (in fact, went on a run in the Z4M and was glued to an V8V
Would I have another? Absolutely, especially if it was this cheap
But visually and audiably - one of my favourite cars.
I have a modified 911 which will outclass it in terms of performance, but I didn't have the same worry of something going wrong in the Aston.
I found the performance and build quality a little dissapointing, ford switchgear, a few electrical gremlins, and felt no faster than the Z4M which preceeded it (in fact, went on a run in the Z4M and was glued to an V8V
Would I have another? Absolutely, especially if it was this cheap
groundcontrol said:
I'd always pined for these since they came out so had one for a year and stuck about 4,000 miles on it. Used a bit of oil and some issues when leaving it for more than a couple of days without a trickle charger which lead to a new battery (£70 off the top of my head, and a lot of swearing), but other than that it was fine. Used a tank of fuel every time I took it out at 13mpg but that's not really an issue. As mentioned clutches on these are pretty sensitive, as well as O2 sensors but other than that it seemed pretty solid for what it was. Plus if you need expensive parts like replacement springs you could always just go full bore sacrilege and lower it like I did.
Lost £800 on it with depreciation over 12 months, although could've probably held out for more. Proper little muscle car. All the controls were incredibly heavy so a bit of a work out but absolutely savage noise from the thing and a nice cabin to be in. Would happily have another, although it was a bit of a 'late 20s lets do this before I look like I'm recently divorced' YOLO moment but I'm glad I did.
Attracted a lot of attention too, while some people here don't 'get' the fascination with Astons, Joe Public is very much the flipside of that coin.
How did you get on with the SeaSucker? I'm looking for a V8 Vantage but am stuck on bike transport options. Will an MTB fit in the boot with the wheels off? I like the idea of a Sea Sucker but not that someone can walk up to the car at traffic lights and pop the pressure on the cups and walk off with the bike... or am I being paranoid? Lost £800 on it with depreciation over 12 months, although could've probably held out for more. Proper little muscle car. All the controls were incredibly heavy so a bit of a work out but absolutely savage noise from the thing and a nice cabin to be in. Would happily have another, although it was a bit of a 'late 20s lets do this before I look like I'm recently divorced' YOLO moment but I'm glad I did.
Attracted a lot of attention too, while some people here don't 'get' the fascination with Astons, Joe Public is very much the flipside of that coin.
It's great to see one of these with some real mileage, and that it has given good service.
The article says the engine is based on the Jaguar V8 but was "substantially modified with new quad-cam cylinder heads along with a standard dry sump lubrication system." It was much more "substantially modified" than that. Essentially everything was changed, and bespoke to the Aston engine: block, crank, conrods, bearings, pistons, heads, valves, cams, etc. are all bespoke to the Aston Martin engine.
To those who have suggested that these aren't worth the money, I completely disagree -- I think the value for money for V8Vs generally is off the charts. About the extra cost over a Jaguar, it's so much more than just about the badge. First, I love Jags, have had several, and still have one. But... Aston production numbers are much lower, they're built by hand rather than by machines, the materials quality and attention to detail are in a completely different league, and much more. The price difference is IMO entirely warranted. Whether the difference is worth it to you is, of course, a personal decision.
I've had my '09 4.7 V8V (Coupe, manual, Sports Pack) from new. It's a great driver's car (beautifully balanced, great steering and manual 'box, fantastic sound) and wonderful to own. While routine maintenance and parts prices are expensive, it has been completely reliable. To be fair, cars from the first year or two of production were not as reliable generally as later cars. (Harry, I've been doing this a long time, and the build quality of my car is superb. I love looking at the stuff you're not expected to see, and it's a work of art, most certainly including the aluminum structure. Far better built than my wife's 2012 Mercedes, which was NOT reliable, btw, and yes, I'd say your Benz specialist is biased. I like your W124 though!) I didn't buy the extended warranty when my car was 3 years old. My cost for repairs over those next two years: $0.00. Not a single penny. These are great cars.
The article says the engine is based on the Jaguar V8 but was "substantially modified with new quad-cam cylinder heads along with a standard dry sump lubrication system." It was much more "substantially modified" than that. Essentially everything was changed, and bespoke to the Aston engine: block, crank, conrods, bearings, pistons, heads, valves, cams, etc. are all bespoke to the Aston Martin engine.
To those who have suggested that these aren't worth the money, I completely disagree -- I think the value for money for V8Vs generally is off the charts. About the extra cost over a Jaguar, it's so much more than just about the badge. First, I love Jags, have had several, and still have one. But... Aston production numbers are much lower, they're built by hand rather than by machines, the materials quality and attention to detail are in a completely different league, and much more. The price difference is IMO entirely warranted. Whether the difference is worth it to you is, of course, a personal decision.
I've had my '09 4.7 V8V (Coupe, manual, Sports Pack) from new. It's a great driver's car (beautifully balanced, great steering and manual 'box, fantastic sound) and wonderful to own. While routine maintenance and parts prices are expensive, it has been completely reliable. To be fair, cars from the first year or two of production were not as reliable generally as later cars. (Harry, I've been doing this a long time, and the build quality of my car is superb. I love looking at the stuff you're not expected to see, and it's a work of art, most certainly including the aluminum structure. Far better built than my wife's 2012 Mercedes, which was NOT reliable, btw, and yes, I'd say your Benz specialist is biased. I like your W124 though!) I didn't buy the extended warranty when my car was 3 years old. My cost for repairs over those next two years: $0.00. Not a single penny. These are great cars.
There's a meteorite grey with black appeared on Autotrader today, 150k miles and £20k!
I am really keen to get into one of these, im looking for a MY10 and after having seen lightweight seats want those haha, but for someone handy with a spanner a £20k aston would be great!
One day I will have one....
I am really keen to get into one of these, im looking for a MY10 and after having seen lightweight seats want those haha, but for someone handy with a spanner a £20k aston would be great!
One day I will have one....
Same thing here. Bought a 2006 4.3 when it was 6 years old and 20k miles. Sold it 4 years later at 50k miles.
Even as a 10 year old car it was faultless. More reliable than the many BMWs, Audi’s, Porsche’s and other cars that came before and after it. Surprisingly inexpensive to run too, with insurance being particularly low.
I only sold it as I made the mistake of test driving a Vantage S and then just couldn’t rest until I’d made the upgrade.
I’ve since moved on to a DB11 (which I absolutely adore) but every time I see a 1st generation Vantage on the road I feel a little bit jealous of the driver. I was planning to change the Vantage S to the brand new Vantage but just can’t live with the looks of the thing, so went for the much more handsome GT instead.
Even as a 10 year old car it was faultless. More reliable than the many BMWs, Audi’s, Porsche’s and other cars that came before and after it. Surprisingly inexpensive to run too, with insurance being particularly low.
I only sold it as I made the mistake of test driving a Vantage S and then just couldn’t rest until I’d made the upgrade.
I’ve since moved on to a DB11 (which I absolutely adore) but every time I see a 1st generation Vantage on the road I feel a little bit jealous of the driver. I was planning to change the Vantage S to the brand new Vantage but just can’t live with the looks of the thing, so went for the much more handsome GT instead.
cayman-black said:
Caseybramley said:
The most rated car brand in the world I honestly can't see the appeal of Porsche or Ferrari
Hmm i agree.Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff