Inspired or idiotic? "Cheap" V8 Vantage
Discussion
Nigel_O said:
From what I've read, the V12 is the engine that the Vantage always deserved. However, for anyone that's been with me since the start of this thread, you'll remember I was getting into AM ownership "on the cheap" by buying an entry-level car. I'm not loaded and I simply did not want to borrow to fund the car. I'm now in my last decade of my working life and I'm trying desperately to balance an incurable desire to own a nice car with the inescapable fact that I don't really have enough money in my pension.
So - the cheapest V12 on Autotrader is £60k which is simply more than I'm willing to pay. I know if I drove one, I'd fall for it and my pension plans would be in tatters, so I need to stay well clear and learn to live with 'only' eight cylinders.
Perhaps if the State Pension triple-lock is fully re-instated for another few years, I could entertain it, but as things stand, short of a lottery win, it ain't happening....
I hear you but itches tend to get more itchy the longer you leave them So - the cheapest V12 on Autotrader is £60k which is simply more than I'm willing to pay. I know if I drove one, I'd fall for it and my pension plans would be in tatters, so I need to stay well clear and learn to live with 'only' eight cylinders.
Perhaps if the State Pension triple-lock is fully re-instated for another few years, I could entertain it, but as things stand, short of a lottery win, it ain't happening....
Having warped many, many Fiat Coupe front brake discs over my 20 year with them, I was convinced that was what had happened to my V8V discs. I was quite wrong....
No wonder they felt a bit 'wooden' when braking from high speed...
Still, it's one of only a couple of things that have cropped up that I didn't know about when I bought the car, so I'm not too grumpy about it.
No wonder they felt a bit 'wooden' when braking from high speed...
Still, it's one of only a couple of things that have cropped up that I didn't know about when I bought the car, so I'm not too grumpy about it.
I've only just found this thread - lovely car in a lovely combo, that interior especially for me 
Huge respect going into the bottom end of these. I feel I've taken a similar approach when I needed to scratch my V8 itch, but a (very) different car at a much lower price point. I'm a few years in and enjoying it immensely, even if sub-20mpg is getting on my tits just now @ nearly £2/ltr.
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Huge respect going into the bottom end of these. I feel I've taken a similar approach when I needed to scratch my V8 itch, but a (very) different car at a much lower price point. I'm a few years in and enjoying it immensely, even if sub-20mpg is getting on my tits just now @ nearly £2/ltr.
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Oh damn - that's irritating....
When I washed the car last weekend, I noticed some liquid staining on one of the (newly-refurbished) rear wheels. I thought it was some of the white grease that had been applied to the hubs to prevent corrosion.
It wouldn't clean off with any of the usual wheel cleaning products, so I took the wheel off to have a better go at cleaning it. Even a fairly coarse polishing mop and some cutting compound wouldn't shift it, but then I noticed where the fluid was coming from....
Looks like it has taken some paint off the caliper too - one of the downsides of using DOT4 fluid, I suppose.
When I washed the car last weekend, I noticed some liquid staining on one of the (newly-refurbished) rear wheels. I thought it was some of the white grease that had been applied to the hubs to prevent corrosion.
It wouldn't clean off with any of the usual wheel cleaning products, so I took the wheel off to have a better go at cleaning it. Even a fairly coarse polishing mop and some cutting compound wouldn't shift it, but then I noticed where the fluid was coming from....
Looks like it has taken some paint off the caliper too - one of the downsides of using DOT4 fluid, I suppose.
Another relief yesterday - passed its MOT at just short of 64,000 miles.
Annoyingly, the EML light came on as I was driving to the MOT station - the usual “emissions service required” message. I’ve had it half a dozen times in my 10 months ownership and it always goes away after 5 (or is it 10?) restarts.
I also got a sympathetic MOT tester - apparently, both side repeaters weren’t working, but he gave them a little tap and they started working again - it would have been annoying to get a fail for those, although it would have given me an excuse to replace them with something a bit better looking - the originals are going yellow and look a bit rubbish.
In other news, it’s still going very well and the ceramic coating my son and I did in May is looking great. Cleaning it is soooo easy now. Still haven’t got the wheel refurbed, but the garage that did the brake bleeding immediately offered to pay for the refurb, so I’m happy enough - I’ve always said that the sign of a good garage is not whether they make mistakes, but how they behave when they do.
I’ve still been looking at 4.7s, but I haven’t seen anything with an interior like mine. I didn’t realise when I bought the car just how many Vantages have black interiors and how unusual a full sandstone interior is. I’ve seen lots of 4.7s within my budget that I’d like but all have dark interiors. Perhaps a twin-plate clutch and a modest remap will be enough to allow me to keep the 4.3. Or maybe I’ll drive a 4.7 and realise that tolerating a dark interior is a worthwhile swap for the extra grunt.
Finally, now I’ve sold the Westfield, I can (just) get the Aston in the garage with about 2” to spare at each end. I might think about getting a shed for winter driving duties. I quite like a bit of winter landscape photography and I have an irrational itch for a Panda 4x4 that I might have to scratch. I actually looked at Audi A6 Allroads for a while, but realised they were so good that the Aston would hardly get driven. At least the Panda would be slow and rattly, which would mean driving the Aston would be something to look forward to. Bit of a first-world problem, but I imagine one that many Aston owners face. What do other owners use as their daily drivers?
Annoyingly, the EML light came on as I was driving to the MOT station - the usual “emissions service required” message. I’ve had it half a dozen times in my 10 months ownership and it always goes away after 5 (or is it 10?) restarts.
I also got a sympathetic MOT tester - apparently, both side repeaters weren’t working, but he gave them a little tap and they started working again - it would have been annoying to get a fail for those, although it would have given me an excuse to replace them with something a bit better looking - the originals are going yellow and look a bit rubbish.
In other news, it’s still going very well and the ceramic coating my son and I did in May is looking great. Cleaning it is soooo easy now. Still haven’t got the wheel refurbed, but the garage that did the brake bleeding immediately offered to pay for the refurb, so I’m happy enough - I’ve always said that the sign of a good garage is not whether they make mistakes, but how they behave when they do.
I’ve still been looking at 4.7s, but I haven’t seen anything with an interior like mine. I didn’t realise when I bought the car just how many Vantages have black interiors and how unusual a full sandstone interior is. I’ve seen lots of 4.7s within my budget that I’d like but all have dark interiors. Perhaps a twin-plate clutch and a modest remap will be enough to allow me to keep the 4.3. Or maybe I’ll drive a 4.7 and realise that tolerating a dark interior is a worthwhile swap for the extra grunt.
Finally, now I’ve sold the Westfield, I can (just) get the Aston in the garage with about 2” to spare at each end. I might think about getting a shed for winter driving duties. I quite like a bit of winter landscape photography and I have an irrational itch for a Panda 4x4 that I might have to scratch. I actually looked at Audi A6 Allroads for a while, but realised they were so good that the Aston would hardly get driven. At least the Panda would be slow and rattly, which would mean driving the Aston would be something to look forward to. Bit of a first-world problem, but I imagine one that many Aston owners face. What do other owners use as their daily drivers?
Nigel_O said:
In other news, it’s still going very well and the ceramic coating my son and I did in May is looking great. Cleaning it is soooo easy now. Still haven’t got the wheel refurbed, but the garage that did the brake bleeding immediately offered to pay for the refurb, so I’m happy enough - I’ve always said that the sign of a good garage is not whether they make mistakes, but how they behave when they do.
Shame there is not more of shout out to garages like this, usually on here all we see are posts about garages shirking their responsibilities rather than thinking of keeping the customer happy. Glad to hear they got straight back on it and resolved it.Nigel_O said:
Bit of a first-world problem, but I imagine one that many Aston owners face. What do other owners use as their daily drivers?
Sadly, I'm not an Aston owner but my neighbour is! He has a Transit Connect for his work and a Touraeg for "normal" (needs a big car to tow his track cars). The Aston gets used for "special" stuff (he did do the NC500 in it last year).I have a Phaeton as my regular car. Have a van for work too.
You’re right about having something too nice besides the Aston.
Although my Phaeton is a barge it’s just so easy to use for running about, shops etc and of course quiet and comfortable
So it’s easy to leave the Aston in the garage.
On that point…. Parking in front of my garage is also a consideration.Sometimes I can’t be bothered to move VW to get out AM
I’ve been considering a merger, maybe an RS6 or similar but not sure if selling the AM would be a mistake. After all the cost to keep is very low so far (3.5 years) and the VW is still a low mileage, useable car.
It does bug a bit paying 2 x £600 road tax though!
Sorry just thinking out loud and rambling!
You’re right about having something too nice besides the Aston.
Although my Phaeton is a barge it’s just so easy to use for running about, shops etc and of course quiet and comfortable
So it’s easy to leave the Aston in the garage.
On that point…. Parking in front of my garage is also a consideration.Sometimes I can’t be bothered to move VW to get out AM
I’ve been considering a merger, maybe an RS6 or similar but not sure if selling the AM would be a mistake. After all the cost to keep is very low so far (3.5 years) and the VW is still a low mileage, useable car.
It does bug a bit paying 2 x £600 road tax though!
Sorry just thinking out loud and rambling!
milu said:
I have a Phaeton as my regular car. Have a van for work too.
You’re right about having something too nice besides the Aston.
Although my Phaeton is a barge it’s just so easy to use for running about, shops etc and of course quiet and comfortable
So it’s easy to leave the Aston in the garage.
On that point…. Parking in front of my garage is also a consideration.Sometimes I can’t be bothered to move VW to get out AM
I’ve been considering a merger, maybe an RS6 or similar but not sure if selling the AM would be a mistake. After all the cost to keep is very low so far (3.5 years) and the VW is still a low mileage, useable car.
It does bug a bit paying 2 x £600 road tax though!
Sorry just thinking out loud and rambling!
Your situation is similar to mine. I have a mint 2015 4.7 Vantage V8 in the garage, but my BMW 535d is parked on the drive in front of said garage. Sometimes I think "Ooh, it's a nice day, I could go for a drive in the Aston", but I'd have to move the BMW, then squeeze into the Aston (it fits in my garage, but only just). Usually I just take the BMW because I'm lazy. The 535d is a very enjoyable car to drive, despite being a filthy diesel.You’re right about having something too nice besides the Aston.
Although my Phaeton is a barge it’s just so easy to use for running about, shops etc and of course quiet and comfortable
So it’s easy to leave the Aston in the garage.
On that point…. Parking in front of my garage is also a consideration.Sometimes I can’t be bothered to move VW to get out AM
I’ve been considering a merger, maybe an RS6 or similar but not sure if selling the AM would be a mistake. After all the cost to keep is very low so far (3.5 years) and the VW is still a low mileage, useable car.
It does bug a bit paying 2 x £600 road tax though!
Sorry just thinking out loud and rambling!
My wife says "Why keep a car that you hardly ever drive?" and she has a point. I have toyed with the idea of a single 'do it all' car, but that would involve selling my two existing cars, and like I said, I'm lazy!
Nigel_O said:
Another relief yesterday - passed its MOT at just short of 64,000 miles.
Annoyingly, the EML light came on as I was driving to the MOT station - the usual “emissions service required” message. I’ve had it half a dozen times in my 10 months ownership and it always goes away after 5 (or is it 10?) restarts.
I also got a sympathetic MOT tester - apparently, both side repeaters weren’t working, but he gave them a little tap and they started working again - it would have been annoying to get a fail for those, although it would have given me an excuse to replace them with something a bit better looking - the originals are going yellow and look a bit rubbish.
In other news, it’s still going very well and the ceramic coating my son and I did in May is looking great. Cleaning it is soooo easy now. Still haven’t got the wheel refurbed, but the garage that did the brake bleeding immediately offered to pay for the refurb, so I’m happy enough - I’ve always said that the sign of a good garage is not whether they make mistakes, but how they behave when they do.
I’ve still been looking at 4.7s, but I haven’t seen anything with an interior like mine. I didn’t realise when I bought the car just how many Vantages have black interiors and how unusual a full sandstone interior is. I’ve seen lots of 4.7s within my budget that I’d like but all have dark interiors. Perhaps a twin-plate clutch and a modest remap will be enough to allow me to keep the 4.3. Or maybe I’ll drive a 4.7 and realise that tolerating a dark interior is a worthwhile swap for the extra grunt.
Finally, now I’ve sold the Westfield, I can (just) get the Aston in the garage with about 2” to spare at each end. I might think about getting a shed for winter driving duties. I quite like a bit of winter landscape photography and I have an irrational itch for a Panda 4x4 that I might have to scratch. I actually looked at Audi A6 Allroads for a while, but realised they were so good that the Aston would hardly get driven. At least the Panda would be slow and rattly, which would mean driving the Aston would be something to look forward to. Bit of a first-world problem, but I imagine one that many Aston owners face. What do other owners use as their daily drivers?
As a fellow Vantage owner I hate the indicator repeaters just stuck on the wings. They just look like an after thought. They should have had them hidden in either the gills or on the wing mirrors.Annoyingly, the EML light came on as I was driving to the MOT station - the usual “emissions service required” message. I’ve had it half a dozen times in my 10 months ownership and it always goes away after 5 (or is it 10?) restarts.
I also got a sympathetic MOT tester - apparently, both side repeaters weren’t working, but he gave them a little tap and they started working again - it would have been annoying to get a fail for those, although it would have given me an excuse to replace them with something a bit better looking - the originals are going yellow and look a bit rubbish.
In other news, it’s still going very well and the ceramic coating my son and I did in May is looking great. Cleaning it is soooo easy now. Still haven’t got the wheel refurbed, but the garage that did the brake bleeding immediately offered to pay for the refurb, so I’m happy enough - I’ve always said that the sign of a good garage is not whether they make mistakes, but how they behave when they do.
I’ve still been looking at 4.7s, but I haven’t seen anything with an interior like mine. I didn’t realise when I bought the car just how many Vantages have black interiors and how unusual a full sandstone interior is. I’ve seen lots of 4.7s within my budget that I’d like but all have dark interiors. Perhaps a twin-plate clutch and a modest remap will be enough to allow me to keep the 4.3. Or maybe I’ll drive a 4.7 and realise that tolerating a dark interior is a worthwhile swap for the extra grunt.
Finally, now I’ve sold the Westfield, I can (just) get the Aston in the garage with about 2” to spare at each end. I might think about getting a shed for winter driving duties. I quite like a bit of winter landscape photography and I have an irrational itch for a Panda 4x4 that I might have to scratch. I actually looked at Audi A6 Allroads for a while, but realised they were so good that the Aston would hardly get driven. At least the Panda would be slow and rattly, which would mean driving the Aston would be something to look forward to. Bit of a first-world problem, but I imagine one that many Aston owners face. What do other owners use as their daily drivers?
Nigel_O said:
<snip> Bit of a first-world problem, but I imagine one that many Aston owners face. What do other owners use as their daily drivers? </snip>
I don't have an Aston, but I do have this "problem". I currently have a newer Alpina D4 (based on the 4 series platform) and a older Z4 ragtop. Previously I have had a 6 series V8 & a 3 series ragtop. The difference in the vehicle type & use case means that for the right journey I am looking forward to the right car. I don't though recommend 200 miles on the M1 on a wet winters night in a leaky E36, or single lane width country roads in a 6 series barge...Gassing Station | Readers' Cars | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff