Aston Martin Used Purchase help needed

[pdc41]

Hi

I am both new to this forum and the possibility of becoming a Aston Martin owner.

I have my eye on a V8 Vanatge late 2008 plate with very low millage less than 6k.

My question is what is the real cost of owning this and/or should I go with soemthing with more miles and therefore cheaper

I can work out the payments, but what should I expect for depreciation. I estimaet only 4-5k per year plus its garaged

Other costs I have not thought off

ease of sale etc

Its a big purchase for me so want to go in with eyes open


Thanks for any advice

[v8woollie]

I shall be the first to say 'Get Grant's book':

http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...

http://www.astonmartinreview.co.uk/

All you ever wanted to know

[JACK6284]

Buy Grant's book as it is invaluable as stated above. Don't be too frightened of miles on these cars they can take it. Very low mileage can in itself create its own problems.

[johng39]

JACK6284 said:

Buy Grant's book as it is invaluable as stated above. Don't be too frightened of miles on these cars they can take it. Very low mileage can in itself create its own problems.

Well said. Too many garage queens that have very low mileage, so at 4 years old and only 1,500 miles PA check all of the systems work and that the battery is not dead due to being left too long between runs/charges.

Running costs on a V8V will need tyres roughly every 15-20K, less if your name is ROBGT and more if you don't drive it properly. They are approx £250 per tyre. Service approx £1K per annum unless you supply your own oil, then it will be £50. Or use an independent and servicing will be a few hundred less. 17 - 20MPG again depends on driving style??

I would then tuck away another £1,000 per year for any manner of other items that may or may not fail and then if they don't have a look at Bamford Rose and get some proper exhausts . Generally they are not too much trouble if used properly and looked after. Grants book is a must have.

[yeti]

Bit more info needed - coupe or roadster? Manual or Sportshift (robotic manual; there's no full auto).

All have pros and cons that we can advise you with

Best advice for price is to buy in winter and sell in summer but you knew that! How long do you intend to keep it, or is it intended to be a keeper?

[nw28840]

I drive an 08 plate V8VR - just hit 54,000 miles.

Car is under warranty until June 2013 (costs +- £1300 per year). i'm not sure i'll renew the warranty after that as it costs the same and seems to cover less after the 5th year.

My advice - buy privately and put a warranty on the car for the first year. Buy on condition , history and not mileage.

Mind you I only sold my previous 2005 V8V in Feb of this year, that had a checkered service history - previous owner did 5,000 miles in 4 years and never had the car serviced ! Car had 25,000 miles on the clock when i bought it in Feb 2011 - car ran like a dream for the year, needed 2 new tyres, a service and a couple of very small issues sorted in the time i owned it. I did just under 6000 miles in the car (i work from home). I would guess i spent +- £2k in the 14 months of ownership and i sold the car privately for £2k less than i paid for it.

[pdc41]

thanks all

its sportshift, not my preffered but live in london so can see the plus side

its the depreciation that worries me the most, what could I realisticaly expect in the next two years

[jonby]

whatever depreciation you're banking on............double it ! :-)

[yeti]

pdc41 said:

its sportshift, not my preffered but live in london so can see the plus side

Word of advice number one: it is god awful in auto mode, which also trashes the clutch. The other things that trash the clutch are reversing up hills and city driving, so if this is a city car, consider the manual instead.

Or a DB9 which does have a proper automatic with paddle shift (rather than a robotic manual with paddles). And a V12.

[yeti]

jonby said:

whatever depreciation you're banking on............double it ! :-)

Not necessarily. I doubt I have lost very much on mine, mods aside. Buy the right age car at the right time of year and you can be OK.

[pdc41]

now you all have me worried...

"double depreciation"...and "only buy private"

well is from a dealer, but got him down a bit, but I can not seem to get a clear price on them from the net, the spreads seem to be +/- 5-7k

so the details

dec08 plate
5.5k miles
coupe
usual extras 19", sat nav etc
metrolite grey

my millage will be low, its a second car so 5k per year

will probably keep it for 2-3 years before school fees kick in, its my only window of owning one for the next 20 years

[DAMIT]

pdc41 said:

thanks all

its sportshift, not my preffered but live in london so can see the plus side

Trust me, there are NO plus sides to the sportshift unless you are on a track!

[897sma]

pdc41 said:

will probably keep it for 2-3 years before school fees kick in, its my only window of owning one for the next 20 years

Do it, do it, do it.

[yeti]

DAMIT said:

Trust me, there are NO plus sides to the sportshift unless you are on a track!

Agreed - it's for open road driving, not for around town at all.

[pdc41]

Agree the auto is terrible, but did not find the paddles too bad but does explain why they did not want me to try a manual



So all in all not sure it's now the one for me, thanks for the help all

And I have ordered the book

[yeti]

pdc41 said:

Agree the auto is terrible, but did not find the paddles too bad but does explain why they did not want me to try a manual

Nope, nothing wrong with the paddle shift, that all works well as long as you do regular clutch learns.

But the car will not thank you for crawling in traffic, that and auto mode will be killing the clutch very quickly. And that is not cheap to replace as you would expect...

Find a manual car, they aren't rare

And despite the gloom you've just read, a Gaydon Aston Martin is a fantastic, reliable and rewarding car. Get one soon and you will not regret it.

[johng39]

yeti said:

jonby said:

whatever depreciation you're banking on............double it ! :-)

Not necessarily. I doubt I have lost very much on mine, mods aside. Buy the right age car at the right time of year and you can be OK.

I am sure Jonby is pulling your leg a little, but it is not true ..... I bought a V8V 3 years ago (07) and lost £6K over 2 years selling it to a dealer and it needed a front end spray and new tyres, so it could be argued only £4k depreciation. If you banked on £3K per annum for sensible mileage on that age vehicle, that would be close. Certainly not £6K per annum. My 3 year old V12V is still selling for what I paid last year on the forecourts. No doubt selling it to a dealer I would take a £6K pill, but if you buy right you will not suffer as much as someone who buys new obviously.

[v8woollie]

Don't forget to budget for oil during annual services. More expensive that a bottle of Le Pin

[JBE68]

pdc41 said:

thanks all

its sportshift, not my preffered but live in london so can see the plus side

its the depreciation that worries me the most, what could I realisticaly expect in the next two years

Don't bother with sportshift. I live in Kingston and in March bought a 2yr old 4k miles V8V manual in meteorite and have enjoyed 2k miles since. The manual is easy to use around town and the car happily crawls in 1st or 2nd. I paid top money for mine £64500 from an AM dealer as it has every conceivable extra inc sport pack, sports seats etc and was £104,000 new. It will depreciate further but the initial buyer took the brunt of it. And yes, buy Grants book.

Jeremy

[Jockman]

johng39 said:

..... I bought a V8V 3 years ago (07) and lost £6K over 2 years selling it to a dealer and it needed a front end spray and new tyres....

Sometimes, Cockernee, the real damage caused by your ownership period is less visible - that car will certainly have needed counselling and is probably still experiencing the odd panic attack whenever it hears words like 'wotcha' or 'cor blimey'

Oh...and it probably needs a new engine too

BTW, I've lost about £35k in depreciation in the last 2.5 years. Would have been worse if I'd bought new