V8 Vantage - what's it really like?
Discussion
davek_964 said:
Unfortunately, I don't have the working light anymore. I bought the clear ones from a guy that sells Aston Parts (Paul Cheeseman) and part ex'd my working light. He can probably do you a much better deal on that working light than Aston would for a new one though. If you PM me, I'll send you his email address.
You know that sinking feeling when you set up two friends for a date thinking its a perfect match, only for one of them to text you and say "she's not my type mate".Well..
Time for an update. This thread has been mostly positive during my ownership, but with the odd update where I'm unimpressed with the car and am ready to abandon it in a car park with the doors open and the engine running. This is one of those times.
The car had to go back to the bodyshop a few times because I wasn't 100% happy with the paintwork they'd done. I suspect it's going to go back yet again but that's a story for another day. Whatever my concerns about the paintwork I had done, I gave the car a wash and a wax a couple of days ago, and it looks superb. But.........
It was only a few months ago that the rear light failed, and that obviously isn't a cheap fix. The damage from the pothole was also expensive to fix (the council have another 2 months to let me know if they'll refund me) - although I acknowledge that it wasn't really the cars "fault", and that I made the bill a fair bit larger by having some unrelated paintwork done. However, it's a fact that if I'd hit a pothole in a Ford Fiesta, the tyres would have been a damn site cheaper.
So the Aston has already been the black sheep of the family this year when it comes to running costs. The 360 had an expensive service, but that was because it was a major (belt change) and hasn't really cost me anything "unexpected". The Aston has - and it seems, is about to again.
I noticed the first issue a couple of weeks ago. It seems the lovely hot summer has had a detrimental effect on the dash - I noticed this :
It feels as if the glue underneath melted and then set hard. I tried a hairdryer on it (with a cloth over it) in the hope I could re-melt the glue but it didn't seem to work. I will try again at some point though. When we have clear sunny days (i.e. always at the moment) and if I'm not using the car, I've started leaving a couple of old towels across the dash. Looks very dapper.
A couple of days ago, I opened my passenger door. Nothing very unusual about that - except that the alarm went off because the car should have been locked. I've experienced this a few times in the past, and assumed it meant that the door hadn't closed properly and hence hadn't locked properly - but this is not the case. I have the common problem of malfunctioning door locks - and I believe I've had it for quite some time.
It seems that, often - the passenger door won't lock. What's worse is the car seems to get out of sync and I get to play this fun game :
1) Lock car with remote. Confirm driver door is locked. Try passenger door to find it's unlocked.
2) Unlock car with remote, lock car with remote.
3) Confirm passenger door is locked - it is. Confirm drivers door is locked - it isn't.
4) Unlock car with remote. Repeat steps 1-4 many many times.
Locking each door with the key does work - so that's the current solution. Looking back, I've had enough instances of accidentally opening doors which should be locked that I believe I've had this problem for over a year. Which is a bit scary, since it means my car has probably been unlocked a lot of the time.
I knew this was a common fault, but a quick search finds threads where it's clear a lot of people have this problem and only realised when threads like this pop up and they check their doors after locking. Even if you believe your car looks fine, it might be worth a check the next few times you lock it - you may have an unpleasant surprise.
Old threads seem to suggest I need both lock mechanisms - particularly since it seems both my doors have a problem. And that the price will be north of £1k.
My indy closed down a few months ago, but it seems they are opening under a different name in a few weeks. Once they confirm they are open, I will get a quote.
I still haven't fixed the driver seat heating either.
So, the car is neglected and probably needs well over £1k spent on it to get it back to scratch. And unfortunately, it's been an expensive enough car year so far that the car maintenance fund doesn't have enough in it to fund these repairs. Well actually it does - but I'm conscious of the fact that my insurance is due at the very start of September, and that takes a chunk of change.
Whether I decide to do the locks anyway depends on the quote - it is pretty annoying. On the other hand, I have 3 other cars - one of which is a convertible and it's currently perfect convertible weather - so the Aston may find itself parked up on a trickle charger for a month or so!
I can't deny that when I discovered the door lock problems a few days ago, the Vantage was dangerously close to being put up for sale. In recent months, it has had too many problems and cost too much money. On the other hand, I drove it down to Devon and back yesterday - about a 350 mile round trip - and I remembered why I like it (and it looks stunning with it's recent coat of wax). Having said that - whilst accelerating up a hill it briefly flashed up that it was low on coolant which didn't help it's case much........ but I am currently assuming this is a foible rather than a genuine fault........
I shall leave this update on a cliff hanger. It might get fixed soon / it might get left outside my house for a month or two until I'm willing to pay for the repairs / it might get left at the side of the road with the keys in and the ignition running / it might get sold. At the moment, even I don't know which of these it will be! In the unlikely event that the council cough up some of the money for the pothole damage, that might help its case - but that seems fairly unlikely.........
The car had to go back to the bodyshop a few times because I wasn't 100% happy with the paintwork they'd done. I suspect it's going to go back yet again but that's a story for another day. Whatever my concerns about the paintwork I had done, I gave the car a wash and a wax a couple of days ago, and it looks superb. But.........
It was only a few months ago that the rear light failed, and that obviously isn't a cheap fix. The damage from the pothole was also expensive to fix (the council have another 2 months to let me know if they'll refund me) - although I acknowledge that it wasn't really the cars "fault", and that I made the bill a fair bit larger by having some unrelated paintwork done. However, it's a fact that if I'd hit a pothole in a Ford Fiesta, the tyres would have been a damn site cheaper.
So the Aston has already been the black sheep of the family this year when it comes to running costs. The 360 had an expensive service, but that was because it was a major (belt change) and hasn't really cost me anything "unexpected". The Aston has - and it seems, is about to again.
I noticed the first issue a couple of weeks ago. It seems the lovely hot summer has had a detrimental effect on the dash - I noticed this :
It feels as if the glue underneath melted and then set hard. I tried a hairdryer on it (with a cloth over it) in the hope I could re-melt the glue but it didn't seem to work. I will try again at some point though. When we have clear sunny days (i.e. always at the moment) and if I'm not using the car, I've started leaving a couple of old towels across the dash. Looks very dapper.
A couple of days ago, I opened my passenger door. Nothing very unusual about that - except that the alarm went off because the car should have been locked. I've experienced this a few times in the past, and assumed it meant that the door hadn't closed properly and hence hadn't locked properly - but this is not the case. I have the common problem of malfunctioning door locks - and I believe I've had it for quite some time.
It seems that, often - the passenger door won't lock. What's worse is the car seems to get out of sync and I get to play this fun game :
1) Lock car with remote. Confirm driver door is locked. Try passenger door to find it's unlocked.
2) Unlock car with remote, lock car with remote.
3) Confirm passenger door is locked - it is. Confirm drivers door is locked - it isn't.
4) Unlock car with remote. Repeat steps 1-4 many many times.
Locking each door with the key does work - so that's the current solution. Looking back, I've had enough instances of accidentally opening doors which should be locked that I believe I've had this problem for over a year. Which is a bit scary, since it means my car has probably been unlocked a lot of the time.
I knew this was a common fault, but a quick search finds threads where it's clear a lot of people have this problem and only realised when threads like this pop up and they check their doors after locking. Even if you believe your car looks fine, it might be worth a check the next few times you lock it - you may have an unpleasant surprise.
Old threads seem to suggest I need both lock mechanisms - particularly since it seems both my doors have a problem. And that the price will be north of £1k.
My indy closed down a few months ago, but it seems they are opening under a different name in a few weeks. Once they confirm they are open, I will get a quote.
I still haven't fixed the driver seat heating either.
So, the car is neglected and probably needs well over £1k spent on it to get it back to scratch. And unfortunately, it's been an expensive enough car year so far that the car maintenance fund doesn't have enough in it to fund these repairs. Well actually it does - but I'm conscious of the fact that my insurance is due at the very start of September, and that takes a chunk of change.
Whether I decide to do the locks anyway depends on the quote - it is pretty annoying. On the other hand, I have 3 other cars - one of which is a convertible and it's currently perfect convertible weather - so the Aston may find itself parked up on a trickle charger for a month or so!
I can't deny that when I discovered the door lock problems a few days ago, the Vantage was dangerously close to being put up for sale. In recent months, it has had too many problems and cost too much money. On the other hand, I drove it down to Devon and back yesterday - about a 350 mile round trip - and I remembered why I like it (and it looks stunning with it's recent coat of wax). Having said that - whilst accelerating up a hill it briefly flashed up that it was low on coolant which didn't help it's case much........ but I am currently assuming this is a foible rather than a genuine fault........
I shall leave this update on a cliff hanger. It might get fixed soon / it might get left outside my house for a month or two until I'm willing to pay for the repairs / it might get left at the side of the road with the keys in and the ignition running / it might get sold. At the moment, even I don't know which of these it will be! In the unlikely event that the council cough up some of the money for the pothole damage, that might help its case - but that seems fairly unlikely.........
I had the lock problem and indeed - £1k to sort. Sorry...
And my dash did the same thing. According to the dealer who offered me a price on it "they all do that". He seemed utterly unworried.
I will say this though - the AMV8 is not reliable, and parts/work cost an absolute fortune: above Porsche, and below Ferrari levels. That is the reason Astons have such terrible residuals - you get raped at every turn by dealers, specialists and parts people for every bit. Coil spring? £600.
My car has had door mechs, coil springs (they like to break), new discs and pads (a wear item, but the V8Vs hard pads wear the discs relatively quickly), brake transducer, aircon condensor, new rear light cluster (£££ once the LEDs go) etc etc. I have literally spent thousands on it to get it in decent mechanical shape. Andthis car is a 3 owner (last one a friend) car that has had a pampered life.
I won't be owning one again - after Morgan and Aston, I have had my fill of pricey British brands. The Germans just do it better, these days.
I drove the car down to Goodwood last weekend and back along some awesome backroads and I have to say, it was magical. It suddenly made sense to me again - enough performance, awesome noise, excellent handling (especially on new springs and brakes) and a real pleasure to drive. But the moment I got within the M25, it made no sense whatsoever. If I weren't about to have a baby, I may have kept it, as mine now has all the expensive bits done, until it needs a clutch, anyway. But I now live in constant worry as to where the next big bill will come. And mine is not unusual - literally all of them have the same issues, the specialists and forums indicate.
I won't miss it. The current Evo has new Mustang vs 2009 V8V, and they picked the Aston. I spent 800 miles in a new Mustang on the backroads of Texas in April this year. Having lived with a 10 year old Aston for 3 years, and stumped up as it slowly fails, I'd take the 'Stang as an ownership proposition, any day.
Whoever ends up with mine gets an expensively sorted and good example. I wouldn't touch any one out there without the following done:
- brakes (£250 a corner which is nott hat bad)
- springs (a scarcely believable 2400 for a set of four - or aftermarket)
- LED lamp clusters (£1k+ each - or take a chance on ebay)
- lambda sensors
- brake pressure transducer
- clutch (£2500 fitted, apparently)
- door lock mechanisms (£1k for the pair + fitting)
- aircon compressor (£1k) and condensor (£500)
- etc etc.
And my dash did the same thing. According to the dealer who offered me a price on it "they all do that". He seemed utterly unworried.
I will say this though - the AMV8 is not reliable, and parts/work cost an absolute fortune: above Porsche, and below Ferrari levels. That is the reason Astons have such terrible residuals - you get raped at every turn by dealers, specialists and parts people for every bit. Coil spring? £600.
My car has had door mechs, coil springs (they like to break), new discs and pads (a wear item, but the V8Vs hard pads wear the discs relatively quickly), brake transducer, aircon condensor, new rear light cluster (£££ once the LEDs go) etc etc. I have literally spent thousands on it to get it in decent mechanical shape. Andthis car is a 3 owner (last one a friend) car that has had a pampered life.
I won't be owning one again - after Morgan and Aston, I have had my fill of pricey British brands. The Germans just do it better, these days.
I drove the car down to Goodwood last weekend and back along some awesome backroads and I have to say, it was magical. It suddenly made sense to me again - enough performance, awesome noise, excellent handling (especially on new springs and brakes) and a real pleasure to drive. But the moment I got within the M25, it made no sense whatsoever. If I weren't about to have a baby, I may have kept it, as mine now has all the expensive bits done, until it needs a clutch, anyway. But I now live in constant worry as to where the next big bill will come. And mine is not unusual - literally all of them have the same issues, the specialists and forums indicate.
I won't miss it. The current Evo has new Mustang vs 2009 V8V, and they picked the Aston. I spent 800 miles in a new Mustang on the backroads of Texas in April this year. Having lived with a 10 year old Aston for 3 years, and stumped up as it slowly fails, I'd take the 'Stang as an ownership proposition, any day.
Whoever ends up with mine gets an expensively sorted and good example. I wouldn't touch any one out there without the following done:
- brakes (£250 a corner which is nott hat bad)
- springs (a scarcely believable 2400 for a set of four - or aftermarket)
- LED lamp clusters (£1k+ each - or take a chance on ebay)
- lambda sensors
- brake pressure transducer
- clutch (£2500 fitted, apparently)
- door lock mechanisms (£1k for the pair + fitting)
- aircon compressor (£1k) and condensor (£500)
- etc etc.
Edited by Harry Flashman on Thursday 19th July 14:20
Harry Flashman said:
I will say this though - the AMV8 is not reliable, and parts/work cost an absolute fortune: above Porsche, and below Ferrari levels. That is the reason Astons have such terrible residuals - you get raped at every turn by dealers, specialists and parts people for every bit. Coil spring? £600.
Actually, I'm coming to the conclusion that the Aston costs more to run than Ferrari, primarily because of parts prices.My 360 has been very reliable - and a coil spring for that was ~£80 (plus fitting). My reversing switch failed, but again - that wasn't expensive. Wiper motor failed a couple of years ago - labour was pricey because of where it's fitted, but cost of motor wasn't so bad (£250 I think?). Compared with ~£1k because a rear light got water in it, and £1k because the doors don't lock - and potentially £2.5k for a clutch at some point in the future etc. - the Aston seems to have the potential for much bigger bills when it goes wrong.
For reference, my 360 has about 32k miles on it I think whereas the Vantage rolled over 45k yesterday so they do not have massively different mileages. And my Vantage is 5 years younger.
My AM is also on 45k miles. My TVRS and second Morgan were far more reliable (and my Porches never needed anything but servicing), and both (including the Morgan) had far lower prices for generic bits. I agree - AM are ludicrous for parts, and the cars are not that well built.
A 10 year old Aston is, IMHO, not worth the risk. You get no real discount from specialists, either - here in London they all charge about 20% less than a main dealer, and that's it.
If I were in the market, with hindsight I would buy a car maintained by a competent mechanic, but with all the expensive things done (none of it is hard) than a full dealer history car that had never had any remedial work.
A 10 year old Aston is, IMHO, not worth the risk. You get no real discount from specialists, either - here in London they all charge about 20% less than a main dealer, and that's it.
If I were in the market, with hindsight I would buy a car maintained by a competent mechanic, but with all the expensive things done (none of it is hard) than a full dealer history car that had never had any remedial work.
Edited by Harry Flashman on Thursday 19th July 14:40
I'd also add that the early Vantage reminds me a bit of my Morgan Aero 8s - quality bits, but shoddy workmanship and poor fitting.
We had the car up on the ramp at my local garage - he always takes care of my cars so has seen a number of things throughthe doors. His own collection includes some lovely classics (1960s Merc 280SE convertible and Alfa GT GTA, Sierra Cosworth 3 door etc etc!). He has a thing for old Mercs.
His words "This is built like a kit car underneath'. When you look at the state of the aluminium chassis and general engineering (there was a 996 flavour 911 in the shop and we compared them), Aston clearly spent a lot of money on the design and powerplant, and not a lot on quality control.
I daresay the modern one is better. But I have a friend who has gone from his 991 Targa to a Vanquish S, and he states that the Porsche's build quality is way ahead.
Translate that to decade old second hand buys...well, don't be seduced by the looks. Makes sure you buy a sorted one. Not a good one - a sorted one.
We had the car up on the ramp at my local garage - he always takes care of my cars so has seen a number of things throughthe doors. His own collection includes some lovely classics (1960s Merc 280SE convertible and Alfa GT GTA, Sierra Cosworth 3 door etc etc!). He has a thing for old Mercs.
His words "This is built like a kit car underneath'. When you look at the state of the aluminium chassis and general engineering (there was a 996 flavour 911 in the shop and we compared them), Aston clearly spent a lot of money on the design and powerplant, and not a lot on quality control.
I daresay the modern one is better. But I have a friend who has gone from his 991 Targa to a Vanquish S, and he states that the Porsche's build quality is way ahead.
Translate that to decade old second hand buys...well, don't be seduced by the looks. Makes sure you buy a sorted one. Not a good one - a sorted one.
The expense of sorting out the mundane, “they all do that”, issues like door locks, rear light clusters, heated seats and paint bubbles does take the shine off a little. Especially if some of them will just come back in time.
Fortunately they seem mechanically robust, a gen 1 997 could happily throw a £10k engine bill for a rebuild with no warning which would leave anyone a little sore.
But at ~£30k, there’s very little other exotics to compare with. 360s are now at least double?
I’ve had my ‘08 for 9 months now and am currently halfway through a 2500 mile jaunt through Italy and France and it’s been superb. Such a nice GT car that can be so much fun in the mountains and looks fantastic wherever you take it.
However that has just highlighted are wasted/inappropriate it is for the other 99% of the time it’s in London. Ha.
Fortunately they seem mechanically robust, a gen 1 997 could happily throw a £10k engine bill for a rebuild with no warning which would leave anyone a little sore.
But at ~£30k, there’s very little other exotics to compare with. 360s are now at least double?
I’ve had my ‘08 for 9 months now and am currently halfway through a 2500 mile jaunt through Italy and France and it’s been superb. Such a nice GT car that can be so much fun in the mountains and looks fantastic wherever you take it.
However that has just highlighted are wasted/inappropriate it is for the other 99% of the time it’s in London. Ha.
Harry Flashman said:
I think the 996 TT is a bit of a bargain, even now.
I'd have one if I thought I'd ever use it, and even in sacrilegious Tiptronic spec for London use.
If you think they're a bargain now...I'd have one if I thought I'd ever use it, and even in sacrilegious Tiptronic spec for London use.
I bought a 996TT cab auto in 2011. Forty something miles. £34k. Now you'd be looking at around £45k for it.
Good points: Hyperdrive style acceleration. Comedically quick. Limpet like levels of grip in pretty much all conditions and at all speeds.
Bad: build quality not great. Nothing fell off, but it just felt a bit rattly. Not helped by a stiff ride. Doors esp sounded thin and hollow when being shut. For the most part for me (too much London driving), only could be driven as fast as the car in front of you. Surprisingly not much of a sense of occasion to drive it. Poor engine/exhaust note (likes the world's biggest Dyson vacuum cleaner).
Glad I tried it but in the end having ticked the box no interest in going back.
I hear you on the sould.
Frankly, when I do go back to a sports car it will be back to a Caterham, or a Ferrari. I need a sense of occasion.
I genuinely want to go back to a Morgan Aero, though, one day. Comedically bad build quality. But nothing has ever felt as special at 30mph.
Which is just as well, as at bigger numbers the car is genuinely trying to kill you.
I should have sold the Morgan and kept the Aston, not the other way around.
Frankly, when I do go back to a sports car it will be back to a Caterham, or a Ferrari. I need a sense of occasion.
I genuinely want to go back to a Morgan Aero, though, one day. Comedically bad build quality. But nothing has ever felt as special at 30mph.
Which is just as well, as at bigger numbers the car is genuinely trying to kill you.
I should have sold the Morgan and kept the Aston, not the other way around.
martyspain said:
Darn. I've been totally committed to buying a V8V once my R8 has sold and have read through this thread at least twice, but the turn that things have taken (and Harry Flashman's experiences) are starting to make me reconsider!
Don’t let it be your deciding factor. Go an try one and fall in love with how if feels on the road, how it sounds (10x better once de-cat’d) and how it makes you - and everybody else - smile in its presence 
I’ve had mine for over a year and it was a roller coaster getting there, mainly convincing the boss. Now absolutely no regrets. It’s been a perfect car, but is so much more than that.
I’m having a problem using my manual V8V now due to a dodgy left shoulder. So I’m about to trade in for a V8VS SportShift. Never had or wanted an automatic or any sort or kind in the past, but can’t do without it!
My only advice is to (a) try it for yourself and (b) buy a timeless warranty car from an AM dealer in case things aren’t perfect from the outset.
Good luck!
For a bit of balance.
My early (my 07) 50k odd 4.3 is a very tight car.
A mates dad took it out, and his comment when comparing his sons 911 996 x50 turbo was 'engine pulls great to redline, not as quick as 911, but quick enough, and unlike 911 doesn't sound like it's rattling to bits when you rev it'
So some 911s have rattles, some Vantage dont.
Now I agree there are foibles of the car, lights, door lock etc.. But rather than worry about these things, I took out the am warranty. Its expensive, yes, at £2.3k, but last year I had;
~both old lights replaced to LEDs and clear
~Rear suspension coil spring
~Rear wishbone/suspension arm (weird creaking Bush)
And some other things I can't remember.
Fact is, with the warranty, expensive as it is, in probably about level, but I've no worries on major mechanical failings, they're insured, and should I wish to, the car will be easier and more valuable to sell with warranty.
So I guess I'm agreeing that these cars cost to run, but I've taken the view that am servicing and warranty is peace of mind. A good relationship with the local am dealer is worth goodwill, they do help me if we have issues, and so I think it's worth it VS going independant and getting upset at parts prices.
The car is the stiffest most solid chassis I've driven, I think it corners on rails and build quality is generally much higher than similar age equivalents.
YMMV!
My early (my 07) 50k odd 4.3 is a very tight car.
A mates dad took it out, and his comment when comparing his sons 911 996 x50 turbo was 'engine pulls great to redline, not as quick as 911, but quick enough, and unlike 911 doesn't sound like it's rattling to bits when you rev it'
So some 911s have rattles, some Vantage dont.
Now I agree there are foibles of the car, lights, door lock etc.. But rather than worry about these things, I took out the am warranty. Its expensive, yes, at £2.3k, but last year I had;
~both old lights replaced to LEDs and clear
~Rear suspension coil spring
~Rear wishbone/suspension arm (weird creaking Bush)
And some other things I can't remember.
Fact is, with the warranty, expensive as it is, in probably about level, but I've no worries on major mechanical failings, they're insured, and should I wish to, the car will be easier and more valuable to sell with warranty.
So I guess I'm agreeing that these cars cost to run, but I've taken the view that am servicing and warranty is peace of mind. A good relationship with the local am dealer is worth goodwill, they do help me if we have issues, and so I think it's worth it VS going independant and getting upset at parts prices.
The car is the stiffest most solid chassis I've driven, I think it corners on rails and build quality is generally much higher than similar age equivalents.
YMMV!
I think it's clear from the thread that overall, I've loved owning the Aston. However - at the moment, I must admit I'm still not feeling that positive about it.
The reality is that the recent / pending bills means it's comparing very badly to the running costs of a Ferrari and I really don't think that should be the case.
I've owned my 360 almost 5 years. In that time, I had one very large service bill (~£5k) but even that was because I wanted everything done and much of that cost was not actually mechanical failure (e.g. oil filler paint had cracked and needed repainting, undertray was cracked so I wanted a new one, membrane in the luggage area needed replacing etc.) - it all added up.
But apart from that, it's been very reliable and relatively cheap to run.
Whether I keep it or sell it, I will need to get the door locks fixed - and the seat heating too. But at the moment, I think I'm edging towards selling it and reducing my car costs.
The reality is that the recent / pending bills means it's comparing very badly to the running costs of a Ferrari and I really don't think that should be the case.
I've owned my 360 almost 5 years. In that time, I had one very large service bill (~£5k) but even that was because I wanted everything done and much of that cost was not actually mechanical failure (e.g. oil filler paint had cracked and needed repainting, undertray was cracked so I wanted a new one, membrane in the luggage area needed replacing etc.) - it all added up.
But apart from that, it's been very reliable and relatively cheap to run.
Whether I keep it or sell it, I will need to get the door locks fixed - and the seat heating too. But at the moment, I think I'm edging towards selling it and reducing my car costs.
I think you have faired v well with the Ferrari then to be honest. To give a "fix all" remit and come out with a bill of only £5k sounds a bargain.
On my part, I cannot remember the last time i had service bills sub £2k - £3k. Even a lowly Boxster S a few years ago through a £4.2k bill (at an indie) when it needed discs, pads, air con compressor, clutch and a few other odds and sods.
I would expect an R8 to have cheaper running costs; its an audi after all. However, I wouldn't classify the Aston as eye watering to run. Sure, its not cheap, but with some savvy parts sourcing it need not be crippling. I may of course just have been lucky (so far!).
On my part, I cannot remember the last time i had service bills sub £2k - £3k. Even a lowly Boxster S a few years ago through a £4.2k bill (at an indie) when it needed discs, pads, air con compressor, clutch and a few other odds and sods.
I would expect an R8 to have cheaper running costs; its an audi after all. However, I wouldn't classify the Aston as eye watering to run. Sure, its not cheap, but with some savvy parts sourcing it need not be crippling. I may of course just have been lucky (so far!).
martyspain said:
Darn. I've been totally committed to buying a V8V once my R8 has sold and have read through this thread at least twice, but the turn that things have taken (and Harry Flashman's experiences) are starting to make me reconsider!
Slight thread hijack, but how has your R8 been to run? Was it reliable?56 plate 50k miles V8V here (35k of those are mine over about 7 years)
Annual servicing plus:
4 tyres, thermostat, front discs/pads, rear pads, rear dampers and a/c condenser (£300 and two hours of my time)
That's about it. Perfectly acceptable, especially if you consider tyres, brakes and dampers to be consumables - which I do. No new clutch, dodgy leather, iffy lights or electrical maladies.
I'd need to buy something from Japan or Korea to match the reliability of my Aston.
Annual servicing plus:
4 tyres, thermostat, front discs/pads, rear pads, rear dampers and a/c condenser (£300 and two hours of my time)
That's about it. Perfectly acceptable, especially if you consider tyres, brakes and dampers to be consumables - which I do. No new clutch, dodgy leather, iffy lights or electrical maladies.
I'd need to buy something from Japan or Korea to match the reliability of my Aston.
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