lower end Vantage V8's

[xcentric]

Those with a good memory will recall I've been looking for a V8 Vantage for a while - mostly for my wife, bu I';ll drive it a lot too. It'll be a third car, but will see some serious usage I expect -high days and holidays.....

There have been some very reasonably priced cars recently e.g. https://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/...

and I recall a private one for £24k.

So the question is, is buying one of these a good bet, or would I be better served, depreciation and servicing-wise, to get a newer one and probably the 4.7 from somewhere like McGurk or privately? It's up to half as much again, but if I won't lose all that then it's probably better.....

thoughts welcomed....

[Jon39]

If you are happy to spend the extra to buy a 4.7, I don't think you would regret it.

You have I am sure researched the changes introduced for the 4.7.
There were many technical improvements.

https://www2.astonmartin.com/en/archived-content/m...

Most of the first customer deliveries began in September 2008.

[8Speed]

A good 4.3 is a helluva car for the money & it's fast enough if you know how to drive properly.
Get the usual things checked out & you can get a real bargain.

[JonnyCJ]

Unless anyone cares to correct me, the sweet spot in V8 Vantages is a 2009 4.7 manual.

Availability of funds is of course a consideration, but if you’re looking back in 10+ years that will be the one you wish you’d gone for.

I was originally after a 4.3 but stretched to a 4.7 and was glad I did.

Having said that, having a 4.3 in the garage would still make my heart beat faster...

[milu]

I suppose it depends if you can find a nice one in the lower price range. Mines a 07 facelift 4.3. It wasn't the cheapest around when purchased earlier this year. However I was happy with the price vs condition and history
I'm sure there will good and bad out there even amongst newer ones.

Incidentally I don't feel like I'm missing out with 4.3. It's plenty quick enough for the roads and makes a great noise still.

[rovcallum]

4.3 or 4.7, doesn't matter too much.
As always, buy on condition and history. Lots of bargains to be had just now.
Look for a car with a new clutch to avoid one of the biggest potential costs of ownership, especially with the non-manual cars.
Take a good look at the tyres. Cracking/splitting due to age is common.

Have you got the book? https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...

Best of luck with the search. Photos please, when you get one!;)

[jagjoe]

I bought my 4.3 V8 Vantage over 2 years ago privately. It was bought on condition and a good history. I have it serviced by Bamfords and it has given me no trouble whatsoever, they are a superb reliable car if used regularly. Unfortunately I work away and can't use it as often as it needs to be. I considered selling it (tried last summer) but the prices are low at the moment and I always look forward to seeing it on the drive when I come home. Its more than a car, its lovely to look at, sounds incredible and gives me a thrill every time the roads are quiet. Buy one while the prices are low, keep it clean, serviced and just enjoy everything about driving a good car that makes you feel good. I won't be looking back in twenty years thinking I wish I had bought an Audi/ BMW/ Mercedes instead.

[vernierMike]

Maybe it depends on what your other two cars are? If it's the Aston experience and the 4.3 power is good for you, then that is stonkingly good value.

I paid that bit extra for the 'sweet spot' one as above, and from a dealer so that'd be quite a lot more than this one, and I'm very glad I did as it's the family performance car, have now had BR do their stuff with it and it's amazing with a 4.7 being a better serrating point.

From my experience, make sure your wife drives one before you buy if you haven't already, mine liked the previous Cayman S but doesn't like the Aston nearly as much. Personal taste matters!

[KevinBird]

Some cheap one's out there https://www.classiccarauctions.co.uk/aston-martin-...

[South tdf]

KevinBird said:

Some cheap one's out there https://www.classiccarauctions.co.uk/aston-martin-...

That is amazingly cheap and the value can’t really go any lower.

Looking at the market the prices seem more confusing than ever with sellers reducing cars to move them and others holding out as they don’t want to take a loss so there are some good value cars about.

One of my old Vantage Roadsters has been for sale most of 2019 with the price reducing by thousands at a time.

[BrewsterBear]

I've had my own 2006 Vantage for sale for a few months and dropped the price to £25k. I never thought they'd get this low, especially for a 49k mile, FAMSH car with a few tasty extras. I've had a few chancers messaging, plenty of daft questions, and lots of "wots the best price?" Still not had anyone to view it though. I think it'll be a case of try again in the new year. The market is flat right now.

[Shnozz]

For the 20 something I’d see back on mine, it’s going nowhere. I’d rather mothball it or just use it alongside its ‘replacement’ than see back such a small sum for such a great car.

[Shnozz]

KevinBird said:

Some cheap one's out there https://www.classiccarauctions.co.uk/aston-martin-...

Utterly bonkers. I remember a PH’er paying just over £20k for a 100k car and thinking tut represented amazing value.

[BrewsterBear]

Shnozz said:

For the 20 something I’d see back on mine, it’s going nowhere. I’d rather mothball it or just use it alongside its ‘replacement’ than see back such a small sum for such a great car.

I'm kinda with you there, but I'm limited to two garage spots at present and the other is taken up by my old 911. I have the option to store it at a family members, but it'd never get used and I don't think it does them any good to stand still for so long. If I hadn't taken a fancy to getting a modern sporty estate I'd keep it. I'm also a bit sick of running 3 cars for the 5k miles I do a year across all 3.

[Dewi 2]

Shnozz said:

Utterly bonkers. I remember a PH’er paying just over £20k for a 100k car and thinking that represented amazing value.

The link leads to a 101,000 mile car sold at auction.
Expect that mileage reduced the number of interested buyers, although looking at the MoT history, there have been no advisories of any concern.

Just shows that AMs can certainly take high mileages, but as a good proportion tend to be little used, it does mean low mileage cars can be found, and that seems to be an attraction for many buyers.

If they continue getting cheaper, perhaps some will become great pieces of art for the garden. -

[xcentric]

thanks for the input. It's the continuing gentle fall that makes me wonder about spending more, however....

Other cars - a few classics, a Caterham, a Boxster, a Disco, a transporter and a DS3. So speed and style and practicality all covered :-)

She';s drive a 4.7 and loved it - and I do have the book. Am guessing that the 4.7 always has a premium over the 4.3 so might not be too much to worry about, depreciation wise. Agree getting one with a new clutch seems good - and it would be a manual anyway.

Hmmm, decisions, decisions.....

:-)

[Speedraser]

These are wonderful cars. I've had my 2009 4.7 Coupe (Sports Pack, manual) from new. The 4.3 is great, and plenty quick. The 4.7 is worth the extra, imo. It's been completely reliable. Every drive is still an event, even after more than 10 years. The value for money at current prices is outrageous.

[Snooglefinder]

I bought my 2007 V8V about a year ago for a shade under 20k (I live in Dubai so it's not really a comparison to the UK market) and it was far from concourse condition but has been a lot of fun gradually improving the car and now it's 'almost' perfect. Only has 60k kms so quite low mileage.

I also use it very regularly, in my view it's fantastic value for money and will likely not depreciate much and whilst it's very special the low cost so far means I don't feel precious about having fun with it. Sports cats, ECU tune etc etc and it's a great fun car to put a smile on your face whenever you drive it.

I have also found it very straightforward to work on, most of the regular jobs are well within the scope of a home mechanic.

Just my 2p...

[andyvvc]

I bought an MY08 (last of the 4.3s) from Aston Workshop up near Durham in July for less than 30k. They had already spotted issues with the car, but i added a few more to the list (passenger door strut needed and a few other bits).

I think the things they replaced before i picked it up would have cost me a fair bit if i had had to sort them myself after purchase:

door strut
2x rear suspension springs
passenger door actuator replaced (window didn't drop properly)
oil and filter service
fresh MOT
full valet
lots of other 'bits'
6 months warranty
new clutch and flywheel 12 months earlier (lightweight) by previous owner - a big thing to look for

The car has since done 5,000 miles around Europe and the UK with (touch wood) no issues. Great all round experience.

If you see a private sale with a load of stuff like the above recently done, it's probably worth grabbing

EDIT - it's a hoot to drive. Even slowly. It gets a lot of (positive) attention. And (with fuse 22 pulled) you know when you are accelerating hard lol. Can't compare directly to the 4.7, but the 4.3 isn't shabby

EDIT EDIT - the Vantage was revised in late 2006. The seats were improved (noticeable by the stitched line down the centre of the seat and backs post 2006). There were also a number of other tweaks iirc. I've got Grants bible somewhere which is what led me to the 'revised' 4.3 model. (But not the revised-revised 4.3 with the new centre console bit that i kept catching my arm on when i test drove that model!)

Edited by andyvvc on Tuesday 10th December 17:48

Edited by andyvvc on Tuesday 10th December 17:50

[xcentric]

thanks all. will hunt a clutch-done 4.7 then, I think.....