Thinking of buying a Vantage (2006)
Discussion
Hi, thinking of getting rid of the Jag XF and moving to a Vantage. Lots of cars (2006 to 2007) available although I am not sure I would touch one outside of the AM network (unless somewhere ike McGurk). Would that be the general advice here?
I know the advice is to have a sinking fund for brake discs and clutch renewal, are there any gotchas I need to be careful of?
My local dealer (Grange, Brentwood) says that as soon as they get a 2006 Vantage it is sold within a few days, that could just be sales talk though. Grange have nothing suitable right now but I don't mind travelling anywhere in the country for the right car.
Thanks for any help and I look forward to joining the ranks soon.
Cheers
Gerry
I know the advice is to have a sinking fund for brake discs and clutch renewal, are there any gotchas I need to be careful of?
My local dealer (Grange, Brentwood) says that as soon as they get a 2006 Vantage it is sold within a few days, that could just be sales talk though. Grange have nothing suitable right now but I don't mind travelling anywhere in the country for the right car.
Thanks for any help and I look forward to joining the ranks soon.
Cheers
Gerry
Main dealer cars have the advantage of the AM warranty which is worth about 1500 quid. Although of course you'll pay 3-5k more for a car from them 
But it will have had a top level of prep, paint correction, wheel refurb etc.
The 'gotchas' are the same for any performance car; it has expensive consumables such as clutch, tyres and brakes. If these are good then you're good to go although I'd get a pre-purchase inspection if buying from an independent to flag up any oil leaks and so on. Taliking manuals, clutch life can vary, if the car has had a recent one then that's great, if not and it has done over 20k... budget for it in the next 10k miles although it could last 5 times that.
Check the CD player, check the satnav screen, make sure everything works. FULL and thorough service history is a mucst and don't be scared of a few miles, these cars are better when used.
When you find a car, post it up and we'll have a look and advise. Lots of smart people on here (present company excepted).
But it will have had a top level of prep, paint correction, wheel refurb etc.The 'gotchas' are the same for any performance car; it has expensive consumables such as clutch, tyres and brakes. If these are good then you're good to go although I'd get a pre-purchase inspection if buying from an independent to flag up any oil leaks and so on. Taliking manuals, clutch life can vary, if the car has had a recent one then that's great, if not and it has done over 20k... budget for it in the next 10k miles although it could last 5 times that.
Check the CD player, check the satnav screen, make sure everything works. FULL and thorough service history is a mucst and don't be scared of a few miles, these cars are better when used.
When you find a car, post it up and we'll have a look and advise. Lots of smart people on here (present company excepted).
Gerry,
Do it , you won't regret it !
Firstly buy the 'Grants book' and take some time out to read about the cars.
Then buy privately, buy on condition and not mileage, I sold my 55 plate Vantage Coupe back in March for £30k, it was a lovely car although previous owner to me had neglected to service as per the service schedule. Car had done less than 5000 miles in 4 years but incredibly he had not serviced the car during his time of ownership - cost him in the end In the sale price
I had the car thoroughly looked over when I bought it , full service and a couple of other bits sorted...and then had an excellent 12 months in the car before selling privately to purchase a Vantage Roadster also privately.
I bought the Coupe at a great price , kept a slush fund just in case it all went a little wrong - but in my case had no issues.
Cheers,
Nick
Do it , you won't regret it !
Firstly buy the 'Grants book' and take some time out to read about the cars.
Then buy privately, buy on condition and not mileage, I sold my 55 plate Vantage Coupe back in March for £30k, it was a lovely car although previous owner to me had neglected to service as per the service schedule. Car had done less than 5000 miles in 4 years but incredibly he had not serviced the car during his time of ownership - cost him in the end In the sale price
I had the car thoroughly looked over when I bought it , full service and a couple of other bits sorted...and then had an excellent 12 months in the car before selling privately to purchase a Vantage Roadster also privately.
I bought the Coupe at a great price , kept a slush fund just in case it all went a little wrong - but in my case had no issues.
Cheers,
Nick
Gerrym11 said:
Hi, thinking of getting rid of the Jag XF and moving to a Vantage
Why ?Why are you not considering a DB9 ?
Same sort of costs, some nice big back seats, family car, better fuel consumption, cheaper running costs, easier to park and insurance is cheaper.
I said all of that without one smiley face, I am full of crap sometimes ...........
Seriously though, why not a DB9 ? You do get an extra 70 ish bhp ......... and 300mm longer car.
You do know when you step out of the XF, you are stepping out of a everyday lux limo car into a;
hard suspension (better make that rock hard compared to a everyday limo),
jerky gearchange,
thirsty,
sat on the floor,
no boot,
no rear seats,
expensive,
vandal attracting,
can't park it anywhere,
stoneage SatNav,
one third the toys of a XF,
noisey
Believe me, the list goes on.
As long as you can live with the loss of all the toys and luxury, and the gain of all the expense, you do get to drive an .......... Aston Martin.
I drive mine everyday, perhaps you ought to at least drive a DB9 before you blindly go for a V8V.
main dealer or indy decision is the same with any premium car really
you are going to pay a few grand more from official dealer, but you are supposed to get piece of mind on the quality of the vehicle, and warranty
if you are not so experienced with the product and are novice at buying/selling, then its usually a safe bet to stay in the dealer network...thats the same for lots of purchases we make
you are going to pay a few grand more from official dealer, but you are supposed to get piece of mind on the quality of the vehicle, and warranty
if you are not so experienced with the product and are novice at buying/selling, then its usually a safe bet to stay in the dealer network...thats the same for lots of purchases we make
Gerrym11 said:
My local dealer (Grange, Brentwood) says that as soon as they get a 2006 Vantage it is sold within a few days, that could just be sales talk though.
All stealers say that 
...and if you wanted to sell one they would say the market has dropped out the bottom and they are flooded with cars, they've got 2 in stock now they can't shift and don't want any more. 
I was at Grange this morning having a little snoop around. Chris P Bacon said:
All stealers say that ...and if you wanted to sell one they would say the market has dropped out the bottom and they are flooded with cars, they've got 2 in stock now they can't shift and don't want any more.
Ha. No argument there, nothing changes ...and if you wanted to sell one they would say the market has dropped out the bottom and they are flooded with cars, they've got 2 in stock now they can't shift and don't want any more. Like Ferraris... 'sorry mate, loads of red ones in stock already, can't give you much for it' and 'Can't give you a discount, everyone wants a red one so they command top money'.
I fall for it every time
MaverickV12 said:
Why ?
Why are you not considering a DB9 ?
Same sort of costs, some nice big back seats, family car, better fuel consumption, cheaper running costs, easier to park and insurance is cheaper.
I said all of that without one smiley face, I am full of crap sometimes ...........
Seriously though, why not a DB9 ? You do get an extra 70 ish bhp ......... and 300mm longer car.
You do know when you step out of the XF, you are stepping out of a everyday lux limo car into a;
hard suspension (better make that rock hard compared to a everyday limo),
jerky gearchange,
thirsty,
sat on the floor,
no boot,
no rear seats,
expensive,
vandal attracting,
can't park it anywhere,
stoneage SatNav,
one third the toys of a XF,
noisey
Believe me, the list goes on.
As long as you can live with the loss of all the toys and luxury, and the gain of all the expense, you do get to drive an .......... Aston Martin.
I drive mine everyday, perhaps you ought to at least drive a DB9 before you blindly go for a V8V.
Many thanks for some good advice Maverick. I have not looked at a DB9 for 2 main reasons, they are more expensive and the V12 will probably cost more to service. I also don't see the point in paying for a larger car that still only has real seats for 2 people!Why are you not considering a DB9 ?
Same sort of costs, some nice big back seats, family car, better fuel consumption, cheaper running costs, easier to park and insurance is cheaper.
I said all of that without one smiley face, I am full of crap sometimes ...........
Seriously though, why not a DB9 ? You do get an extra 70 ish bhp ......... and 300mm longer car.
You do know when you step out of the XF, you are stepping out of a everyday lux limo car into a;
hard suspension (better make that rock hard compared to a everyday limo),
jerky gearchange,
thirsty,
sat on the floor,
no boot,
no rear seats,
expensive,
vandal attracting,
can't park it anywhere,
stoneage SatNav,
one third the toys of a XF,
noisey
Believe me, the list goes on.
As long as you can live with the loss of all the toys and luxury, and the gain of all the expense, you do get to drive an .......... Aston Martin.
I drive mine everyday, perhaps you ought to at least drive a DB9 before you blindly go for a V8V.
I used to have a VXR220, trust me, nothing could be as hard, sat on the floor and no toys as that!
Cheers
Gerry
yeti said:
Main dealer cars have the advantage of the AM warranty which is worth about 1500 quid. Although of course you'll pay 3-5k more for a car from them But it will have had a top level of prep, paint correction, wheel refurb etc.
The 'gotchas' are the same for any performance car; it has expensive consumables such as clutch, tyres and brakes. If these are good then you're good to go although I'd get a pre-purchase inspection if buying from an independent to flag up any oil leaks and so on. Taliking manuals, clutch life can vary, if the car has had a recent one then that's great, if not and it has done over 20k... budget for it in the next 10k miles although it could last 5 times that.
Check the CD player, check the satnav screen, make sure everything works. FULL and thorough service history is a mucst and don't be scared of a few miles, these cars are better when used.
When you find a car, post it up and we'll have a look and advise. Lots of smart people on here (present company excepted).
Many thanks Yeti, very helpful, friendly bunch here, looking forward to joining the fold! But it will have had a top level of prep, paint correction, wheel refurb etc.The 'gotchas' are the same for any performance car; it has expensive consumables such as clutch, tyres and brakes. If these are good then you're good to go although I'd get a pre-purchase inspection if buying from an independent to flag up any oil leaks and so on. Taliking manuals, clutch life can vary, if the car has had a recent one then that's great, if not and it has done over 20k... budget for it in the next 10k miles although it could last 5 times that.
Check the CD player, check the satnav screen, make sure everything works. FULL and thorough service history is a mucst and don't be scared of a few miles, these cars are better when used.
When you find a car, post it up and we'll have a look and advise. Lots of smart people on here (present company excepted).
These are the 2 that have my eye at the moment. Any thoughts?
Cheers
Gerry
http://www.stratstone.com/VehicleSearch/Used/aston...
http://www.redlinespecialistcars.co.uk/used-car/as...
Gerrym11 said:
These are the 2 that have my eye at the moment. Any thoughts?
Cheers
Gerry
http://www.stratstone.com/VehicleSearch/Used/aston...
http://www.redlinespecialistcars.co.uk/used-car/as...
The Stratstone car is a beauty, an exterior and interior colour to die for. Pricey for the miles perhaps but buy these cars on condition, nothing else as long as everything stacks up. Spec looks OK, can't see whether it has cruise control or parking sensors.Cheers
Gerry
http://www.stratstone.com/VehicleSearch/Used/aston...
http://www.redlinespecialistcars.co.uk/used-car/as...
The other one is James-Bond-resale-grey with suicide black leather. Yawn.
I really don't believe that buying from a main dealer is worth the premium. These are big-engined normally aspirated cars with unsophisticated yet robust electronics. Just get it checked out by a respected Indy and get any niggles sorted before handing over the cash. My current Aston (db9v) was bought privately from a fellow PHr that had really looked after it well, I saved a load, got a very reliable motor and have always had the support of the brilliant folk on this forum in case I had a question or concern. Seriously save the cash, just buy private.
Gerrym11 said:
The blue one has cruise control as well as premium audio, 2 extras that I would like if possible.
What do you think I should pay for the Stratstone one?
Cheers
Gerry
Gerry, firstly welcome to the forum. As for the price to pay, it's up to you. It's a cracking car (the blue Stratstone) but dealers are traditionally very reticent to move on price, but as ever, take a punt and see how it goes. It's a bad time of the year for selling, so use this to your advantage and offer, say, £35k and see what happens. Are you looking to Partex, take finance or buy with cash? They make a lot of their money by finance deals, so if you're not in that game, you may find it more difficult to get a discount. Fingers crossed, as its a very nice place to be! Good luck. What do you think I should pay for the Stratstone one?
Cheers
Gerry
Bincenzo said:
Gerry, firstly welcome to the forum. As for the price to pay, it's up to you. It's a cracking car (the blue Stratstone) but dealers are traditionally very reticent to move on price, but as ever, take a punt and see how it goes. It's a bad time of the year for selling, so use this to your advantage and offer, say, £35k and see what happens. Are you looking to Partex, take finance or buy with cash? They make a lot of their money by finance deals, so if you're not in that game, you may find it more difficult to get a discount. Fingers crossed, as its a very nice place to be! Good luck.
Cheers Bincenzo, I am part-exing the XF and will be looking for a new finance deal to go with the Vantage, so I'll take a punt at £35k and see what they say!Of course, it depends what they give me for the Jag.
So at the end of the day it is ONLY about cost to change anyway, but I have to work out a fair price for my car, a fair price for theirs and then stick to my guns on the cost of change!
Cheers
Gerry
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