4.3 or 4.7 manual roadster...?

[notax]

Having previously owned a 4.3 coupe I am now in the market for a roadster. My intention was to buy another 4.3 but having recently test driven one I was surprisingly a bit underwhelmed. My current daily driver is an XKR which seems more modern and is certainly substantially faster, so I think this may have skewed my judgement! I have yet to drive a 4.7 but wondered if the consensus would be to pay the extra £5-10k? Am I right in thinking that the glass ECU was introduced when the switch to 4.7 happened? Also some newer Vantages seem to have updated centre consoles with different knob designs but not sure when this change would have happened. Thanks for any info/advice

[Little Donkey]

notax said:

Having previously owned a 4.3 coupe I am now in the market for a roadster. My intention was to buy another 4.3 but having recently test driven one I was surprisingly a bit underwhelmed. My current daily driver is an XKR which seems more modern and is certainly substantially faster, so I think this may have skewed my judgement! I have yet to drive a 4.7 but wondered if the consensus would be to pay the extra £5-10k? Am I right in thinking that the glass ECU was introduced when the switch to 4.7 happened? Also some newer Vantages seem to have updated centre consoles with different knob designs but not sure when this change would have happened. Thanks for any info/advice

You could always run with a 4.3 and then get Bamford Rose to sprinkle some fairy dust over it - that noise would be glorious with the roof down and the extra power would be intoxicating.

[notax]

Little Donkey said:

You could always run with a 4.3 and then get Bamford Rose to sprinkle some fairy dust over it - that noise would be glorious with the roof down and the extra power would be intoxicating.

Thanks but wouldn't it just make more sense to get a 4.7, particularly if the interior upgrades coincided with the change to the bigger engine? Although Bamford Rose is mentioned quite a bit on here I've yet to see a single car advertised as having been sprinkled with their fairy dust! (Maybe because the owners are so delighted they can't bring themselves to sell?!)

[mikey k]

ECU came in with 4.7 and console changes
I test drove some 4.3's when I first bought and decided on a 4.7
If you are in a recent XKR now then the Vantage is going to feel slow even in 4.7
But the speed is not the point

[notax]

mikey k said:

ECU came in with 4.7 and console changes
I test drove some 4.3's when I first bought and decided on a 4.7
If you are in a recent XKR now then the Vantage is going to feel slow even in 4.7
But the speed is not the point

Thanks, I realise speed isn't everything (if it was I'd buy a GTR!)- but was surprised by how big a backwards step the 4.3 felt after the XKR (it is a 2007 4.2 so 420 bhp). I think another issue was that the 4.3 I drove didn't have fuse 22 removed so it was far quieter than mine used to be, so seemed a bit less of an event...

[yeti]

notax said:

Although Bamford Rose is mentioned quite a bit on here I've yet to see a single car advertised as having been sprinkled with their fairy dust! (Maybe because the owners are so delighted they can't bring themselves to sell?!)

Yup, that's about it. No-one who had had the work done has wanted to sell afterwards. The cars very quickly become keepers

4.7 definitely worth the extra money, it's not just the poke, there were a whole raft of changes to suspension, seats, dash, and other equipment. Big, big 'facelift' without touching the looks

A BR 4.7, that's what you'll want. That'll give anything a run for its money at 475bhp

[Little Donkey]

notax said:

Little Donkey said:

You could always run with a 4.3 and then get Bamford Rose to sprinkle some fairy dust over it - that noise would be glorious with the roof down and the extra power would be intoxicating.

Thanks but wouldn't it just make more sense to get a 4.7, particularly if the interior upgrades coincided with the change to the bigger engine? Although Bamford Rose is mentioned quite a bit on here I've yet to see a single car advertised as having been sprinkled with their fairy dust! (Maybe because the owners are so delighted they can't bring themselves to sell?!)

If the difference is only £5k then the 4.7 would be the way to go, but £10k - I'm not so sure. If you can find one for an extra five but were happy to pay an extra ten, the what Yeti said.

I love my 4.3 with the B.R mod but fully intend to get into a DBS at some point. Trouble is, I can't see myself selling my Vantage to get it so again, what Yeti said.

[notax]

yeti said:

Yup, that's about it. No-one who had had the work done has wanted to sell afterwards. The cars very quickly become keepers

4.7 definitely worth the extra money, it's not just the poke, there were a whole raft of changes to suspension, seats, dash, and other equipment. Big, big 'facelift' without touching the looks

A BR 4.7, that's what you'll want. That'll give anything a run for its money at 475bhp

Thanks, if anyone knows of a reasonably priced 4.7 manual roadster please get in touch (ideally Meteorite) If they'd like to px it for a stunning low mileage, Rosso Corsa Ferrari F355 GTS F1 with carbon race seats, Capristo etc then even better I'm swapping an appreciating car for a depreciating one - must be mad!

[ds2000]

I drove the 4.3 and then the 4.7 and realised I'd need to find £15k extra.... so I did. Both fabulous cars, being honest the interior updates and lower production numbers made me think the 4.7 would hold its value a bit better as well.

[yeti]

notax said:

Thanks, if anyone knows of a reasonably priced 4.7 manual roadster please get in touch (ideally Meteorite) If they'd like to px it for a stunning low mileage, Rosso Corsa Ferrari F355 GTS F1 with carbon race seats, Capristo etc then even better I'm swapping an appreciating car for a depreciating one - must be mad!

If your F355 was Tour de France blu I'd have it.

Off to talk to STB-Mrs Yeti ce soir about the new car plan

[notax]

yeti said:

If your F355 was Tour de France blu I'd have it.

Off to talk to STB-Mrs Yeti ce soir about the new car plan

I had a Blu Le Mans F355 before the Rosso one - a darker and richer blue, gorgeous if you can find one. If you'd like to have a look at my Rosso car just let me know, it really is stunning

[notax]

Well, decision made. I test drove a manual 4.7 roadster today and absolutely loved it The only problem is that I didn't like the colour of the car I drove. It is pale blue metallic with a blue interior. I thought the colour might grow on me... but it didn't. However, at least I now know what I want. A big thank you to Lancaster Aston Martin in Tunbridge Wells for letting me have a decent test drive . The 4.7 was noticably faster than the 4.3 and the extra torque lower down the rev range was also obvious. I was also impressed by the handling and the improved interior. The car I drove is good value for a 4.7 at under £50k, just a shame about the colour, my preference would be Meteorite, Tungsten or Lightning Silver or maybe dark blue. If you know someone who is considering selling theirs please let me know...