What Vantage options can you live without?

[codieskid]

Hi all

I am currently looking at a few Aston V8 Vantages (MY2006 - 2007) and have seen 2 possible cars with various options on each. One has options such as 700w audio system but no power folding mirrors and the other has options such as the alarm upgrade and heated seats. While it's obviously advised to hold out for as higher spec'd car as possible is there certain options on my list that I can live without and certain options that are a must have either for owning the car or come resale?

• Power fold mirrors
• Cruise control
• Heated seats
• Alarm upgrade
• Sat nav
• 700w premium audio

Thanks

Trev

[DangerMonkey]

I could live without any of those.

But for resale it is almost essential to have the crapnav really

At the age you're looking at it might be worth looking for a MY07

Edited by DangerMonkey on Wednesday 12th February 12:52

[petop]

Im also looking for a Vantage V8 but hoping for a 08 or 09.
My list of options are...
Heated seats.
Crap Nav (in fact i havnt seen any without).
700W Sound System.
Bluetooth phone prep.


I dont see cruise control as a must and as for power mirrors....i have no dramas parking in the mother and toddler wider bays in the local Supermarket!

[IanV12VR]

My view would be:

• Power fold mirrors - I like to have for when parked and you can see you have locked it
• Cruise control - never seen the point
• Heated seats - would be very important for me as we have a roadster and the roof is down just about anytime it's not raining
• Alarm upgrade - all mine have had
• Sat nav - if you don't have then will get hit on resale
• 700w premium audio - well worth it but have only used my audio a couple of times as prefer to listen to the engine

[mikey k]

Only ever seen one vantage with out SatNav
700W "Premium" stereo is miles better than the base system (if you ever use it)
The rest are niceties don't get hung up on them
Look for a colour combo you like and good condition (not always low miles )

[codieskid]

Thanks guys

Luckily both have the sat nav which I know is rubbish but worth having so it's only really the 700w and power fold mirrors. My gut says the car with the 700w audio would be better as it's something I'd quite like but I am going to have to squeeze the car into a tight parking spot in the garage so getting in and out to do the mirrors will be a pain.

[Jon39]

My experience has been;

• Power fold mirrors - Unless your garage is very large, this can be a handy option, making it easier to walk alongside the car. They automatically fold, although not sure if that has always been part of the option.

• Cruise control - I only find this useful for deserted motorways, or average speed roadwork areas.

• Heated seats - handy for a roadster, but my Vantage is not a daily driver, and I think I have only switched on the seat heater once.

• Alarm upgrade - you need a crystal ball for that choice.

• Sat nav - probably necessary for resale value.

• 700w premium audio - really good, even if you only listen occasionally.

Edited by Jon39 on Wednesday 12th February 13:37

[AMDBSNick]

Power fold mirrors seem to have a mind of their own

[stimshady]

700W audio is excellent.

[codieskid]

OK 700w audio is quickly becoming a must have. With the power fold mirrors is there a switch inside the car that you can press to fold the mirrors in and out and do the extend on their own when you unlock the car? My worry would be that if I park close to my garage wall with the mirrors closed and then unlocked the car the next day that the mirror would open and clip the wall

[AMDBSNick]

codieskid said:

OK 700w audio is quickly becoming a must have. With the power fold mirrors is there a switch inside the car that you can press to fold the mirrors in and out and do the extend on their own when you unlock the car? My worry would be that if I park close to my garage wall with the mirrors closed and then unlocked the car the next day that the mirror would open and clip the wall

AFAIK they open on start up, sometimes

[codieskid]

So no override button or switch?

[Bincenzo]

Pretty sure if you hold both mirror adjusters rearward for a time, the mirrors will fold.

I could live without all of your specced options:

Nav - rarely use it, better of with a TomTom (Don't listen to TonyV12V who will be along shortly to tell you I always get lost)
Heated seats - used once in 18 months......on my wife's seat not mine.
700w audio - my basic stereo is ample for the occasions I listen to the stereo, and my BR exhaust kind of makes any audio redundant.
Folding mirrors - depends on your circumstance and usage.
Heated windscreen has been very useful - once, when the car was left overnight with a frost.
Alarm? Who knows.

Get the colour sorted in your mind, the rest will follow.

Good luck with the search, there are a shed load out there, so take your time.....that said I bought the very first one I saw and it's a belter!

[Impasse]

codieskid said:

So no override button or switch?

Mostly the mirrors are configured to fold when the car is locked (alarm armed) and will unfold when the key goes into the ignition.
You can also get them to fold in and out electronically by pressing the appropriate buttons on the switchpack in the driver's door.

[mikey k]

Impasse said:

codieskid said:

So no override button or switch?

Mostly the mirrors are configured to fold when the car is locked (alarm armed) and will unfold when the key goes into the ignition.
You can also get them to fold in and out electronically by pressing the appropriate buttons on the switchpack in the driver's door.

This is going to get confusing then!
Mine fold when I lock it and unfold when I unlock it ( I use it as a visual check on whether its locked)
Never bothered messing with the settings in the menu
I'm guess they could be configured to only work manually from a button if required

[JimboA]

Pre-2010 (If I recall correctly) the only way to adjust the mirrors so that they EITHER fold automatically when you lock the car OR remain open is to have the dealer set it. There is no menu in the car that permits it - this has now been changed. At present my mirrors fold automatically but I want to have them remain open... I am going back to get them reprogrammed. Just something to be aware of.

Grant's book is a great place to read up on extras etc.

mikey k said:

This is going to get confusing then!
Mine fold when I lock it and unfold when I unlock it ( I use it as a visual check on whether its locked)
Never bothered messing with the settings in the menu
I'm guess they could be configured to only work manually from a button if required

[mikey k]

JimboA said:

Pre-2010 (If I recall correctly) the only way to adjust the mirrors so that they EITHER fold automatically when you lock the car OR remain open is to have the dealer set it. There is no menu in the car that permits it - this has now been changed. At present my mirrors fold automatically but I want to have them remain open... I am going back to get them reprogrammed. Just something to be aware of.

Grant's book is a great place to read up on extras etc.

mikey k said:

This is going to get confusing then!
Mine fold when I lock it and unfold when I unlock it ( I use it as a visual check on whether its locked)
Never bothered messing with the settings in the menu
I'm guess they could be configured to only work manually from a button if required

Mine is a MY12.25 S (one of the user reviews in Grants book )

[codieskid]

Thanks everyone. In terms of colour of car I know it's either meteorite or tungsten and most important aspect for me is making sure that the overall condition of the car is spot on. At the end of the day a 700w system is nice to have I guess but not a show stopper. I've looked at 2 cars so far and think I am pretty close to pulling the trigger but I just want to be 100% sure on things like options as this will be by far the most expensive car I've owned and I don't want to be sat in it in a few months wishing I had something not on the car.

Both cars I am currently looking at have my must have options though:

• Sat Nav (for resale)
• HID lights
• Bright finish grill
• Nice sounding V8

As for the folding mirrors it would make things much easier if I could manually switch them as space really is a premium in my garage but sounds like the power mirrors are a bit inconsistent.

Trev

[codieskid]

JimboA said:

Already have grants book which has been really useful in understanding all the options

[YellowShed]

codieskid said:

As for the folding mirrors it would make things much easier if I could manually switch them as space really is a premium in my garage but sounds like the power mirrors are a bit inconsistent.

Trev

Space is a premium in my garage too - I have an 8ft wide garage, and have to make sure that I park closer to the passenger side wall to ensure I can actually get out. I have just had the old garage door removed and replaced by an electric one which sits behind the brickwork giving me just enough room to reverse in with the mirrors out.

I would imagine that if the mirrors are so close to the wall that they need to be folded in to get the car in, then you won't have enough room to actually get out of the car, once it's in the garage. I park mine with the mirrors out so that I am sure that when they pop out on inserting the key, I'm OK. I have a bit of carpet on the wall to ensure that I am safe opening the door to get out. Dropping the window is good too, and even better having the hood down. I have installed some wifi cameras and an app on my tablet to give me off-board parking sensors as I can see either side of the car as it goes through the frame, all down the passenger side to make sure I'm close enough, and across the back of the garage to make sure I don't reverse too far (and not left any tools out!!)

Hope that helps,

YellowShed