Aston Martin Reliability as Daily Driver?
Discussion
Good Evening Everyone!
I am currently the owner of a 2003 Porsche Boxster. I got it in 2014 with 50k miles on it. I have put another 40k miles on the car and have had SO many issues. The car has left me stranded and had to be towed 5+ times and I have had to replace the transmission, engine as well as many other expensive parts to the tune of $10k a year in repairs/maintenance. I have been told that this is not typical, especially since the car had a clean service record and I had the IMS bearing replaced to avoid potential engine failure (which still happened).
I was looking at some used Aston Martins and it appears that the Vantage V8 is the most useable as a DD. For Aston Martin owners, what has your experience been using any Aston as a DD? I would be driving the car 10-12k miles a year. How much have you spent per year on maintenance/repairs? Do Astons break down often and if so are they major issues? I don't mind spending 2-3k per year on repairs/maintenance, but just do not wish to spend a ridiculous amount (like 10k per year) fixing the car. I also plan to get a car with automatic transmission so the cost of a new clutch wouldn;t come into play.
Also, I have been told that you should have an emergency fund for cars like these in case something major goes wrong. How much should that be? What has been the most expensive repair you have had to make on the car? Finally, how many miles do these cars typically last? I see so many on sale with very few miles on them. I guess this is because many people use this car as a weekend car, but how many miles should I expect to get out of an AM as a DD?
Thanks so much in advance; this is my first post on PistonHeads and I am excited to hear from you all! I apologize in advance if this post is not in the correct location, but please bear with me
I am currently the owner of a 2003 Porsche Boxster. I got it in 2014 with 50k miles on it. I have put another 40k miles on the car and have had SO many issues. The car has left me stranded and had to be towed 5+ times and I have had to replace the transmission, engine as well as many other expensive parts to the tune of $10k a year in repairs/maintenance. I have been told that this is not typical, especially since the car had a clean service record and I had the IMS bearing replaced to avoid potential engine failure (which still happened).
I was looking at some used Aston Martins and it appears that the Vantage V8 is the most useable as a DD. For Aston Martin owners, what has your experience been using any Aston as a DD? I would be driving the car 10-12k miles a year. How much have you spent per year on maintenance/repairs? Do Astons break down often and if so are they major issues? I don't mind spending 2-3k per year on repairs/maintenance, but just do not wish to spend a ridiculous amount (like 10k per year) fixing the car. I also plan to get a car with automatic transmission so the cost of a new clutch wouldn;t come into play.
Also, I have been told that you should have an emergency fund for cars like these in case something major goes wrong. How much should that be? What has been the most expensive repair you have had to make on the car? Finally, how many miles do these cars typically last? I see so many on sale with very few miles on them. I guess this is because many people use this car as a weekend car, but how many miles should I expect to get out of an AM as a DD?
Thanks so much in advance; this is my first post on PistonHeads and I am excited to hear from you all! I apologize in advance if this post is not in the correct location, but please bear with me
Sounds like you had a bummer of a Porsche experience - isn't it all fixed now? If so, keep the Boxster...
The Vantage V8's can be a daily driver and are capable of more than 100k+ miles, if you're not that bothered by residuals as the Princess is highly valued. Regarded by most of us as fairly tough if you get a good one, the clutch (as commented above, the 'auto' is not an auto but a robotised manual and thus has a clutch that arguably wears more quickly than a manual but at least on the sportshift there is a wear indicator underneath...) and a few other things that you will come across as potential issues - motorised mirror,s bubbling paint, blah but I have to say coming straight from Gen 1 Cayman Porsche ownership, those things had a load more inherent issues than the Aston. Condition and history are critical in purchase.
Read around and, if it interests you, particularly the Sportshift, it's an acquired taste on the older models but if you fancy it and don't mind lifting our foot on changing gear, it's cool. But NOT an auto. Buy The Book as listed on the homepage ;-)
I would say they are a car for the enthusiast who is willing to learn and understand their vehicle unless, money is no object. IMHO. A delightful, satisfying and rewarding ownership and I would say your budget of $2-3k would be reasonable if you bought wisely in the first instance.
Definitely drive one - my wife loved our Cayman S but, and it's a personal thing, doesn't like the Aston to drive which she says is heavy, large and scary with a sh+t clutch. I can see her point but what the hell - it's blooming' marvellous!
The Vantage V8's can be a daily driver and are capable of more than 100k+ miles, if you're not that bothered by residuals as the Princess is highly valued. Regarded by most of us as fairly tough if you get a good one, the clutch (as commented above, the 'auto' is not an auto but a robotised manual and thus has a clutch that arguably wears more quickly than a manual but at least on the sportshift there is a wear indicator underneath...) and a few other things that you will come across as potential issues - motorised mirror,s bubbling paint, blah but I have to say coming straight from Gen 1 Cayman Porsche ownership, those things had a load more inherent issues than the Aston. Condition and history are critical in purchase.
Read around and, if it interests you, particularly the Sportshift, it's an acquired taste on the older models but if you fancy it and don't mind lifting our foot on changing gear, it's cool. But NOT an auto. Buy The Book as listed on the homepage ;-)
I would say they are a car for the enthusiast who is willing to learn and understand their vehicle unless, money is no object. IMHO. A delightful, satisfying and rewarding ownership and I would say your budget of $2-3k would be reasonable if you bought wisely in the first instance.
Definitely drive one - my wife loved our Cayman S but, and it's a personal thing, doesn't like the Aston to drive which she says is heavy, large and scary with a sh+t clutch. I can see her point but what the hell - it's blooming' marvellous!
Thats bad luck re the Porsche, but you can get that with any car.
Running costs are well documented on here over the years, it comes up every few weeks
Ive had a Vantage since 2007 and the first one was a daily driver, ex demo at 6k miles did 83k miles before trading in and current one is weekend car, bought with 30k, now at 65k miles.
Some years you get away with £650 service
On my worst year it was a £5.5k worth of clutch, service, consumables
Most years you have the £650 service and some consumables fall due, pair of tyres, discs/pads etc, probably £2k average.
Known faults well documented, wheel bearings wear out, thermostats go on the blink, ABS sensors. Nothing major generally and majority can be fixed DIY. Sources for parts are better now e.g. instead of paying dealer £250 for plugs, you can find online for £50 and DIY if you wish.
Overall very reliable as is mine has never broken down....well other than a flat battery when Ive let it go to long.
I would have no hesitation in using mine daily again.
Running costs are well documented on here over the years, it comes up every few weeks
Ive had a Vantage since 2007 and the first one was a daily driver, ex demo at 6k miles did 83k miles before trading in and current one is weekend car, bought with 30k, now at 65k miles.
Some years you get away with £650 service
On my worst year it was a £5.5k worth of clutch, service, consumables
Most years you have the £650 service and some consumables fall due, pair of tyres, discs/pads etc, probably £2k average.
Known faults well documented, wheel bearings wear out, thermostats go on the blink, ABS sensors. Nothing major generally and majority can be fixed DIY. Sources for parts are better now e.g. instead of paying dealer £250 for plugs, you can find online for £50 and DIY if you wish.
Overall very reliable as is mine has never broken down....well other than a flat battery when Ive let it go to long.
I would have no hesitation in using mine daily again.
Not a vantage, but I run a DB9 as a daily 70 mile round trip and mine now has 93k on the clock.
Have had a few niggles, mostly the warning lamp comes on but car would still drive. Its never broken down on me though.
I budget about £500/year on servicing. Biggest cost to me so far was this year, when servicing the gear box the oil smelt burnt. Had the auto gearbox rebuilt at a cost of £1800.
As said there are plenty of spares about if you can turn a spanner yourself.
Also plenty of alternate part numbers (see sticky thread for a start) so you don't have to pay the dealer mark up of 100-500%
Your biggest question will be what age/milage/colour/spec do you want
Have had a few niggles, mostly the warning lamp comes on but car would still drive. Its never broken down on me though.
I budget about £500/year on servicing. Biggest cost to me so far was this year, when servicing the gear box the oil smelt burnt. Had the auto gearbox rebuilt at a cost of £1800.
As said there are plenty of spares about if you can turn a spanner yourself.
Also plenty of alternate part numbers (see sticky thread for a start) so you don't have to pay the dealer mark up of 100-500%
Your biggest question will be what age/milage/colour/spec do you want
Sounds like you had a bad run with your Porsche, some cars are just lemons unfortunately, regardless of brand.
While not a daily, I am running my `07 4.3 regularly, 6000 miles per year for 5 years now. I agree with what`s been said above as regards general reliability, servicing costs etc. For the most part they are a dependable, solid, well made vehicle that responds well to regular use in most ways except resale. The basic annual service generally does not throw out many surprises, but servicing can be costly at the dealerships where replace rather than repair is the rule and that means a 200£ fix at an independent can be a 2000£ bill at the AM desk, so seeking out a good independent is wise as if you`re planning to put 10k per year on an older car. Using the AM network does not make sense outside of the 1 year dealer warranty if you buy from them.
As mentioned, the clutch is probably the most regularly reported large bill, as they seem to have a life of around 35-40k, but a twin-plate replacement doubles the life and improves drivability so you can negate the regularity of this expense and improve the car. Personally I find most costs related to a vehicle of this level of performance and provenance quite acceptable.
While not a daily, I am running my `07 4.3 regularly, 6000 miles per year for 5 years now. I agree with what`s been said above as regards general reliability, servicing costs etc. For the most part they are a dependable, solid, well made vehicle that responds well to regular use in most ways except resale. The basic annual service generally does not throw out many surprises, but servicing can be costly at the dealerships where replace rather than repair is the rule and that means a 200£ fix at an independent can be a 2000£ bill at the AM desk, so seeking out a good independent is wise as if you`re planning to put 10k per year on an older car. Using the AM network does not make sense outside of the 1 year dealer warranty if you buy from them.
As mentioned, the clutch is probably the most regularly reported large bill, as they seem to have a life of around 35-40k, but a twin-plate replacement doubles the life and improves drivability so you can negate the regularity of this expense and improve the car. Personally I find most costs related to a vehicle of this level of performance and provenance quite acceptable.
Hi. I have an 06 Vantage on 75,000 miles now. Owned for 12 years and driven every day in all conditions. Not a rattle or a squeak. Usual stuff as has been pointed out in terms of consumables.
Also endorse skipping the main dealers. I use David Appleby, lots of other good Indies available. One of the benefits is they do lots of upgrades and often have lots of barely used OEM parts on the shelf as a result. They also fix things rather than replace. They fabricated a part for the heat shield 6 years back for pennies versus the cost of a complete assembly.
I've been pretty lucky with mine. One clutch, two batteries and a fuel pump. Upgraded the ICE with Aston Installations Apple Car Play. Still love it after 12 years.
Also endorse skipping the main dealers. I use David Appleby, lots of other good Indies available. One of the benefits is they do lots of upgrades and often have lots of barely used OEM parts on the shelf as a result. They also fix things rather than replace. They fabricated a part for the heat shield 6 years back for pennies versus the cost of a complete assembly.
I've been pretty lucky with mine. One clutch, two batteries and a fuel pump. Upgraded the ICE with Aston Installations Apple Car Play. Still love it after 12 years.
My 1962 DB4 which I still have was my daily from 1979 to 1986, 20 mile commute then often longer distances at weekends. Mechanically it was very simple, nothing much broke but lots got consumed, eg crossply tyres, biggest cost was rectifying the hidden rot after being outside all weathers
DB4DM said:
My 1962 DB4 which I still have was my daily from 1979 to 1986, 20 mile commute then often longer distances at weekends. Mechanically it was very simple, nothing much broke but lots got consumed, eg crossply tyres, biggest cost was rectifying the hidden rot after being outside all weathers
Very cool, do you have any pics ? it must be fantastic to own such a lovely car for a lifetime We have been spoilt in modern years with the relative lack of corrosion in the modern car, regardless of cost.
Over the years in the 60s and 70s did Aston Martin ever have a reputation for unreliability ? ...i would have thought the Newport Pagnell built cars were made in such low volumes, not enough people owned them to get a reputation for anything. Unlike these days where a handful of horror stories on a new model car, can give it an internet reputation that damages sales for years to come. People with negative stories tend to shout loudest after all, compared with hundreds of quietly contented happy owners who rarely post anything.
Aston Martins by their low volume and premium market nature have always had a reputation for high maintenance costs, but that has improved too with the Gaydon era cars, particularly when you compare them against other premium brands.
@manu100 - Do these help and answer your questions??
I think the answers here summarise as 'yes' but if it must be an 'auto'...
All Vantages have clutches, so you will run the risk of a new clutch, but on the sport shift at least an inspection under the car will indicate the state of wear, so it's a risk you can quantify. If you like the challenge of a robotised manual and rarely reverse, it looks like you're in! If it really is an automatic gearbox you want, and I must say I do like a smooth real auto sometimes, there are some cars in the Aston range which do come as 'real' automatics, just not modern Vantages!
Be good to know your thoughts...
I think the answers here summarise as 'yes' but if it must be an 'auto'...
All Vantages have clutches, so you will run the risk of a new clutch, but on the sport shift at least an inspection under the car will indicate the state of wear, so it's a risk you can quantify. If you like the challenge of a robotised manual and rarely reverse, it looks like you're in! If it really is an automatic gearbox you want, and I must say I do like a smooth real auto sometimes, there are some cars in the Aston range which do come as 'real' automatics, just not modern Vantages!
Be good to know your thoughts...
Awesome DB4
back on the topic on daily driver. I test drove the original sportshift and decided to stay with a manual. To me the sportshift works great if you are out for a spirited drive but for stop/start city traffic its not pleasant.
You really need to test drive the sportshift transmission car yourself, with someone who knows how to get the best out of it to give you some tips, or just stay with the manual.
back on the topic on daily driver. I test drove the original sportshift and decided to stay with a manual. To me the sportshift works great if you are out for a spirited drive but for stop/start city traffic its not pleasant.
You really need to test drive the sportshift transmission car yourself, with someone who knows how to get the best out of it to give you some tips, or just stay with the manual.
vernierMike said:
Sounds like you had a bummer of a Porsche experience - isn't it all fixed now? If so, keep the Boxster...
The Vantage V8's can be a daily driver and are capable of more than 100k+ miles, if you're not that bothered by residuals as the Princess is highly valued. Regarded by most of us as fairly tough if you get a good one, the clutch (as commented above, the 'auto' is not an auto but a robotised manual and thus has a clutch that arguably wears more quickly than a manual but at least on the sportshift there is a wear indicator underneath...) and a few other things that you will come across as potential issues - motorised mirror,s bubbling paint, blah but I have to say coming straight from Gen 1 Cayman Porsche ownership, those things had a load more inherent issues than the Aston. Condition and history are critical in purchase.
Read around and, if it interests you, particularly the Sportshift, it's an acquired taste on the older models but if you fancy it and don't mind lifting our foot on changing gear, it's cool. But NOT an auto. Buy The Book as listed on the homepage ;-)
I would say they are a car for the enthusiast who is willing to learn and understand their vehicle unless, money is no object. IMHO. A delightful, satisfying and rewarding ownership and I would say your budget of $2-3k would be reasonable if you bought wisely in the first instance.
Definitely drive one - my wife loved our Cayman S but, and it's a personal thing, doesn't like the Aston to drive which she says is heavy, large and scary with a sh+t clutch. I can see her point but what the hell - it's blooming' marvellous!
Hi!The Vantage V8's can be a daily driver and are capable of more than 100k+ miles, if you're not that bothered by residuals as the Princess is highly valued. Regarded by most of us as fairly tough if you get a good one, the clutch (as commented above, the 'auto' is not an auto but a robotised manual and thus has a clutch that arguably wears more quickly than a manual but at least on the sportshift there is a wear indicator underneath...) and a few other things that you will come across as potential issues - motorised mirror,s bubbling paint, blah but I have to say coming straight from Gen 1 Cayman Porsche ownership, those things had a load more inherent issues than the Aston. Condition and history are critical in purchase.
Read around and, if it interests you, particularly the Sportshift, it's an acquired taste on the older models but if you fancy it and don't mind lifting our foot on changing gear, it's cool. But NOT an auto. Buy The Book as listed on the homepage ;-)
I would say they are a car for the enthusiast who is willing to learn and understand their vehicle unless, money is no object. IMHO. A delightful, satisfying and rewarding ownership and I would say your budget of $2-3k would be reasonable if you bought wisely in the first instance.
Definitely drive one - my wife loved our Cayman S but, and it's a personal thing, doesn't like the Aston to drive which she says is heavy, large and scary with a sh+t clutch. I can see her point but what the hell - it's blooming' marvellous!
Thanks so much for your reply to my OP. This sounds great. I always hear so many horror stories about cars like the Aston Martin such as "Keep 10k in reserve in case something major breaks and that the car is so expensive to fix that the dealer gives you a massage as your car is being repaired." But it is good to know that this car can be reasonable if maintained correctly. I live in Los Angeles and have a daily commute of around 65 miles round trip per day. Most of that time is in a fair amount of traffic although there are some patches where you can actually drive lol. I currently do not know how to work on cars myself. How hard are Aston Martins to work on? Where do you learn how to work on them? I also couldn't find many Independent repair shops around me, but I know that it would be insane to bring the car to the dealer for repairs.
vernierMike said:
Sounds like you had a bummer of a Porsche experience - isn't it all fixed now? If so, keep the Boxster...
The Vantage V8's can be a daily driver and are capable of more than 100k+ miles, if you're not that bothered by residuals as the Princess is highly valued. Regarded by most of us as fairly tough if you get a good one, the clutch (as commented above, the 'auto' is not an auto but a robotised manual and thus has a clutch that arguably wears more quickly than a manual but at least on the sportshift there is a wear indicator underneath...) and a few other things that you will come across as potential issues - motorised mirror,s bubbling paint, blah but I have to say coming straight from Gen 1 Cayman Porsche ownership, those things had a load more inherent issues than the Aston. Condition and history are critical in purchase.
Read around and, if it interests you, particularly the Sportshift, it's an acquired taste on the older models but if you fancy it and don't mind lifting our foot on changing gear, it's cool. But NOT an auto. Buy The Book as listed on the homepage ;-)
I would say they are a car for the enthusiast who is willing to learn and understand their vehicle unless, money is no object. IMHO. A delightful, satisfying and rewarding ownership and I would say your budget of $2-3k would be reasonable if you bought wisely in the first instance.
Definitely drive one - my wife loved our Cayman S but, and it's a personal thing, doesn't like the Aston to drive which she says is heavy, large and scary with a sh+t clutch. I can see her point but what the hell - it's blooming' marvellous!
Hello mate!The Vantage V8's can be a daily driver and are capable of more than 100k+ miles, if you're not that bothered by residuals as the Princess is highly valued. Regarded by most of us as fairly tough if you get a good one, the clutch (as commented above, the 'auto' is not an auto but a robotised manual and thus has a clutch that arguably wears more quickly than a manual but at least on the sportshift there is a wear indicator underneath...) and a few other things that you will come across as potential issues - motorised mirror,s bubbling paint, blah but I have to say coming straight from Gen 1 Cayman Porsche ownership, those things had a load more inherent issues than the Aston. Condition and history are critical in purchase.
Read around and, if it interests you, particularly the Sportshift, it's an acquired taste on the older models but if you fancy it and don't mind lifting our foot on changing gear, it's cool. But NOT an auto. Buy The Book as listed on the homepage ;-)
I would say they are a car for the enthusiast who is willing to learn and understand their vehicle unless, money is no object. IMHO. A delightful, satisfying and rewarding ownership and I would say your budget of $2-3k would be reasonable if you bought wisely in the first instance.
Definitely drive one - my wife loved our Cayman S but, and it's a personal thing, doesn't like the Aston to drive which she says is heavy, large and scary with a sh+t clutch. I can see her point but what the hell - it's blooming' marvellous!
Thanks so much for your reply! I totally agree with you that in the end as long as the car drives ok it is an Aston Martin, which is my favorite car brand. The only thing is I honestly have no idea how to work on the car myself. How hard is it to do so? I live in Los Angeles and commute 65 miles a day and around 10-12k a year so the car would be driven A LOT. That's also great to hear that the car can last 100k miles plus, that is definitely important to me. Living in LA, I think the repair costs are ASTRONOMICAL at the dealer, so I would need to find an indy shop or lear how to work on it myself. I have been trying to find a good shop, but there really aren't many. On my way to work the other day, I saw an Aston Martin DB7 at a car lot and stopped by and the guy literally knew nothing about the car and said "Well Aston Martins are really peoples' third and fourth car so people do not really DD it." I also asked where I could get it fixed and he said "Well, we can do an oil change, but I don't know where to bring it for repairs." I felt like I definitely knew more about the car than him lol...
vernierMike said:
Sounds like you had a bummer of a Porsche experience - isn't it all fixed now? If so, keep the Boxster...
The Vantage V8's can be a daily driver and are capable of more than 100k+ miles, if you're not that bothered by residuals as the Princess is highly valued. Regarded by most of us as fairly tough if you get a good one, the clutch (as commented above, the 'auto' is not an auto but a robotised manual and thus has a clutch that arguably wears more quickly than a manual but at least on the sportshift there is a wear indicator underneath...) and a few other things that you will come across as potential issues - motorised mirror,s bubbling paint, blah but I have to say coming straight from Gen 1 Cayman Porsche ownership, those things had a load more inherent issues than the Aston. Condition and history are critical in purchase.
Read around and, if it interests you, particularly the Sportshift, it's an acquired taste on the older models but if you fancy it and don't mind lifting our foot on changing gear, it's cool. But NOT an auto. Buy The Book as listed on the homepage ;-)
I would say they are a car for the enthusiast who is willing to learn and understand their vehicle unless, money is no object. IMHO. A delightful, satisfying and rewarding ownership and I would say your budget of $2-3k would be reasonable if you bought wisely in the first instance.
Definitely drive one - my wife loved our Cayman S but, and it's a personal thing, doesn't like the Aston to drive which she says is heavy, large and scary with a sh+t clutch. I can see her point but what the hell - it's blooming' marvellous!
Also, yes the engine was replaced and since then there have been no MAJOR issues (knock on wood). The car did leave me stranded again and I had to get it towed and my mechanic didn't charge me and said it was just a misfire due to not using the car for a while...The Vantage V8's can be a daily driver and are capable of more than 100k+ miles, if you're not that bothered by residuals as the Princess is highly valued. Regarded by most of us as fairly tough if you get a good one, the clutch (as commented above, the 'auto' is not an auto but a robotised manual and thus has a clutch that arguably wears more quickly than a manual but at least on the sportshift there is a wear indicator underneath...) and a few other things that you will come across as potential issues - motorised mirror,s bubbling paint, blah but I have to say coming straight from Gen 1 Cayman Porsche ownership, those things had a load more inherent issues than the Aston. Condition and history are critical in purchase.
Read around and, if it interests you, particularly the Sportshift, it's an acquired taste on the older models but if you fancy it and don't mind lifting our foot on changing gear, it's cool. But NOT an auto. Buy The Book as listed on the homepage ;-)
I would say they are a car for the enthusiast who is willing to learn and understand their vehicle unless, money is no object. IMHO. A delightful, satisfying and rewarding ownership and I would say your budget of $2-3k would be reasonable if you bought wisely in the first instance.
Definitely drive one - my wife loved our Cayman S but, and it's a personal thing, doesn't like the Aston to drive which she says is heavy, large and scary with a sh+t clutch. I can see her point but what the hell - it's blooming' marvellous!
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