Manual tranny prices increasing

[klee168168]

The price of cars like DBS with manual transmissions are increasing. Are the v8 vantages with manual transmissions increasing also or not as much because there are not as sought out after?

[Manners79]

Much as that would please me I rather doubt it if only due to sheer production numbers. Mind you if the gap to a V12 were to close a bit I’d be tempted. Sadly I imagine it may in fact widen as perhaps some of the more ‘special’ Vantages may stabilise in value whereas I suspect V8Vs will still drift down, albeit quite slowly now.

Short term upticks in values may be more related to an increase in economic confidence as the COVID vaccine rolls out. Values of such ‘indulgence goods’ are heavily influenced by people’s perception of economic well-being.

[Minglar]

I think it’s unlikely that manual V8 Vantage values will rise. They will probably stabilise, but it’s doubtful they will rise. The main reason is the numbers produced. I think it was two or three years before the first version of the SS gearbox appeared in V8 Vantage and that means the vast majority of the early cars were manuals. That early period would include record production figures in 2007 too. It could be a different story with the V12 cars. The original V12V is a relatively rare car, the manual V12VS even more so. Manual DBS and DB9 have potential to rise too imho. But I think it all depends on consumer confidence and how the market perceives the future with regards to ICE and electrification.

Best Regards

Minglar

[JonnyCJ]

I disagree - if you look at Porsche 993 manual prices compared to the tiptronic they’re much more sought after.

Early 4.7 manual with Sportspack will remain the holy grail of classic V8V.

[Manners79]

JonnyCJ said:

I disagree - if you look at Porsche 993 manual prices compared to the tiptronic they’re much more sought after.

Early 4.7 manual with Sportspack will remain the holy grail of classic V8V.

993 is an interesting analogy...I wonder how production numbers compare... /rushesofftogoogle...

[Big Ry]

JonnyCJ said:

I disagree - if you look at Porsche 993 manual prices compared to the tiptronic they’re much more sought after.

Early 4.7 manual with Sportspack will remain the holy grail of classic V8V.

Not sure I agree. They're great cars, but I don't think there'll be any notable uptick in values (other than economic and seasonal), at least not for a very long time. I'm not sure there is a holy grail of any V8 variant, and if anything, it would probably be a manual GT8.

If I were in the market for a V8 now, I'd go for a manual SP10 with lightweights......that was the sweet spot in the range for me.

Porsche have a cult like following that just doesn't exist for Aston. More or less everyone knows what a 911 looks like........lots of countries still don't have a clue what an Aston looks like as in some markets they are just extremely rare regardless of model. I can't see any Aston ever reaching the cult like status of 911's.

As Minglar has said, V12V's are rare and manual V12VS are much much rarer still. I'm going to guess (and it is a guess), but I bet the ratio of V12V to V12VS manuals is probably 5 to 1. That sort of rarity doesn't exist for the V8.

Now I agree that rare doesn't automatically mean valuable, but over time I think the manual V12's (any variant) will become a very sought after classic, although I'm talking 10+ years.

I view my V12SMR as part of my pension. When I'm too old and crusty to enjoy it I'll sell it (hopefully it's a good 30+ years until that happens) and invest in a top notch mobility scooter and put some Aston badges on it

[JonnyCJ]

Bear in mind that many new owners to any brand will want to seek out the best variant of the model they’re looking at.

I was contemplating a 993 before I bought my V8V and after doing my research decided it had to be a manual C2S coupe of all the variants.

Then along came the Vantage.,,,

I still check on prices from time to time and it’s the C2S coupe I always look at.

I think it will be the same for new Vantage owners, especially those who are petrol heads.

[8Speed]

I had a manual 993 varioram a number of years ago before I had the V8V.
Nice car but not a patch on the Aston imho - worth more now for that strange reason air-cooled Porsches are so sought after.

[Minglar]

Personally I think the situation with a 993 is not comparable here. The appeal of the 993 is the fact that it is air cooled. Perhaps the manual is more sought after then the tiptronic, but as the original 996 was such a big change, many people have been attracted to the 993 as the end of an era, irrespective of its transmission, and imho that’s why values have risen. Back on the subject of V8 Vantage, I am with Big Ry on this one. A manual GT8 may well be the one to look out for in years to come. It will be interesting to look back at this thread in twenty years time!

Best Regards

Minglar

[Moonpie]

I have several friends that are absolute Porsche fanatics. I have absolutely zero interest.

In my mind they are a dime a dozen as the figures from 2019 illustrate.

Total 2019 Aston Martin vehicles produced = 5892

Total 2019 Porsche vehicles produced = 280,000

[JonnyCJ]

Minglar said:

Personally I think the situation with a 993 is not comparable here. The appeal of the 993 is the fact that it is air cooled. Perhaps the manual is more sought after then the tiptronic, but as the original 996 was such a big change, many people have been attracted to the 993 as the end of an era, irrespective of its transmission, and imho that’s why values have risen. Back on the subject of V8 Vantage, I am with Big Ry on this one. A manual GT8 may well be the one to look out for in years to come. It will be interesting to look back at this thread in twenty years time!

Best Regards

Minglar

It's not about comparing 993 with V8V, it's comparing the desirability of the manual versions of each car. Appreciate that GT8 will be the pinnacle - in the same way as the 993 Turbo, however given the handful of GT8s out there, your average buyer will seek out the more available versions in the most desirable spec.

[sociopath]

Given the title, this is a very disappointing thread

[JonnyCJ]

sociopath said:

Given the title, this is a very disappointing thread

Needs a question mark in the thread title

[bogie]

sociopath said:

Given the title, this is a very disappointing thread

LOL

[Moonpie]

sociopath said:

Given the title, this is a very disappointing thread

I thought the same thing when I first read the title.

I needed a good laugh and your post provided that. Thank you.

[cayman-black]

A manual GT8 is without a doubt a future classic, rare low number car that's an event to drive.

[V8V Pete]

Big Ry said:

JonnyCJ said:

Early 4.7 manual with Sportspack will remain the holy grail of classic V8V.

I'm not sure there is a holy grail of any V8 variant, and if anything, it would probably be a manual GT8.

If I were in the market for a V8 now, I'd go for a manual SP10 with lightweights......that was the sweet spot in the range for me.

Having owned both (2009 manual Sportspack & SP10 manual with Lightweights), however lovely the 2009 may be, IMHO it doesn't come close to my SP10 in drivability. Regarding GT8, I'm sure they're great but you've got to like big wings & skirts and I'll bet there are fewer manual V8S with lightweights in the UK than manual GT8s.

Anyway, I don't really want my car to go up in value because it might discourage me from driving it and that's why I bought it, not as an investment. Suspect your money is better off in property (not office space currently!) if you want an investment.

[xstaticx]

So based upon the above, my non-black 2010MY 4.7 Manual Roadster with Sportspack and Lightweights is half way to becoming desirable in the future - as long as I don't drive it? If so, thats bad news from my perspective...

[ds666]

Cars with the anorexic seats are not a good bet based on the average BMI increasing year on year....

[Green9]

I wasn’t interested in a DB9 unless it was manual and a Volante and I managed (purely by luck) to stumble across one in the colour I would have specced from new.

I do genuinely believe that all manual sports cars of recent years will out-perform their auto/semi-auto gearbox alternatives - as technology moves on, auto gearboxes improve hugely every year whereas manuals basically stay pretty much the same.

I think a good example (not comparison) is the E46 M3 - of which I owned 2 - the manuals are now way more sought-after/expensive than the SMGs purely because the SMG gearbox (brilliant for its time) is now deemed awful when compared to modern dual-clutch units (or even modern torque converter ones - ie. ZF-8HP) and so the manual is clearly the preferred option.