Vantage V12s

[Tin Hat]

Good afternoon All,

12 months after buying a new 718 GT4, I’m on the cusp of selling it for a V12s. They are not that plentiful from my 4 week long search to date……

I am aiming for a facelift coupe, could I trouble anyone for some help with these worries:

1. Warranty. Although I am closing in on 2 cars, neither are from a franchised dealer. Can I gain a AM recognised warranty in the future ( on the assumption that the car would have 10k ish mileage, full AMSH )
2. Mileage. There are plenty of scoundrels out there, and plenty more that have the ability to ‘correct’ mileage - Are V12s any more/less likely to have any issues in this respect?
3. Inspection. As I am not a mechanic, would it be sensible to pay to have an independent inspection?
4. Other Factors. What else should I be fussing about at 4.00 am, unable to think of anything other than the prospect of buying another iceberg melter?

Thanks in advance,

TH

[V8V Pete]

Welcome.

1. Yes. The Main dealers will be able to advise you exactly how but it involves an inspection with a fee.
2. No idea how easy it is to clock a modern Aston but the MOT history would surely give you enough of a clue (unless that can be faked also).
3. Personally, I would definitely get a pre-purchase inspection if buying from anyone other than a franchised dealer. However, I would not get it done by a main dealer as they're only worth it as part of the warranty process as not very thorough. I would get it done by one of the excellent independents such as Bamford Rose.
4. Very important decisions are which gearbox and which seats. Plenty of discussion threads about both on here over the years. The inspection will cover it, but beware of the condition of the CCM brakes as these are hideously expensive and, as with all carbon brakes, can be irrecoverably damaged by acidic wheel cleaner and track use / excessive heat.

Enjoy your search and your Vantage when you get it

[Phil74891]

Tin Hat said:

Good afternoon All,

12 months after buying a new 718 GT4, I’m on the cusp of selling it for a V12s. They are not that plentiful from my 4 week long search to date……

I am aiming for a facelift coupe, could I trouble anyone for some help with these worries:

1. Warranty. Although I am closing in on 2 cars, neither are from a franchised dealer. Can I gain a AM recognised warranty in the future ( on the assumption that the car would have 10k ish mileage, full AMSH )
2. Mileage. There are plenty of scoundrels out there, and plenty more that have the ability to ‘correct’ mileage - Are V12s any more/less likely to have any issues in this respect?
3. Inspection. As I am not a mechanic, would it be sensible to pay to have an independent inspection?
4. Other Factors. What else should I be fussing about at 4.00 am, unable to think of anything other than the prospect of buying another iceberg melter?

Thanks in advance,

TH

Hi there,

I’m assuming by facelift you mean the 2016 or so Vantage V12S with the revised centre console?

1. You may be able to get a warranty from an AM main dealer if you take it to them? At this level I would buy from an Aston franchised dealer. That would also solve your point 3.
2. Not heard of anyone ‘clocking’ a modern Gaydon era Aston. Check the mileage on the MOT history on the DVLA website though.
3. Certainly wouldn’t hurt, but you’d get that and a timeless warranty from a main dealer.
4. Look for paint bubbling on the trailing edges of doors and around the door handles/mirrors. Also heavily misted front or rear lights. Apart from that they are generally very reliable.

There are a few recent discussion topics on here Re the V12S, you’ll get lots of useful info re gearboxes and seats there.

Good luck!

[Tin Hat]

Thanks so much guys, the clocking issue was primarily generated by a topic on PH where a guy had a howler with a main dealer supplied Roller, it seemed that the car had big miles under its belt, hidden by ‘mileage correction’.

I had understood that the sportshift III was the standard gearbox for an auto V12s manufactured after 2014, is that not the case?

You lucky things who already have one, they appear to be a ‘cathedral’ of engine!

[V8V Pete]

Phil74891 said:

Much the same as me.

The common wisdom of the seasoned PH AML forum members Phil

[Phil74891]

V8V Pete said:

Phil74891 said:

Much the same as me.

The common wisdom of the seasoned PH AML forum members Phil

You must have hit submit as I was typing mine Pete

OP - V12s’s we’re all Sportshift III until the very latest cars which had an option of a dogleg stick and clutch pedal, operating the same 7 speed gearbox.

[Tin Hat]

Splendid, thanks

[AdamV12V]

2014 the V12VS was announced, which had the "old" waterfall centre dash. Only SSIII was available at that time.

In 2016 the "new" waterfall, vanquish haptic style, was fitted to all vantages. The infotainment was AMi II, which only lasted 1year before being replaced with the much improved AMi III.

In 2017 the new 7spd dogleg manual was announced, along with AMi III infotainment. Quite a few spec changes and the std spec dropped a little, although the price remained the same. So watch out for things like the CF bonnet lovres missing and replaced with a less good looking cheaper mesh option. Most, but not all cars added them back in at spec.

FWIW, I had a 981 GT4 after my two V12V's before, which I only kept for a few months as I didnt excite me half as much as the V12V's had done, so I came back to AM and spec'd my current V12VS

[Tin Hat]

AdamV12V said:

2014 the V12VS was announced, which had the "old" waterfall centre dash. Only SSIII was available at that time.

In 2016 the "new" waterfall, vanquish haptic style, was fitted to all vantages. The infotainment was AMi II, which only lasted 1year before being replaced with the much improved AMi III.

In 2017 the new 7spd dogleg manual was announced, along with AMi III infotainment. Quite a few spec changes and the std spec dropped a little, although the price remained the same. So watch out for things like the CF bonnet lovres missing and replaced with a less good looking cheaper mesh option. Most, but not all cars added them back in at spec.

FWIW, I had a 981 GT4 after my two V12V's before, which I only kept for a few months as I didnt excite me half as much as the V12V's had done, so I came back to AM and spec'd my current V12VS

The preferred option is a 67 plate, so hopefully that ticks all the right boxes.

The GT4 is a bit of an enigma, it is supremely well built, has probably one of the very best manual gearboxes, drives nicely and seems to get amazing press, but as you note, it is a bit…….unexciting. The fact that it breaks the speed limit easily in second gear is one of its big shortcomings, especially as the engine noise lacks drama.

One last question please, how long will the battery last without discharging ( I have no power in my garage, the GT4 manages 3 weeks, my Exige an impressive 5 weeks!)?

[Tin Hat]

AdamV12V said:

2014 the V12VS was announced, which had the "old" waterfall centre dash. Only SSIII was available at that time.

In 2016 the "new" waterfall, vanquish haptic style, was fitted to all vantages. The infotainment was AMi II, which only lasted 1year before being replaced with the much improved AMi III.

In 2017 the new 7spd dogleg manual was announced, along with AMi III infotainment. Quite a few spec changes and the std spec dropped a little, although the price remained the same. So watch out for things like the CF bonnet lovres missing and replaced with a less good looking cheaper mesh option. Most, but not all cars added them back in at spec.

FWIW, I had a 981 GT4 after my two V12V's before, which I only kept for a few months as I didnt excite me half as much as the V12V's had done, so I came back to AM and spec'd my current V12VS

The preferred option is a 67 plate, so hopefully that ticks all the right boxes.

The GT4 is a bit of an enigma, it is supremely well built, has probably one of the very best manual gearboxes, drives nicely and seems to get amazing press, but as you note, it is a bit…….unexciting. The fact that it breaks the speed limit easily in second gear is one of its big shortcomings, especially as the engine noise lacks drama.

One last question please, how long will the battery last without discharging ( I have no power in my garage, the GT4 manages 3 weeks, my Exige an impressive 5 weeks!)?

[AdamV12V]

Tin Hat said:

The preferred option is a 67 plate, so hopefully that ticks all the right boxes.

The GT4 is a bit of an enigma, it is supremely well built, has probably one of the very best manual gearboxes, drives nicely and seems to get amazing press, but as you note, it is a bit…….unexciting. The fact that it breaks the speed limit easily in second gear is one of its big shortcomings, especially as the engine noise lacks drama.

One last question please, how long will the battery last without discharging ( I have no power in my garage, the GT4 manages 3 weeks, my Exige an impressive 5 weeks!)?

Yeah, exactly that. You had to be breaking the speed limit before the GT4 came alive. The V12VS however is pure theatre from the moment you start it up, and huge grins all the time even under 30mph.

During lockdown I regularly left my car over a month without driving it and no issues. That said my first battery only lasted 4years, but I dont keep mine on trickle charge like many people do. The trickle chargers are a fairly common item with the cars anyway, and if not they are easy to buy.

[Tin Hat]

AdamV12V said:

Tin Hat said:

The preferred option is a 67 plate, so hopefully that ticks all the right boxes.

The GT4 is a bit of an enigma, it is supremely well built, has probably one of the very best manual gearboxes, drives nicely and seems to get amazing press, but as you note, it is a bit…….unexciting. The fact that it breaks the speed limit easily in second gear is one of its big shortcomings, especially as the engine noise lacks drama.

One last question please, how long will the battery last without discharging ( I have no power in my garage, the GT4 manages 3 weeks, my Exige an impressive 5 weeks!)?

Yeah, exactly that. You had to be breaking the speed limit before the GT4 came alive. The V12VS however is pure theatre from the moment you start it up, and huge grins all the time even under 30mph.

During lockdown I regularly left my car over a month without driving it and no issues. That said my first battery only lasted 4years, but I dont keep mine on trickle charge like many people do. The trickle chargers are a fairly common item with the cars anyway, and if not they are easy to buy.

Thanks, really helpful

[Tin Hat]

GT3ZZZ said:

Have just sold my March 2018 car into the trade. New V12 Vantage coming so decided to cash out while prices are strong.

5,000 miles with manual box, AMR Powerkit and Bodykit including AMR wheels. Won't be cheap but will be easily the best on sale.

I hope that the new one proves to be a belter ( I know the new Vantage V8 is AMG sourced, where does the new V12 derive from ?)

[RSbandit]

I remember when I was looking in 2018 I was cross shopping GT4's with the V12VS as there wasn't much diff in price which I thought a bit strange and was confirmed after driving the Aston...it was a no contest! Vantage a whole different level of special great cars full of character. The AM warranty will need an inspection by the dealer first and any issues they highlight fixing before it'll qualify, this is the drawback to letting these cars drop out of official cover. There are a few v solid Indys out there too tho.

[alscar]

Tin , personally I wouldn’t let any occasionally driven car similar to the ones you mention go much beyond about a month without either driving or trickle charging as issues with a flat battery aren’t much fun.
Appreciate no garage power doesn’t help.

Pete , what colour are you going for on your new V12 ?

[Jon39]

Tin Hat said:

I hope that the new one proves to be a belter ( I know the new Vantage V8 is AMG sourced, where does the new V12 derive from ?)

The 2005 to 2018 V8, was a Cosworth redesigned Jaguar engine.

The V12 engine was partly developed by Ford for an experimental car, but never went into production. It was later further developed for Aston Martin (Ford ownership at the time). Only ever used by Aston Martin, the first car being the DB7 Vantage.

Both those engines were built in a corner of the vast Ford factory in Cologne, named the Aston Martin Engine Plant.
The V12 turbo is the successor, and I think production has now transferred to the UK, but I don't know where (does anyone know the background?).

Edited by Jon39 on Monday 14th March 12:18

[nickv12]

All V12S Vantages are stunning. I would personally look for an AMiii (2017MY) model. That’s the new dash from 2016 onwards (although nothing wrong with the previous dash… more classical in some ways). But the AMiii brings integrated Apple CarPlay. Didn’t realise how significant this is for touring until I got my third Vantage.

However, Aston Installations will retro-fit CarPlay on older models. You can be sure they’re good at it as I understand Main Dealers use them to add CarPlay to later (post-VH platform) customer cars as an option.

All other topics covered at length on PH. They include:

• Warranty
• Servicing
• Sport vs. lightweight seats
• Manual vs. SportShift
• Premium (700W) audio vs. B&O (1000W)

All other things are easy to retrofit/upgrade. At a price. Don’t dismiss dealers instantly for upgrades including Powerkit (extra 30bhp), titanium exhaust, different alloys, etc.

You just need to test drive to know if it suits you personally.

[Tin Hat]

Thanks All, great info, I will keep you posted on what happens next

[James82]

I was in a similar state a few months back, and opted to pay a bit more up-front but have peace-of-mind with an official Aston Martin Timeless warranty. Would always go this route again. And: I could not be happier with my 2017 V12 Vantage S! The AMi III is much improved, and I also like the new waterfall dashboard better. But to each his own.

[Tin Hat]

Well, I went, I saw, no man could say no to that. It is everything, times 10.

Planning to collect it on Saturday, beta blockers needed to conceal the excitement - I have even told Mrs TH