E92 M3 or AM V8 Vantage?

[tomvcarter]

Hi Im thinking about sellim my E92 M3 and exchanging it for the a 2005 V8 Vantage.
Just wondering what the running costs are like.
What are the servicing costs like?
Im used to a high fuel cost, but concerned that the Astons Service will be scary in comparison.
Anyone think i would be making a mistake?...

[belleair302]

Why do you want an Aston Martin? The build quality of the car is s step down from the BMW, performance wise you are gaining nothing and yes servicing costs will be possibly double in some areas. If you were going for a decent Porsche GT3 I would say yes sell but for an Aston don't waste your time! Also Aston dealers are somewhat poor re solving problems than in a BMW just don't happen, ie rattles, trip issues and electronics sometimes just not working.

Ever wondered why so many owners sell Aston's with little mileage?

[Slurms]

Does look awesome though

Ok some of that time is spent looking awesome outside the dealership waiting to be fixed but still...

[roofer]

Having driven a new one in 2008 for some distance, i decided it is the last place i would put money. maybe it was the Amstrad built dashboard. Fantastic sound though.(From the exhaust that is)

[tomvcarter]

they cant be that bad! thats what warranty is for... no?

[Cheburator mk2]

tomvcarter said:

they cant be that bad! thats what warranty is for... no?

errr... Wrong! My Z4MC spent a month with BMW under the warranty scheme while waiting for new front calipers to be sent from Germany. I was not happy - after all the insurance and road tax cost me a fair bit and I was offered a 116i as a loan car.

Surely you'd rather be in the AM and not in some eurobox, while the car is being fixed under the warranty... And yes, they are slow... Like badly slow for the money...

[rich1231]

Had a V8v for 4 years, drove it hard and never had the slightest issue.

[tomvcarter]

What's slow? The AM or BMW?

Cheburator mk2 said:

tomvcarter said:

they cant be that bad! thats what warranty is for... no?

errr... Wrong! My Z4MC spent a month with BMW under the warranty scheme while waiting for new front calipers to be sent from Germany. I was not happy - after all the insurance and road tax cost me a fair bit and I was offered a 116i as a loan car.

Surely you'd rather be in the AM and not in some eurobox, while the car is being fixed under the warranty... And yes, they are slow... Like badly slow for the money...

[cringle]

http://www.my-aston-martin-is-rubbish.co.uk/

when ppl start setting up websites about how unhappy they are with a niche car...u gotta be worried..!
on a separate note, a colleague of mine bought a brand new DB9 a few yrs ago, and because she didnt check her engine oil weekly(!) they wouldnt replace the engine under warranty when it all dried up...on a 7 month old car. She paid £15000 to fix the problem and sold up straightaway. I too have an M3...happy days, fuss free thank god...i personally think ppl should boycott manufacturers who produce amazing looking machines but then build them to a crap standard and then give crap customer service on top. FFS if Vauxhall have got the balls to give a lifetime warranty, surely the whole industry should be achieving better levels of build quality and service. Rant over

[shunt]

Had BMW's for 12 years, not once have they excelled in the customer service dept. Frankly they are Sh**e. Hence I'm collecting a V8V in couple of hours. Best check the oil before I set off eh.......

[CarbonBlackM5]

My business partner is on his 2nd DB9 and he probably hasn't lifted the bonnet on either let alone check the oil. He has not had any major issues other than a faulty tyre pressure sensor. Save up for a DB9 if you can although it is more of. GT I suppose.

As with Vanos issues on M cars I think the V8 has got an bashing on forums.

[DaveR]

tomvcarter said:

Hi Im thinking about sellim my E92 M3 and exchanging it for the a 2005 V8 Vantage.
Just wondering what the running costs are like...

Nice decision to ponder!

I'm sure there'll be some who regard this as heresy but is it really necessary to lock yourself into the dealer network on a 5 year old car (out of manufacturer warranty?) - even if it is an Aston? If the higher costs are predicated on the notion of a level of service that just isn't there then why do it?

The people who looked after my Cerbera over the years were ace engineers in whom I'd have absolute faith to maintain any other similarly fast V8 which, dare we say, might be "a little highly strung" and in need of regular pampering and mechanical sympathy to keep everything sweet. Add in great service, labour rates 50% of the dealers and expertise gained through being involved in years in motorsport as opposed to a boggo main dealership life changing oil, plugs and investigating trim rattles. Surely it's worth considering?

Likewise, I've used a specialist BMW-indie to maintain my 330i for the past 7 years. Now the Cerbera's gone, I'm planning on changing the beemer for something 3+ years old from the M-stable soon and the same indie will get the job of looking after that too. I'm treated like a family friend and expertise-wise it would be impossible to top them.

[tomvcarter]

Can we get a name?

DaveR said:

tomvcarter said:

Hi Im thinking about sellim my E92 M3 and exchanging it for the a 2005 V8 Vantage.
Just wondering what the running costs are like...

Nice decision to ponder!

I'm sure there'll be some who regard this as heresy but is it really necessary to lock yourself into the dealer network on a 5 year old car (out of manufacturer warranty?) - even if it is an Aston? If the higher costs are predicated on the notion of a level of service that just isn't there then why do it?

The people who looked after my Cerbera over the years were ace engineers in whom I'd have absolute faith to maintain any other similarly fast V8 which, dare we say, might be "a little highly strung" and in need of regular pampering and mechanical sympathy to keep everything sweet. Add in great service, labour rates 50% of the dealers and expertise gained through being involved in years in motorsport as opposed to a boggo main dealership life changing oil, plugs and investigating trim rattles. Surely it's worth considering?

Likewise, I've used a specialist BMW-indie to maintain my 330i for the past 7 years. Now the Cerbera's gone, I'm planning on changing the beemer for something 3+ years old from the M-stable soon and the same indie will get the job of looking after that too. I'm treated like a family friend and expertise-wise it would be impossible to top them.

[tomvcarter]

Aston Martin V8 Vantage (380bhp) vs BMW M3 (E92)

Lap Times
Track V8 Vantage (380bhp) M3 (E92)
Nordschleife 8:03 8:05
Hockenheim Short 1:14.8 1:14.3
Bedford Autodrome West Circuit (2004 - 06/2008) 1:26.75 1:26.60
Oschersleben 1:47.16 1:47.20
Willow Springs 1:40.73 1:36.92
Zolder 1:51.60 1:49.31
Autozeitung test track 1:44.9 1:40.1
Balocco 2:53.51 2:55.22
SportAuto wet handling test 1:33.4 1:32.4
Rockingham 1:40.0 (wet) 1:25.58
Inta 1:14.19 1:12.36
Autocar Wet Handling Track 1:08.8 1:16.9

Specs
Max speed 173.6 m/h (280 km/h) 155 m/h (250 km/h)
0-100 km/h acceleration 5.0 4.6
0-160 km/h acceleration 11.6 9.4
0-200 km/h acceleration 18.0 15.2
0-300 km/h acceleration - -
Quarter mile time 13.1 12.5 @ 114.8mph
Power/weight ratio 0.17 0.19

Summary
M3 is noticably faster.

[threesixty]

I think the newer 4.7 is a much better comparison, in terms of pace and build quality. Having said that some of the AUC 10k mile ones I looked at were supprisingly tatty.

As for servicing my local BMW dealship are awful but the AM one has a good rep, pretty sure i'd be better looked after there.

[DaveR]

tomvcarter said:

Can we get a name?

You can have 3:

Steve Howard for the Cerbera when I lived in Berks.

Andy McLoughlin (APM Automotive) for the Cerbera when I lived in Hants.

Munich Motors (Wokingham) for the BMW.

[CarbonBlackM5]

DaveR said:

tomvcarter said:

Can we get a name?

You can have 3:

Steve Howard for the Cerbera when I lived in Berks.

Andy McLoughlin (APM Automotive) for the Cerbera when I lived in Hants.

Munich Motors (Wokingham) for the BMW.

Ive used Munich Motors but not using them again but thats a different story.

[Zod]

belleair302 said:

Why do you want an Aston Martin? The build quality of the car is s step down from the BMW, performance wise you are gaining nothing and yes servicing costs will be possibly double in some areas. If you were going for a decent Porsche GT3 I would say yes sell but for an Aston don't waste your time! Also Aston dealers are somewhat poor re solving problems than in a BMW just don't happen, ie rattles, trip issues and electronics sometimes just not working.

Ever wondered why so many owners sell Aston's with little mileage?

Is this based on experience or prejudice?

Experience says that you are spouting rubbish.

[After_Shock]

tomvcarter said:

Aston Martin V8 Vantage (380bhp) vs BMW M3 (E92)

Lap Times
Track V8 Vantage (380bhp) M3 (E92)
Nordschleife 8:03 8:05
Hockenheim Short 1:14.8 1:14.3
Bedford Autodrome West Circuit (2004 - 06/2008) 1:26.75 1:26.60
Oschersleben 1:47.16 1:47.20
Willow Springs 1:40.73 1:36.92
Zolder 1:51.60 1:49.31
Autozeitung test track 1:44.9 1:40.1
Balocco 2:53.51 2:55.22
SportAuto wet handling test 1:33.4 1:32.4
Rockingham 1:40.0 (wet) 1:25.58
Inta 1:14.19 1:12.36
Autocar Wet Handling Track 1:08.8 1:16.9

Specs
Max speed 173.6 m/h (280 km/h) 155 m/h (250 km/h)
0-100 km/h acceleration 5.0 4.6
0-160 km/h acceleration 11.6 9.4
0-200 km/h acceleration 18.0 15.2
0-300 km/h acceleration - -
Quarter mile time 13.1 12.5 @ 114.8mph
Power/weight ratio 0.17 0.19

Summary
M3 is noticably faster.

How is the M3 noticeable faster!? Look at the track times, the majority are very very similar, to me thats a better judge of a cars real world performance than simply doing a 0-100mph test.

[tomvcarter]

Im just the messenger:
http://www.fastestlaps.com/wif.html