S6 TVR vs V8V costs
Discussion
Annual service - same sort of money, tyres, insurance and fuel same sort of region. Tax on a post 2006 car will be more!
But would I expect a Gaydon era car to break down on every trip... no
My Tuscan, (take away the engine issues of the S6 was pretty good), ignition failure once. Also remember a leaky damper causing the pair to be replaced... But three times the engine was taken out in 18 months, if that was a Gaydon Aston then people would be having kittens.
On balance and comparing a brand new Tuscan 4.0 from 2001 with a 2006 DB9, I'd say they were on a par for costs. I also think less surprises come service time and some great indies like Rick at DMS.
But would I expect a Gaydon era car to break down on every trip... no
My Tuscan, (take away the engine issues of the S6 was pretty good), ignition failure once. Also remember a leaky damper causing the pair to be replaced... But three times the engine was taken out in 18 months, if that was a Gaydon Aston then people would be having kittens.
On balance and comparing a brand new Tuscan 4.0 from 2001 with a 2006 DB9, I'd say they were on a par for costs. I also think less surprises come service time and some great indies like Rick at DMS.
If you are prepared to accept a womans opinion, I had two Tuscs. A 4ltr Mk1 and a 4ltr Tusc Mk2S. Both amazing cars.
After 5 years of TVR ownership I decided enough was enough. Perhaps I am getting old but TVR's suddenly became too 'raw' for me. In their own right fabulous cars but in truth I never felt totally comfortable with never knowing if it would give way at the wrong time.
I got a new 335 Cabriolet which was fantastic but no soul.
So I went for a 4.7 V8V Roadster and never looked back.
If you get a well sorted V8V, service history etc, then I dont think its any more expensive than a Speed 6. My first 4.7 gave me a similar buzz, without the fear that I wouldn't reach my destination. MPG not dissimilar (sp) Insurance on a par, and servicing about the same.
Peace of mind, in another world.
There are enough ex TVR owners on here to also validate my thoughts. If you haven't already, I suggest you get out there and drive one.
Good luck
Di
After 5 years of TVR ownership I decided enough was enough. Perhaps I am getting old but TVR's suddenly became too 'raw' for me. In their own right fabulous cars but in truth I never felt totally comfortable with never knowing if it would give way at the wrong time.
I got a new 335 Cabriolet which was fantastic but no soul.
So I went for a 4.7 V8V Roadster and never looked back.
If you get a well sorted V8V, service history etc, then I dont think its any more expensive than a Speed 6. My first 4.7 gave me a similar buzz, without the fear that I wouldn't reach my destination. MPG not dissimilar (sp) Insurance on a par, and servicing about the same.
Peace of mind, in another world.
There are enough ex TVR owners on here to also validate my thoughts. If you haven't already, I suggest you get out there and drive one.
Good luck
Di
Vergis said:
How long is a piece of string.
Twice the distance from the centre to one end. But I think you knew that anyway.I came from a BMW background, but there is part of me really wishing I had a TVR up bringing.
Sure, there were reliability issues, mistakes, technical faux pas etc. But what the TVR gave you was a solid grounding, experience and above all a lot of 'character'. Do German vehicles really do that for you ??
So I would probably say to OP, try both vehicles and make up your own mind. You have nothing to worry about
Jockman said:
lady topaz said:
If you are prepared to accept a womans opinion...
Stop right there young lady.You remain one of the most knowledgeable and experienced Phers on the forum.
If it were not for Michael Gould, you would also be the best looking on the site too
Having gone from TVR to AM+TVR and now back to simply TVR again I would note that my personal experience was that I did suffer marginally more issues with my new Vantage than the 3 new and 1 used Tiv's I've had. Agree that standard annual service costs etc are comparable but I did find that once out of warranty the AM bills were a league apart. For example a failed window motor resulted in a 750 pound bill. Based on this I'd recommend extended warranty.
Good luck
Good luck
GR1FF1F said:
For example a failed window motor resulted in a 750 pound bill. Based on this I'd recommend extended warranty.
Good luck
You'd spend £1,500 to avoid a £750 bill ??Good luck
I appreciate that you are using a single example, but this does hark back to the strategy of Quinny inter alia, regarding the banking of the warranty fee to offset potential future liabilities
Diablos-666 said:
£750 for a window motor 
That's a relatively minor fault too!
I suspect I know the company that manufactures that particular part and their sale price is probably in the region of 1% of this amount. Sadly they are not set up to sell to the public and in some cases contractually prohibited from doing so but somebody is certainly making the absolute most of this fact! That's a relatively minor fault too!
Diablos-666 said:
I know a there are a few ex TVR compatriots amoungst you lot so thought I'd ask the question.
Apart from the initial outlay for the car itself, is owning a Vantage more costly than a S6 TVR in terms of servicing and general wear and tear?
If the Aston Martin has a fault you have to remember you are paying for parts for a car costing about £90,000 and upwards. Apart from the initial outlay for the car itself, is owning a Vantage more costly than a S6 TVR in terms of servicing and general wear and tear?
If buying privately as a risk mitigation strategy - buy th ecar subject to it passing a 140 point check at an AM main dealer. Then place the car under warranty for the first year for about £1500.
Generally though - if the car has reasonable miles on the clock then it works. The engineering is in the main excellent but it can be let down by silly things - like another comment about £750 for a window motor repair. If you look on the Bamford Rose thread you can see a post I wrote about catalyst failure and a new fuel tank. Paying for that to be done out of warranty would have been north of £5k.
It's really about your attitude to risk
Diablos-666 said:
£750 for a window motor
That's a relatively minor fault too!
That was for the motor, actual bill was somewhat higher as in the failure it also killed the battery, which had to be replaced.That's a relatively minor fault too!
Jockman, the point with the warranty is that it caps your outgoing (assuming things are actually covered). You can then concentrate on driving and enjoying it without worrying. Yes, you can self insure by building up a war chest, and that may well be enough, or give you a rebate. My point was that relatively innocuous faults can become expensive, and whilst with the TVR I'm happy to take off a door panel to see to a motor, or strip out the trans tunnel to fix a reverse light switch, I never felt happy doing that with the AM. Might be something to do with the relative cost of each car, but that said, by the time I sold they'd pretty much converged anyway
we did 33K miles in a Sagaris from new back in 2006 at the same time as 30K in a Vantage (other half usually has done over 100K in TVRs in last 10 years)
the Sag cost twice as much to run, just because of 2 x 6K mile services a year against 1 x 10K service, consumables about the same price other than clutch (neither car needed to date)
so if you plan on doing more than 6K a year, then thats something to bear in mind
issues wise, nothing significant with either car, Sag went a couple of years back, Vantage is now at just under 60K now, has had:
coolant sensor £20
thermostat £170
aircon condensor £400
I dont have an extended warranty on my 2006 Vantage, and touch wood, havnt really needed it yet, its just an insurance policy really...do you put £1500 more in the bank each year or pay it as insurance on the car...up to you
the Sag cost twice as much to run, just because of 2 x 6K mile services a year against 1 x 10K service, consumables about the same price other than clutch (neither car needed to date)
so if you plan on doing more than 6K a year, then thats something to bear in mind
issues wise, nothing significant with either car, Sag went a couple of years back, Vantage is now at just under 60K now, has had:
coolant sensor £20
thermostat £170
aircon condensor £400
I dont have an extended warranty on my 2006 Vantage, and touch wood, havnt really needed it yet, its just an insurance policy really...do you put £1500 more in the bank each year or pay it as insurance on the car...up to you
there is an added dimension to the warranty......for example my DB9 is coming up to six years old 1st September and has always been covered by Aston Martin warranty........anybody buying a car like mine knows that it has an impeccable service history and any faults have been sorted because of the warranty.....that has a value when coming to sell the car
GR1FF1F said:
Jockman, the point with the warranty is that it caps your outgoing (assuming things are actually covered).
Oxymoron, especially if alluding to the extended warranty.I have to say though GR1FF, I've always been in your camp, along with Mugabe Gould, regarding the waranties - there is indeed a lot of peace of mind with them.
I just find Quinny's position interesting (he is not alone), as well as understandable as he is a very practical guy.
As mentioned before, Mr Gould and I moisturise our hands, Quinny uses swarfega. I bet you he even picks his teeth with a stanley blade
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