Options Prices have gone mad
Discussion
Just about done a deal on trading in my 10MY 4.7 roadster for a 3 mth old S version - I've worked out there are £17.5k of options on the car despite the fact the S includes a few bits that were extras on my car, like bluetooth, cruise, clear rear lamps, sills & sports suspension
Below are the prices of some of the options from 12 mths ago compared to their current prices, together with the %age price rise:
auto dim mirror £95 - £195 (+105%)
black brake callipers £295 - £695 (+136%)
bright grill £295 - £495 (+68%)
front parking sensors £395 - £495 (+34%)
hi spec alarm £195 - £295 (+51%)
lightweight seats £1795 - £2995 (+67%)
sat nav £1795 - £1795 (no change)
smokers pack £145 - £395 (+172%)
boot moutned umbrella £150 - £195 (+30%)
wind deflector £395 - £495 (+25%)
The smokers pack (which is identical to the old one) is up 172% !!! Meanwhile the black callipers really annoy me - on a low volume car where each one is different, why should you pay extra for black or red paint when they come painted as standard anyway - it costs them no more to produce with a different paint colour and it's not like they are a high volume manufacturer where it's disruptive to alter the spec from the 'norm'. To add insult to injury, almost every vantage S leaving the factory has them specced. So it's effectively a stealth price rise of another £695 - very few people are speccing their cars from scratch as the deals on new unregistered cars sat in dealers are so much better. You won't find a car without sat nav or a few other bits like the auto dim mirror either - why not just include them as standard/within the price?
The one that has annoyed me the most however is the key. You can now buy an additional glass ECU for £495 when speccing it with your new car. The car I have agreed a deal on has a very scruffy key. They have stopped including the leather pouch because keys kept falling out, so the key on this car is badly scratched from lack of protection, despite only being a few months old. I would like a 'clean' key and it will cost £1,180 ! Apparantly to order a second key at any time other than when speccing your car costs an additional £680 ........
Below are the prices of some of the options from 12 mths ago compared to their current prices, together with the %age price rise:
auto dim mirror £95 - £195 (+105%)
black brake callipers £295 - £695 (+136%)
bright grill £295 - £495 (+68%)
front parking sensors £395 - £495 (+34%)
hi spec alarm £195 - £295 (+51%)
lightweight seats £1795 - £2995 (+67%)
sat nav £1795 - £1795 (no change)
smokers pack £145 - £395 (+172%)
boot moutned umbrella £150 - £195 (+30%)
wind deflector £395 - £495 (+25%)
The smokers pack (which is identical to the old one) is up 172% !!! Meanwhile the black callipers really annoy me - on a low volume car where each one is different, why should you pay extra for black or red paint when they come painted as standard anyway - it costs them no more to produce with a different paint colour and it's not like they are a high volume manufacturer where it's disruptive to alter the spec from the 'norm'. To add insult to injury, almost every vantage S leaving the factory has them specced. So it's effectively a stealth price rise of another £695 - very few people are speccing their cars from scratch as the deals on new unregistered cars sat in dealers are so much better. You won't find a car without sat nav or a few other bits like the auto dim mirror either - why not just include them as standard/within the price?
The one that has annoyed me the most however is the key. You can now buy an additional glass ECU for £495 when speccing it with your new car. The car I have agreed a deal on has a very scruffy key. They have stopped including the leather pouch because keys kept falling out, so the key on this car is badly scratched from lack of protection, despite only being a few months old. I would like a 'clean' key and it will cost £1,180 ! Apparantly to order a second key at any time other than when speccing your car costs an additional £680 ........
These kind of things just feel like a total lack of respect for prospective and current owners, to be honest it saddens me, I know we are all out to make a profit - that is the nature of being in business but that much for a key which you will only acquire by buying the var in the first place?? Aston should be ashamed of themselves....
Frustrating I know but AM are no different to the other manufacturers in this respect.
Be careful of a 3 month old S it is either a demo or press car and likely to have been mistreated. I've seen a few very ropey S's
Confirm the history before committing.
I managed to get a new one exactly to my spec for mid September for £12k more than a 3 month old on not to my spec
Some of those options are a waste anyway
auto dim mirror doesn't dim quickly are far enough
black brake callipers may so little difference I stayed with standard
bright grill is a PITA to keep clean and only looks good on darker colours IMHO
front parking sensors - I almost took these of to clean to front of the car up
hi spec alarm - do you really need it
lightweight seats £1795 - £2995 still good value when you consider iti s ~£10k to retrofit them!
sat nav £1795 - £1795 AND MY12 cars are going to get the Garmin sat nav
smokers pack - part of AM's anti smoking policy
boot moutned umbrella - Why especially in a roadster
wind deflector - You can have my unused one for half that!
If you are buying a new build that is already allocated and specced you could try arguing you dont want that option so want a price reduction
Oh and avoid a black roof lining on a roadster, make it feel like you are lock in cupboard when the roof is up.
Be careful of a 3 month old S it is either a demo or press car and likely to have been mistreated. I've seen a few very ropey S's
Confirm the history before committing.I managed to get a new one exactly to my spec for mid September for £12k more than a 3 month old on not to my spec
Some of those options are a waste anyway
auto dim mirror doesn't dim quickly are far enough
black brake callipers may so little difference I stayed with standard
bright grill is a PITA to keep clean and only looks good on darker colours IMHO
front parking sensors - I almost took these of to clean to front of the car up
hi spec alarm - do you really need it
lightweight seats £1795 - £2995 still good value when you consider iti s ~£10k to retrofit them!
sat nav £1795 - £1795 AND MY12 cars are going to get the Garmin sat nav
smokers pack - part of AM's anti smoking policy
boot moutned umbrella - Why especially in a roadster
wind deflector - You can have my unused one for half that!
If you are buying a new build that is already allocated and specced you could try arguing you dont want that option so want a price reduction
Oh and avoid a black roof lining on a roadster, make it feel like you are lock in cupboard when the roof is up.
mikey k said:
Frustrating I know but AM are no different to the other manufacturers in this respect.
Be careful of a 3 month old S it is either a demo or press car and likely to have been mistreated. I've seen a few very ropey S's Confirm the history before committing.
I managed to get a new one exactly to my spec for mid September for £12k more than a 3 month old on not to my spec
Some of those options are a waste anyway
auto dim mirror doesn't dim quickly are far enough
black brake callipers may so little difference I stayed with standard
bright grill is a PITA to keep clean and only looks good on darker colours IMHO
front parking sensors - I almost took these of to clean to front of the car up
hi spec alarm - do you really need it
lightweight seats £1795 - £2995 still good value when you consider iti s ~£10k to retrofit them!
sat nav £1795 - £1795 AND MY12 cars are going to get the Garmin sat nav
smokers pack - part of AM's anti smoking policy
boot moutned umbrella - Why especially in a roadster
wind deflector - You can have my unused one for half that!
If you are buying a new build that is already allocated and specced you could try arguing you dont want that option so want a price reduction
Oh and avoid a black roof lining on a roadster, make it feel like you are lock in cupboard when the roof is up.
Agree with some of your points on individual options, the fact is this particular car is specced the way it is. It has quite literally everything on it, like B&O sound, new piano black full interior, the 10 spoke wheels with graphite, etc - it specs up at 130k new. It is an ex aston car however I assume it will have been accompanied by dealer staff whenever it was taken out as it was a demo car, not a press car. In fact I drove the actual car with a few hundred miles on it when it was at another dealers - it now has 6,500 miles - it's the Broughtons Magma Red one if anyone knows it ?Be careful of a 3 month old S it is either a demo or press car and likely to have been mistreated. I've seen a few very ropey S's
Confirm the history before committing.I managed to get a new one exactly to my spec for mid September for £12k more than a 3 month old on not to my spec
Some of those options are a waste anyway
auto dim mirror doesn't dim quickly are far enough
black brake callipers may so little difference I stayed with standard
bright grill is a PITA to keep clean and only looks good on darker colours IMHO
front parking sensors - I almost took these of to clean to front of the car up
hi spec alarm - do you really need it
lightweight seats £1795 - £2995 still good value when you consider iti s ~£10k to retrofit them!
sat nav £1795 - £1795 AND MY12 cars are going to get the Garmin sat nav
smokers pack - part of AM's anti smoking policy
boot moutned umbrella - Why especially in a roadster
wind deflector - You can have my unused one for half that!
If you are buying a new build that is already allocated and specced you could try arguing you dont want that option so want a price reduction
Oh and avoid a black roof lining on a roadster, make it feel like you are lock in cupboard when the roof is up.
I actually don't care about the B&O sound although I like most of the other options. Agree with you however on the alarm & the mirros and the lighweight seats are a must for me - as you say, they are not that unreasonable a price. But some of the prices are unreasonable and more to the point, some of the price rises are well beyond justification
Getting back to the car, I must admit I have been a little wary of the fact it's an ex Aston car but I could only justify changing my car 16 mths into ownership (I've had it since new) based on the price & spec of this car - I guess you get what you pay for.
JohnG1 said:
Ah, but the B&O has very cool little speakers that rise up out of the dash. Ok, well, I like them anyway :-)
But do you like them as much as other things you could buy for £5,495, which is £4,495 more than the premium audio option ? That's the price, for instance, of a new Rolex. 
Jockman said:
They are Georgeous.
But you call them the 700W Premium System.
There is no discernible difference, unless you are a canine on heat.
Though, I do like the lifty-uppy dashboardy kind of thingy
Oh but there is Jockman! The little pods rising up out of the dash is just brilliant! I would never tire of those. Plus at full volume there is a clear difference in the sound. Not that you can hear anything with the roof down at 80mph.But you call them the 700W Premium System.
There is no discernible difference, unless you are a canine on heat.
Though, I do like the lifty-uppy dashboardy kind of thingy
When did they become available as an option?
jonby said:
But do you like them as much as other things you could buy for £5,495, which is £4,495 more than the premium audio option ? That's the price, for instance, of a new Rolex.
Er, I prefer my Casio G shock to a Rolex, but that's just a matter of personal taste, I understand the point.My view is that I had the 700W stereo in my V8 but when it came to the V12 I wanted the B&O and carbon fibre seats. All the rest is just fluff.
Auto-dimming mirror - what a waste of money. First aid kit for £80, umbrella the same...
I'm a huge audiophile and have spent some big sums both on home & car systems - you could get some amazing results for that sort of sum, spent wisely. As with B&O in general, a little like BOSE, you pay for looks, style, convenience, wow factor, etc and relatively little goes into the bits that affect sound quality
The system, for sound quality alone, is 'worth' very little over the premium audio set-up
In an Audi A8 (where it is also offered) it may make more sense but in an Aston with wind noise from the roof (up or down) and a beautiful engine to listen to, it's pretty daft. Coupled to the fact it eats into the boot space (I'm worried my fitted luggage will no longer fit), the tweeters cause bad reflections, one assumes it adds to weight - for me, the only benefit is resale and looks.
The system, for sound quality alone, is 'worth' very little over the premium audio set-up
In an Audi A8 (where it is also offered) it may make more sense but in an Aston with wind noise from the roof (up or down) and a beautiful engine to listen to, it's pretty daft. Coupled to the fact it eats into the boot space (I'm worried my fitted luggage will no longer fit), the tweeters cause bad reflections, one assumes it adds to weight - for me, the only benefit is resale and looks.
jonby said:
mikey k said:
Frustrating I know but AM are no different to the other manufacturers in this respect.
Be careful of a 3 month old S it is either a demo or press car and likely to have been mistreated. I've seen a few very ropey S's Confirm the history before committing.
I managed to get a new one exactly to my spec for mid September for £12k more than a 3 month old on not to my spec
Some of those options are a waste anyway
auto dim mirror doesn't dim quickly are far enough
black brake callipers may so little difference I stayed with standard
bright grill is a PITA to keep clean and only looks good on darker colours IMHO
front parking sensors - I almost took these of to clean to front of the car up
hi spec alarm - do you really need it
lightweight seats £1795 - £2995 still good value when you consider iti s ~£10k to retrofit them!
sat nav £1795 - £1795 AND MY12 cars are going to get the Garmin sat nav
smokers pack - part of AM's anti smoking policy
boot moutned umbrella - Why especially in a roadster
wind deflector - You can have my unused one for half that!
If you are buying a new build that is already allocated and specced you could try arguing you dont want that option so want a price reduction
Oh and avoid a black roof lining on a roadster, make it feel like you are lock in cupboard when the roof is up.
Agree with some of your points on individual options, the fact is this particular car is specced the way it is. It has quite literally everything on it, like B&O sound, new piano black full interior, the 10 spoke wheels with graphite, etc - it specs up at 130k new. It is an ex aston car however I assume it will have been accompanied by dealer staff whenever it was taken out as it was a demo car, not a press car. In fact I drove the actual car with a few hundred miles on it when it was at another dealers - it now has 6,500 miles - it's the Broughtons Magma Red one if anyone knows it ?Be careful of a 3 month old S it is either a demo or press car and likely to have been mistreated. I've seen a few very ropey S's
Confirm the history before committing.I managed to get a new one exactly to my spec for mid September for £12k more than a 3 month old on not to my spec
Some of those options are a waste anyway
auto dim mirror doesn't dim quickly are far enough
black brake callipers may so little difference I stayed with standard
bright grill is a PITA to keep clean and only looks good on darker colours IMHO
front parking sensors - I almost took these of to clean to front of the car up
hi spec alarm - do you really need it
lightweight seats £1795 - £2995 still good value when you consider iti s ~£10k to retrofit them!
sat nav £1795 - £1795 AND MY12 cars are going to get the Garmin sat nav
smokers pack - part of AM's anti smoking policy
boot moutned umbrella - Why especially in a roadster
wind deflector - You can have my unused one for half that!
If you are buying a new build that is already allocated and specced you could try arguing you dont want that option so want a price reduction
Oh and avoid a black roof lining on a roadster, make it feel like you are lock in cupboard when the roof is up.
I actually don't care about the B&O sound although I like most of the other options. Agree with you however on the alarm & the mirros and the lighweight seats are a must for me - as you say, they are not that unreasonable a price. But some of the prices are unreasonable and more to the point, some of the price rises are well beyond justification
Getting back to the car, I must admit I have been a little wary of the fact it's an ex Aston car but I could only justify changing my car 16 mths into ownership (I've had it since new) based on the price & spec of this car - I guess you get what you pay for.
It is a March 2010 car IIRC and is a press car
So 12 months old and 6.5k miles of "hard" miles
B&O is pointless on a roadster and only comes in to its own with original CD's
I was dead against black roof lining and Piano Black console as it reflects light and scratches easily in a roadster with the roof down.
Those alloys are a £2.5k option as well
Have a look at HMW they have 3 or 4 new unregistered S roadsters including a Titanium with the light weight seats.
I was in the same boat as you and resigned myself to a new build in the spring (roadster prices drop off badly in the Winter
) However the factory discounted a new build to my spec enough to make it attractive If you are going to change don't compromise you will only regret it
JohnG1 said:
Auto-dimming mirror - what a waste of money. First aid kit for £80, umbrella the same...
I think the auto dimming mirror is worth it because it just looks better. The first aid kit is a good idea if driving in Europe. With you on the umbrella. Mine has it, never used once - I don't use the car if it rains so quite a pointless option.
George H said:
I think the auto dimming mirror is worth it because it just looks better. The first aid kit is a good idea if driving in Europe. With you on the umbrella. Mine has it, never used once - I don't use the car if it rains so quite a pointless option.
George - I drive in and around London. London is in Europe....??
mikey k said:
jonby said:
mikey k said:
Frustrating I know but AM are no different to the other manufacturers in this respect.
Be careful of a 3 month old S it is either a demo or press car and likely to have been mistreated. I've seen a few very ropey S's Confirm the history before committing.
I managed to get a new one exactly to my spec for mid September for £12k more than a 3 month old on not to my spec
Some of those options are a waste anyway
auto dim mirror doesn't dim quickly are far enough
black brake callipers may so little difference I stayed with standard
bright grill is a PITA to keep clean and only looks good on darker colours IMHO
front parking sensors - I almost took these of to clean to front of the car up
hi spec alarm - do you really need it
lightweight seats £1795 - £2995 still good value when you consider iti s ~£10k to retrofit them!
sat nav £1795 - £1795 AND MY12 cars are going to get the Garmin sat nav
smokers pack - part of AM's anti smoking policy
boot moutned umbrella - Why especially in a roadster
wind deflector - You can have my unused one for half that!
If you are buying a new build that is already allocated and specced you could try arguing you dont want that option so want a price reduction
Oh and avoid a black roof lining on a roadster, make it feel like you are lock in cupboard when the roof is up.
Agree with some of your points on individual options, the fact is this particular car is specced the way it is. It has quite literally everything on it, like B&O sound, new piano black full interior, the 10 spoke wheels with graphite, etc - it specs up at 130k new. It is an ex aston car however I assume it will have been accompanied by dealer staff whenever it was taken out as it was a demo car, not a press car. In fact I drove the actual car with a few hundred miles on it when it was at another dealers - it now has 6,500 miles - it's the Broughtons Magma Red one if anyone knows it ?Be careful of a 3 month old S it is either a demo or press car and likely to have been mistreated. I've seen a few very ropey S's
Confirm the history before committing.I managed to get a new one exactly to my spec for mid September for £12k more than a 3 month old on not to my spec
Some of those options are a waste anyway
auto dim mirror doesn't dim quickly are far enough
black brake callipers may so little difference I stayed with standard
bright grill is a PITA to keep clean and only looks good on darker colours IMHO
front parking sensors - I almost took these of to clean to front of the car up
hi spec alarm - do you really need it
lightweight seats £1795 - £2995 still good value when you consider iti s ~£10k to retrofit them!
sat nav £1795 - £1795 AND MY12 cars are going to get the Garmin sat nav
smokers pack - part of AM's anti smoking policy
boot moutned umbrella - Why especially in a roadster
wind deflector - You can have my unused one for half that!
If you are buying a new build that is already allocated and specced you could try arguing you dont want that option so want a price reduction
Oh and avoid a black roof lining on a roadster, make it feel like you are lock in cupboard when the roof is up.
I actually don't care about the B&O sound although I like most of the other options. Agree with you however on the alarm & the mirros and the lighweight seats are a must for me - as you say, they are not that unreasonable a price. But some of the prices are unreasonable and more to the point, some of the price rises are well beyond justification
Getting back to the car, I must admit I have been a little wary of the fact it's an ex Aston car but I could only justify changing my car 16 mths into ownership (I've had it since new) based on the price & spec of this car - I guess you get what you pay for.
It is a March 2010 car IIRC and is a press car
So 12 months old and 6.5k miles of "hard" miles
B&O is pointless on a roadster and only comes in to its own with original CD's
I was dead against black roof lining and Piano Black console as it reflects light and scratches easily in a roadster with the roof down.
Those alloys are a £2.5k option as well
Have a look at HMW they have 3 or 4 new unregistered S roadsters including a Titanium with the light weight seats.
I was in the same boat as you and resigned myself to a new build in the spring (roadster prices drop off badly in the Winter
) However the factory discounted a new build to my spec enough to make it attractive If you are going to change don't compromise you will only regret it
JohnG1 said:
George - I drive in and around London. London is in Europe....
I thought they had moved London into the Middle East a few days ago Johnny Boy. Right next to Beirut ???Georgeous - just google the phrase 'First Aid Kit' - for £80 I'm sure you could get the nurse thrown in as well
jonby said:
What do you mean by March 2010 ? This is an 11 reg car stated as being first registered March 2011. Do you know something different - although I haven't collected or paid the balance, I have agreed in writing to the deal on this car - you are worrying me now. I am getting the front end resprayed as part of the deal - apart from that, the car seemed fine
They've taken it off their web site & PH now but when I was looking it was down as a March 2010 car. Could have been a typo though?6.5k miles in 4-5 months is a lot of miles though!
mikey k said:
They've taken it off their web site & PH now but when I was looking it was down as a March 2010 car. Could have been a typo though?
6.5k miles in 4-5 months is a lot of miles though!
Agree on the mileage. I know the car was driven by the PDC cars with prospective customers (including me) and I'm guessing one of the reasons for the mileage is driving to and from each dealership, unless they are transported there6.5k miles in 4-5 months is a lot of miles though!
It's definitely an 11 plate car as I have the reg
This is the car
http://www.broughtons.co.uk/approved-car-details/B...
I was more wondering if you had noticed something specific on the car, particularly if you drove it, to worry you
I have only seen a green and a white roadster in all the various press reviews so I think this has been a demo car only, though I may be wrong
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