Potential Aston Newbie needs some advice

[scotpak]

Hi Guys

I currently am looking to sell/trade-in my 997 C2S for a V8 vantage. Such good looking cars.

Anyway, was looking to spend in the £35-40k range. What I needed advice on was the following:

1) Is it a must to go through official dealerships?

2) If I dont go through official dealership is their any specific specialist dealers you can recommend

3) Who should I use to do an aston inspection (e.g. for my porsche I used Peter Morgan (http://www.porscheinspections.com/)

Feel free to give any other tips/warning etc

Much appreciated!!

[Jockman]

Some interesting points, though there are other threads.....

http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?t=101...

[S1M VP]

I bought my Vanquish on impulse tbh, from a local non-Aston dealer, but I bullied them into having the car checked over by an AM main dealer and put right whatever was found to be required.

After they paid the £6k bill for 12xcoils, gearbox octopus set up, wheel bearing, lights, etc I'm glad I did and would advise the same.

Whichever model you go for, read the history in detail ... Go through EVERY receipt and MOT ... if possible contact the previous owner (ask if on SOR though).

If you can, AM dealer with warranty would be a big plus point, but not an absolute necessity ... I don't have a warranty on my Vanquish and touch wood it's only had a few minor things that needed attention in last 16 months.

Good luck and enjoy the hunt, choose well and you'll be happy I'm sure.

[D16RR_Rich]

Hi Scott

Just noticed that you are in Caversham, Reading.

I work in Reading so drop me a line if you want some advice etc.

I was actually thinking of doing the opposite - selling the AM V8 and buying a C2S!!!

Cheers

Rich

[tarks63]

Buy from an Aston dealer.
It really does give you peace of mind.
I have had mine since the end of December and it has been back to them 3 times.
Nothing major,just niggly things like a new Bluetooth module,the R(reverse button) needing to be replaced,leaking coolant hose.
Believe you me for the extra you may pay buying from a dealer you will soon recoup it not only in financial terms but certainly in peace of mind.
Think of the cost if something major goes!!!!
You will always find someone that will say they bought one and never had a problem but I think you will find they will be in the minority.
I have also found that if you are clever and hunt around and haggle the price difference between Am main dealer and private is not that horrendous.
The other bonus is I get is that they always get the car delivered back to me by the end of the week,cleaned and valeted.
Hopefully over the course of the years warranty most of the problems will get eradicated at almost nil expense.

[MrOrange]

At £35-40k you're going to struggle to get a good dealer example, your money would go much further with a well looked after private example but do get any potential purchase checked out professionally before you hand over the readies

[Jockman]

tarks63 said:

Buy from an Aston dealer.
It really does give you peace of mind.

Can give you peace of mind in the age bracket you are looking.

However, modern Astons are far more reliable. Certainly anything just out of original warranty now would have its niggles sorted out.

I would definitely entertain private sellers of more recent cars (2009 onwards ?)

[BingoBob]

tarks63 said:

Buy from an Aston dealer.
It really does give you peace of mind.

That's what I thought before buying one from an AM main dealer.

IMHO you need to be just as wary as if you were buying privately. More so probably because your guards are down.

[scotpak]

http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/3573030.htm

This is the car im selling. What do you think is the max mileage I should consider? I was think 40k max, preferably 30-35

[yeti]

tarks63 said:

You will always find someone that will say they bought one and never had a problem but I think you will find they will be in the minority.

I disagree with that hugely - I don't think I'm in the minority having a trouble fee car. Buy from a dealer by all means but you'll get much less for your money than an enthusiast's private car where they will agree to have it inspected as well - if they don;t that tells you what you need to know

Warranty... what it comes down to is how you play risk. Many people save the money they'd have spent on warranty and put it in a war chest, however buy from AM and you'll have a warranty free for a year which delays that decision. I didn't renew mine after the free year, but the fact of the matter is, if something major went wrong I could afford to have it fixed. And only the AM warranty is worth anything, third party isn't (so I've heard).

If you've blown £40k on a car car and you get a £5k bill for something very unsual and unforseen, is it going to ruin your life or be a major hurdle? If so, dealer + warranty for you, no question.

[scotpak]

http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/3573030.htm

This is the car im selling. What do you think is the max mileage I should consider? I was think 40k max, preferably 30-35

[IanDH]

MrOrange said:

At £35-40k you're going to struggle to get a good dealer example, your money would go much further with a well looked after private example but do get any potential purchase checked out professionally before you hand over the readies

I disagree. If you talk to an Aston dealer, tell them your budget and your spec and they'll find you a car. I bought my '05 DB9 from Grange in Welwyn (for less than £40k) and they serviced the car, and also put new tyres and brakes on every corner. They also put the car through the body shop and replaced the boot seals (don't know why), and did some other bodywork tidying. I didn't have to ask them to check any of these things, it's all part of the prep work before they hand the car over to you.

You also get 1yr full Aston warranty plus 1yr full Aston road side assistance (which also covers Europe). My car is in for a squeaky steering wheel at the moment and there was no quibbles about it at all. It's just being fixed. No messing around with 3rd party warranty companies.

That to me make owning the car a far more pleasurable experience. If I have to go chasing around trying to get company A to pay company B for warranty work, I'd soon get fed up and would probably sell it.

[JaseB]

yeti said:

And only the AM warranty is worth anything, third party isn't (so I've heard)

I believe Warranty Direct covers more stuff as it goes, coil packs included for example but you don't get the roadside thing, it costs about the same as the AM cover though, just my 2p worth obviously.

[EpsomJames]

scotpak said:

http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/3573030.htm

This is the car im selling. What do you think is the max mileage I should consider? I was think 40k max, preferably 30-35

You know that the V8 Vantage has only two seats, right?

Just read your Carrera 2S ad and the first thing it says is "Arrival of baby forces reluctant sale". I guess you don't specify what type of baby though

[scotpak]

Lol. Yes baby has arrived and originally I was going to go for a c63 amg or a maserati quoto, but now missus has given the green light on 2 seater!!! we also have a golf plus so baby will be fine.

[yeti]

JaseB said:

I believe Warranty Direct covers more stuff as it goes, coil packs included for example but you don't get the roadside thing, it costs about the same as the AM cover though, just my 2p worth obviously.

Good info, thanks

[michael gould]

tarks63 said:

Buy from an Aston dealer.
It really does give you peace of mind.
I have had mine since the end of December and it has been back to them 3 times.
Nothing major,just niggly things like a new Bluetooth module,the R(reverse button) needing to be replaced,leaking coolant hose.
Believe you me for the extra you may pay buying from a dealer you will soon recoup it not only in financial terms but certainly in peace of mind.
Think of the cost if something major goes!!!!
You will always find someone that will say they bought one and never had a problem but I think you will find they will be in the minority.
I have also found that if you are clever and hunt around and haggle the price difference between Am main dealer and private is not that horrendous.
The other bonus is I get is that they always get the car delivered back to me by the end of the week,cleaned and valeted.
Hopefully over the course of the years warranty most of the problems will get eradicated at almost nil expense.

sorry dont agree with this post......plenty of private cars out there with full aston warranty......pay £250 t have it checked and then you wont suffer, and I quote "price difference between AM dealer and private is not that horrendous" AM dealer is the lazy way to buy a second hand Aston......dont discount a private purchase

[scotpak]

So guys, what would be the easiest way to arrange an inspection if I buy privately. Do I simply call my nearest official aston dealer? So they all do it or would an indie be better. I live in reading.

[IanDH]

michael gould said:

AM dealer is the lazy way to buy a second hand Aston

Not entirely sure that's a fair comment. My DB9 was about the same price as the others on the market, and I got new tyres and brakes. There was nothing lazy about the research I did, or the time and effort spent keeping an eye on prices and availablity. It just happened to be that the dealer found me a car within my budget, in the colours I liked, with the options I wanted.

And the after sales service I have received has been brilliant. I suppose it depends what you're after, or what makes you feel more comfortable.

[michael gould]

scotpak said:

So guys, what would be the easiest way to arrange an inspection if I buy privately. Do I simply call my nearest official aston dealer? So they all do it or would an indie be better. I live in reading.

depends where (and if) you find a suitable private car......if its in Scotland then not much point in speaking to your local dealer......suggest

1. find a suitable car......here are questions i ask (copy of my crib sheet)
CAR QUESIONS FOR PRE OWNED CARS

1 how long have you owned it
2 how many owners
3 who did you buy it from
4 when was it last serviced and by whom
5 when is the mot due
6 has the car had accident damage or paints
7 what problems /warranty work has been carried out
8 condition of interior
9 condition of tyres
10 have the brake discs or pads been changed
11 why are you selling it
12 how long have you been advertising it
13 how much will you take for it

Then call the dealer who has been looking after it and ask them about it........they should have the full history....its not rocket science but with a little effort you could save 5-8k

Good luck