Am I mad?

[Bing o]

It's change over time next year, and I've started lining up replacements for the Elise.

I've seen a V8 Vantage on PH - would that be financial suicide - how much do they cost to run? I know the MPG is about 22, I can live with that, but what falls off/wears out?

I love the Elise, but I need room to be able to whisk the OH away for the weekend and still take my golf bats, whilst still keeping an air of Britishness and style!!

[bogie]

22mpg on a cruise maybe...I avg about 15-18mph with everyday use...but seriously - if you are even thinking about fuel costs then you dont want to be splashing out £70K on a car ! ..a full fill up is £75-80 in the V8 and you will have the same range as your Elise which is about £35 to fill up max (I have an Elise too)

the biggest running cost will be depreciation - bank on losing £1K per month on a year old one (maybe a little less - time will tell)

servicing isnt too bad - about £600 every 10K miles + consumables...all the cars will be under warranty for at least another 18 months so no worries there

tyres are about £270 a corner on the rear and have lasted me 15K miles with road only use - fronts a bit cheaper, pads are Pagids - about £130 a set on the front

its the cheapest modern Aston to run on a daily basis...and certainly not on a Ferrari level, (its cheaper than our TVR on servicing and insurance too) ...buts its nowhere near as cheap as an Elise

[Bing o]

Thanks Bogie, I'd be looking at an older one like this (DB7 Vantage, think I should have said....):

http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/197014.htm

[fatbutt]

This is going to sound really negative but if the first thing you think when your buying an expensive car is what the MPG is you are buying outside of your reach.

[bogie]

Bing o said:

Thanks Bogie, I'd be looking at an older one like this (DB7 Vantage, think I should have said....):

http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/197014.htm

ah - right...thats a different story, youd be need a warranty from somewhere for sure to cover anything unexpected...and if you go to a main dealer, the servicing will be much more, and they are more frequent (every 6K miles I think) ...its a V12..and they aint cheap to service

edit to add - have a look on the owners club forum for lots of info too - www.amoc.org

Edited by bogie on Tuesday 17th July 16:12

[Bing o]

fatbutt said:

This is going to sound really negative but if the first thing you think when your buying an expensive car is what the MPG is you are buying outside of your reach.

If you read my post you will see that I only mentioned it because I knew what that cost was, as opposed to things like tyres which I don't.

I have money to spend, I don't have it to throw away. Asking questions like how much does it cost is a way for me to work out if I will be spending or throwing

Thank you Bogie for your help! I shall do some more reading...

[AstonZagato]

A DB7 Vantage is a good buy but it is still depreciating. Things seem to be leveling out but partly that is to do with classic Astons get caught in a pricing bubble (that has further to run, IMHO).

Servicing at an independent, such as Chiltern will be reasonable (call them - I beleive they offer fixed price deals) but you will find that there are always "niggles" that need sorting that seem to double the bill. AM do offer a warranty that can add some piece of mind.

Check out the buying guide on the AMOC forum.

Last thing to say is rather obvious but a move from an Elise (spiked running shoe) to a DB7 (favorite pair of velvet slippers) is quite a leap.

[not applicable]

Having owned a DB7 for all of two weeks I would advise BUY IT!!
The car is stunning, the drive fantastic.
Fuel economy is not great(!) but I am prepared to run an old cheap car for commuting if I have my DB7 for weekends and sunny days.

[tuscaneer]

i had a db7 for 6 months.i had no intention of changing it but my nerves grated when a few weeks after purchase i had a thousand odd pound service.found out that despite the car having only covered 30 odd thousand miles my next service was the 45k spark plug service.i could feel my pants getting pulled down.decided to trade in for a v8.best decision and best car i have ever had.servicing way cheaper than the db7(always feels like dead money)but what a car.mpg is maybe a fraction better on the v8 as well.all round better proposition and if you don`t get sucked into buying a new one like i did i have seen them in the classifieds now for low 70`s.bargain.just do it!