Aston V8 Vantage Supercharged. What do I need to know?

[wazza]

I am considering a V8 Vantage Supercharged (1993 - 1999) as my next car. What do I need to know before I jump into the deep end.

There seems to be a large variation in price so what would be the going rate for a mint well sorted mid 90's car?

There are a few 4 speed automatic versions available at the moment - should I steer clear of these and concentrate on looking for a manual car?

What do I need to look at before committing to purchase? What are the weak points and potential money pits that I need to know about.

I will be doing around 5k miles per year and understand that a contingency fund will need to be factored into the ownership experience.

Any advice and help will be greatly appreciated.

[jimbo2792]

Oh I love those cars. Beast of a car.

[V8LM]

I would guess between 60 and 70 for a 550 (the 'standard' one), 90 to 100 for a V600 (600 BHP/lbft brakes, wheels, etc) and 190 - 200+ for a Le Mans (the Daddy).

Issues - corrosion like any other aluminium Aston, particularly around the windows and posts & sills. They are quite low, and the front sticks out a long way, so check for damage underneath. Usual problems depending on how driven and how often - there are a lot of belts in the engine which can cause flat-spots on the bearings if left standing for prolonged periods (I know!).

Automatic? No. Why? These are fabulous, wonderful, majestic drivers cars. There is only a handful of autos around, and for a reason.

Ask on the AMOC forum too. Happy hunting. You won't regret it.

[NDA]

What he said......

The other thing I would add (having had an earlier V8) is to have someone check out the car and give you a full report before you buy. There's a guy to the east of London - Rikki Cann - he knows these cars inside out.

[jhoneyball]

inspection inspection inspection inspection
inspection inspection inspection inspection
inspection inspection inspection inspection
inspection inspection inspection inspection
inspection inspection inspection inspection
inspection inspection inspection inspection
inspection inspection inspection inspection
inspection inspection inspection inspection
inspection inspection inspection inspection
inspection inspection inspection inspection
inspection inspection inspection inspection
inspection inspection inspection inspection

get the idea?

[vantage4]

I concur with everything V8LM says (apart maybe from his slightly optimistic view of V600 prices - you'd be very lucky indeed to find a really good late low mileage car for under £100k) but having had two 550bhp cars before my V600 I can vouch for the fact that the V600's worth stretching to if you can as it is more tractable, better handling, better brakes etc. These cars are never going to be run properly on a limited budget (check who's owned any prospective purchase - a Works Service or Stratton Motor Co history is worth its weight in gold) but with regular use are in my experience pretty reliable and a delight to own. Go for it!

[V8LM]

God, how remiss of me. Yes - get it inspected, and there is no one better than Rikki Cann for this (he looks after both my V8s).

[wazza]

Many thanks for everyones help. I have heard many good things about Rikki Cann and will be contacting him in due course. I prefer the manual option and opinions here support that this is the way to go.

I was wondering what cars are available for sale at the moment and if there are any that I should keep well clear of. Also, which exterior colours are best to go for (or avoid) for the sake of resell value.

My only dilemma now is deciding on budget. Is it worth spending up to £80k on a well sorted 550 or hold off and move towards the V600 option?

All the best,

Warren

Edited by wazza on Friday 30th November 13:22

Edited by wazza on Friday 30th November 13:23

[vantage4]

If the right 550 (manual!) car is available dont hold off, you can always add the v600 bits later, though that is inevitably an expensive way of doing things in the longer run. Be sure to start with brakes and suspension though, the standard ones are a bit weedy.

[vantage4]

And yes, it's my turn to be remiss - Rikki Cann's the man.

[wazza]

I have been doing some research on the prices of standard and V600 cars. The price to purchase a mid nineties example with full V600 upgrades equates to around the £100k mark. However, the conversion in the majority of cases has been done several years ago.

Would it be a better option to purchase a standard car and then have the works upgrades added? This way the car would have a whole set of new warranted parts? What would the price be to have the factory perform this work? I am not bothered about the cosmetic enhancements, just the brakes, suspension and engine work. Will the gearbox require modifying too?

At the moment the price between a standard car and a V600 is around £30k. I am concerned that purchasing a ready converted car may require many of the upgraded parts to be serviced or replaced much quicker than brand new parts. This would defeat the purpose of paying the premium in the first place wouldn't it?

Edited by wazza on Sunday 2nd December 21:04

Edited by wazza on Sunday 2nd December 21:06

[jhoneyball]

rikki looks after my 89 xpack vantage -- top bloke

[vantage4]

Wazza
I don't think it makes a lot of difference - I see your point re new parts etc. Bear in mind that only the Lemans cars left the factory as V600 (I think, anyway) the rest were built as 550s and converted by Works Service. Some - like mine - were done with 0 miles on the clock others were converted later. I think you'll struggle to get the (hideously expensive) original magnesium V600 Dymag wheels now in any case, though they run fine on the original 550 style alloys with brakes and suspension upgraded.

[Virage166]

wazza said:

What would the price be to have the factory perform this work? I am not bothered about the cosmetic enhancements, just the brakes, suspension and engine work. Will the gearbox require modifying too?

If you mail me your e-mail address I will mail you a copy of the original Works Service Bulletin of October 1998 about the Works Prepared Driving Dynamics package, including the pricing structure, so you'll have an idea what they charged back then...

There were different packages. Modifying the gearbox was one of them.

[V8LM]

vantage4 said:

Wazza
I don't think it makes a lot of difference - I see your point re new parts etc. Bear in mind that only the Lemans cars left the factory as V600 (I think, anyway) the rest were built as 550s and converted by Works Service. Some - like mine - were done with 0 miles on the clock others were converted later. I think you'll struggle to get the (hideously expensive) original magnesium V600 Dymag wheels now in any case, though they run fine on the original 550 style alloys with brakes and suspension upgraded.

Even the V600 Lemons were post-build mods (as the V600 wasn't homologated) but as you say many were done before final delivery. The hollow magnesium wheels can be recast by Dymag if you really want them - they are making a new set for me at the moment (I know that they can become porous in time. One of mine cracked! Not a nice thought on a 200mph car). And yes, hideously expensive.

Edited by V8LM on Thursday 6th December 15:51