Classic V8's ('70's) - am I a bit bonkers..

[M@H]

..can't help thinking that the Series 3 V8 (the '73 on one) is just marvelous. Are they a maintenance minefield or can one be managed by an enthusiatic amateur.. any general / ownership comments etc from anyone?

(could fit a cheap one on the drive with some effort..!)

Any thoughts,

Matt.

Edited by M@H on Sunday 11th January 20:27

[stats007]

Speak to R S Williams. I think you'll be a little horrified at how much they cost to maintain.

There's no such thing as a cheap Aston .

Edited by stats007 on Monday 12th January 09:07

[toohuge]

They say the definition of optimism is someone who thinks they can just about afford to run an aston martin! Im not entirely sure but i've heard as with any aston they can be catastrophically expensive to run. But still an awesome car.

[M@H]

Hmmm... the word "horified" does trouble me a little ! At the end of the day though, despite it rusting in all the obvious places (sills etc) surely if you buy a reasonably well looked after one it isn't going to simply eat its way through cash every month is it? Just how much can be expected to go wrong with one of these..?

[Touring Remo]

Parts availability is good. There are a lot of upgrade parts available depending on how you want the car to perform/handle. Maintaining them can be tricky (you'll need a big drain pan for the sump). But Aston Martin do a few kits, such as all the 000 mile service kits, which work out cheaper than buying the parts individually. They also do suspension ball joint kits and top and bottom end gasket kits. All sorts (you couldn't tell I work in an Aston heritage parts department). If there is anything else you want to know then by all means ask and I will try and answer it.

A good reference site (if you haven't already seen it) is Here

[williamp]

Great cars. There's a book comming out at the end of this month telling you all about them. Worth reading (I'm the author... :getscoat:

As ever, get the best you can afford. Have a look here:

http://www.aston-v8.co.uk/blog/

to sww what needs to be done with a rusty Aston. But if you find one where the engine, chassis and paint has been done, they are great cars. Use them regularly and they are reliable too.

[M@H]

williamp said:

to sww what needs to be done with a rusty Aston. But if you find one where the engine, chassis and paint has been done, they are great cars. Use them regularly and they are reliable too.

Exactly what I was thinking.. afterall there are a lot out there that have already had prefessional sill etc replacements and good quality paint.

How can I get a copy of your book, can I pre-order or send you a cheque or something?

Cheers,
Matt.

[stats007]

A cheap one isn't going to have anything done apart from maybe a bodge job on patching sills etc for an MOT. A old friend of mine has one - spent £12k with RS in one year alone on jobs that cropped up...

[williamp]

Spending £12k in one year is easy to do. Any owner should let you have the car inspected before purchase. If they dont, walk away.

You can pre-order the book in bookshops, or online (amazon, play.com etc). ISBN 1847970664, author William Presland

[M@H]

..by cheap I am thinking about £28-£30k, There do seem to be some examples around at that money that have had some good levels of competent restoration !?


http://www.classicdriver.de/uk/find/4100_dealers2_...

Cheers,
Matt.

Edited by M@H on Monday 12th January 12:02

[M@H]

williamp said:

You can pre-order the book in bookshops, or online (amazon, play.com etc). ISBN 1847970664, author William Presland

Done, look forward to it arriving in a few weeks

[stats007]

M@H said:

..by cheap I am thinking about £28-£30k, There do seem to be some examples around at that money that have had some good levels of competent restoration !?


http://www.classicdriver.de/uk/find/4100_dealers2_...

Cheers,
Matt.

Sorry, was thinking you meant £15k which is what the 'cheap' V8s go for at auction. Jade have a car at similar money.

[M@H]

M@H said:

williamp said:

You can pre-order the book in bookshops, or online (amazon, play.com etc). ISBN 1847970664, author William Presland

Done, look forward to it arriving in a few weeks

No sign of this book yet William - did it made it out of the Publishers last month? (Play.com are saying OOS - 6-8 Weeks delivery!?)

[williamp]

There are only 12 copies in the country. I have one, as the author. the publisher have another, and 10 are going to their sales reps. The bulk of books are now due in a few weeks. the problem with comming from China at this time, aparently is their Chinese new year! But they are in a cargo ship pointing in the vague diretcion of Here.

Its very exciting and, dare I say it well worth the wait.

[M@H]

..so as you already know it word for word anyway, can I your (signed) copy to save the wait

Edited by M@H on Friday 6th February 13:14

[williamp]

M@H said:

..so as you already know it word for word anyway, can I your (signed) copy to save the wait

Edited by M@H on Friday 6th February 13:14

chassis number WPAMV8/0001??? rare collectors edition! Dont worry, after a while it will be rare as it will be one of the few unsigned copies around! And I'll happily sign copies at events if we meet

[M@H]

Is that your car on Ebay at present..?

[williamp]

Yep, but its a terrible photo. As soon as we have some half decent weather during the daytime I'll get some betetr images of it.