Aston Martin V8 Vantage Roadster
Discussion
Quick background, boring company car driver for over 25 years but when funds have allowed I always try to have a fun weekend car, over the years have had among others Capri's, Toyota Supra Mk 3, Toyota Supra Mk 4 Twin Turbo, then got into open top motoring with MX5's and ended up with a stunning Merc SL55 AMG that I loved other than 10mpg and the nagging worries about suspension failure bankrupting me, so when I was made an offer I could not refuse that was sold and the hunt was on to find something else to replace it that ticked my boxes and was a bit more sensible.
Main requirements were convertible, quality interior, nice looking exterior, reliable mechanics, bit of poke, room for a week’s holiday luggage, lost most of its depreciation, reasonable mpg for about 5k miles per year and within my budget that was originally set around £25k.
So for the past 6 months I have enjoyed researching, considering and having a few drives in Audi TT-RS, Honda S2000, Boxster, 911, XKR, Maserati, M3, M6 and Z4, SLK55 and even another SL55 plus a few others, some great cars but just not “it” for me.
Then a friend suggested looking at a Vantage which I had not really considered before as they were out of budget but I thought there’s no harm in looking so off I went.
As I am sure you can guess, as soon as I sat in one and heard the exhaust that was it for me and the man maths took over, requirements and budget went out the window and the hunt was on for my Vantage.
With my work I travel all over the UK so this gave me the chance to see what was for sale and if in the area drop in for a look, so since Christmas I have spent many hours on-line and have physically viewed approx. 10 cars in the standard Aston trio of Black, Grey or Silver and another in Bright Orange that turned out to be originally silver but none of them hit the exact spot for me.
Then out of the blue last week I spotted this one but 130 miles away and no chance to get to view last week, so after hours looking at loads of photos, exchanging emails with the dealer a few times I put a deposit down to reserve.
Finally able to view the car today with collection hopefully on Friday, to say it will be a long wait is an understatement!
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|http://thumbsnap.com/zinhZvsk[/url][url]
|http://thumbsnap.com/M3wCu76P[/url][url]
|http://thumbsnap.com/ULIVwexI[/url]
Main requirements were convertible, quality interior, nice looking exterior, reliable mechanics, bit of poke, room for a week’s holiday luggage, lost most of its depreciation, reasonable mpg for about 5k miles per year and within my budget that was originally set around £25k.
So for the past 6 months I have enjoyed researching, considering and having a few drives in Audi TT-RS, Honda S2000, Boxster, 911, XKR, Maserati, M3, M6 and Z4, SLK55 and even another SL55 plus a few others, some great cars but just not “it” for me.
Then a friend suggested looking at a Vantage which I had not really considered before as they were out of budget but I thought there’s no harm in looking so off I went.
As I am sure you can guess, as soon as I sat in one and heard the exhaust that was it for me and the man maths took over, requirements and budget went out the window and the hunt was on for my Vantage.
With my work I travel all over the UK so this gave me the chance to see what was for sale and if in the area drop in for a look, so since Christmas I have spent many hours on-line and have physically viewed approx. 10 cars in the standard Aston trio of Black, Grey or Silver and another in Bright Orange that turned out to be originally silver but none of them hit the exact spot for me.
Then out of the blue last week I spotted this one but 130 miles away and no chance to get to view last week, so after hours looking at loads of photos, exchanging emails with the dealer a few times I put a deposit down to reserve.
Finally able to view the car today with collection hopefully on Friday, to say it will be a long wait is an understatement!
[url]|http://thumbsnap.com/zinhZvsk[/url][url]|http://thumbsnap.com/M3wCu76P[/url][url]|http://thumbsnap.com/ULIVwexI[/url]
LeighW said:
That looks stunning, hope you enjoy it.
I have a client who bought a V12 S in white; he loved it but got so precious over it that when he picked up a stonechip on the bonnet, he said he nearly cried.
Thanks, think i may get the same tbh, after committing to so much financial outlay it gets like that, but when you are passionate about cars as most PH people are when you leave a car your pride and joy in a pub car park and get a dink it's always upsetting and painful, its just the more expensive our toys get then the repair costs to try and keep tiptop increase as well to a scary level. I have a client who bought a V12 S in white; he loved it but got so precious over it that when he picked up a stonechip on the bonnet, he said he nearly cried.
Stunning car, my friend has one and it sounds fantastic
A little warning though, AM told him that the clutches are not designed to last that long, around 25k miles before they need replacing, his also had a slightly buckled wheel and on top of that it required a service, all that set him back a little over £5000
not a cheap car to run.
If you budget for it then you should be ok
A little warning though, AM told him that the clutches are not designed to last that long, around 25k miles before they need replacing, his also had a slightly buckled wheel and on top of that it required a service, all that set him back a little over £5000
not a cheap car to run.If you budget for it then you should be ok
Thanks for all the kind comments.
Car will be just used at weekends and occasional trip into Europe.
When I was researching Vantages, the maintenance costs are a concern but I have a bit set aside for any upsets.
Car is supplied with 12 months warranty so I am hoping we should be reasonably safe.
Car will be just used at weekends and occasional trip into Europe.
When I was researching Vantages, the maintenance costs are a concern but I have a bit set aside for any upsets.
Car is supplied with 12 months warranty so I am hoping we should be reasonably safe.
So I pay for this in full, have to wait an extra week due to the wheels being refurbished and finally arrange trains and crap to get to pick it up this Friday....
then today they send me a picture of the door handle with some corrosion and say they have just spotted it and will not fix it.
This is sold under the Aston Timeless inspection/warranty as well!
They are continuing to advertise my car at much more than i have paid as well!
So it seems i might be falling out with someone tomorrow and getting my money back and trying to get inconvenience costs incurred, this is not the best experience into Aston Martin ownership.
They told me, before I put down the deposit, they have 4 other buyers interested so i am sure they have another buyer willing to pay more, waiting for me to cancel the order!
So upset because i was looking forward to this but in the scale of things its minor and am grateful this is the biggest hassle I have to deal with today. Unfortunately many other people have much more important issues they have to contend with, but i am so pissed off now its untrue and had to have a vent!
then today they send me a picture of the door handle with some corrosion and say they have just spotted it and will not fix it.
This is sold under the Aston Timeless inspection/warranty as well!
They are continuing to advertise my car at much more than i have paid as well!
So it seems i might be falling out with someone tomorrow and getting my money back and trying to get inconvenience costs incurred, this is not the best experience into Aston Martin ownership.
They told me, before I put down the deposit, they have 4 other buyers interested so i am sure they have another buyer willing to pay more, waiting for me to cancel the order!
So upset because i was looking forward to this but in the scale of things its minor and am grateful this is the biggest hassle I have to deal with today. Unfortunately many other people have much more important issues they have to contend with, but i am so pissed off now its untrue and had to have a vent!
Edited by 8003px on Tuesday 7th March 22:17
Gus265 said:
Go speak to a solicitor if they are trying to get you to cancel. Especially if you have paid for it. Sounds like very poor dealer behaviour. It is now your car and if they give any kind of warranty it must surely include that tiny bit of rust?!
Thanks for you reply, I get that feeling this is what they want me to do cannot understand why they would refuse to carry out this repair otherwise, the sales manager has pointed out the vehicle is 8 years old but as i replied to him and quoted from the official AM website"As is expected from Aston Martin, standards are high and there is no exception made for our pre-owned cars.
Our exacting mechanical and aesthetic standards will make sure that the car you take home looks and feels as fantastic as it did when it was first given its famous wings badge at our Global Headquarters.
We run over 140 specialist inspection checks on each car before it is granted its ‘Timeless’ status, meaning high standards are a guarantee."
I asked him if AM would supply a new vehicle with the same corrosion on the door, he did not reply!
Edited by 8003px on Tuesday 7th March 22:56
There was a thread in GG recently with someone having issues with AM and I recall he had to get legal people involved. It might be worth posting in GG to get an answer as there was a lot of discussion on that thread, and I believe it was ultimately resolved to a satisfactory conclusion. Good luck with it.
Jonmx said:
There was a thread in GG recently with someone having issues with AM and I recall he had to get legal people involved. It might be worth posting in GG to get an answer as there was a lot of discussion on that thread, and I believe it was ultimately resolved to a satisfactory conclusion. Good luck with it.
Thanks for the reply, but what is GG? I will certainly look into this.Gassing Station | Readers' Cars | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff