jods

Thinking about buying an Aston Martin V8 Vantage (Pre-Owned). It's a 2006 with less than 40K on the clock.

A pal of a pal has a Ferrari and says his servicing costs around £4000 a time twice a year! Is an Aston similar? I can't believe how many AM's are out there with low low mileage. I'd have to clear a space on the drive so the scooby would go and I'd use the AM for a daily driver. I'm counting on getting at least 15mpg so that's 10 gallons a week to work / supermarket etc.

The wife reckons insurance would put a cap on mileage as well?

I like the look of the one I've seen but in all honesty just don't know if its a world of pain I could be getting into.

Torquemada

jods

SJ_Skyline

Jods, if you can afford it mate, **** what the rest of the world think.

Torquemada

Hehe, you know what I mean

f1_fan

iTrader: (9)

Jods, a V8 Vantage service at an Aston dealer will cost between £500 and £1100 depending on what is being done. It ain't cheap, but it's not Ferrari territory either!

billythekid

Budget £5k a year for proper servicing and tyres, brakes etc.
It might not cost you £5k each year, but the surplus might be required for things like brakes (£1000+) and tyres (£1000) etc the next year.

Dont forget people like to see lots of genuine AM invoices with these cars so buying one and letting a mate do work on it or an unbranded garage is a major no-no come re-sale. You might struggle to sell it on - or get a LOT less than a car with full history. Some dealers will let you provide your own fluids to save on costs. Be aware as the car gets older it will require more work like brake fluid change, coolant flushes, bushes, seals, etc etc.

Service interval is 10k or 12 months. Tyres will last between 10 and 15k. Clutch is big money £2k+ and some people are only getting 20k out of a clutch. 30k seems more like "normal" though.

I would look at something thats done 3k - 5k miles a year too - as the cars are known to cause problems with under use - esp the bores.

I assume you are aware of the revisions AM did to the V8 Vantage over the years?

If you are serious on buying I would get it inspected prior to purcahse if its not an AM dealer car - by an AM dealer and get them to do a leak down test on the engine. Will probably cost you £300-£400 but if its your local dealer you might be able to have a chat with service manager and see if they can do you a deal if you use them for service in the next few years. You will find AM dealers are excellent to deal with.

Good luck!