Aston Martin V8 Vantage

[Loteuk]

Thinking of adding one of these to the fleet (an early one).

Anyone had any experiences with these...........?

If its an epic fail then another Exige could be second fave ........

[Bibs]

Pilko has one. Lovely car, epic noise

[Loteuk]

Pilko has one. Lovely car, epic noise

Pilko? Not seen him since 'TLF in France', how about mailing me his email Bibs, got a load of questions not least of all the fuel costs...... ta!

[Stirling_Villeneuve]

Epic noise but like driving a Chesterfield after a Lotus. I can't imagine driving one and an Exige S back to back... but it would be hysterical, especially if you drove the Chesterfield first!

[B1 RMA]

I tried a DB9 V12 a month or two ago along with a 360 Modena and a Porsche 911 Turbo S. Although this is my personal opiion of the cars. Aston Martin nice interior reminded me of an old gentlemans club and I was of the opinion that the V12 was very very expensive to maintain properly and it's an old mans car. Ferrari nice but again very expensive but being older did not depreciate like the Aston. Finally the 911 Turbo S it blows both out of the water although the 996 interior is a bit spartan the car is without doubt the best overall performer its amazing and the carbon ceramic brakes are superb I thought the AP brakes on my 2001 Esprit were good but the Porsche is in another league. The 911 S is cheap to run compared to the others but again like the Aston depreciation is the killer. My budget was £45K and I can live with the running costs but it's whether you think its worth the extra money. I'm keeping the Esprit for now and will buy a 911 Turbo S a few years down the line.

[alan]

Mixed views on this having done a few 1000 miles in them. The Vantage has supermodel looks and a soundtrack so good that the sound system is irrelevant (having said that the premium sound upgrade is worth having). Its also good value with prices in the low 30s. I cant see the prices dropping much more.

Downsides - fuel economy will be nearer 10 than 20mpg if you push hard. Not had to worry about servicing & repair costs as both times I have had one its been lent to me

The other possible downside depends on driving style. Overtake a car on a country lane in your Esprit and you drop down a gear, floor it giving it the max. The turbo kicks in pushing you back in the seat, the tyres struggle for grip and you really have to drive. Even after all these years I still find myself laughing & to be honest slightly scared after such a manoeuvre.

Do the same in the Vantage and you waft past on a effortless wave of V8 power. Its just as fast but somehow less involving & less fun. OK you get a load of noise as the valve in the exhaust opens but its not matched to a sudden increase in power so is a bit odd (better to remove the fuse so its always loud).

There are pros and cons and it depends on how you drive.

[softlips]

Tried V8V (and others) before we got the Evora, very boring ride after an Elise. Lovely noise but my wife said it was boring, an old man's car - not a weekend toy.

[Cathalm]

I've just come from a Vantage to an Evora S (they said it would never happen!). The Vantage is a great feel good car, a fantastic place to be. Once you get used to it, you'll find it really is a fun thing to drive too with a lovely noise. The Astons have a sense of weight and heft engineered into the controls, sometimes people coming from other marques mistake this for a lack of agility or speed which is really not the case once you appreciate what it's about.

Make sure you have the gearbox mod on an early car to stop the sticky 1st to 2nd shift and you need premium audio for resale. I had the Prodrive power upgrade done and I recommend that for value and results (in the Aston world at least). It's a factory backed upgrade and well worth it. The cars are pretty bullet proof too.

[Stirling_Villeneuve]

So how the does quality compare between the Aston and the Evora? I'd imagine the Aston's screwed together pretty well, be interesting to know how the Evora feels in comparison.

[superdavelotus]

Hi Tony,

I know two of my mates who have gone from esprits to Aston Martin Vantage.

First was Steve Mercer who owner a S350 and a 2002 facelift V8 at the same time. He bought an 06 Vantage and owned it for about 3 years. He has just upgraded to a 2011 Vantage S 4.7L V8 as he said he needed more power. Because these cars are normally aspirated, it's hard and expensive to get any real power upgrades unlike a turbo car which is relatively cheap.

My second mate is Adrian Mugridge who has owned an S3, S3 turbo, GT3, S350, Noble GTO3 and about 3 weeks ago bought an early Aston Martin Vantage. He says it's nothing like the Esprit or his Noble and is definately a GT rather than a sports car. He says that he prefers the compromise and practicality of the Aston and it rides better. It feels bigger even though the external dimensions are similar to his previous cars. Most importantly, he can go away in it now without worrying about luggage space compared with his Noble which didn't have a front or rear boot.

I am looking into chopping in my Esprit for one as I hardly use my Esprit any more and I've owned it for 7 years. Only trouble is that when I do use it, it ALWAYS puts a smile on my face and it's a car that gives you a sense of ocassion and also is a talking point when you pull over in a car park or petrol station forecourt.

Adrian's bringing his car around to mine tomorrow to take me out in it. I think he is trying to sway me into going the Aston route. We'll see...

[Loteuk]

Thanks Dave,

Well, I had a good think. I believe I have bought a 2007 model today, the car is to be used as a regular and a stop gap so the comfort and relaxed driving is a plus. Should have it shortly and will report some comparisons with say the 300?

This is short term a substitute for my craving for a Lambo G which would probably sit between the Vantage and the Esprit. It sounds promising that your friend has upgraded to an S.

Edited August 19, 2012 by ramjet
No need to quote the post directly above

[softlips]

So how the does quality compare between the Aston and the Evora? I'd imagine the Aston's screwed together pretty well, be interesting to know how the Evora feels in comparison.

Astons I tried seemed very well built, better than the Evora.

That said I do know two people who've successfully rejected brand new Astons because of quality issues.

As a daily driver I think the V8V would be great, they just didn't feel special enough for a fun weekend toy

[Mysterae]

It seems going from an Esprit to a Vantage is a common path, one I'm looking at doing next year. I'm fixing up my Esprit to drive it for a bit before selling it early next year. If I had the space I'd keep the Esprit, but alas.

A few years ago I drove the V8 Vantage and a V12 DB9 on the same day, one of those 'red letter day' presents from the other half. I drove the V12 DB9 first, awesome power and the noise thunderous. Was disappointed I only got it up to 145mph on the straight before the bloke told me to brake, brake, brake!!

Then I drove the V8V and despite not having the same amount of grunt or noise, I found it much better to drive, balanced etc. Controlling car going through the chicanes, entering and exiting a fast corner just felt better. I've been smitten ever since.

I imagine a V12 Vantage would be even better but out of my grasp. When the time comes I'll be looking for a '07 plate V8 with the N400 upgrade, apparently the best year for an "early" Vantage.

[fmxa]

I toyed with getting a Vantage a few years ago, and then a new addition to the family came along meaning one 2 seater car was enough. These past few weeks I started thinking about an AM again and this time looked at the DB9 as the dealer promised you could get a car seat in in the back! Well, lone behold our Recaro seat wouldn't fit in any practical way (could barely get it past the front seat), but he swore up and down one of his customers has one in there and he though it may be a Porsche car seat. Anyway, he's trying to find out about the car seat and I said to call me when he can show me it in the car with a toddler in it (2 weeks ago!!).

[chandrew]

I toyed with getting a Vantage a few years ago, and then a new addition to the family came along meaning one 2 seater car was enough. These past few weeks I started thinking about an AM again and this time looked at the DB9 as the dealer promised you could get a car seat in in the back! Well, lone behold our Recaro seat wouldn't fit in any practical way (could barely get it past the front seat), but he swore up and down one of his customers has one in there and he though it may be a Porsche car seat. Anyway, he's trying to find out about the car seat and I said to call me when he can show me it in the car with a toddler in it (2 weeks ago!!).

We also had similar thoughts, but even the folk from AM steered us towards the Rapide. If you want a GT car with room in the back for little ones it's perfect. Just waiting for the right one to come up.

[trooperiziz]

I toyed with getting a Vantage a few years ago, and then a new addition to the family came along meaning one 2 seater car was enough. These past few weeks I started thinking about an AM again and this time looked at the DB9 as the dealer promised you could get a car seat in in the back! Well, lone behold our Recaro seat wouldn't fit in any practical way (could barely get it past the front seat), but he swore up and down one of his customers has one in there and he though it may be a Porsche car seat. Anyway, he's trying to find out about the car seat and I said to call me when he can show me it in the car with a toddler in it (2 weeks ago!!).

My sister has a DB9 as her runaround and she has 3 girls under 6

I can ask her what make car seats she has if you like?

[fmxa]

That would be great

[Cathalm]

So how the does quality compare between the Aston and the Evora? I'd imagine the Aston's screwed together pretty well, be interesting to know how the Evora feels in comparison.

The Aston has a fantastic sense of solidity and quality inside. What looks like metal is metal, what looks like a piano black plastic facia is lovely piece of veneered wood, everything is lovely to touch and smell. You can't beat it this side of a Bentley really. My Evora is a bit of a tarts boudour example, extra leather cladding, gold stitching etc. I think I read somewhere that Lotus had some help from Astons craftsmen when thinking about improving interior quality, that makes sense to me looking at my car and also the my12. Very similar slap everything in leather and stitching approach.

My car is certainly lovely quality inside but not up to Astons standards yet. One thing in common though, they both install rubbish sat navs. Aston understand that if you spend a lot of money, climate control is needed though...

[fmxa]

Hey Neil - don't suppose you got a chance to ask your sister what car seat she was using?

 

 

My sister has a DB9 as her runaround and she has 3 girls under 6
I can ask her what make car seats she has if you like?

[Snoopy1969]

The Aston has a fantastic sense of solidity and quality inside. What looks like metal is metal, what looks like a piano black plastic facia is lovely piece of veneered wood, everything is lovely to touch and smell. You can't beat it this side of a Bentley really. My Evora is a bit of a tarts boudour example, extra leather cladding, gold stitching etc. I think I read somewhere that Lotus had some help from Astons craftsmen when thinking about improving interior quality, that makes sense to me looking at my car and also the my12. Very similar slap everything in leather and stitching approach.

My car is certainly lovely quality inside but not up to Astons standards yet. One thing in common though, they both install rubbish sat navs. Aston understand that if you spend a lot of money, climate control is needed though...

Could you please Show a picture of your interior?