Hey guys, I'm new to the forum, and wanted to introduce myself and hopefully make some contacts. I've been researching the AM brand, the Vantage, and am now actively shopping for my "catch". I've read "the book", and it's helped immensely - along with this forum. My budget is steering me toward the 07-08MY V8 Vantage manual coupe. I am not interested in a Sportshift or a convertible. This will be a weekend, fair weather car, stored under cover in a climate controlled garage.

I'm a mechanically minded, DIY kind of guy. I'm confident in my abilities, but I'm also aware of my limits, especially when special tooling and processes are required.

I've never before owned a "high-end" car, (Well, I bought a new Escalade when I was much younger trying to impress the ladies, but come on, it's just a nice GM.) and was quite intimidated by all the crazy high service invoice stories, and what I didn't know about this machine. My research has pretty much confirmed my suspicions that it's just a machine built by humans, and the truly magical thing about a Vantage is the boyish grins and excitement it evokes by its beautiful lines and the amazing sounds it makes.

I've only driven one car so far. It was an '07 coupe, 50k mikes, and not taken care of at all. I quickly learned that my measure of "excellent" condition doesn't necessarily match another, and this search may take some time. That car did have it's clutch replaced under recall, and felt very strong, and easy to drive. Mechanically the car was great, cosmetically is was pretty bad, and the price was the top of the market, so I passed.

I really like the Silver cars (no eye-roll please), and the tan or black interiors, but I'm willing to entertain other color combos.

Questions I have at the moment for you guys - 1. With so few cars available nationwide, and nearly all of them requiring a plane ticket to view, are potential buyers really jet-setting around the county to look at these cars in person before you pull the trigger? Or are you relying completely on photos and another person's evaluation of the vehicle, and perhaps an arranged PPI? Very curious about that. Question 2. The dreaded clutch question. I know the clutch assembly is a weak point in the 07-08 cars, and could vastly be improved by a replacement by the newer style. How important is this when buying? Should I be scared of a car that can't produce paperwork that the clutch was replaced?

Thanks to all in advance. Looking forward to the Aston adventure!

 

Welcome to the forum!

Basic maintenance is pretty straight-forward if you're inclined to work on the car yourself. There's a ton of information on this forum and on Piston Heads, and I started up a website for it as well, including selling OEM and aftermarket parts, maintenance packages, etc: www.Redpants.lol

When you find a car worth buying, yes, I highly suggest you fly out and look at it. I bought my first V8 Vantage 5.5 yrs ago - I flew from Georgia to Florida to look at it, bought it, and drove it home. The red one I just bought was located in Texas, and I bought it sight-unseen. Honestly, had I flown out to look at it first, I wouldn't have bought it. The paint is FAR, FAR, *FAR* worse than I expected. Although I got it for a very low price, fixing the paint is going to more than eat up any money I could have saved.

It's really worthwhile to get a PPI done on a car that you're interested. If it checks out, go look at the car, even if it means flying. If you're going to ship it, be EXTREMELY careful who you use. I ended up on Jalopnik because the company I hired to transport the red car botched it so badly!

The clutch is going to be a real concern regardless. There's no way to tell how it was driven by the previous owner(s). Be prepared to shell out $5k to have the clutch replaced if it does go out on you too quickly. Or spend more for an upgraded clutch, which should last even longer.

 

There's never been a factory recall to replace the clutch that I am aware of.

Some people's clutches fail after a few thousand miles, while others last for tens of thousands. It all depends on how the car is driven.

So no, you shouldn't automatically pass on a car that hasn't had its clutch replaced. But you do need to be able to handle significant maintenance bills even if you do the work yourself (parts are very expensive) - if you can't, it's the wrong car for you.

Fwiw, when I bought my car, I relied solely on the integrity of the seller and the person that performed the PPI, and the documentation/photos provided. I was not disappointed.

Good luck in your search!

 

Thank you for the replies. I was suspect too about the clutch "recall" story on that first car, especially when I found no mention of any clutch related recall in the book. Could just be semantics of the seller, I'm guessing.

I actually have a line on another car right now, and I'm not sure what my next move should be. It's an '07 and has 20k miles, with it's 3rd owner. A PPI was done at 15k miles when it's 2nd owner took possession. (2 years ago). I've done some legwork, and obtained what I believe to be all service records from Aston since new, and although there's no mention of clutch replacement, the car seems well serviced and documented.

So do you guys recommend another PPI be ordered to cover the last 5k miles? All these pre-purchase, travel, shipping, etc. costs are eating into my toy budget!

 

TB

You might be able to get a local forum member to look at the car for you - I've bought cars this way and not been disappointed. And it will save you some time and money

You'll find most the people on here are decent and willing to help another member

Welcome and good luck - you'll love the car once u get it

Graze

 

I would say, get a PPI from an Aston Martin dealer. It is worth the $. I would probably purchase from an Aston dealer. You will pay a bit more, but the dealer is going to be more reliable. I bought my 2007 from my local Aston dealer,just over two years ago (they sold it new). I traded my 2007 Vantage in on my 2016 GT Vantage at the same dealer. Yes I did get less on my trade than if I sold it private party. But I also did get over $20,000 off the new 2016. I was also able to talk with the service manager about the 2007 and it's service history, before my purchase. The 2007-2008's with the 4.3 and a stick is a nice car. You do have to wind the car up closer to, or red line to get the most out of it. But that is part of the fun. Good luck with your search
Ron

 

sorry - what is 'the book'?

i should be reading this too

hoping to buy a gt this spring.

 

Second bullet in the FAQ https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...questions.html

 

I spent 3yrs looking for my 07 Vantage . Its a summer toy never winter driven and only rain driven by accident which is very rare . Kept in heated storage in the winter .
I bought it sight unseen other than pictures no PPI no local inspections etc . It was an Ebay car same as my wifes Z4 Coupe . They didnt sell on E-bay and I dealt with the dealerships direct to buy both of them . The Vantage came from an exotic car dealer in Chicago and was serviced at Lake Forest Sports Cars . Had them shipped to the border and I did the import documents etc myself and saved a bundle .
I never drove a Vantage before I got mine but I knew it was what I wanted and it had to be a coupe and stick shift and not black and not black or that ugly orange tan interior .
I missed out on a couple of others before settling for my 07 Toro Red with Sandstorm interior . It had 18,000 miles on it when I got it and only has 24/25000 ish miles now .
I do have other summer cars so its just a special days driver .
And yes the exhaust note still to this day gives me goosebumps ......happy hunting and dont rush at the first car you see .

 

What is your price range?

 

+1 to this. Before I had the means to travel to look at cars, I'd use the resources available in the communities of which I was a part. If the person I asked to check it out gave a thumbs up (or confirmed that the owners was honest in their ad, and I was okay with everything mentioned), then I'd take a look at the car in person. I, personally, would never buy a car sight-unseen, though. Unless it was a McLaren F1 or a Vulcan. Then, I don't care what problems it has--I'll find a way to fix it, if the car is in my price range.

 

This was extremely helpful! Thanks, Matt. I was wondering if I could perform this myself, if need be. I have a detached garage with a 2-post lift. I do all my own maintenance on my current vehicles, but like I said, this will be my first "high-end" car, and first European car.

 

Okay guys, so what are your thoughts on this car? I'm sure some of you have seen it go several rounds on ebay.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/311802577534...%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

I'm not sure if this is the interior color that Vantagelvr thinks is ugly , but I kind of like it against the silver.

 

I have sportshift but the previous owner had the clutch replaced under warranty at 18000 miles.

 

Yep thats the ugly tan (no offence to anyone that has it its just not my thing)
Theres another one on fleabay Graphite exterior with grey carpets and sandstorm seats and door accents . Thats a nice combination and its a nice car . I couldnt find the link again . Its in California .