Hi, I am seriously considering an AMV8 and have read that the maintenance is around 2k per year. Im "ok"with it if that is really the case but was looking for input from the owners. Also, I heard the clutch for the sport shift is good for about 10,000 miles before it needs replacing. Is this true? Anything else a new prospective owner should know?

TIA

 

Lots of posts here on the topic if you search. $2k is about right if you have no issues. It can be much more if you do. You have to pay to play.

I am on the same origional clutch at 26k miles.....guess its how you drive.

 

15k on my clutch.

 

Thanks for the input. I've ready a decent amount on here and on amoc which is where I got the 2k from.

Do you both have the Sport Shift?

 

There is a guy I met at the dealership when I was buying my car that had 28k on his SS clutch....I guess it's all in how you drive/abuse it that determines the life of it. I also saw a V8V on the lift, had just over 2k miles on it, The guy had just bought it a week earlier, his son had it out for 45 minutes and the clutch was complete trash! I can only imagine how he was driving it as really the clutch was a shredded pile of debris!! Interesting note though.... Since the drive shaft was on the floor I went to pick it up and almost threw it through the ceiling as I expected it to be heavier than the couple lbs. it was! Carbon Fiber...gotta love it!

 

Very true. Ever smell that burning clutch 'aroma' inside the car?...how about in reverse up a hill? That's the smell of money burning. It depends on how you drive. Some clutches can make it to '20 something thousand' and there are plenty of stories of both the manual and paddle shift clutches needing to be replaced at 4000 miles. Bottom line, the 06-08 clutches were more hardy than the 09+ clutches. But the 09+ are quicker cars. You have to do the major services once a year or 10,000 miles whichever comes first.

 

The 06-08 are more hardy? I thought the clutch was upgraded in 09+.

 

I have a MT, and love it.

 

Yes the 09+ is upgraded with a light flywheel...upgraded for perfomance...not longevity IMHO. However, it is my experience in owning a new 07 then later a new 09, that the clutch in the 07 is much heavier to engage and never gave me a burning smell. Going backwards up hill to park was a no brainer in the 07 too. The 09 is much lighter to engage. Unless you catch it right, it will leave wafts of burn smell inside. From owning a lot of maunal tranny cars, I just get the feeling it "ain't gonna last". This coinsides with what I 've read auto journalist say about the 4.7 clutches. I've gotten 150k miles out of a clutch in my years, I know how to prolong their life when I drive. The 09+ (and I think the 07) is a single disk. Lambos are dual to handle the torque.

 

Thanks for the info. To give you an idea of what I plan to do with the car and hopefully some feedback would be much appreciated. I plan to use it as my DD since I travel a lot and DD to me is weekends and Friday. I like to do spirited driving with the car clubs around me I will also use it for an occasional autocross (2-4), and HPDE event (2-3).

I will be somewhat tough on the clutch and would normally just buy a manual but my wife will also be driving it here and there. She much prefers automatics so having the paddles is a compromise. Should I just buy the manual instead?

I'm also considering the R8, a used Gallardo or a GT3. The Vantage is currently in the top because I have an affinity for British vehicles and would prefer not to pay the maintenance costs on the Lcar.

 

After 15,000 miles, 6 days of autocross, and 20 days on the track I have not had a problem with my 4.3L manual transmission and clutch. Even when I drive it on the road, I tend to drive it hard and shift frequently--the manual transmission works consistently well--no complaints. Besides being more fun to drive, the manual is much cheaper and trouble free. I know that the paddles are faster, yet that only makes a difference if you are planning/hoping to make your living racing cars--that is not happening to any of us on this forum. Go for the day to day enjoyment of a manual shift!!

 

Day to day enjoyment of manual shift yes, but day to day complaints from wife....

 

Several things here. I too have an preference for British cars. Lambos are nice but I see a lot of them around and frankly they aren't my style. Aston Martins are more elegant or svelte. An Audi is a great car but again, I want something different. These are just my opinions. I like the manual and several auto critics have encouraged people to get the manual. From a practical standpoint, the paddle shift is easier to use...especially for your wife or those family members who can't drive a manual.