Hi everyone,

I have been in the market for a V8 Vantage for quite some time now. I have finally decided to go with a 2009 MY or newer.

That said, I recently came across a 2009 MY and, in the course of going over the service records, discovered that the left-hand cylinder head of the engine was replaced only 2 months after the car was first put into use (car only had about 400 miles at the time). This repair was obviously covered under warranty, at a cost to the factory of almost $16K according to the dealership.

The vehicle currently has just over 3K miles and it appears there have been no new issues with the engine.

The only other significant repair I noted was replacement of the left-hand control arm about 1 year into the car's life (approximately, 1K total miles at the time).

According to the seller, the car has been perfect since. I obviously would take it for a pre-purchase inspection at an AM dealer before pulling the trigger. But, my question for everyone is whether it makes better sense to move on to another car? Reliability is of utmost importance to me. In addition, I would really not want to purchase an extended warranty after the factory warranty expires in about 6 months. But I feel that with this car, that might not be such a good idea

Any thoughts would be much appreciated.

Thanks in advance!

 

Personally if it has had the work done at the dealer I would worry to much about it but that's my personal opinion.
Isn't there extended warranty on parts that are changed under warranty?
Also you may be able to use the history to haggle some more money of the asking price as it may have impact on when you come to sell it in the future as some buyers may have same concerns as you.

HTH

BB

 

Since none of this is indicative any ongoing issues or abuse, I wouldn't be concerned.

 

If reliability was of "utmost importance" to you, why would you buy a car like this? Surely there will be other issues even if the oe you've discovered never materializes further. I'm just sayin....these cars aren't known for reliability.
It may be more reliable than a Ferrari but it is an exotic.

 

That said, reliability from 09 up has improved. But it will not likely match Porsche or BMW.

 

there shouldn't be any underlying issues if the entire thing was replaced. probably a freak occurence. however, the control arm bent means the guy probably hit an enormous pothole or a kerb at speed.

 

Thanks everyone for your thoughts. This board is a great resource, especially for this soon to be owner.

After digging a bit more today, the AM service manager confirmed that the entire engine was replaced, as opposed to just the left-hand cylinder head.
Turns out there was a loud ticking noise that was very noticeable when going on test drives when the car had only 166 miles. After sending AM UK an audio file of the ticking noise and doing a few other diagnostic checks, the factory authorized the delivery of a new engine.

From the service record "Remove old engine and install new engine into subframe. "

12410199 Engine Assembly - Remove and Install
167 WA
1 9G33-6L084-AA Engine

The AM service manager said I should feel better that the entire engine was replaced as opposed to simply replacing a bad cylinder head.

In the end, I pulled the trigger. Car only has 3,200 miles and the current owner states that the car has been perfect since and I believe it based on how meticulously it has been cared for. Prior to taking delivery, I am just waiting for the AM certification to be completed so that I can purchase the 2-year premium extended warranty right away (even though the car still has 6 months left of the original factory warranty). Can't wait to drive it home! The wait is killing me!!!

 

Congrats

 

Says something very positive about AM support of their cars!

Congrats!!!

 

Congratulations, even the most reliable manufacturers sometimes build a bad engine. It sounds like the car will be an amazing buy for you!

 

Definitely feel good about this purchase. Although my first color of choice would have been tungsten silver, I just had to jump on this titanium silver 2009 V8 Vantage in a 6-speed manual with just over 3,200 miles.

Plus, the owner is an amazing guy, and he took excellent car of this car. For example, despite the super low miles, he nonethless changed the oil half-way in between every yearly maintenance (i.e., every 6 months). In addition, he also ordered some custum floor mats in matching color so as not to wear away at the factory ones. And the car even has a clear bra over all the areas you would expect, plus a few I wouldn't have even thought of (e.g., around the lower half of the gas tank area and trunk area).

The only imperection I noticed was a slight nick on the front bumper due to some pressure from the front license plate holder. He used the factory kit which thankfully didn't require any drilling into the bumper, but it nonethless did make a slight impression on just one corner (about a 1/8 or 1/4" long) even though that corner did have clear bra protection. Perhaps the dealership just tightened the plate holder a bit much on one side. It isn't noticeable if I were to put back the plate holder, but why would I do that? In my area the cops are pretty law about front plates.

But most importantly, this car is coming with every possible option (I think):
-High spec alarm
-Premium audio
-Battery conditioner
-Buetooth
-Leather color - contemporary
-Carpet color - cotemporary
-Headliner color - contemporary
-First aid kit
-Bright finish grille
-HID headlamps-wash and leveling-FED
-Heated front seats
-Fine stitching
-Cruise control
-Powerfold mirror assembly
-Memory seats and mirrors
-Piano black veneer
-Front parking sensors
-Garage door opener + auto dim
-Lifetime satellite radio
-Sports pack with 5 spoke wheels
-Satellite navigation

Is there anything they missed? I suppose the AM umbrella that I've seen in a few other cars. But since I never plan on taking this car out in the rain, that won't be an issue.

It is going to be a long couple of days just waiting to take delivery. I could have the car today, in fact, if I decide to forego a pre-purchase inspection by my local AM dealer. The car just had its yearly maintenance last October and has been sitting in the showroom since November of last year, plus it has 6 months left of factory warranty. But the lawyer in me knows it is best practice to get in inspected prior to taking delivery, just in case. I hope there is something to this whole delayed gratification thing.....

 

Congrats on the purchase! We should go for a cruise one day considering you're from the Bay Area as well!

 

which dealer did u pick this up from?

 

Just curious, what do you have to back this statement up with (09 up better reliability)

 

For sure; I actually just took delivery of the car tonight. Did not end up waiting for an AM certification. Since the car still has 6 months of factory warranty, I'll probably just get it inspected before extending the warranty. Amazing vehicle! Suddenly looking for excuses to drive everywhere PM me with your contact info.