Hello to all. As a long time lurker I want to thank everyone for the shared information that has educated me so throughly over the last few months. I have learned a great deal and am now ready to make the transition from my 993 to a Vantage V8. After much searching I have found what I think is the appropriate vehicle and am working with the dealer and independent inspectors to come to conclusion on a deal. The vehicle is located at the Aston Martin dealer in Marin, CA and I am located about as far across the country as you can get in South Carolina. I have satisfied myself with the service history, etc. and expect the independent inspection to cover the areas of remaining concern.

However, it occured to me that I might impose on the good nature of the folks on this forum and ask that if anyone who might live in the area was bored and looking for something to do, I might actually get some fellow enthusiast eyes on the car.

The vehicle is a 2007 Merlot Vantage with about 13xxx miles. The interior is a very nice looking Iron Ore/Sandstorm mix. If anyone had time to swing by the Conte Madera Aston dealer over the weekend and take a peek, all thoughts and opinions would be greatly appreciated.

Hopefully I can soon update my status to fellow owner. Thanks to anyone that might be able to offer an opinion.

 

I would if I was in Norcal....but I'm in Socal....
I was just curious though with your research, were you going to get extended warranty?

 

Appreciate the offer, if this deal doesn't work out Plan B is in San Diego.

With respect to the warranty, due to the in-service date of this vehicle it actually has a short period remaining on the original warranty. I did inquire as to extending the warranty but the cost for an Aston Martin factory extension for 12 months was quoted at $4,350 and 24 months was quoted at $6,786. Now I assume that those are negotiable numbers but I suspect not to the point of making sense. One can perform/have performed a great deal of work for 4k-5k when considering the risks and the period of time covered.

Will let you know if Plan B comes into play.

 

I think the color combo is so very unique that you should buy it.

 

G'luck!
Wow those numbers are high! I agree, I would gamble on lower repair costs vs. $5k in warranty work....

 

It's funny... Last October after my Vantages warranty ran out I purchased through the dealer an extended warranty for a little over $3K. I drove the car about 9,000 miles and it never needed a repair. Which is typical because if I didn't purchase the warranty the engine would have blown!

 

Well I got the report and all looks well. Sent the dealer an offer this morning so we shall see. If accepted, another couple of weeks for pick up and shipping and perhaps it will have a new home. Would still appreciate any eyes on the car by an local enthusiast. Looks like I have to get serious about cleaning the 993 and the BMW bike outta the toy box to make room.

 

i should be in town next weekend and will swing by to take a look if time permits (only in town for about half the weekends so the wife may have already planned stuff out).

with respect to the extended warranty, those contracts are very negotiable. speak with Michael Peter at AM Marin and let him know that a fellow AM owner (whose car was purchased at AM Marin) was only quoted $3850 and $5950 (1 and 2 year respectively) for the AM Premium warranty....and no additional charges for the certification inspection.

there are several threads out there discussing the worth of purchasing an extended warranty. in the end i think it just comes down to the amount of risk you are willing to accept. chances are that your car will run smoothly during the warranty period. however, there is a risk that something, no matter how unusual, can go wrong. for example, the seat railing became loose on my car. and to replace the railing meant having to replace the motor as well. total bill would have been about $3K for that repair without the extended warranty....so just 1 month into my extended warranty, it has almost paid for itself (based on a 1 year warranty).

 

I saw the post too late as I actually was at the dealership Friday afternoon to check out a couple of DB9s. I live pretty close by though, so I can definitely swing by next week and take a look at it if you want. I can also bring my camera and take a ton of pics that I can send you. Let me know what you want to do.

 

Thanks to everyone for their offers of assistance. I closed the deal with the AM Marin folks yesterday. I had several potential transporters in mind but upon inquiring, AM Marin recommended Grand Turismo Motorsports. On a whim I called the number they gave me (owners cell phone) and the owner of the company answered and just happened to be in the office at the time. They also just happen to be delivering two Ferrari's on Monday up the street, so we are going to attempt to get all the paperwork and money transfers done early enough to try and load the car up on Monday afternoon. I give that about a 50/50 shot and will let you know if that doesn't work out.

Failing that the car will probably be there another week or so before it is can be picked up and if that is the case I would appreciate any further feedback. I realize that the Merlot Red is a bit of a subjective color for folks, but combined with the two tone interior I think it will work rather well. Other opinions are always welcome.

Anyway thanks again and looking forward to joining the ranks of AMV8V owners.

 

You're smart! I wish I thought of asking this before I purchased mine. My "flawless" car did arrive with scuffs. It is still beautiful, but not exactly as stated by the dealership (Newport Beach). They know you won't be seeing the car and likely won't be buying another from them so just use caution. That's just based on my experience.

 

I actually used a third party to inspect the car for overt mechanical and cosmetic flaws. I did not expect them to have any particular expertise on Aston Martin, but did ask that they pay special attention to paint condition and scuffs on the leather, etc. I received the report the next day via email and was very pleased with the level of detail. Best $150 I have yet spent on car inspections. If anyone is interested, shoot me a PM and I will share the name of the company and a copy of the report if you care to see a sample of what they did.

With respect to the mechanical side, I am comfortable with the extensive factory service history that was provided by the AM dealer.

The rest is just blind luck and hope, lol.

 

Congrats! Do you mind if i ask how much you got it for?
I'm in the market as well though looking for silverr...not sure if Merlot would bring the price up or down.

 

Well I tried to send you (plastique) a PM, but no joy due to inadequate number of posts. Perhaps if you send one I can reply. I might have a line on a low mileage Silver that might interest you.

 

Congrats on your new car!