Hello all, long time car guy, new here. In the market for a 2007-2008 Vantage Coupe with a manual transmission. Been doing research, but was hoping you guys could point me better in the direction to find weak areas, and/or areas of concern to look for when buying one of these cars used. Obviously my main concern is repair costs and maintenance costs.

I know the 09 version is probably the better car to get from my research, but I honestly do not think my budget will allow me to get into an 09.

Please help me out with the do's and don'ts in purchasing and owning a Vantage of the years I'm looking for.

Thanks in advance. Rob in Miami, FL.

 

Hi Rob,

Good choice. I never cease to be amazed at the positive comments I get when out and about in my car. So many people comment that the Vantage is their all time most beautiful car.

I had an 08 with Sport Shift and 09 Manual. I didn't care for the SS and the 09 manual feels much more responsive. Fortunately these cars are not DD for most people so mileage is usually low and seems like most get pampered treatment. If you give a dealer the VIN they will be able to provide a detailed history of any dealer visits.

Out of warranty work at the dealer will be expensive but oil changes can be DIY. There may also be some rattles and squeaks but the forum shows fixes for them.

I am considering selling my 09 if you are interested. Enjoy!

 

i have an '07 with manual transmission. 33k miles, and i drive it just about every day. so far, very reliable with a few quirks and only one big issue.

little quirks are things like the e-brake squeaking and the sat nav having issues (disc can't be read).

one big issue is the engine stalling out. seems to be a bad line in the fuel tank that sucks up extra fuel and stalls the engine. as long as i keep it filled half-way or less, it isn't an issue. supposed to be a cheap and easy fix, but the nearest dealer to me is about 3 hours away.

repair costs can be high, and wait times for repairs can be lengthy. but this depends entirely on what the problem is. some things are very easy to do.

maintenance is very reasonable for an exotic - once a year or 10k miles, costs ~$1500.

 

I , too, am shopping Vantage 8's. One reason you see '09's going for more is the engine size was increased from 4.3 L to 4.7 L and HP was up from 380 to 420. So, 08's and older don't hold their value quite as well.

 

Thanks for all the comments so far. Keep them coming. I have an Aston dealer close by, so I'm guessing if I find a car in the area not being sold by them, I should be able to have them check it out. For a fee of course, I'm sure.

I have an extensive background in cars, and have built and restored a number of classic vehicles, replica's, ect. With my background, I hopefully should be able to tackle most minor repairs, and service on the vehicle. Are there any types of specialty tools required to perform general maintenance on the Vantages? i.e.: brake jobs, general maintenance, ect.

Thanks.