I have been reading the other thread regarding Corvette vs Vantage. I have a few different questions.

My main concern is more ownership of the vehicle and reliability.

Given my budget I am looking to purchase an 2006-07 Aston Martin V8 Vantage. In Canada this costs aprox 60,000-70,000 for a car with around 50,000 kms.

Other options would be a

• BMW M3 2010-2012,
• Mercedes SL 5.5 2011,
• Porsche Cayman S

I am curious to know what the reliability of this vehicle is. I wont be using the Aston as a daily commuter, just to be used during weekends.

What should I look for in service history? Spark plugs, clutch, filters ?
How much should I budget for yearly maintenance?
What is the life of this vehicle? Given I will be taking financing, I dont want to be financing a broken car.

I am at a point in my life where I can afford a few luxuries. I am not looking for the cheapest method to travel, but the most enjoyable as well. Typically whenever I require a car I rent from enterprise at 40 dollars a day. Given I have no car insurance history in canada, the cost of renting a car every weekend is equivalent to just my insurance payments. So it was always the cheapest option.

I am considering a few options of cars within my budget and am curious to know if you have any feedback or suggestions.

• Budget around 55,000 - 70,000
• Down payment 35,000
• Financing cost 1,000-1500 36 months

I go kiteboarding, so it seems if the aston is enough to fit golf clubs it wont have an issue with my board.

 

With the age and Km's it really depends on how well the PO took care of the car and there's no REAL way to tell until its a relief or too late. Service history helps indicate this but its not the whole story.

Have you looked at Jags?

I don't think an SL or cayman are going to fit golf clubs or kite boarding.

 

I drive the crap out of mine and have no real reliability issues. I drive it hard, rain or shine, 10k miles per year, stop-and-go DC-area traffic and long-distance (6-10 hrs), track time, etc etc etc.

For an '06-7, make sure all TSBs have been taken care of and maintenance has been performed throughout the life of the car and is up to date. Those TSBs can be very expensive so make sure they've been done.

General rule of thumb for cost of maintenance is $1500 per year, which includes fluid flushes, filter replacements, etc, but does not include major items like clutch replacement or tires. That said, my maintenance last year was $8xx and the year before that was $14xx.

 

That is what I am afraid of, continuing to pay financing on a broken car.

I did go into a dealer to look at a F Type, the base model for a 2014 jag is around 100,000 more than my budget. The Jag in budget would be a XKR I suppose. Seems like such a budget version of the F Type

 

Huh? I said I didn't have any problems...

 

The XKR and F Type are completely different cars. The XKR is an Aston competitor and the F Type is a Porsche competitor.

 

Sorry meant to quote R_ated

 

The other thing I meant to mention is that there are 420hp XKR's and 510hp XKR's depending on year. The 510 hp XKR's which are 2010+ MY are significantly more although 420 hp is still substantial in a street car.

 

I think you will find a modern Aston is no more, or less trouble-prone than any other car. However, because it is a low-volume vehicle the costs of Aston-specific parts, if you need them, will be higher than a mass-produced car.

Example: A clutch overhaul (manual trans) for a BMW M3 is about a $ 2,000 job. The Porsche is $ 3,000. The Aston is $ 5,000.

 

Like buying an original piece of art or something mass produced at Kirklands or costco.

 

I picked up my 2006 V8 Vantage 8 months ago. so far I have put $7,200 into mine. Here is the breakdown:
All four Rotors & 4 brake pads & 4 tires $3,000
Service Fluids and filters $500
Emergency Brake assembly replaced $ 1,200
Fix a seal that was leaking $250
Windshield wiper $50
New passenger side headlight assembly $2,200

I still need to replace all four sidemarkers that have gone bad $400 (V collection style)

I suspect that before the year is out I will have spent close to 8 grand on mine in one year. It's nowhere near the 1,500 that others say is typical. Honestly while I hope and pray that a few of my items were "unusual" and will not need future replacements, I would expect and plan for $3,000 to $4,000 per year for all service needs including tires, rotors and brakes.

 

no offense, but if you had to replace all four brake rotors and tires, the e-brake assembly, and a headlight assembly (???), all within 8 months of buying your car, you bought a car without having it properly inspected. if you're expecting to replace your brake rotors/pads and tires every year, you're either doing a lot of track time or something is very wrong. and replacing aftermarket parts that have gone bad does not reflect the reliability of a car.

so in the list you've provided, only $800 (including the random seal leak) could be considered "normal", which is well within the $1500 yearly assumption for normal maintenance. again, that does not include major repairs - those that only occur once every few or more years, like tires, clutch, brake rotors, etc.

 

I will be getting the vehicle inspected through http://www.carinspector.ca/

 

Like Slayer, I am also looking to buy a V8V. Telum01 raised the point of a "proper inspection" prior to purchase. Can you give me some guidelines/suggestions? If you are buying it from a private party, I assume you would get an independent inspector to examine it? How do you find an inspector/mechanic that you can trust (especially if you are thinking of buying a car hundreds of miles from where you live)? If you are buying it from a reputable dealer (like Motor Cars of Georgia, and AM dealer near me) would you still get an independent inspection? Any suggestions/experiences would be most appreciated. JR

 

When I took the Aston Martin performance driving course and was literally beating the hell out of their car ask them so what happens to this car after he gets beat up? They said it goes to the Aston Martin dealer and they just sell it as a normal used car! The problem with buying a used performance car and not knowing the history is taking a chance that someone beat the car up. A few of us are going to drive the vantage easily, but most of us won't abuse the car but some will. This is why I decided to spend a little extra and get an Aston Martin certified used car from an Aston Martin dealership. Doesn't mean that I wouldn't have problems absolutely not but at least there's a warranty and Aston Martin is backing it up.