congrats! only 3 months?

 

KF, are you not trading your '07?

 

I was told it usually takes about 10 weeks to build a car. I have also read that GT deliveries start in 3rd quarter 2014. So there is no definite date yet.

 

OK, so here's the story:

Back in July 2013 I was at a stop light near my home. The light turned green but the car in front of me didn't move right away. The girl behind me, however, had other ideas. She moved forward and her 2009 Corolla kissed the beautiful behind on my lovely Vantage. She was probably not even going 3 mph, but even at that speed it was enough to crack my gorgeous carbon diffuser as well as pop off one of the little bumper caps on either side of the license plate. The bumper didnt even crack, just scraped the paint a little. Overall a pretty minor event.

Silly me, I have always been told that in the event of any accident it is prudent to call the police to get a report so that the other party doesn't try to weasel out of their responsibility. Little did I know that doing that also triggers a Carfax entry about the accident. The Carfax doesn't document the severity of the accident, just the fact that the car was involved in one.

Any Carfax entry is the kiss of death for a dealer trying to sell a car as potential buyers either shy away or try to negotiate down the asking price regardless of how minor the accident may have been.

Based on this, the trade-in offer on my now "tainted" beautiful car was laughably low even though my car was fully restored to factory specifications by the only Aston Martin factory authorized repair facility in Central Florida.

Until my new car is built and delivered, I have the chance to sell my '07 on my own. If it didn't sell, I still have the option to accept their low trade-in offer as a measure of last resort. But considering how nice my car is, I would hate to "give it away" because of some BS Carfax.

I am in very good terms with my dealership, to the point where I sometimes even go there just to hang out and watch F1 races in the lounge with their sales and service staff. To help me out, they have even offered to keep my car in a special showroom for a few weeks and sell it on consignment. They would do this at a reduced fee because I am purchasing another (new) car from them. They have also offered to provide a certified inspection and warranty (for an additional fee) to any potential buyer who might want some added comfort while purchasing from an individual.

So right now, I'm at the stage where I will try to sell my car for what it's really worth but I have to decide what to do with some of my upgrades. I will most likely leave the diamond-quilted blue alcantara accents on the car because they are very nice and unique. Other things such as carbon diffuser, factory sport exhaust, clear taillights, N420 side sills etc., I will probably sell individually unless an interested buyer is willing to pay what I could sell those items for separately. The benefit to the buyer being that they would already be installed on the car.

When I make my decision on prices and options, I will post an ad here and on Pistonheads first in case any of you guys are interested in picking up a really nice '07MY V8V.

 

Dibs on the taillights

 

I had the same thing happen to me with my V12V. While I was waiting at a stoplight the car behind me slowed but never actually stopped. As a result he hit the side of my bumper at about 2 mph. This lightly scuffed the bumper cover. I didn't want to have to pay for the repair because it wasn't my fault so I called the police and a report was filed. The car was fixed at no charge to me (great!), but what I failed to appreciate is the damage that a Carfax report has on an exotic. Most dealers didn't care how minor the damage was and most low-balled me on the trade-in offer. One dealer offered me $115k for my car, which was only two years old and had under 10k miles on it!

I eventually found a dealer who would listen to my "story" and who was willing to look at the pictures of the scuff as evidence of how minor it was. Anyway, lesson learned. Unless it's major damage, I'll just pay for the fix out of pocket and not file a report. By the way, I requested diminution of value from my insurance (Chubb) but they said the damage was so minor that there was no such diminution. I agreed with the assessment at the time, but that was before I went to sell. Next time I'll fight such a determination as emphatically as I can.

Edit: This experience is also part of the reason I won't buy new again. The risks for significant loss are too great.

 

I wonder if a Carfax report gets generated if you file a claim with the other party's insurance but don't file a police report. My sales manager gave me the impression that it was the police report that was the problem. In my case the girl didn't have enough insurance because the repair facility charged a huge amount a minor repair (the "benefit" of being the only factory authorized Aston Martin repair facility I suppose). Consequently, I had to go through my own insurance and now they are trying to collect the money (including my deductible) from her.

In Georgia, I understand that the law allows you to file a diminution of value claim against your own insurance. That is not the case here in Florida and since she didn't have enough money in her policy for the repair, there isn't any money for a diminution claim either. How convenient, eh?

I also wonder if dealers overuse the whole Carfax to totally lowball you on a trade. I don't doubt that a ding on your Carfax can lower the value of the car, but the amount that they deduct for it is ridiculous. I think this is part of the flaw of the whole Carfax system. There is no way to grade the severity of the incident. It's almost as if you had a bad and erroneous ding on your credit report but you have absolutely no way to contest it. I think you should be able to add pictures and a statement to a Carfax to tell more of the real story. As it stands, an incident like yours or mine is no different than an accident that is just shy of a total loss. Where are the consumer protection laws when it comes to this?

Edit: I found this site that shows people complaining about similar issues with the veracity of a Carfax report.

 

The only options is would get are piano black, 700watt stereo, glass switches, and parking sensors (decals delete no cost option). That's basically a $106k car, heck of a steal. Most of those options are totally unnecessary IMO.

Also, you should leave the car completely green with no yellow accents, it will look much classier and better fit the character of the car.

 

I could be wrong but I was under the impression that the collision record was created by the shop doing the work? Can't imagine it being generated off just the police report.

Being on the other side, as a rule, if I see a carfax that says damage I won't even look at that car. I'd make an exception with Karl as he's documented the incident, but were I going to a dealer, I'd pass.

Chris

 

Agree completely. Dealers do use it as a tactic to try to beat you up on the trade in. And the idea of a "clean Carfax" really has taken hold. That company has done a good job of brainwashing the country. I think my Carfax report said it was a "low speed" accident, or something like that, but that didn't really help me. They do need a better way to classify the accident. Mine was so minor I considered it an "incident" rather than an accident.

Speaking of consumer protection, the Feds should make exotic car manufacturers issue buyers a warning about the effect of Carfax reports on resale! Nobody told me, or you, about this. Had we only known. The Carfax report cost me $5k to $10k. If I had paid to respray the bumper cover myself it probably would have cost me $500.

Edit: Just read the reviews on Consumer Reports. Wow, I guess we're not alone in our dissatisfaction with Carfax. Their approval rating is on par with that of Congress!

 

Karl, if you do decide to part out, please do let me know. I live locally and could possibly make the transaction easy for both of us. Congratulations on your new purchase. Craig and Derek are excellent to deal with.

 

Good news everyone! I just upgraded my Aston Martin from an 2007 Aston Martin Vantage 2dr Conv Sportshift Convertible to a 2011 Aston Martin Rapide 4dr Sdn Auto Luxury Sedan. I am super happy about the change.

 

Congratulations

Would like to get a review from you after you have driven a week or so. My wife is interested in the Rapide for her daily driver...

 

I'll just leave this right here...


...but maybe I'm biased

 

Sure I will let you know how she drives!