Hello All,
I'm sure a few of you out there have been faced with the idea/decision to move from the V8 Vantage to the V12V. I find myself debating this and would like to hear some opinions, experiences, etc. I'll try to keep it concise, but here's where I'm at. I currently have an 07 V8 car with 5300 miles. It's one of a few good weather cars I own so it doesn't get a lot of use but does get a ton of love. I'm considering either doing some mods to it this winter, including HRE P40SC's, lowering springs and full headers/exhaust from Velocity and a few carbon goodies from V Collection. Mods I consider appropriate and tasteful for such a beauty. OR! I have seen a couple 2010-11 V12 cars that really catch my eye and of course 6 speed is my only choice. So, please chime in on V8 cars that have been similarly modded and/or if you have considered or did move up to the V12, is it worth twice the cost of a V8 car?

 

I've been seriously considering this myself, and to make it worse AM of DC just got a 2011 V12V manual in for a very nice price.

But I've got too much blood, sweat, and tears invested in my V8V. It'll never match a V12V, but I have long-term plans for it, too. If I could add a second Vantage to my stable, I'd snag a V12V in a heartbeat. And if I didn't have my plans in place, I'd pull the trigger and move up.

The move from an '07 to a V12V is well worth it, in my opinion. No mods short of supercharging can get the 4.3L up to the torque of the V12.

 

Move to the V12V. No brainer if you can afford it.

 

The carfax is weird on that V12. Somebody racked up 4k miles in 4 months while it was in dealer inventory.

 

That is odd...

 

Money not in the equation, of course V12V. BUT I still have a hard time with paying 2X your V8V's current value... (Prob $65K+ at least) For a car that at human speeds, and to the untrained eye... Looks virtually identical. If you really could care less about looks then no prob... (But I doubt many AM owners would fess up to that.) The mods you have in mind won't be a give away either...you can easily drop $10-15k for wheels, coilovers, headers/cats, tune, etc... SO you are somewhere in the area of a $50k delta.

I still have a few cars on my wish list.... an F355 Yellow Spider while arguably can be a financial disaster if not cared for... will no doubt find a way into my garage some day. I'd rather have the variety vs 4 more cylinders. [Seems like lots of torque is also what pissess off my girlfriend... sold the SRT8 Jeep for that among other reasons.] My Neighbor has a Lotus Esprit with heavy mods and his wife won't get in it any more. I 'think' my V8V is keeping me in a good spot with what we shall call a 'non threatening' power delivery.

Counter point is that the V12V stick is likely a gem of a collectable car... and may prove to be a good investment at current prices given the super low milage you drive it each year.

Just some food for thought... not a push either way.

 

Depends on which brain you are using and if MAn Maths is involved
Now you have Bamford Rose in the US it is possible to get a V8V up to manual V12V levels for a lot less than changing the car.
In fact with slightly deeper pockets it's possible to exceed the V12VS figures with a V8
If you are not hooked on a V12 engine then the BR route is excellent value with the added bonus of better shifts and a tuneable noise, not to mention not having all the extra weight over the front (I really felt it on test drives)
I tried to make the Man Maths work on three different V12 roadster, lowest I could get it was 90USD to change

 

I say go for the V12 if you can afford it. If you ever truly feel the need to get back into the V8, well there are plenty of them to be found. Just my 2 cents. Good luck!

 

Flattered that we are in the frame

As much as they are the same car with a different engine and some differences in running gear, the two are really different beasts altogether.

How long do you think you would keep the V8 for if you stuck with that and modified it? How long would you keep the V12 for if you upgraded?

 

Your car is amazing, Mikey, but my personal view is it's better to go to the next level car instead of modifying your current one to pull it up to that level, for several reasons.

 

Like i say it depends on the Man Maths formula
A high portion of heart will end up with a V12
Conversely a high portion of head will end up with a modified V8V
IMHO

 

If they did put 1k per month on it while at the dealership, I would assume it was driven in the same manner as a parking lot attendant.

 

[QUOTE=
Counter point is that the V12V stick is likely a gem of a collectable car... and may prove to be a good investment at current prices given the super low milage you drive it .[/QUOTE]

The problem with buying a newer car as an investment is you can't drive it. You buy it and park it. In this case for many years, and hope it goes up eventually. IMO you can buy cars as investments that are kind of old but really are just at the bottom of the depreciation curve, then sit on them and hope. Or buy one that's already investment grade. Those are probably best since you can drive them a little and sell them after a few years and at least get your money back. Maybe more if you're lucky.

 

I see no reason to assume this. Lots of miles could just mean lots of highway use (road trips, commutes, etc.).

 

For me, V12 > 2xV8. The engine transforms the feel of the car. It's not just the obvious power and torque increase, which can be approached with a modified V8. It is the quality of the power and torque delivery, the feel of the engine and the noise. The V12 endows the car with an expensive, exotic feel that I'm sorry to say a V8 can never replicate, no matter how tweaked and tuned.

I love V8 engines, don't get me wrong, but for me a naturally aspirated V12 is the aristocrat of the motoring world.