Sorry if I can search and find this. I'm on my phone and it doesn't let me. I have searched Google like crazy and watched YouTube. But there's just so many mixed answers.. Not sure what to believe. And I've never owned an Aston so that doesn't help me.
Pretty much my current car will be payed off in 2 months and I'm looking to upgrade. I currently have a special edition Audi s4 as my dd.
Yes probably a pretty cheap car compared to some guys on this forum.
I do like it. But I'm ready for something more exclusive.
When I'm on the Audi forums, its confusing. Because there are people there that will tell me how expensive my car is to maintain.. But in all reality. It really hasn't been. I've had my small issues here and there. But nothing serious.
Pretty much I've lived by putting away 100 a month or 1200 a year for maintainence and haven't gone over that, and have been able to use my car as my daily driver.
And I don't mind paying my gas bill.

So what I'm curious about is what it actually takes to own this car..
I hear some people say its a great dd as long as you maintain it. And others say they can't keep it out of the shop.
I heard the same thing about my car. But my car has been reliable fortunately.
I understand I'll want to stay on top of my preventative maintenance which I won't mind paying for.
I can do that myself to, and from what I read these cars are actually decent to work on.
Realistically I'm looking at 06-08
Those prices are at the top of my budget of what I feel I can afford, even though I would love the 4.7 instead.
I know everybody likes to say, if you have to ask if you can afford it, you can't.
The thing is I don't know other peoples finances and what they have left to spend every month to feel they can afford this car.
If someone would like to discuss that with me in a pm I would love that. I just don't want to discuss mine in public.
I'm also slightly curious to insurance quotes. Because its considered an exotic car I can't just ask my agent to give me an accurate quote. Though I do have an idea.
I am 25 with a clean driving record. Asking my agent, an e90 m3 is only 120 a month for low deductibles for me. I'm guessing this car would be around 200.
I need to learn more about this car to consider buying it,and its hard to find real world info. Yes I've read the magazines talking about how it performs and what not. But I'm more interested in the long run of this car.
My other options I'm looking at to buy instead are a 911 turbo or an e90 m3.
All around the same price point. I feel the m3 is my best option, and cheapest. But just to know the Aston could be affordable. It's worth learning more about it.
Sorry if I'm beating this topic up. But it seems from what I've read. These v8 vantages seem to be pretty good cars if I'm looking at getting into one

 

I picked up my 2009 V8V a few weeks ago and can't comment on the maintenance yet.

However, as a data point for insurance my 6-month premium through Allstate is $815 whereas my C63 is $721, about a 15% difference. I'm 30yo with a clean driving record and the cars are insured in Chicago.

 

I also just purchased mine a few weeks ago but I talked to three different mechanics who all said the new cars are very reliable and very mechanically sound. Im 31 with clean driving record and pay around $650 every 6 months with State Farm for insurance on an 07 V8 Vantage. I however have a few other cars so the Aston is my weekend car and dinners out car.

Glad to hear there are so many younger owners. I was surprised when I talked to the dealer and he said I was the typically used Vantage buyer, a successful male in my 30's.

 

It's nice to hear there are young owners of this car and that your insurance premiums are low.
It's really not a problem for me but it's nice to know it sounds like I should be right about the price.
All I need to know is if I can put away 2400 a year away for preventative maintenance I'm sold on this car. Which the more I keep reading seems to be about right.
I guess that is considered to be expensive to some people. And no doubt it is. But that seems extremely cheap compared to what I read about Ferraris.
The more I keep reading the more I think I'm going to get this car.
When you look at it. There are tons of low low mileage cars for sale. Like 20k or less. An 08 m3 with that many miles is only separated by a few thousand. May as well get the Aston right?

 

First thing, your agent works for you. I'd call them and get an accurate quote. If they can't give you one, get a new agent. Further, it seems like insurance on an aston can vary a lot by company and location, so I'd shop around for piece of mind.

Annual service visit is generally in the 1000-1500 range, plus items that need fixed or replaced. Id call the dealer nearest you and ask what they charge. Make a friend, and they can also run the VIN # of a car you're interested in to get its service history.

There are also extended warranties available, search the forum for numerous threads to see if you think it's good for you.

My car has required about 1500 in non warranty repair each year, fwiw

 

We all have different tolerances for fees charged for the convenience of having someone else do routine maintenance. I would not let someone charge me $1,000 or more to inspect this and that and replace some fluids. I am able to do those things myself.

 

'08 owner here. Bought it at 17,000 miles and it's now at nearly 29k. The only $ into it beyond normal wear (tires, wiper blades, etc) has been for dealer annual service. If I cared to make the time, I'd do the bulk of that work myself as others here do with excellent results. So doing your own work, plus normal wear n tear and you'll have more than enough for actual issues (eventual clutch, a pump here and there, um...something else).

As others have said, insurance is sort of a black art, but you shouldn't be paying a ton. Shop around.

These cars are worth ever penny.

Also (I can't PM you), I'm selling mine, PM if interested. It's in VGC and a very good price. I'm making room for a V12.

 

So it doesn't sound like maintenance is a problem if I'm willing to get my hands dirty every now and then. Which I don't mind, to save money.
I would imagine the biggest pain for this car would have to be a clutch going out. What are prices to get that repaired. Dealer vs diy? I am not opposed to diy. I would think it's just like every other car to change.

And another important question I have. Is how hard is it to get financed?
Since the car is older are dealers going to want to give short term loans? Or are they willing to stretch it out a little to keep the monthly payments lower?
My bank doesn't care if its an exotic car or not, I would get a 3 yr loan based on the year of the car. Pretty much would have to try to work with a dealer.

 

I financed my 2009 at 2.49% for 60 with PenFed, www.penfed.org

No issues. I could've financed a 2006 without issue as long as it was within NADA value. I was well within since I'm only financing 50% of the car.

 

If it were me, I'd wait until I could really afford it. I lusted after cars when I was 25 and I could have stretched my budget to make it work but it really would not have made sense. I'm enjoying it just as much now 10 years later knowing that it isn't a material part of my savings, don't have to take out a loan, didnt need to inquire about maintenance costs before buying it, etc... But I'll readily admit I am financially conservative and some people do just fine cutting things a bit closer.

 

The most flexible terms you're likely to find will be through a credit union (provided you're a member). Least flexible will be a large bank. Local and regional banks will likely fall between.

I'm a big proponent of paying cash for depreciating assets. That said, when I went to withdrawal the money to buy my aston, my credit union offered me .9% for up to 5 yrs. I knew I could make more than that thru investments. I took their offer, then still withdrew the money, and transferred it into an investment account

 

Wow, which CU is offering 0.9%?

 

It's local with employment requirements for membership. And it was 1.5 years ago. Really the rate was only as an example. Most cases I still feel its better to pay cash for depreciating assets. This was just to show there are exceptions

 

I financed through my CU as well, no issues on an 07, but i only financed 1/3 of book value, but then again, book value was 90K on an 07 I laughed when my CU told me I was buying a 90K car(keep in mind i bought mine a month ago).

I financed for the same reason as others, i own 4 companies and am making 30% ROI so why not finance when i can make a 28% return on the money I would put into my car after paying the interest on it.

 

In the past two years of ownership (granted only 5k miles driven) I had an oil change, topped up coolant, and installed RSC intake filters. All for a whopping $245.