Okaaay...So I have a bit of what some might call, "Car ADD", and it's flaring up again.

Long story short, I bought a 2012 C63 AMG Black Series about 5-6 months ago and while I absolutely love the car, I'm really missing the manual transmission. The car itself is epic, I love every aspect of it, even the paddles, but I just prefer a manual.

So, a few days ago I find myself bored...so I head to a few local dealerships and on the way back I figure I better at least stop in the Aston dealer...just to see what they have....

Well, they have a 2011 V12V with about 15k miles. I worked at a dealership around the 2006-2008 time frame and we happened to be an Aston dealer, and I'll admit, the issues with Aston in general at that time were common from what I remember.

Now, fast forward to the other day, this salesman is telling me those were the 'problem years' and how after 2009 Aston made huge improvements and they're an awesome vehicle to own. I'm sure he's saying what I want to hear and I'm not saying I can't afford issues with a car such as this, but I've just had amazing luck when it comes to cars. My V10 R8 never had an issue, same with my Porsche Turbo and C63 Black...I'd like to keep that trend going!

I've gone through a lot of threads on here and from what I can tell, it seems like he was being as straight up as a salesman can be, lol!

I'd love to hear other peoples thoughts on this.

Ooh, the car was going for $119K btw. Seems a tad bit high from what I've found on the market with that amount of miles. I'm thinking the $110K range would be a better deal.

Cheers fellas!

 

I've had to vantages 09 and 07 both have been flawless.... I had three older Aston Martin's and they were all problematic. They're pretty solid cars, are you in Minneapolis and looking at the one that's at Morries?

Next week I'm picking up a 2015 vantage from them.

 

No way, small world! That's the one, any knowledge of its history? Congrats on picking up your ride! How was the experience dealing with them if you don't mind me asking?

 

Pm me and ill give you my numbet, and/or pm me with yours

 

I actually took that V12 for a ride as well as the newer V12S (in the winter)... here are my thoughts:

1) The V12S I took out when it was about 40 degrees outside, Cold tires vs. HP vs. TRQ vs. Traction vs. Minneapolis traffic = not fun if you want to have enough throttle to hear the engine. Besides, no way can I pay that kinda money.

2) The one they have for sale was owned by a person who traveled on road trips with his wife - I met them a few times, did not seem to be a hot rodder and would have taken care of the car, hence the miles. A terrific price on the car, so I took it out. My take (again with the Minneapolis traffic) is again, in summer, to open up the exhaust and hear that engine I had to lay into the throttle enough to accelerate a wee bit too uncomfortable with the surrounding cars, and could feel the war between go and stop when the traction control tried to intervene too much for my taste. If I was 20 years younger I'd probably love it, but the AM V8 you can lay into the throttle and not feel the intervention, making it in my opinion more enjoyable.

3) I don't take road trips, so to get on a highway and let loose is probably not going to happen that often.

4) My 2009 has a Sportshift - I love it, so the 6 speed on the older V12 was not a plus.

So, in the end I bought a 2015 GT which was not all that much cheaper than the V12. Besides, I don't like black or dark colors because of the constant need to polish the car, and black for an interior is not my thing. If the car was silver with a tan interior I probably would have considered it given the great condition and price. Probably a safer investment than putting almost the same money in a V8 GT.

As far as Morries, no problems with their service. I had been taking the car to Lake Forest who I bought my previous 2007 Vantage from new. Their service was terrific and prices seemed more than fair. My used 2009 service was done by Lake Forest (required because of the annual inspection to keep warranty), and I think perhaps because I did not buy the car from them, or because they now service and sell more brands than in 2007, the service sucked and the bill they handed me was eye opening - did not expect such a high bill. In fact before it was announced that Morries was the Aston Dealer, I demanded that I needed issues taken care of that was missed or botched and I was not about to drive to Chicago to have the things redone. When Aston authorized Morries to do the service I knew then who was going to become the Aston Dealer. So far the service has been excellent, they do a great job detailing, and no real issues with the purchasing experience and trade-in pricing other than an overly long time in delivery which is likely the transpiration company fault. I've bought and leased many cars through Morries dealerships over the years, and other than totally screwing up a custom order on my 2015 Mustang which I lease, (the screw up was more likely Fords fault but I felt they should have listened to my warnings) I've only had good experiences with them. If anything they are really looking to prove themselves in sales and service being new, and not complacent. I could have traded though the California dealer direct (where my green GT was based), but I felt it was better to deal with Morries who will be providing service, even if the deal cost more.

 

Cars are pretty reliable these days across all marques IMO. So you chances of having serious issues are pretty low. And issues can happen with any car, including those from a brand you have previously found reliable.

FWIW, I'm on my third Aston and the build quality has successively improved over 7 years. Big leap from '08 V8V to '12 V12V, minimal advance from '12 to '15 V12VS. These are not daily drivers for me, they are toys, but they do get driven hard, and respond well. So do it! You only live once.