Hey guys, i'm a Porsche 997.1 Turbo owner looking at possibly trading up my car for a 2011 or 2012 V12 Vantage (standard transmission). Are there any good used buyers guides I can read up on?

Any advice on what to look for? Common issues? ownership costs?

Thanks!

 

Hi,

I'm new to the AM world as well since I just bought my v8 vantage.

The Definitive Guide to New Gaydon Era Aston Martin

helped me a lot to identify what I want and need.

Good luck!

 

Thanks Zettinger, looks like this guide is pretty hard to find, not available on amazon (have some very good reviews for it). Found it on http://www.astonmartinreview.co.uk/ for 29 pounds shipped, placed the order.

 

First of all, good choice! The V12V is a great car and doesn't have many issues to worry about. I'm no expert but here are a few things I would do. If you're buying from a dealer see about having them throw in an extended warranty, you might be able to negotiate a 2-year warranty if you want. If you're buying from an individual still see about getting a warranty through AM, they will perform an inspection on the car which is a good check (if anything doesn't pass inspection the car would have to be fixed before they'd issue a warranty).

Check the tail lights for water, it's pretty common to find water in them because they have sealing issues. If one is bad, make sure they replace both (I made the mistake of letting them just replace the bad one only to have the second light start filling with water soon after I bought it). Make sure the CCBs are in good shape since they are super expensive to replace. See about the clutch, I think some of the earlier cars had some issue with the clutch (mine was sold in 2010 and the clutch was replaced at 485 miles, over 12k miles now and no issues). Check all the interior trim for wear (especially stitching on the drivers seat and leather on the dash), also check the piano trim for cracks. Make sure the glass key is in good shape and that you get a plastic back-up key plus a mechanical key for the doors. Of course do the normal stuff when buying a car (check body/paint, look for any oil leaks if possible, check service history, etc).

I might be missing something but these cars are pretty bullet proof mechanically from what I've seen so you're mainly looking for the little things. Service cost varies based on what you're having done, expect about $600 for an oil change through an AM dealer. My annual service this year was ~$1300 and included oil/filter, coolant and a couple other minor things. Hope this helps!

 

Thanks for the info SierraV12V. The clutch is something that worries me. I had a 01 M5 (standard transmission) long time ago and it's so easy to burn the clutch in these high hp cars. I got mine new and burned the clutch at 15K miles (I did drive the car hard on the track etc. though). I've heard a clutch job on a Vantage can be insane (6K+?), mostly for labor, is this true?

 

I can't speak from experience on this one but I've heard it's pretty pricey...I'm sure you can find some prices if you search the forum.