I'm planning to join the Aston Martin bandwagon and looking to buy a V8 Vantage (sold my Porsche Boxster recently). I've heard these are pretty reliable cars except for a few small issues like oil leaks, O2 sensors going bad, AM module issues and low clutch life.

I visited a dealer nearby who had a 2007 Vantage V8 that seems to have nice options and low mileage, except the car last had a owner in February 2016 (almost a year). Is that a cause for concern ? I've read here in the forums that AMs that sit idle will almost always have issues. Should I stay away from this one ? Or any checks I can do to ensure I don't buy a lemon ? Please advise.

 

I bought a 2007 Vantge with 2800 miles in August 2014. I purchased it from my local multi manufacture Aston Martin dealer. They sold the car new and serviced it. The car came with the Aston Martin preowned warranty. I knew the car had sat for a lot of the time (it was owned by a pilot and stored in his hanger). The only problems with the car in the two years that I owned it (when I traded it in on my 2016 GT it had 10,000 miles on it) was one rear shock and both door struts. Both were covered under the warranty.
I would say, if you purchase from an Aston Martin dealer and get the 1 year extended warranty with the deal, go for it. One other problem that can come up in early V 8's and some later 4.7's is the front timing cover gasket. My car never had this issue. So have the dealer check the service history, or they will look when they inspect the car for the extended warranty. These are great cars.
Ron

 

Thanks Ron! It does give me some assurance that not all cars sitting for a long time will have major issues. Buying an extended warranty is great idea, expect I'm worried that I'll not be eligible (Doesn't Aston only provide these to the "less than 10 years old" cars ?)

 

When I bought my 09 in December. This forum and others were worth their weight in Gold. My son followed the advice for inspecting and buying. I made each car I visited the owner drive first to see how they treated the car. Finally I decided on a car dealer as I felt more secure.

After I bought I had the inspection done so I could put on a warranty. Yes up to ten year old cars can be warranted. The dealer found only minor issues and no leaks etc... The dealer Kerbeck-NJ talked me out of the warranty as many problems that could happen would not happen. Surprised me...

While I have enjoyed the auto shift...Stick is by far the favorite on this site. The biggest seller is the v12v I read in the US. I found the V8 with sports package great for me. Each year of cars have their issues...If you enjoy getting dirty working on these cars you can save a ton.

I wish you luck...A car sitting for a long time with low mileage has one down side....It is not broke in enough to know if great or a pain...In my opinion.

The great thing being here is Everyone tries to answer or help you.... Weclome aboard

 

bought my 07 v8v in late spring 2015 ,
first month i fixed front turn signal , and changed the upstream 02 sensors, then ran it all summer no issues,then after sitting 5 months thru winter drove it all last summer. it ran flawless. last thursday it was a balmy
19c and sunny here in ontario canada so i couldnt resist taking it out,
what a mid winter treat,puts a smile on my face every time i get in it...
2007 39000 miles original clutch no oil leaks anywhere..

 

Issues I have had (and mine sits for months at a time)
Clutch at 28000km, battery at 4 years, and now I see signs of a sweat -oil leak coming from the timing cover
The vantage is timeless just do it and be done, we can't say how you will react to the Boxter after Aston ownership .

This is a mans car, not sure I can say more without getting the mods on my tail

 

You have hit on the main issues that seem to effect the 4.3L cars. I will tell you I had all of these happen to mine within the first year (oil leak, o2 sensors, AM radio out), except clutch issues. I bought a car that was maintained regularly by an AM dealer, from an AM dealer, inspected and certified warranty. So, you can do everything right, and still things can happen. The oil leak at the timing chain cover is really a "major" issue. It is not a serious repair, and the parts cost is low. However the labor to do the job makes it fairly costly. Also, the clutch is an expensive fix, and most people think they Last a bit longer on the true 3 pedal manual cars. Most of the rest of the issues are really no worse than any other high line car, cost wise.

Second, I will say the Aston is really no different than any other car when it comes to sitting around. This really applies to any car. It might or might not really make any difference. If the car was put away properly, I'd see it as not a significant issue.

Saying all the above, I've had my car for almost 4 years now. It has been darn reliable after getting everything sorted that first year.

Lastly, if you're looking for an AM, buy or borrow a copy of "the definitive buyers guide, Aston Martin". It will walk you thru the changes to the car by model year. Nearly everything was an individual option, and if something is important to you, you need to find it already on the car.

And, my opinion: Get a 3 pedal manual

 

i read your post with interest. i live in toronto and am looking at a vantage v8, hopefully stick, sounds like you have had a good experience with your 07. i am also now viewing an 07. plan to have it assessed by the am dealer here in toronto before purchase. any thoughts on this vehicle type/year appreciated

 

My Vantage leaked oil if not driven regularly. It would weep, but not drip when it was driven regularly. AM dealer did not think it was big deal and said to just monitor it.

 

yeah wtf mine does that too... only when it sits for longer than 3 weeks to a month does it leak oil, only a very small amount but still freaks me out whenever I see it... so yeah I try to drive it often and when I do it doesn't leak at all!

 

The warranty can only be applied to a car that is less than 10 years old, but it can be extended for as long as the owner wishes if the car has the warranty. So if the owner gets the warranty on the car at 9 years old, that owner has the ability to maintain the warranty for as long as (s)he wants to keep paying for it. I don't care for the costs involved in Aston's warranty program.

 

 

The car needs to be owned at least 90 days before Aston will do an inspection for warranty according to my local AM dealer. From what I read on this forum, the cost for a warranty varies among dealers and may be negotiable.

 

I've never heard this, never the less, if it is for sale at an AM dealer that wouldn't apply.

 

I think there is a misunderstanding, the 90 days is just for claim submission on the basis of if there is a claim it would be considered a preexisting condition. This prevents the fraudulent buy the warranty and get a free ......... and see what I did there $4k for a new transmission.