Hi,

After being a Porsche guy, I am finding myself drawn to the Astons, in particular the Vantage. I'd like to buy a 2010-2014 Vantage six speed. The car will be a 3/4 daily driver. I'd greatly appreciate any advice on the practicality of daily driving a Vantage (my work commute is 15 miles) and what I can expect in terms of annual maintenance for the V8 versus the V12. If I were to step up to the V12, is there a corresponding increase in maintenance costs or anything else that might make the V8 the overall better choice as a DD?

Many thanks!

 

Everything about a V12 costs more than a V8, parts are more expensive, maintenance is more expensive, although nothing is going to be cheap on a V8 either, it is less. So while the 8 will cost less to buy and over the long term you get the extra power those of us with an 8 would like to have. It all depends on how you drive it. If you want the tires to roast by mashing the pedal then go for the 12, if you're just going to cruise in it with a little spirited driving you'd probably find the 8 sufficient.

 

V8 Vantage sounds like your goal. Great daily and a bit easier on the maintenance cost wise. But that depends upon your budget. V12 is bad *** but when it comes time for brakes, clutch and fuel/insurance factored in you could be second guessing on why you bought the V12. And it depends on what your startup plans are. V8 is more plentiful to find a 6-speed manual.

 

Don't know where you are located in Texas, but a long time forum member has a V12 manual Vantage for sale in Houston...
May be worth a trip for a test drive
https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...2-vantage.html

 

I think if you buy the V8 and you could've bought the V12 you'll always want that V12. The sounds between the two are quite different.

 

I had 3 V8's and 2 V12's - have a V12S now. The V12S is $1,000 more every 6 months to insure, services are marginally more - the fuel usage about 1/3rd more... otherwise similar costs.

 

"3rdpedalrequired"... 2010 to 2014 Vantage... I think you're far more likely to meet those requirements with a V8. I'm not sure when it happened, but at some point, the V12 Vantage only came with a sportshift trans (before they realized the error of their ways and released the doglegged 2017 V12 Vantage S).

By the way, get a copy of The Definitive Guide to new Gaydon era Aston Martin, which will help you narrow down those years. There are some notable differences between a 2010-2012.25 V8 Vantage and a 2012.25-2014 V8 Vantage (not the least of which is larger brakes).

And despite what some of the others on here are saying, not all V8 Vantage owners want a V12. While the V12 Vantage with a QuickSilver exhaust sounds like an F1 car, which is definitely a desirable characteristic, I adore my V8 Vantage. On the street, it has as much power as you could actually use; on a track, the balance is amazing and it still has plenty of power. The last track day I did, a friend of mine was an instructor for a guy in a ~500hp+ Corvette, and they struggled to keep up with me... the V8 is plenty fast.

 

Or maybe you're just a much better driver

Everybody would like more power, or else we'd still be driving 150HP putt mobiles. You can use 510HP just as easily as you can use 420HP, and I love my V8, but would I like to have 510HP? Yup! Do I want to pay $6000 to do my brakes? Nope!

The particular change in 2012 I couldn't take was the 11 seconds it takes to turn the traction control off. The 5 seconds my 2010 takes is bad enough, but to have to do that twice, No. I also loved the original styling with the paint line across the lower front instead of the splitter and the original swept ducktail instead of the extended. Not that either keep the later cars from being beautiful, I just preferred the 09'-'11' styling but with the 4.7.

 

you would have to be nuts to buy a v12 vantage over a v8 or already have 5+ supercars in the garage and not care about the astronomical $ delta
value proposition isnt there, get a DBS or vanquish for the same 130-140

 

 

Had 2 V8s and now a V12. All 3 pedals. V8 definitely more DD-able. V12 is always roaring all the time even with the flaps closed. Have you driven both back to back?


Never knew I have an autistic car until now. Such an enlightenment, Greg. Mine just counted one to twelve and back to one. Gold star proud.

 

Had 3 V8's and 2 V12S - I agree the V8's are more daily driveable and I found the power bands (I had a 4.3 and two 4.7's) to be more intuitive. I actually liked the sound of the V8's better, especially from the drivers seat. You can get the colors you want on used V8's - V12's not so much unless you actually want black on black. The V8's I think are more 'fun' to drive - more tossable, visceral. All that said, there is something about the V12S (paddle shifts which I prefer) that is worth the cost, and I can say that because when I exchange cars with a V8 owner, it feels something less when I'm back in a V8... can't really say why, but it's very noticeable. I think the V12S fit and materials feel a bit 'upscale' or better as if Aston pays a bit more attention to details on the V12S - the feel of the leather - that sort of thing. Could be my imagination. What I really don't like about the V12S, but still worth living with it... More insurance (about 1/3rd higher) cost, terrible gas mileage compared to the V8's, carbon brakes - you have to be extremely careful washing the car because chemicals will destroy the disks, a wee bit overpowered for city driving as to hear the sound you must lay into the pedal, and it's easy to brake the rear end lose just to get the aural fix. I got a great deal on going from my 2015 V8 GT to the 2015 V12S ($20K to trade - with two years left of warranty), so it was not like I bought new. I think the 2015 V12S is a fantastic deal with prices pretty much in the low $110's which means you can probably get one offering near $100K. Lastly if you keep the car - the V8's will likely go down a tad and then hold steady, but not likely go up. The V12S might emulate the older V12 Vantage and actually have a chance go up in value. I don't drive mine near as much as the V8's primarily because it's black on black and a ***** to keep new and shiny looking.

 

Despite all our comments (some tongue in cheek) I may add that you could be underwhelmed with a Vantage (not a 12 of course ) coming from a Porsche
I say this because its known that the Germans have thrashing a car and reliability all bottled up, the British car (more beautiful with a real superior presence) cannot take the beating like a Porsche or a R8.

If its pure performance you desire then a Vantage is not the Place to look IMO .....stay with Porsche. No Aston can go around corners like a Porsche on the back roads.

The Porsche cannot take golf clubs and every Dick in town has one so these things are the pro's and conns? A vantage clutch replacement is expensive ....and if you drive enthusiastically you do it more than one time during ownership.

If you want a car that you look back at every time you lock it in the parking lot, a car that is timeless in design that is pure sex on wheels the the Germans have no chance...all subjective I agree?

I sat in a new Porsche GTS or GT something just the other day at the dealer its nice make no mistake ...but its not special, The Vantage is special, it has the look it has the lines, and my God it has the sound.....when you take it over 4K! it also does not need two little hairdryer things to make it go

and with respect the engine is in the right place when a man drives an Aston we can get out and lock it, we dont have to approach Porsche owners or R8 owners with small talk in the Que at the gym entrance or at the filling station....its the Lambo Porsche R8 drivers that approach us with small talk and attempt to justify there ownership choice.

Owning an Aston is a rare privilege and the road is not littered with them, other drivers treat you differently and unlike the rude looks the Red car drivers get with the Italian masterpiece people on sidewalks and in other cars dont think your a ponce when arrive in an Aston..

My apologies if Im urinating on some Batteries here but this is the Aston Forum

 

Hey @3rdpedalrequired,
Never saw an answer to "have you driven both".
I ask because after 6 Porsches I had the same problem.
I drove 2 V12s and 2 V8s. Thank you Los Altos Luxury Cars.
I'm a corner carver so the V12s were not an option.
Coming from twin turbos and a supercharged C4S, I wasn't real happy with the V8s either, but I was in love.
Took me 5 months to find a Quantum Gray Metallic 6 speed with 20 spoke wheels.
Took me another 3 years to get it up to 500hp.
Now I'm just as happy as a pig in mud!
Here's the "before" and "after"


before


after

 

While size can matter... what you do with what you have makes all the difference...