I have been thinking about adding a 3rd car to the stable - to compliment Macan (for spouse) and 970.2 Panamera GTS (mine). It needs be a phenomenal GT car. This thread captures my thinking - https://rennlist.com/forums/panamera...-panamera.html

At this level, I feel there are very few marques available that provide exemplary GT experience. The usual suspects include

Bentley Continental - too big and heavy for my tastes
F12 - ideal choice that is above my budget of 150K
FF/Lusso - nice choices. I can live with the looks.
Cali T - decent choice. But somehow, Cali has always lacked road presence and sense of occasion
Mclaren/458/Huracan - too hard core, not enough GT appeal
Aston Martin - the preferred choice if only they were more reliable. That's the purpose of this thread

I am very intrigued by Aston Martin. They make the most beautiful cars by a large margin in my books, elegant, phenomenal sounding engines, great handling for a GT car.

Eg. who would not want a car like this 2014 vanquish - Or a DB11 like this -
The thing I am having a hard time to digest is the general perception about their poor reliability. Unplanned breakdowns, very expensive repairs, dealers taking advantage of owners since no other mechanic can service these cars, delays in procuring parts. I have also heard things like buy maintenance plan for $5000/year. I have few questions around this topic

1. How much do these maintenance plans really cover? What things fall outside of them? (besides brakes, tires wear and tear)
2. I understand there is annual servicing of about $1500/year
3. How are the maintenance costs in comparison to recent model Ferraris and Bentleys?
4. Almost all the exotic brands are part of larger companies like VW, BMW etc. That's how they are able to survive, benefit from innovation in tech etc. How will AM survive without such a parent?
5. It seems like AM is always behind the curve in adopting the latest transmissions, tech. Now they even have to procure engine from AMG for the Vantage. Does it bode well for AM to survive as an independent company?
6. I am in early 40s. Is AM winning younger generation of customers in late 20s, 30s?
7. Lambo, Ferraris seem to have the halo that attracts younger fans who become future buyers, not so much for AM. They seems to be resting on their laurels a lot.
8. Are British exotic brands like AM, Bentley significantly less reliable, more expensive to maintain than their Italian counterparts like F, L?
9. In the world of exotics, I see far fewer AMs than F and L cars.

 

Generally speaking, I would say any Aston Martin would be less expensive to maintain than their Italian counterparts. I'm on my second AM now and my first was a 07 Vantage Roadster. I owned that car for 11 years and found it to be very reliable. I did replace the clutch at about 40K which is typical for these cars. Folks that buy these type cars pretty much know that maintenance is expensive. However, comparing prices of Italian makes to AM means that you will be buying a car that is at least 5 years older than the AM, hence more maintenance and probably less advanced tech than the comparable AM. The image of these cars is totally different and I'm sure more will be said about that. Kind of like comparing apples and oranges.

 

Vanquish gets my vote , best looking all around GT package for the $$$. Fluids and filter changes w/ tires every 4 years or so. CCM brakes last long intervals. Several late Vanquish owners on here with NO issues. Find one and test drive. Lube tube videos don't capture the AM experience.

 

if you can't afford a Vanquish, get a DB9.2

 

I have a Panamera GTS as my DD and a 2007 DB9 as my "Fun" car. I'm obsessed with V12 Grand Touring cars. (Currently looking at FF's)
My DB9 has been flawless. I have a (Sunburst Yellow) DB9 6spd Manual with Sport Pack which is a fairly rare combination. Over 5 years and ~15,000 miles, I have only spent $ on every other year fluid changes, a set of new tires this year and a new battery. Couldn't ask for a better sports car.
FWIW, YMMV
Good luck!

Jim

 

A lot actually. Its like a factory extended warranty but it can only go up to 10 years. So a 2009 or older car is now exempt.
Yes but its essentially a glorified oil and filter change. There is about 10x dealer markup. Do it yourself if you like to get involved.

Aston Martin is a publicly traded company (ARGGY). Buy their cars or stock if you want them to survive.
We share 98% of our genetics with apes. Its that 2% that make us human. No one ever complains about the Camry engine in a Lotus or the BMW engine in a Morgan. There is still a waiting list for their cars. An Aston Martin is greater than the sum of its parts.

They have absolutely no marketing department. James Bond is it. They rely entirely on nostalgia. And once the boomers die they will really need to reinvent the brand.
This is quite funny because everyone on here will tell you the opposite. People who have owned British cars will always tell you Italian cars are far less reliable and more expensive to maintain. I suspect the reality is that with modern computer controlled and high regulated cars there isn't a significant difference in maintenance for any modern car. Its just a function of complexity x brand markup.
The last Cars & Coffee I went to I counted 8 McLarens. Its like they had a buy one get one free sale at WalMart.

For what its worth, with a budget of $150k and you want an Aston, get yourself the best manual DBS out there. NA V12, manual gearbox, rear wheel drive, won't get any better than that. The last dinosaur that roamed the Earth.

 

THIS!

 

Mine is an '09 6spd Sport Pack too. But in a more stealthy grey on black. This was taken near Thunderhill a day before my track day. Car performed beautifully.

 

Absolutely STUNNING! I LOVE that color! Black interior?

I will also note for the OP that I did have the headliner sagging issue that is common to these cars and replaced it with a Diamond Stitched Alcantara headliner. That was a relatively inexpensive DIY project.

Jim

 

Thanks for the feedback. Good to know reliability and maintenance are not an outliar. Would you own a car without extended warranty?

I would also welcome feedback on 2014 Vanquish and DB 11 - I am considering these cars and with time the depreciation curve would get even better for buyers. In the AM line, I have only driven a 2015 V8 and 2012 V12S Vantage. I am likely a small minority that found the V8 better since it was very well balanced, felt agile on the feet with lighter nose, engine was highly responsive, exhaust not was nice. My test drive was on city streets, 0-50 mph.

Also interested to hear input on Cali T and F12.

Finally - how did you make the move towards a 3rd car? In my mind, I can justify spending on DDs because they get used often. A 3rd car would barely be driven 3000 miles/year or 6 hours/month. Regardless of affordability, it starts testing one's passion for cars.

 

I have found my V8 Vantage to be superb. perhaps one day a Ferrari, but with my other hobbies and cars likely no time soon...

I justify my "toys" based on passion and fun and budget (always pay cash...) you can get into a nice V8 vantage for well under $60k, why budget more? especially for fun car...
I have DD Volvo SUV, pick up truck, BMW for a couple of track days a year and AMG wagon for road trips...

none have warranties... just buy them right, take care of them and fix what breaks.

my vantage gets about 3k miles a year. get collectable car insurance... mine cost about $6-700 year

 

I've had 6 Vantages over the last 12 years. I had a 2015 V8 GT that was a bit of a warranty ***** (about $20K in warranty claims), which might be because the GT was an 'entry price' car, maybe they did not invest in checking the car as much at the factory??? I also had a V12S that was a deceptive sale, previously owned and tracked by Aston Martin Corporate, and sold by Napleton as 'Certified Timesless'. I had a dozen obvious issues when the car was delivered after the certification (at the factory no less), and it was not disclosed the car had even been repainted and the ceramic brakes replaced. Aston replaced the car (at their expense) with a locally owned lower mile V12S - absolutely trouble free. Then the resold (instead of scrapping) the car to a local gent with an extended two year warranty - in those two years the car spent 11 months in the shop including a new engine and two new clutches among many computers, two new headlights, and much more. A recent settlement (again costing Aston Martin) - let's just say. it would have been much cheaper for Aston Martin to scrap the car, instead of pass of an abused car as Timeless Certified. The salesperson at Napleton, claimed they had no idea, but I saw the paperwork from their purchase of the car - everyone lied.

Other than that, the cars have been very reliable - the lesson is if buying used, even timeless certified, be aware any high performance car can be abused, perhaps because of the nature of the car, the Vantages more so than other Aston models.

My plan is to extend the warranty as long as possible. (I have almost 3 years left on my V12S)

 

Warranties are a waste of money IMO, some people swear by them. I am not one of them

 

For what its worth, I have complete (dealer) service history for my 2009 DB9 (6 speed) since new. Including the cost of purchasing extended warranties, repairs, maintenance (tires, brakes, clutches etc..), cosmetic stuff (PPF, refinishing leather, wheels etc..) the total expense has been $80k over 10 years and 58k miles.

If you don't DIY and you're really pedantic about every little rattle or issue then definitely get the AM extended warranty.

 

I have always had extended warranty on my 2012 V12 Vantage.
Aston replaced engine and clutch, at no charge, Oct of 2018.
Thanks,
JH