Somewhat related to this...I assume most Aston owners (certainly not all) use their cars once a week or less on average. Most of the pre-owned Astons I see for sale have less than 5,000 miles a year on the clock, often considerably less. I fit into that category, and I always do the hold-the-gas-pedal-to-the-floor no-start crank to get the oil circulating before that garage-rattling explosion of revs that comes with an Aston start-up.
I'm not really sure how long vestiges of oil remain in the galleries, but I play it safe by doing the no-start crank most of the time. I assume everyone does this???
This example obviously doesn't show a dry sump engine, but I was a bit surprised by the 12-second lapse from dry engine to full circulation:

 

I too am a believer in the no-start crank for a vehicle that sits over 10/12 days. The option is there for good reason, why not use it. Depending on the car, it can take 15 to 30 seconds. In order to protect the starter, I use two or three 8-10 second cranks to get the dash oil light off.

 

To each his own, of course. That said, that a long drive is better for the car than a short drive doesn't make it delicate.

 

I like driving it too much to spend just 3 minutes in it

 

I also often use the no-start-crank procedure, and always if the car has been sitting for 2 weeks. Most people I've spoken to don't know about it, however, so I'd guess only a small percentage of owners use it.

 

About the cranking-for-oil-pressure procedure, some people have had the engine start while the throttle is floored -- which comprehensively defeats the purpose and is worse than just starting normally. The owner's manual describes the procedure incorrectly -- it says to floor the throttle before turning on the ignition. According to Bamford Rose's video (link below), if you floor the throttle before turning on the ignition, the car can start at full throttle -- exactly what you don't want. He describes how to do it in the video. That said, here's how I've always done it, and it has always worked properly:

1) Ignition on
2) Wait a couple seconds
3) Depress clutch -- start button turns red
4) Fully floor the throttle
5) Crank the engine
6) When oil pressure light goes out, release the gas -- engine starts.

With the V8V, only in the hottest part of the summer, when the "cold" oil is warmer, does it take more than 5 seconds for the light to go out.

Of course, this only works on cars with Ford's Visteon electrics -- the later cars with Bosch don't have the feature.

Here's the Bamford Rose video (hope the link works):

 

Fixed that for you

It's a car, it was made to drive. Doesn't matter if I'm going 2 miles or 200. I let it warm for a few seconds as it rolls out of the driveway and I drive gentle and keep it below 3000 rpm until the water temp starts to come up, then I can go to 4000. I won't go over 4000 until the water gauge is maxed. It would be nice to have an oil temp gauge, but todays synthetic oils aren't your granddaddy's oil. They operate very well no matter what the temperature, but IMO the engine clearances are a little looser until the metal fully expands at operating temp. That's the reason you don't drive a car hard until it's fully warm much more than because of oil flow.

I've never let my car sit long enough to ever do the dry start procedure, but it's nice to know how it's done for a refresher. I'd have been the idiot that started it at full throttle before watching the video. I imagine the car must be in neutral for a 6M, I don't think he specified.

 

Daily driver....

 

Rich, thanks for catching that. BTW, the manual 'box doesn't have to be in neutral, but it's a really good idea

 

So let's explore another aspect of this. Would you avoid a car that's done perhaps only a few hundred miles per year? I'm curious to know if there's more substance behind the theory of 'garage rot'? Yes, I know that seals dry out etc. etc. but has anyone ever actually had first hand experience of a car that's had to be remediated? I imagine that a lot of low mileage, low production number cars simply shuffle on transporters between temperature controlled storage during their lives, so nobody ever knows whether treating them as 'art' is bad for them or not.

 

The car before my Vantage was a 1995 Range Rover Classic with about 35K on the odometer five years ago. To say that that Rover had garage rot would be an understatement. Over the next year and a half I replaced every hose, emissions item (including the Y pipe), water pump, radiator, fans, belts, ignition system etc. all due to sitting. Every bit of it was due to sitting and not being driven much at all for 10 years. I can absolutely attest to garage rot. Did I love that Range Rover? Yep. Was it worth the agony of all that? Hard to say. My 1972 Series III is still more reliable than the Range Rover was, in large part because it is driven regularly and maintained regularly.

The friend that later bought it before I relocated got a great deal though!

 

A 1995 Range Rover may not be a fair comparison. I've know people who bought those years from new, and they would be in the repair shop more than they were on the road.

 

It would depend on where the car was stored. Where I live the climate is mild most of the year. A few hot months in the summer, but no freezing weather, no humidity, not much rain. As long as the car is kept in a clean garage out of the sun and no rodents chewing on the electrical wires, I would not avoid those cars. I would prefer over high mileage any day.

 

Thanks for that video link - hadn't watched that one for a while. There's a subtle difference between what you have and what Mike describes - he talks about using the clutch (or brake for sportshift) as a switch. So you use the clutch to crank for 5 seconds, then off for two to avoid the starter overheating, then on again etc. until the oil pressure light goes out. Then you can lift the gas pedal to start.

 

On mine I just press the key in and out for a few seconds a few times. The light goes off quickly. But only if the car has sat for a few weeks. It works on all of my other Fords as well.