You can buy an Aston Martin extended warranty from the dealer after you've owned a a few months. How far is the AM dealer from your house?

 

The closest dealer is about 250 miles away in Charlotte, NC. The next two would be about 50 miles farther away in either Atlanta or Orlando.

 

Here's another update with a little twist: The PPI didn't get performed until late Thursday afternoon, and I didn't receive the written report until this morning. While it is generally a good report, there are a few issues for which I'm waiting to get clarification. They are supposed to call me to discuss the report this afternoon. I've C&P'ed a few parts of the report below that show the issues that they identified. The summary is in black and the specific issues identified in the detail section are in red. I'm not concerned with normal wear-and-tear items or the scratches and rock chips. After all, I'm not buying a new car. However, given that the car had a clean Carfax report, I am a bit concerned about the report of previous body work, including readjustment of the hood and the repainting of the left bumper and quarter panel.) I'd be interested in the reactions and recommendations from anyone here who would care to weigh in. Here are the pertinent items from the report:

SUMMARY

The exterior was examined for cosmetic issues and functionality. Our inspector found the exterior with a few cosmetic issues of note. The vehicle is noted with previous body work and minor undercarriage surface rust. The exterior is also noted with a few scratches and chips. Exterior functionality was evaluated and noted with no issues.

The interior was examined for cosmetic issues and functionality. The interior was noted with minor cosmetic issues. Interior functionality was evaluated and noted with no issues.

The engine bay and undercarriage components were visually examined for leakage, deterioration, and fluid conditions. Oily residue was noted on a brake hose. Additionally, residue was noted on a front strut. Exhaust system components were noted to be intact with no audible leaks.

A test drive was conducted at highway speeds. The engine had plenty of power with no misfires. Drivetrain components were noted with no operational issues. Steering, braking, and suspension operated as designed. However, our inspector did make note of an engine noise that may merit additional research. A scan of the onboard diagnostics revealed no current, pending, or historical codes.

Tires were evaluated for tread depth and unusual wear patterns. The brand is noted to be homogeneous with an average amount of tread remaining.

Refer to the detail section and photos for additional information.

There is a 'hooting' sound from the front at very light throttle applications consistent with a resonance in the intake system. Possibly a normal operating condition and no drivability issues were noted.

There is some oily residue on the right rear brake hose which could be a brake fluid leak. This needs to be diagnosed and addressed.

There is some residue on the right front strut. There does not appear to be any symptoms associated with the residue and it does not appear to be hydraulic fluid.

There are signs of previous repair on a few panels. The front bumper and left quarter panel have been repainted. The left quarter panel and front bumper appear to have been repainted. The work appears mostly well done. There is some minor overspray on the trim under the hood in the right front corner. See images. Witness marks are present.

Higher paint thickness readings are indicative of filler usage.

The hood has been adjusted consistent with previous repair. There is a spot of overspray on the trim under the hood on the right side.

Very small rock chips on the hood. A few very minor scratches around the paint.

There is some scratching on the under side of the front bumper consistent with parking block damage.

There is some light wear on the left side bolster of the driver seat.

Mirror in the right visor is broken.

Surface rust can be seen on a few undercarriage fasteners.


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I can only speak to this one . . . The "hooting" (at a certain level) is normal . . . No clue how to define this in writing. Mine had this as well, though mine was at 70mph, it was determined to be "more than normal" and my eDiff was replaced under warrantee. My new eDiff also has this "hooting", but at a much more muted level - I truly understand how not-helpful this description is, but I will share that the job would have been about $10k - LMK if you have any questions, I will share all uninformed information that I can, KH

 

Thanks for that info. Someone else had mentioned the "hooting" was probably normal as well. I guess my main concern at this point is the fact that the car has had some body work done and how much that will affect the resale value whenever it comes time to sell or trade it in. I'm not sure what if any additional discount the dealership would give at this point given that the car was already in a pretty low range and I already got them to reduce the price another 3K to 90k.

 

I am in sales, I am rarely offended when the client asks for more; it is my prerogative to agree or disagree. It costs you $0 to ask for what you want-- KH

 

Lol, true. I spoke with the GM yesterday afternoon and expressed my frustration about learning that the car has had previous paint and body work done. He was sympathetic, but wasn't inclined to do anything else on price. They were going to be closed today, so he told me to take the weekend to decide what I want to do and then let him know Monday morning and he'd return my deposit if I decided going against going through with the purchase.

I'm still not sure what I want to do, but coincidentally, another Vantage I had been eyeing for awhile had its price reduced 5K and is now in the same price range. It's a 2020 CPO with similar mileage, but has the advantage of also having the tech package. Before I found out about the paint and body work, the only negative to the car in Jacksonville for me is that it doesn't have blind spot monitoring. Here's a link to the 2020 CPO:

Used 2020 Aston Martin Vantage For Sale ($94,950) | The Luxury Collection Walnut Creek Stock #UPN03875 (theluxurycollectionwc.com)

 

Just wanted everyone to know that I ultimately decided to back out of the deal. I called the GM & the salesman earlier today to let them know that I just wasn't 100% comfortable going forward with the purchase after learning about the paint and bodywork issues.

Once again, I appreciate everyone's comments. They were very helpful in assisting me reach a decision.

 

Just in case it's an inspection from somebody not familiar, which by the hooting might be possible, the early cars had HORRIBLE panel alignment. I went to my local and documented the first 8 they got in and I dare say not one of them was even close to right. Bottoms of doors out, hood alignments in all planes way off, I took lots of pictures of how poorly they were assembled. If the inspector is looking at bolts that have the paint off and paint scraping to adjust panels, it would mean they realigned the panels on the car to straighten it out.

But the same holds true on all of them, be very diligent on inspecting panel gaps and alignments in the pictures.

 

my 2009 paint and panels are still practically flawless!

 

The NEW Vantage's were horrible. And let's not pretend there aren't panel issues with our old ones. I still haven't done the hoods on both of mine yet.

 

Hey if you're still looking for a new vantage, my good friend has his listed now on bring a trailer, this car is mint and is a very special AMR manual, gorgeous color and loaded with options as well.
https://bringatrailer.com/listing/20...in-vantage-22/

anyway just passing it along I'd buy it if I didn't just get a new to me car in April

 

Hey, thanks for the heads up! That's a sweet-looking automobile, although I'm not a big fan of lime green. It's already received a bid over $100k with another 7 days to go, so I'm sure it will end up over and above what I want to spend. In any event, my wife and I are leaving for a holiday trip tomorrow and won't be back in the U.S. until after Christmas, so I'm going to have to start my search anew after the new year. Thanks anyway.