I'm in the market for a CPO Vantage for under $100K. At this price range, it seems to be all 2019s and 2020s. Are there any significant improvements in the 2020s, or should I be happy with a 2019 if it has the right options?

 

Is the '20 model the first with vents on the hood?

 

Possibly. At least, none of the 2019s I currently see out there seem to have the hood vents.

Although, not all 2020s have the hood vents, either:

https://www.astonmartinboston.com/2020/Aston-Martin/Vantage/SCFSMGAW1LGN03137/?=

 

That particular Vantage has been through the ringer FWIW.

 

Thanks for the tip. Is it a car you are personally familiar with, or is there something in the pictures that's telling you that?

Also, regarding the hood vents (or, I guess I should say "bonnet vents", since it's an Aston), did they add them to fix an overheating issue on the earlier cars, or something?

 

On 2020, the vents were optional, so they are not there for any functional purpose as far as I know.

The other differences between the 2019 and 2020 cars are just options. For example, on the 2019 the glass buttons only came with the Tech package, but they were standard on the 2020. I believe the same is true for the keyless entry. So as long as you are sure the car you are looking at has the options you want, there's no difference between the 2019 and 2020.

 

I had a new 20 coupe. The hood vents were available as an extra cost option.

 

Correct. It was actually the only option that I was bummed to not have on the '19 I picked up. That and more '20+ cars have the quad tailpipes than not.
OP, hardware wise, the cars are identical with the only real changes being the spring rates, sway bar diameters, suspension software introduced on the "F1" edition cars starting in '22.

 

As others have noted above there are only minor changes between the 2019 and 2020 years. I picked up a well optioned 2019 car about a year ago. For 2019, the quad exhaust was an option, I believe it became standard during 2020. Also sometime during the 2020 model year, the ignition coils were modified. Early cars can get a CEL due to misfire especially if from a wet climate. Just get a PPI and have everything checked out.

As far as options, they are plentiful. For a 2019, the technology pack is important (adds blind spot monitoring, glass buttons and self-parking). Premium audio, sports plus seats and gloss black bodypack were must have options for me. If buying from an AM dealer they usually include a 1-year timeless warranty. They can also obtain the original window sticker to see the options on the car. A well-equipped 2019 was going for about $190K when new.

 

What year did AM upgrade the coil packs? The early year(s?) the coil packs leaked water causing misfires etc.

 

The coil packs were revised during the 2020 model year. Some of the 2020's have the original version. The coil insulator boots were redesigned. The old design seemed to cause water ingress to the spark plugs that caused corrosion to the plugs. The photo below shows the new coil design on the right hand side.