https://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/...S-tariffs.html

What's their way out of this?

 

Increase hourly rate to $500?

 

be purchased by Ford again?

 

Both.

And bring back the Cygnet.

 

I've had Astons for 35 years - both buying an Aston as well as follow up service has gotten worse since Andy Palmer forced the dealers to buy an excessive number of cars instead of having more of a boutique experience. Ferrari includes 7 years services with a new car purchase. Aston does have a 3 year warranty but demands a $2K annual to maintain the warranty. My C8 Corvette (about the same performance and almost double MPG as my V12S) was 90% less on the 'oil change' and not a mandate for warranty. I noticed a change in dealer attitude when they were forced to buy an absurd stock of cars (floor planned for only 60 days). They were angry, and that often came through on a sale. Buying a few cars for the showroom, and then custom ordering (like Ferrari) allows the sales staff to not be pressured to sell that $265K V8 Vantage with $85K in options that many if not most (all?) potential buyers taste in colors and features may not want. Before Palmer when I had any issues, I'd call the dealer and say my tail lights leaking, or my switch on the panel is no longer working right, etc. They would immediately order the part (typically a day or two to arrive) and I'd come in for a switch often waiting for the work hanging around the showroom. After Palmer, I'd have to bring the car in, and they would have to record the issue, and submit it to Aston for an OK on warranty work, then come in again to get the work done. Before Palmer, buying a new or used Aston was a pleasurable experience, afterwards I've not had any good experiences. Back in the day when I had my Lagonda's, of which only 635 were built in a 12 year period, if I needed a part it might take a week or two but often the parts needed to be made from scratch, so it was amazing turn around. Aston would be able to provide parts for every car made back then if not from the factory, then from Heritage or Works. I've seen Vantages sit at the dealership for months waiting for parts. Aston Martin Bits is sitting on a new V12S Engine with accessories - if I had the cash, I'd buy it just incase. Morries Aston Martin in Minneapolis, walking distance from my office and home lost millions every year trying to unload stock they were forced to buy. They finally quit, but Aston Corporate pulled the tooling and ASM software, leaving this region void of service. Now all Minneapolis owners have a 400 mile trek for factory service, what do you think things like that have for the bottom line? If Stroll put some effort ($$$) into customer experience and matched Ferrari with 7 years of service and made parts more available they would not need to layoff anyone. The new Astons are really good cars. If I was to buy new today it would be a no option Vantage over a Roma or what ever they are calling the replacement. The Roma was like my C8, somewhat soleless - the new Vantage is visceral, somewhat like the older models. If Aston took a small % of that F1 investment and spent it on the 'after sales' experience maybe they would need to hire additional staff to keep up with the sales volume.

 

Prefurbia, I totally agree. Second Aston, and up until recently I really had no disagreement with going to the dealer for service because it was so...nice. Now it feels like a gouge, personnel notwithstanding in efforts to soften the pain. It now feels like going in for service at any other marque's dealer, and not the 'special and pleasant' experience previously offered that really made an owner not mind paying the price for the service.

Now...not sure this is going to end well for Aston. The unfortunate reality for the dealers is that VH era owners, especially the mechanically inclined or curious ones, understand that with some exceptions these cars are not as complicated as they are made out to be. In my experience, no worse than a concurrent era Range Rover -- with a lot of the same parts and engineering philosophy. Failing to get legacy maintenance / service appointments in any dealer shop is frequently fatal.

Remember when Aston offered a ten year bumper to bumper warranty that matched Hyundai? Talk about a confidence in the product statement with their money on the table.

 

My first new Vantage was a 2007 I ordered with a 5 year no mile limit factory warranty (I paid extra for that in advance). My plan was to drive it hard (you only live once) for 5 years then buy another, assuming after three Lagonda's I'd need that warranty. I had it two years over 25,000 absolutely flawless trouble free miles (6 speed) when the 2008 recession forced a sale. I had one warranty claim, the first week I owned it the belt squeaked on startup. I dialed the 800 number, a flatbed showed up at my door 15 minutes later to ship the car from Minneapolis to Chicago - I had it back the next evening! That was service.

 

That's service...with a smile!

That is legendary Rolls Royce type stuff like the old story about the guy who's Rolls won't start, so he calls to tell them. Next day, he calls again and asks why it isn't fixed and Rolls tells him that it is, they came overnight while he was asleep and fixed it at his home...I believe that was in the 1930s.

 

When Sprague was CEO, local AM buyers in MA would call him direct when the car wasn't working.

 

Aston corporate is quite aware of the issues at some dealerships.

Aston should concentrate on making out of production model spare parts affordable. It does the marque no justice to see their cars on the road in need of repair. Owners opting not to make them 100% due to part costs or unavailability. The best testament to the marque is keeping the cars on the road and looking fantastic.

 

they are also slated to be at the back of the pack in F1

 

Aston Martin needs a new James Bond film to come out!

 

They are apparently obsessed with F1 while the marquee flounders. Talk about misplaced priorities.

 

Given the terrible finances at AM, a better topic for thought is what happens when the company goes into receivership or is bought in a fire-sale by a middle eastern backed conglomerate.
It seems to me their key decision is, continue to make the quite well regarded current range, scale back aspirations for the hyper cars like the Valkyrie and rebuild the dealership network with an eye towards planned scarcity (see Ferrari for details).
Or, just rob the badge and name for new purposes, possibly make ‘cars’ made elsewhere (see MG and probably Lotus for details).

One has a path towards service parts and support for older vehicles, the other, not so much.

Philip

 

I remember reading Stroll was sell off AM stock to Middle East wealth funds in the last year or so. AM is losing money faster than ever. I think the cars or overpriced and the maintenance costs out of control. The depreciation on the cars is terrible. I paid less than 1/4 of the invoice cost of my car and it had less than 18,000 miles. Truthfully there are better cars that are much more reliable where servicing is easier to come by.
I love my Vantage but I am not so sure I would by another AM. $1500 oil changes are just not right. I service my own car because I enjoy doing it. But the people they want to buy new cars take them to the dealer for service. A friend of mine had to replace his head like on his Vantage and the St. Louis dealer charged him $7000. Over charging for everything AM does will just not fly for long. Not standing behind your product only makes matters worse. Those are the things that just drive customers away.
I hate to say it but AM will be out of business within 10 years. I want to be wrong but you can’t keep losing over $400 million dollars quarter after quarter. I not so sure a management change will help. It just might be AM is to fat gone to save. No mater how much money a company or person has enough is enough.