Is the Aston Martin Vantage becoming a serious bargain?

[Eldavo]

My dad had a DB9 Coupe that (apart from an electric window fault) gave him no problems at all and so he chopped it in for a DB9 Cab.

He kept it 6 months before getting into a Panamera, his description of the car was 'it made that Maserati I had look reliable".

 

[Alex]

It's the same with any of these expensive cars when they're newer. Places charge what they want.

A quick search on eBay brings a front set of OEM Vantage brake pads up at £22 from GSF:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/OEM-Fron...g-Aston-Martin-Vantage-05-08-4-3/302383592204


I can see my mate Dave shifting his Mazzer and going for one of these.

 

[Zingari]

Get Dave to keep a look out for Halfords offers. They do a very nice socket set with a lifetime guarantee. It will get plenty of use and that guarantee will come in useful :thumb:

 

[Alex]

I have one of those - best buy ever for a spanner monkey.

He already has all his tools does Dave, although the trip to Halfords would be a good call if he's struggling getting parts. When he couldn't quickly get some new front pads for his Mazzer, he used the remnants (backing plate) of his originals, drilled holes in them and bolted a set of old Lancia Delta pads (he found in his shed) on until he managed to get some replacements.

As a side note - his attempt at making new pads out of car body filler didn't work too well.......just in case anyone was thinking of trying it.

 

[Palladium]

i am quite often over Milton Keynes way, and Newport pagnell, going up tickford st, you see the old stuff all in a line ready for restoration work, they really do look the part, its like going back in time, then you look at the showroom for the modern stuff, all the same boring look, i don't really see the attraction in one, rather have a lotus evora.


but yes it may well be a bargain, air-cooled were dirt cheap ten years ago, then people woke up, probably to do with the fact that a modern car is a yawn.

I think maseratis are similarily a bargain at first glance, but i think its for a good reason.

 

[Alex]

Jut another comment - aren't most the serviceable parts shared with Jags & Mazzers? So the service cost should be similar to running one of those? :dont know:

 

[Nimrod]

Yes Alex lots of bits from an XK8 which my neighbour replaced his Vantage with and found to be much more reliable and cost him virtually nothing to run in comparison.

 

[Alex]

I think maseratis are similarly a bargain at first glance, but i think its for a good reason.

My mate's Mazzer has cost him virtually nothing and it's been his daily for around 9 years. He can make a pound go along way though.

I put all this wallet bashing down to dealers fleecing folk. Fair enough, they (Astons) might have a poor build quality/reliability but I bet most issues can be resolved at a fair price.

 

[mark pearce]

If you think Austin's and Maserati's are expensive to run because the dealers are ripping off the owners and you can do it on the cheap with a socket set and bits from eBay, good luck, but don't say no one warned you.



I sold a couple of TVR Chimaeras, with the most incredibly well documented service histories,

I ve learnt the hard way


Take a look at the closing scenes of Kelly's Heroes

It's a piece of junk the fuel system leaks all over the place

It's not my negative waves

 

[Alex]

Run Forest Run :grin:

 

[kozzi]

I think The clear Lights on the vantage s look Like a joke. My mate said it would throw up a warning lights every trip - just for laughter he though! Aston dealers must have more front than Southend!

 

[Phil 997]

It's the same with any of these expensive cars when they're newer. Places charge what they want.

A quick search on eBay brings a front set of OEM Vantage brake pads up at £22 from GSF:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/OEM-Fron...g-Aston-Martin-Vantage-05-08-4-3/302383592204


I can see my mate Dave shifting his Mazzer and going for one of these.

Alex you would fit those nasty chinese knock offs and the squealing everytime you brake will drive you mad the genuine ones if I remember correctly had some sort of ceramic mix in them :?:

 

[cheshire911]

If you think Aston's and Maserati's are expensive to run because the dealers are ripping off the owners and you can do it on the cheap with a socket set and bits from eBay, good luck, but don't say no one warned you.

There is very good main dealer and indy specialist for Aston Martin and Maserati here. The indy labour rates are dearer than a Porsche indy (as there are fewer indys for these marques due to fewer total number of cars). The parts aint' cheap either. But going to a main dealer for Aston in Wilmslow (Stratstone) or for a Maserati in Stockport (H R Owen Lamborghini, Maserati) is far higher for labour. The view of indys is that to keep them according to manufacturer schedules and replacement of parts aint cheap. Its when corners are cut that it may impact on the marque and the model. So if labour rates at indys is higher than porsche indys and the parts can be expensive as many are main dealer supplied, then cost of ownership is high(er).

 

[Palladium]

we need these classic euro/british marques with Toyota build quality and reliability,

it must be heartbreaking thinking you have made it with an aston on the drive and a grand every time you use it

i remember the xjs, similar deal really, ok when new under warranty, but then get rid of ffs

 

[Zingari]

Take a look at the closing scenes of Kelly's Heroes

My guess is Oddball drives a 993 :thumb: