vanquish owners?

The majority of buyers are not familiar with racing colors and BRG is actually darker, but Aston races in that color. To say racing color adds appeal would be like saying a Blue Corvette is more desirable - as we all know it's not. If the Green Vanquish appeals to you just get it, it will standout at any meet in a line of common silver, gray, tungsten cars - but just keep in mind it will be harder to sell if you ever come to that point. The great thing is there is always a wrap to make it any color desirable for a reasonable price.

Actually, I love the 3M brushed aluminum and have thought about putting the carbon fiber on my roof between the chrome to give it that BMW carbon roof look and if I don't like it later I can always just peel it off with not impact to the car just like my clear protective bra.

 

That is a pretty car! The price looks compelling too. I have not bought a car yet but this thread has me thinking about a non s vang again. I really like that green!

 

This car really looks STUNNING.
If you can afford it, all I can say is : GO.
Those are becoming harder to find, especially in good condition.
By the way, currently there is no Vanquish S for sale on eBay (and only 5 non-S).

 

In some way, it is great that most people will shoot for the same dark colors. I have seen 2 Aston racing green, one in Connecticut and one in NewYork and that color is better in person than on picture.
Color, like fashion comes and goes. 10-15 years from now I beleive the buyer/collectors will likely look for the aston green.

 

In looking at various Vanquish and Vanquish S one thing is not clear to me... I have seen various interiors and interior changes over time. There are different center consoles and different seats (e.g., some are all leather and others have a leather and quilted alcantera type of look). Can somebody educate me as to how the interior treatment changed from the early Vanquish models to the later 2006 Vanquish S models and the significance (option? change in a particular year) of the seats provided, etc.? Cheers.

 

likewise, I have noticed differences in the area by the door panel area. there looks to be a different treatment for the leather just above the arm rest on the door panel. some panels look like the leather has separated from the panel and other panels seem to have an additional seam or the like in that area keeping the separation from occurring. any guidance on that?

 

To make it simple :

Vanquish 2001-2004 interior :



Vanquish S 2005 interior :



Vanquish S 2006-2007 interior :




For 2004 MY Vanquish, the engine start button was no more red but in transparent glass, as the Vanquish S.

The "S sport seats" indeed appeared with the 2004 Sport Dynamic Pack Vanquish.
As I was saying in an other post, I believe that the sport seats were an option in the US because I noticed some S with the normal seats, while in Europe all the S have the sport seats.

The major change concerns the 2006 MY Vanquish S with a whole new dashboard, much more modern. By the way, the audio sound system is no more the Linn but replaced by an Alpine, and there is now an integrated colored navigation screen.
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Armens pics above tell the tale about the dash and evolutionary interior changes. Only comment I have is there should be one more pic of an 01-02 interior (the first pic is a late 02-03 car). You can tell the difference because they changed the stereo to teh 1k watt Linn and the door panels changed to add the center strip (to stop the bubbling).

In regards to seats, the thing to keep in mind is Vanqs were $235k+ when new and being a bespoke car an owner could custom choose however they wanted it made to include non standard colors. You will see quilted seats, quilted headliners, stitching color variations, 2+0/2+2 configurations, aluminum accent or two tone steering wheels, and some very odd color combos. The often mentioned SDP was offered as a dealer upgrade for pre 04 cars and some owners (very few) had their cars upgraded (S-breaks, seats, etc - I've only seen 1), so it's the Wild West out there for a buyer in what you will and may find.

Bottom line - Vanqs are a great buy right now, just like a Testarrosa, 328, 308 were 4 years ago (amazing that the price has doubled). I predict a steady climb in Vanqs when they hit the 20yo mark and anyone interested needs to move on clean examples before you end up having to pay way more in the very near future. The car has all the collectibility factors.

 

the only non-collectability factor in my mind is the lack of 3 pedal option from the factory. true analogue cars are where the real upward value trajectory lies.

that said, I do like this as a "real" aston.

 

I think that's a personal opinion about 3 pedal cars. The fact is 3-pedal is legacy technology like analog gauges. These early paddle cars standout and will grow in appreciation. Just ask yourself how many paddle cars were there in 2001 (count with 1 hand)! Watch as the next generational wave of the current 20-something age of car enthusiasts start to enter their collector buying prime and you will see their desire for the analog will not be a factor IMO. The fact is they didn't grow up with it and they didn't see the racers with it - so the relevance isn't there. We on the other hand grew up with 3-pedals, always heard how connected a feel it was, all the cool cars were typically 3 pedal, so the perspective was very different - it was engrained in us and that is no longer the case.

Go back an look at late 80s-90s Car and Driver magazines that trashed the early Digital Dash on GM cars (Corvette, Allante, etc)...Guess what it's down right cool now and expected in any modern performance car vs an arcaic needle.

I am by no means bias - I own both paddles and pedals my NSX are 512TR are 3 pedal, but everything else is automatic, auto manual (Vanquish), or sport shift option (SL55) and personally as collector enthiusiast I prefer paddles over all - Actually, I wish the NSX had F1 paddles. If you think about bit there is a reason you have paddles in real racing i.e. F1 - it is more responsive.

Collectors typically want cars that are 1.) rare, 2.) represents something, and/or 3.) has an iconic factor regardless of performance (which is relative). Nothing about the Vanquish performance is amazing at this point, but it is rare (like all quater million dollar cars are), represents last of old factory Astons, and is Iconic for its movie affiliation and sheer beauty of its sculpted lines, which are timeless.

 

Awesome stuff by all three of you above in educating me - just what I was looking for. I am having my mechanic do some routine maintenance and fix some minor stuff on my newly acquired Vanquish S (2006). I should take delivery of it late next week and will post some pictures at that time. Much, much appreciated!

 

Welcome to the Vanquish owner circle - looking forward to seeing your pics.

I have noticed a dramatic upswing in interest this past year on various forums with inquiry and comments on planned purchases, which is a strong indicator that the cars are finally starting to move in enthusiast circles vs the boulevard poser set. I saw the prices level out last year and this year may be the year to watch.

 

Vanquish today are amongst the best if not the best value for a V12. As I mentioned before the price is comparable to that of a F 3x8 which is such a lower standard car compared to it. Even the regular Testarossa v12 are getting ridiculously high for a car made at over 7000 units.
The only period competition is the 612 but it does not look as good and you cant put plate like 007..

 

@spepmiller : Welcome to the Vanquish Family !

@sherlitt and Pat : that's also my opinion... get them as long as you can...

I also note an increasing demand for THE Vanquish (I write THE because we all know there is only one and unique Vanquish... the new one doesn't deserve the name at all, it remains a tuned DB9 2013 with some aero pack and different interior... )

 

I've just started looking around at cars currently on the market...99% of the cars out there are due for a big service...have no service records available...one dealer I spoke with has been holding for 7mo even though it's market priced...I think it's a buyers market with a very limited pool of buyers.

The other car I'm thinking about is a DB9 Coupé with manual gearbox, anyone have one, opinions??

Owners in the DC/MD/VA area, who do you use for maintenance?

 

I agree that it's still a buyers market, but it's potentially at a tipping point based on various indicators. I'm in the DMV area and the last major was with Josh at (ECS) exotic car specialities back in 2010 with my own parts supplied, but he merged under another firm and I cant remember the new name. Use HWM in the UK for parts, for the best prices - even with overseas shipping factored in it was cheaper than any U.S. Sourced parts. The car isnt complicated, but has several silly panels and screws to get to everything, so don't be too worried about it from a technical standpoint. The shop working on your Ferrari can do a Vanq.

I like DB9s and almost bought a 06 last year; they are a great value and more modern and refined, but looking at prices they have already slipped below Vanqs and I think you will be better off money wise with a Vanq which has at least stabilized and most likely will increase in value, while the DB9 will continue to slip to DB7 levels before the prices stabilize.

 

That is typical when bottom gets reached. I recall the very same thing on the countach when I was looking. Now burnt car with missing parts go for $95K...
The answer: get the 1% as it is cheaper long term and buyers competition is not on yet. Some member here have recently found very decent cars although in many case a regular service was due.

I guess most dealers rather sell the car cheap than putting $$ into it and be assured of a properly sorted car.
It is silly IMO because the Aston service cost $2500 on a car above $50K.

 

From what I have seen there are not too many abused examples out there and as Countachqv says the service isn't expensive relative to the type of exotic car you are getting in a Vanquish with a V12. In fact it's a fraction of what I pay for the Ferrari, but well above any other car I own and oddly most expensive to insure.

I don't think you should limit yourself in the market to the "creme de la creme" examples and might be able to find a bargain on a car that needs a major service and tires and minor cosmetics. I can never understand why people freak out over services (which are just fluid changes) and shun cars that are not serviced. If you are savvy enough to source your own parts and familiar with simple things and can turn a screw driver you can do a lot yourself! ie do you need to spend .5-1hr labor @ $190hr at Aston Martin to change air-filters?! Vanqs have cylinder drop in air-filters that take only a few minutes to swap, the fuel filters are easy access, brake flush is a break flush, etc...so on and so on.

I have sold cars needing service and serviced cars prior to sale and in my case there was really no difference in quality of the car the buyer got, other than who paid to change the oil (if I did it; he paid for it anyway in the price). Just find a mechanically sound car and plan to do some of the simple things and start enjoying. Parts are expensive, but not shocking if your at Ferrari standards and many items are Ford/Jaguar common which will save you some dollars. Key example I paid $12 from Aston for a plastic seat lever that was the same as a $2 Mustang part...which promptly broke again after a few uses - lesson learned.

 

One of the above messages mentioned that used Vanquish/Vanquish S cars for sale often have not had a major service done in a while. The one that I purchased had a major service done 18 months and about 2,100 miles ago at 18,922 miles. Also a minor annual service was done about 6 months ago. My question is what is the recommended major and minor servicing increment in years and mileage that you veteran owners above recommend? I am not inclined to do anything but follow the best practice instructions or what is recommended by Aston Martin. As always, any wisdom is appreciated.

 

It really depends on how you drive, annual miles, and environmental conditions. The back of the owners manual (Tab 3) prescribes 1, 7.5, 15k mi intervals with essentially a full fluid swap at 2yr/30k mi with attention to the gearbox, engine, radiator. Since I do not get anywhere near daily driver miles I extend mine slightly due to low miles and focus more on time vs miles at approx 3yrs+. Fluids do break down, but synthetics have a bit more shelf life which drives my service interval.

The services in the book call for common sense checks ie check wipers, check hoses, check for leaks, check lights, etc...everything you can do yourself if you know what you're looking at or know someone familiar with me chicks and what "right" looks like.

 

My take on it is take it every 1 to 1.5 years to the dealer. If you are a mechanic type you sure could do that but many are not or dont have the time. Personally I can do oil change etc but I will take it down the shop every year or 2. Reason being the guy knows Vanqs very well and knows where to look and what to check.
Main thing is oil or fluid leaks. that is what you want to look for regularily. To really look into that you got to drop that underbody cover. If you have a lift and some time that is a good week end project.
no lift? dont even bother doing it..

 

Agree you need a lift to do a proper inspection as the under plate has about 30+ screws if you really want to take everything off (not required because of access points), but you can still check your car without it. The big point I differ on is to say a local Aston tech(s) know a Vanquish - which is a major stretch and is like saying take your Countach to a Lambo dealer because they know the car...I doubt they know the car at this point just like an Aston dealer familiar with Vantages and DB9s know a Vanquish.

Have you really looked at the service checklist on your Vanq (dealer service typically will give you one) - there is nothing special about it that isn’t on any other car - if you pop your hood you can tell if your hoses are brittle or if you have a class 1 leak around a gasket - it's right there in front of you for the most part and if you never drive your car in the rain do you need to change wiper blades (per the service) every two years - no. The ASM pump under the car is not covered by the under plate, so if it is leaking you will have drips or puddle on your garage floor.

Having confidence in your local franchise dealer may be misplaced trust and it all depends on their ever changing staff at any given time. The service advisor of Aston of Washington DC a few years ago asked me if my Vanquish was a Sedan or Coupe when I was scheduling an appointment over the phone - how is that for knowing your brands Halo car! It really depends on your location and number of cars in your area that actually get seen by them. I think the local dealer in my area said they only see 1-3 a year at best...hardly expert familiarity IMO.

As you mention everyone has their own take and need for levels of peace of mind, but I can’t see the need to spend $1k annually (dealer basic service $800-1200) for a car driven 1-2kmi for someone to tell me I have a leak or to screw on my $30+ oil filter and fill my reservoir with oil as being well spent dollars. I am not saying "dont do it" - It should definitely be done periodically for a deep look and I think they are the only ones that can program your TPMS anyway when you put on new tires, but as a matter of routine I would argue no.

 

Why has the green one been on sale so long? Well it's green and over priced...I know a dealer who found it so hard to sell a green Ferrari that he had to paint it red to move it, another dealer told me a car with a blue interior is virtually impossible to sell.

Personally I think the green looks good....

 

I dont know about all of this. Everyone I met seem to love the Aston green and $69K ask for a thoroughbred V12 today is far from overpriced. May be those who think that should just keep shopping for a v8 F3x8. May be a better bargain for them..

 

At $70k, this Vanquish is not overpriced at all... I think it is only a matter of color, even though I find it stunning in that combo