Is it worth the upcharge for the S? Seems like there is a gap of $30-$40 between a "standard" Vanquish and the "S" Your thoughts?
Wow - based on your profile we have VERY similar taste in cars! A lot of it depends on your driving and what, if any, updates the younger car has had. I bought my 05 'S' in October and love it. I wanted the 'S' partly because of all the upgrades (particularly steering ratio & brakes, plus power), but also because I've had enough exotics to know that updates trickle in for small manufacturers, so you're always best off buying the latest car of any model you can possibly afford. I did not feel the need to pay the premium for the 06 cars with the last dash version, but I did want the 'S'. I did drive both, and at least for "test drive" level street driving the extra power of the 'S' was not particularly noticeable. I think the steering ratio would be if you drove them back to back, but not otherwise. The Vanquish is a car that likes to be driven hard. If that's your style, buy the 'S'. If you're going to toodle around mostly, you'd probably be better off with a DB9 or Vantage. There are things like the ignition system which like to perform in the high rpm range and constant low rpm use accelerates killing coils. The early paddle shift system is also kind of slow and clunky toodling around town but is a lot of fun when shifted under heavy throttle and high rpm. It is the same actuator as the 360 uses, just on a Tremec transmission instead of the 360's Graziano. There were also several transmission updates, mostly with regard to the sensors that determine which gear the car is in. The most recent ones (which are standard on the 'S') are magnetic and eliminate a lot of the 'gearbox fault' errors the early cars suffered. Early cars can be upgraded, but it requires pulling the transmission, so it is usually done when a clutch is changed. A non-'S' that's on the original clutch probably has the old sensors and is therefore more subject to shifting problems. The paddle shift is a love-hate thing. I went in eyes-open understanding that it was an early version and might have some teething issues. I also considered changing the car to the 6-speed conversion at some point. As it is, I enjoy the paddles and think they suit the car well, but you do need to make sure whatever car you buy has the latest firmware and was set up by a tech who knows Vanquishes (Vanquii?). If it was, most people are quite happy with the gearbox. If not, they can be a pain. You can get many more opinions and information at the Forum at www.amoc.org. There are happy owners there of both 'S' and non 'S' versions to query. Either way, if it's been set up right and well maintained, you can't go wrong. It's a gorgeous and entertaining ride. There are also PPI checklists available and other things you want to look at before buying.
Sadly I am not able to answer your question directly. I own a Astin martin vantage convertible. The car has been reliable and the dealer has been good. My car does not perform or handle like a sports car. Mine at least is only a touring car. I feel this way and I am 66 years old. If you are younger you may feel even more driven to cars that perform. The cars are really nice looking. I had a exhaust put on mine that gives it a unique Astin martin Growl. Just like my Lambo and ferrari each have a unique sound note so does the Astin with this muffler sold at the dealer. They have loud mufflers or one that just adds character. The GPS at least on my car is dated on ease of use and features so I would svoid that and buy a Garmin if you need one For me I go for the performance at least at this stage of my life. You may have a family and house to take car of so cheaper and lower or no debt may be better . Good luck on whatever you do. PS: I just read charles Perry post and he has more knowledge than I do. So I would follow his thoughts Lee
Great write-up thank you for your time in doing so. I suspect this car would be more of a toodling around car and inasmuch maybe the standard is the route to go. My brother has had the DB9 and it was a beauty maybe I ought to even rethink that and perhaps a volante' at that. My interest in the "S" would be primarily as a long term hold and while it isn't really a pressing issue I just thought perhaps it would rebound value down the line.
I don't know Vanquishes from driving them, but the manumatic gearbox better be better than the Vantage. We drove the Vantage with the paddles and would not own the car. A competent driver shifts far better, esp. for toodling when you want to be gentle with the box and clutch engagement. Our Vantage manual is a joy to drive. I agree, drive the car with the paddles and decide for yourself - I personally have never driven a manumatic gearbox I'd own with a single clutch. The newer DSG, PDK, etc are excellent and I will eventually hae to give up my beloved shifter I am afraid.
The 'S' units are holding their value better than standards and I think will continue to do so, but like a lot of exotics, value is closely tied to mileage. Even over the two years that I was shopping, nice 'S' units bottomed out around $95k and started to climb again. Most seem to go in the $100-$110k range, with some crazy people asking in the $130-$150k for a low mileage 06. If you were interested in holding it and putting little or no mileage on it, I think it would hold and climb. If you intend to enjoy it, resale deteriorates quickly with mileage. I bought mine to use and am OK with the resultant extra depreciation - it is a fabulous car and too good to let sit in the garage. I don't think you can go wrong with any of the modern Astons, but a nice 6-speed Vantage is a relative bargain and probably a good bit cheaper to maintain. I would love to add a Vantage V12 to my collection at some point, but I need to be much further down the depreciation curve than current units are.
I wonder how many examples of the Vanquish have been retrofitted with the conventional manual. I've never actually seen one for sale. Maybe for the people that choose the expense of the conversion, these cars are "keepers"?
They are rare, especially in the US, but there's probably a couple of dozen here. They were all done by Works Services at a dealership called AutoSport Designs in New York (www.autosportdesigns.com). Every one I've seen for sale has been at that dealership - maybe Tom has some sort of first rights on buy back. There are none there now but I've seen as many as three there at once. None of them were 'S' models to the best of my knowledge. Closest I've seen was a converted 04 with the Sport Dynamic package that had some of the 'S' enhancements.
IIRC the S model was basically the sport dynamic package, and the 6.0L engine ...perhaps there were other mods? did the AM vanquish ultimate package actually get built? ...if so, maybe is unlikely any came to the US (there were only 40 made), which came from factory with a manual trans
while it's true that some of the parts on the transmission are similar, the actuator isn't one of them. In fact, it's the actuator that caused the problems on earlier cars. The gear position sensors were basically bits of garden wire welded onto the end of the sensor then acting on pins wedged on the selector shaft. These bend and loose their position in the gate, causing gear loss. These were later upgraded, it's worth seeing if it's been carried out. Walk away from cars with starter motor or cat problems- both are an engine out job. As for the manual transmission conversion- it's suprisingly simple. The trickiest bit is altering the pedal box to fit the clutch pedal. I've done two- straight swap for the db7 vantage gearbox, gearshift, flywheel and clutch pack, a hole in the carbon tunnel for the stick, and an altered db7 vantage pedal box and modified pedal. it's about three days work.
