Should you buy an Aston Martin? V8 Vantage Review & Porsche 911 Comparision

Thinking about buying an Aston Martin? The first generation V8 Vantage is a steal right now. For under $40,000, you can buy a great example....but should you? In this video, I'll do a review of this 2007 and comment on how it compares with my Porsche 911 Carrera S (997 / 997.2). Check out www.ecarguides.com for Porsche maintenance DIYs or below for more videos. Also check out D Wray's channel at / @dwraysgarage
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Camera Equipment Used:
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[@512TXSDIY]

It sounds so good though! I think it’s worth $35,000 :-). Cheaper than a new Tahoe. Personally, I like the manual knobs because it’s less to break. And I like the no sunroof.

[@DWraysGarage]

Thorough coverage and great thoughts about this car that tease out how I see its place in the world also. When the clutch fails and I go light flywheel and upgraded clutch disc, will be interesting to see if it becomes more alert and urgent.

[@elcasho]

Nice review, I'd love one

[@93455Driver]

Amazing exhaust sound.

[@OverlandTT]

Great overview my friend, now that boot size... you know it's for putting people in - right 😁 I'm guessing an Aston could be on your shopping list as it is mine. Best wishes from the UK 🇬🇧

[@bladerunner6282]

got one just like it. the review is a fair assessment of the car.

[@713vinh]

Good job on the review but you failed to show us the exterior beauty of this car! I was waiting for you to pull it out and do a walk around . Anyways, I use to desire this car but learned how expensive they are to repair I lost interest. Definitely a beautiful car though. BTW I have a 997.2 identical to yours with same color and 6sp manual. Really hope you do more videos on your 911.

[@CarFanatic]

Ah good point. I figured everyone knows what the vantage looks like. It was it also over 100 degrees outside 😅

[@mikeherman9418]

Save up a tad bit more and get a 4.7L Vantage with sport pack and stick. Much more of the sports car people expect. Interesting comment on the steering, as the vantage is one of the few hydraulic units left out there, most reviewers comment on how great the steering is. Especially on later models which have a quicker ration. I find mine extremely responsive and a blast to drive on track days.

[@BurritoSenor]

"Tad bit more" here in the uk the 4.7's fetch a extra 15k atm

[@anchorite1981]

Congrats on the new purchase! Next video should be about how to have a conversation with your wife about buying a second sports car!

[@CarFanatic]

Lol I should have posted her reaction. Maybe I'll do that now. Lol

[@CarFanatic]

Andrew, check out the reaction video I posted lol

[@playur2547]

I lowkey really wanna get 1 now but realistically I probably won't be able to afford one of these for another 5ish years at which point I'd be very worried about the reliably and age of this model...

[@kebekebe8025]

Yes if IS my choice model

[@jinkiewinkies5915]

I’d take it over the 997 just on the sound

[@CarFanatic]

Ha, man it was obnoxiously loud though with the current exhaust setup. I would have to quiet it down to live with it.

[@iokone47]

Congrats! Always loved the car but always afraid of maintenance and reliability. Best of luck to you with the car, but I’m sure you’ll recognize that it’s not a Porsche 😅😜 PS: Looking into getting my first Porsche this year 💪

[@abitofmymind]

Porsches party trick is going fast . Aston for everything else

[@ZDY66666]

I hear the clutch on these things cost a fortune and gets consumed more than average?

[@DWraysGarage]

Aston allegedly built the clutches to a lifespan of 25k miles - on purpose! This car has 50k miles and is on second OEM clutch. When this goes I'll opt for popular after market lightweight flywheel and twin plate setup. Similar money, better throttle response and more longevity.

[@lukascorpio2565]

That is hand break not e break

[@kebekebe8025]

Me yes automatic

[@chrisculpt57]

It is really a GT car i suspect...

[@jacquesbruno2436]

Yes, I think to buy an Aston-Martin V8 4.7 with a manual gearbox !! Friendly from France

[@barryfarrell123]

Porsche is a nice car but not very attractive AM is a timeless masterpiece. No comparison. If you only want speed by a NISSON GTR … just don’t look at it too closely..;)

[@sumporfuk]

Aren’t these cars known for clutch failures at around 50k?

[@CarFanatic]

Something like that. I know they don't last as long as a normal car.

[@sumporfuk]

Car Fanatic Yeah, and the clutch parts are $5K alone, not including labor

[@CarFanatic]

Word to the wise, if you buy a used one, make sure the clutch has been recently replaced!

[@mikeherman9418]

It's a wife's tale based on issues with the first few launch cars. If you drive it correctly you can get 70+K miles out of the original clutch. As for price, stock clutch assembly is about $2K, not $5K. I installed a upgraded AMR dual plate clutch and it was only $3K for parts. Labor I did myself. My clutch just hit 40K miles and looked fine when I pulled it. Only swapped out for performance gains.

[@richardkirby5218]

Its not an 'e' brake it's a fly off handbrake

[@kellyjensen9425]

I think you need to point more 🤣

[@MarkJVSomers]

So all in all the driver dynamics are crap for such a sporty car.

[@willscurran]

"It might depreciate a little bit". LOLOLOL. Is this your first sports car?

[@CarFanatic]

It's a 14 year old Aston which has depreciated by over 70%, so there's not much depreciation left relative to other sports cars.

[@willscurran]

@@CarFanatic Oh! Crazy. I assumed it was new since I just test drove a Vantage and they look very similar. Ya Aston's drop quickly relative to a Porsche (one of the least depreciating sports car), but by year 10+ you don't have much more left.

[@CarFanatic]

Yeah the vantage had a long production run. Beautiful exterior but the interior is dated. The new vantage design is growing on me. But yeah, never buy a sports car new unless you just have that kind of cash to blow lol

[@peoplehavetherights]

@@willscurran Well, I own an 06 with 25k miles, bought for $38K. The issue I had with a 997 I drove as well, is the very harsh and noisy ride over anything but a billiard table smooth road. Add the potential IMS bearing failure in a 997.1, and the 85K you paid for it new translated into a $26K price, which is close to what the Aston depreciation curve resembles. I've owned 911s in the past, they were more supple and quiet over broken pavement, but none of the 997s have much storage for road trips other than the small front trunk square, and the folded down rear seat shelf. Ultimately the Aston made more sense overall though I'd agree it's a better GT than a sportscar. Considering how I am going to use it, that's fine.