11th Jun 2005, 18:17
Poor residuals highlight the unreliability of this vehicle. I hope you manage to get back half your outlay from the dealer. It was a nightmare trying to sell my 2001 db7 vantage. Main agents will be able to rob you, as the phone will never ring. The vanquish and db9 are beautiful, but I couldn't trust another Aston.
2nd Dec 2005, 22:32
I think Ford has a big reason why Astons doesn't come out good anymore... Even with Land Rovers specifically the Discovery 3 has lots of electrical problems... considering its computers... Ford just bought other companies for them to ruin it!
10th Jan 2006, 07:07
I agree completely! I remember fondly the Jaguars my father owned when I was a child and it was always my dream to own one of my own. I currently own a 2001 Jaguar S-Type V8 SE which I bought as a dealer's demo. What a pile of rubbish... Back to Audis for me!
2nd Mar 2006, 17:02
Wow you had one bad '86 ford escort and that's it? You cut yourself off from ford?
You have to learn to do research first then buy the car that will have the least problems. All makes have problems.
And I honestly don't think ford had anything to do with AM's problems...
Whenever you do a major redesign of a car or bring out a new model, like the vaquish, then its bound to have problems, all first time models do.
3rd Mar 2006, 09:19
So your theory is that even if you spend $200K+ for a car you should still expect to be a beta tester for the company's product.
Got it.
Funny my friend's first year Scion xB model had TWO minor problems in the three years he owned it, and the bigger of the problems was due to the radio that wasn't even made by Toyota.
I guess we know what the smart money is buying these days.
3rd Mar 2006, 15:25
Well, yea, considering that there are very few Vanquishes in production and on the road, its pretty easy to get problems when you're say 1 of 100 as compared to driving say an explorer where you're driving 1 of 250,000 or so. (#s may be screwy I know)
The scion stuff is just a different body/bunch of sheetmeal on corolla underpinnings. Not much change there.
For instance, a REAL model change is the 96 to 97 ford f150s, the GTO, the dodge magnum/charger...
11th May 2006, 23:43
I agree completely, can we please get back to the Aston again... Mine has been in the garage more than me driving it. I mean the dealers garage, not mine. The last time it broke down on the 605 freeway in the middle of rush hour, I was ready to give away the keys to the car, so someone would take it out of my life... the last comment I got was "I don't want that piece of crap." Looks very nice though...
2nd Sep 2006, 04:08
These supercar reviews all have similar salient points:
- Lousy standard of written English
- No mention of facts not already in the public domain
- Highly polarised views on reliability and performance (usually either "the car is near perfect and nothing's ever gone wrong with it, despite the fact that I regularly drive at over 200mph in it" or "the car breaks down daily, has had 4 gearboxes and 2 transmissions in 1000 miles, and my wife hates it and would rather have a ** insert name of another supercar here **"
15th Nov 2007, 23:48
Ford isn't Aston Martin's problem, nor is it Jaguar's or Land Rovers. When you buy expensive luxury cars loaded with electronics and new kinds of technology, it should be common sense before buying to take into account the high chance that something will go wrong. Aston Martin's paddle shift semi-auto tranny was the first they'd made and therefore cannot be expected to be perfect. Also, just because a car is over $100,000 does not mean that you are buying yourself reliability, but rather exclusivity. They are two different things. Nothing is free and everything comes at a price. When you spend those kind of dollars, you are paying to stand out and you don't give two damns about the great fuel economy that the guy in the '01 Golf TDI behind you is getting. Comparing a Scion XB with a Vanquish is one of the most idiotic things I have ever read in my life. Of course a Toyota is going to be more reliable than an Aston martin. Its got 3 times less cylinders for crying out loud, not to mention 1/8 of the sophistication worth of technology. The less you have in a car, the less there is to go wrong. People, please stop and think before you come up with these bogus statements and reasons-that sound like you've pulled them out of your butts-to answer things you have no clue about.
22nd Nov 2007, 19:45
Why should anyone (OK rich folks) have to live with inconvenience? What is good with a car regardless of price, if it doesn't fulfill its primary duty of getting from point A to point B? You are simply making excuses for the company for making lemons! Exclusivity and reliability can both exist if the company can use the higher profit into making more reliable electronics or even outsourcing. I am sure none of the Vanquish owners would find the problems with the car part of the appeal for owning one.
16th Dec 2007, 14:46
If you want reliability, buy a Civic! It will outlast any Aston Martin ever made. Reliability and exclusivity can both exist? Hardly, my friend. The cars that fall under the category of exclusivity are all super low production cars, which in turn lead them to be not of the most reliable kind. The Vanquish has a build rate of around 300 cars per YEAR. Honda sold 3,334 civics in 2006, let alone the total number of civics that were even built that year. That's exclusivity versus reliability. People buy Astons because they want to be a part of a very "exclusive" club; one of passion and legend. People buy Hondas, Toyotas, Volkswagens because they want a car that will get them from A - B without costing them $3000 per service or $140 to fill up every 200km. This is the difference. I will say it again; when you buy from a manufacturer that throws out 300 cars per year, expect its reliability to far under-perform that of one that produces 5000. I don't know what "higher profits" you speak of, but lets just talk about profit in general. In the case of such a company as Aston, those profits go towards the design of stronger engines, more aggressive and modern looks, and a new story to be told. Sure, the problems that the Vanquish has are not part of the appeal of owning one, but what the car represents in regards to automotive history is! I hope I have made my point.
29th Nov 2004, 15:26
I too own a 2003 Vanquish with 3000 miles. Truly a beautiful car to look at that is awe inspiring to drive. However, the car is plagued with numerous problems relating to the electrical system, clutch and transmission. The car has multiple faults that requires constant visits to the dealership. Do yourself a favor and consider an alternative vehicle.