In the 2000s, Aston Martin was arguably the most want-one car brands on the planet, producing style icons like the DB9, DBS, and V8 Vantage. However, because everyone loves the way they look, they never depreciated to the same level as the earlier DB7s did when they hit their bottom. Or at least, most of them didn’t. When I stumbled upon this Aston Martin V8 Vantage listed on Facebook Marketplace for $17,000, my eyes just about leapt out of my skull.
We’re talking about the baby Aston, a cut-down V8-powered sibling to the DB9 thrust into battle against the Porsche 911. Sure, it was more expensive than the 911, not as sharp as its German rival, and didn’t feature rear seats, but with a silhouette like this, the V8 Vantage carved out a niche of its own. After all, Aston Martin took the risky move of having two full years between unveiling the concept and putting it into production, and the design didn’t go stale.
Originally launched with a 4.3-liter V8 pumping out 380 horsepower and 302 lb.-ft. of torque, this British brawler featured a slightly rear-biased weight distribution and could sprint from zero-to-60 mph in 4.8 seconds while pumping out some glorious V8 noise. At the same time, the Ian Callum and Henrik Fisker coachwork endowed the V8 Vantage with the status of being among the most beautiful cars of the 2000s.
Alright, so maybe this open-topped Volante example with 117,000 miles on the clock is a little less fresh than the average V8 Vantage. The front grille situation is a bit more, well, open than when this thing left the factory, it has its share of battle scars, and certain functions aren’t quite optimal. The seller states that the roof only works manually, there’s a phantom battery drain somewhere, and the secondary air injection system isn’t quite operating as intended.
Inside, it’s a similar story, with some mismatched trim on the center stack, unusual wear on the driver’s seat, and what appear to be scratches on the radio screen. However, by dirt-cheap exotic car standards, none of the switchgear is missing, and the dashboard leather on this V8 Vantage seems fairly alright considering it’s a known sore spot with the model.
From the look of things, this Aston has seen a hard 117,000 miles, but these V8 Vantages are generally known for being surprisingly reliable. The big potential pain point would be a timing cover leak, but the internals of the engine are robust and even the SportShift transmission isn’t a complete nightmare so long as fluid changes are done on time. Sure, it’s definitely not the most refined gearbox on the planet, even by single-clutch automated manual standards, but it seems more robust than say, BMW’s SMG transmissions, and it seems to offer longer clutch life than Maserati’s Duoselect single-clutch units. Its primary bugs were largely isolated to software issues, and updated calibrations exist to make owning a SportShift car a pretty painless experience by single-clutch standards.
Actually, painless is a reasonably decent way to describe a V8 Vantage. It’s almost a Camry by exotic car standards, in that it mostly just works. Sure, the dash leather will eventually start to pull away and consumables are expensive, but at the end of the day, it’s an Aston Martin you can theoretically run on a reasonable budget. Plus, this one doesn’t seem like a basketcase, it just looks like a solid project that could use a little love. So, if you’re feeling brave, this one’s up for sale in New Jersey. At $17,000, how can you really go wrong?
Top graphic credit: Facebook Marketplace seller
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I may be brave enough yet my wallet is crying and hiding in fear.
Why buy this when you can buy an XKR for the same price in WAY better condition? They’re basically the same car and the XKR has a supercharger.
The xkr is also way cooler looking imho
And the Jag’s exhaust note is phenomenal! Office mgr here has one. Sound better than Boss’s Z06 (which sounds like chevy truck when fired up).
Just buy a motorcycle?
Needs more aero…
Now we know a guy who can help!
You know, $17k isn’t THAT much money for the start of an entertaining new YouTube series….
I love Astons of this generation, but they are absolutely vehicles that you only buy the very best one you can afford – and if this one is the only one you can afford, then you can’t afford to own one.
No.
I am gonna wait till the Orange Turd makes me bigly wealthy, “so much money we won’t know what to do with it”, rich../s.
From all the sweet market tariffs, and the record breaking economy. and stock market…/s
Then I will buy Torch a decent car…
Ass hat…YMMV
the good news: we’ll all be billionaires. the bad news: it will be a million dollars for a loaf of bread.
Hitting the buy-it-now. Hit it with a good rattle can primer paint job, slap on some Cragar’s, big meats in the rear, skinny tires in front, air shocks out back to jack it up, some ladder bars…perfect Jersey cruiser.
Add a flame paint job and KC lights and it’s the Porsche from Bachelor Party. Linked in case you’re to young to remember an early Tom Hanks flick before he pivoted to dramatic roles.
https://www.imcdb.org/v025148.html
I’m in. It would make a perfect 5th car.
Oh Lord No. Just buy a Corvette for that money, you’ll be a whole lot happier in the long run.
Agree with this, if you search hard, you could probably find a stick.
I just ran a search, dozens of C5 manuals (lots of them droptop) in total creampuff condition. Even a couple of C6s with close to 100k.
And every podunk town big enough to have a dealership row has a GM dealer that can fix them.
Yeah plenty of manual versions of these in much better shape go for reasonable money even on BaT.
Anyone can buy a Corvette and look like another sad sack middle aged thinning haired loser.
My jorts and gleaming white New Balance sneakers are ready to go.
Gee, I never knew buying a car meant default adherence to archaic stereotypes. I must not have got the memo.
But James Bond never drove a Corvette.
He wouldn’t be caught dead in this sorry example.
James Bond is also a fantasy story
…
You can tell because his Aston always starts
I looked at these before I bought my Europa. The running costs and potential for big bills scared me off. Pretty though.
I’ve been passing one on my way to work for years, it’s gorgeous. But the rear number plate fell off in October, and just sat there on the ground for months, which made me realise it wasn’t being driven.
Paging SWG to the white courtesy phone.
SWG, please pick up the white courtesy phone
“Alright, gimme Ham on five, hold the Mayo.”
More interesting project than the lackluster taxi, IMHO.
Over/under on the repair costs outpacing the purchase price – I’d put it at 9.5 months.
I’m thinking they’re trying to tell us something by photographing it pulled over on the side of the road in the middle of nowhere.
Luckily the grille from a Ford Fusion should just bolt right in.
There are worse ways to cause your wife to file for divorce, but there are better cars to have to live out of afterwards, so I think I will have to pass today. It would be fun though!
A good one? Sure. This mangy old dog? Oh HELL no. There are more fun ways to lose piles of money.
Leave this one for Hoovie, I am sure The Wizard has a Rolex he wants to buy.