[FinalbossR8]

Has anyone on here also owned a v8 vantage? Ive currently got a gen1 4.2 manual and really fancy owning a 4.3 v8 vantage in the future potentially alongside the r8, has anyone had both and care to comment on how they compared?

 

[ksa]

Which year are you talking about? I have had a 2009 Vantage V8 and a brand new 2019 V8 Vantage. The R8 (mine is gen 2) is better than both put together in every single way. That being said, I don't think they are direct comparisons anyway. I liked my 2009 Vantage as it was the first 'supercar' type of a car I had and driving it was heavy, clunky and bit of a 'chore' - which I actually liked about it as it differentiated it for me than all other 'regular' cars. The new Vantage to me did not feel special as I thought I was driving a new and modern AMG/BMW vehicle. But that in some ways was also a positive thing could you're not scared of driving it and it felt like an easier car to drive than its predecessor.

 

[FinalbossR8]

Hi there im talking about a 2009 era 4.3 manual model, I agree the later vantages are of no interest to me I would only buy a manual car as my weekend car.

 

[skar829]

@P3DAL is currently driving a 2007 V8 Vantage

 

[bavarianstance]

I had an 07 V8 Vantage 6MT, it's a cool car, feels very special but it's no sports car. Think of it as a British muscle car

 

[gillss90]

It's a bit underpowered. The 4.7 later version is better or the S

 

[Trev450]

That are underpowered, questionable on-limit handling, average build quality and silly money for oe spares. Otherwise, they look and sound great.

 

[NYG]

The one thing you can say about most Astons is that they are stunning to look at.

 

[434]

I can't comment on the Vantage, but I did own a DB9 prior to the R8. I would park it and walk away from it but I had to turn around and look at it because aesthetically it was that good.
The down side was, when I drove it, it always felt disappointing.

 

[434]

However, there's a company called 'Dyno Torque' who do a conversion by installing a Chevrolet LT engine into the Vantage. That's got to work?

 

[FoD]

However, there's a company called 'Dyno Torque' who do a conversion by installing a Chevrolet LT engine into the Vantage. That's got to work?

BUT…then you take away that Russian Roulette feeling of, “is this British car going to be British today and not work?” I know my Rover has flip of the coin days. Although…now that I’m thinking about it, I’m dropping a 429 LS into it for this very reason.

 

[dertizjos]

I owned a 2008 V8 Vantage manual and loved it. The interior was leather head to toe and beautiful. Satnav was terrible but never used it. It was a beautiful car and sounded great. Much different than the R8 but not in a bad way. Classy!

 

[FinalbossR8]

so is it actually not that good a handling car im surprised id heard they were pretty good!

 

[bavarianstance]

it handles pretty well given the weight distribution but it's heavy for its size. There's not much steering feedback either. It's about the same weight as the GEN 1 R8 V10 despite the latter having quattro and 2 more cylinders.

The problem with the V8 Vantage is it has a bit of an identity crisis. It has racecar elements such as CF driveshaft and dry sump lubrication system. But then it has a lethargic throttle response that encourages lazy GT driving. The (manual) gearbox is fine but the shifts are heavy and clunky and the pedals are spaced out in a way that makes heel toe downshifts impossible.

it's truly a work of art inside and out but it has typical British issues such as electrical gremlins

 

[P3DAL]

I bought an 07 manual V8 Vantage a couple months ago after my 2010 manual R8 V8 was totaled.

From a performance perspective, it lags behind the R8 but that's not much of a surprise when comparing a mid-engine sports car to a sporty front-engine GT.

That being said, the performance isn't bad. As others have described, you definitely feel the weight especially during more spirited drives through canyons and the like. I went for a drive on ACH last Friday morning with a 718 Boxster, a GT4RS and a 992 GT3 and got left in the dust fairly quickly through the turns. But I had a great time trying to keep up.

If you want something quick and nimble for canyons and track days, it shouldn't be at the top of your list. If you want arguably one of the most iconic and timeless designed sports cars that still has a good amount of power, performance and engagement (with a manual), I personally think it is a great value for the price they are going for currently. I'd also note it has to be one of the best stock V8 exhaust notes on par with an F-Type R (which I also previously owned).

To be honest, I purchased it as a placeholder anticipating it will take 6+ months to find a replacement R8 while also waiting to see how far the market continues to drop. But in no way am I disappointed when I drive it.

If you're in the market I may be selling it soon depending on how things shake out. One of the best example 07s with only 40k miles that has had extensive maintenance/servicing including an upgraded VAP twin-plate clutch.

 

[Nagengast]

However, there's a company called 'Dyno Torque' who do a conversion by installing a Chevrolet LT engine into the Vantage. That's got to work?

Never appreciated an LS/LT swap into a car as much as I did for this one. Just looked it up and loved everything about it.

 

[FinalbossR8]

Never been a fan of engine swaps, especially in a car that has a good engine and the v8 vantage engine is a lot nicer sounding than any Ls in my opinion and a lot more advanced with a dry sump, multi camshafts and variable valve timing!

 

[gillss90]

Have you considered a Maserati Granturismo 4.7 instead. Lovely car. They come in R-tronic or Auto though

 

[FinalbossR8]

Have you considered a Maserati Granturismo 4.7 instead. Lovely car. They come in R-tronic or Auto though

Its a weekend car for me and after trying a few high performance autos such as the e92 m3 dct yes its quick and its fast but for me the involvement of a manual box and heel and toeing myself is something I love.

 

[Cu_Cuzz]

was curious about the db9 from 2005-2006 but you lot seem to be putting me off with the experiences would be a really neat replacement if i ever sold the e92 m3