2008 Aston Martin V8 VANTAGE Volante

A gorgeous example, presented in Onxy Black with soft, red-stitched Obsidian Black leather,this low-miles Vantage is a rolling testament to what we would call sensible supercar ownership. For the last five years it has been in the custodianship of John, a smashing chap who lives in west London. The Aston had just under 20,000 miles on it when John took it on in 2014, having come to the conclusion that it offered an ideal mix of sportiness and long-distance cruisability.   

Before going for the Vantage he tried a regular DB9. ‘That car was great on the motorway but didn’t seem to have much feel on open roads,’ he says. ‘The Vantage was a great deal better.’ His Vantage now shows 32,270 miles, which represents an average accumulation of well under 3000 careful miles a year –more than enough to keep the car ‘alive’ and flexible, but not enough to take the shine off it as a result of over-exposure to the cut and thrust of London traffic.

A manual-gearboxed Vantage is not the easiest car to drive thanks to its awkardly-placed gearlever and, shall we say, ‘manly’ clutch. John’s car won’t give your left leg and arm a sweaty workout in traffic as it has the Sportshift ‘flappy paddle’ automatic. The shift is not as eerily quick as some double-clutch autos but it's an excellent match for the engine and a very relaxing way to make swift progress. Just press the D button on the dash and engage your inner Brett Sinclair (yes, we know he had a DBS manual, it’s his smooth mindset we’re talking about here).

With an estimate of £28,000 - £34,000 you could be the envy of your neighbours when you take delivery of this "oh-so-sharp" Vantage Roadster.........

This car has been extremely well looked after. When it hasn’t been out on the road it has been kept in a garage and under a cover for the last five years, which goes a long way towards explaining its still-fresh condition - the Onyx Black paintwork still retains its deep lustre, with panels appearing ripple free and their gaps presenting just as even as when it left the factory.

As noted earlier, Vantage bodies were mainly built from aluminium with some composite parts. Aluminium doesn’t rust in the conventional sense, but it will oxidise in its own special way if the paint is broken, so it’s important to keep on top of things when it comes to bodywork maintenance.

The soft top, which is described as being in very good shape, fits nicely in place when down. Its window is heated, it drops or lifts in just 18 seconds, and can be deployed at speeds of up to 30mph. 

The lenses for the projector headlamps are clean and uncracked. There is a little paint loss on the housing for one of the reversing sensors and on the nearside door mirror mount. One of the aluminium mesh bonnet grilles is slightly loose for around 10cm, and there are some very light scratches/blemishes on the nearside rear wing panel and around the filler cap area which John believes should easily polish out. Otherwise it’s a tribute to the quality of work coming out of Gaydon these days. The fuel cap itself is a nicely engineered piece, by the way, and it’s held on by proper wire too rather than the usual bit of glorified plastic tiewrap. 

The elegant five-spoke alloys are in good condition, albeit with some kerbing to the nearside front alloy which happened very recently, much to John’s frustration. ‘Milking’ deterioration of the centre caps is unfortunately extremely common with these wheels, and it’s quite noticeable on at least one of John’s, but replacements are readily available. The tyres all appear to be in good condition with plenty of tread.

The interior of this Vantage really is a wonderful place to spend time, even if it is sat in stationary London traffic. The beautifully soft, supportive, black leather seats sit aside the wonderfully sculptured centre console and dashboard - barring some light bolster wear and light creasing to the driver’s seat the leather is in beautifully worn-in condition. This is an 11-year-old car, but if you took the age-indentifying number plates off it - an average passer-by could be forgiven for mistaking it for a two-year old one. 

Standard Vantage spec includes 10-way power adjustable seats and automatic climate control. John confirms that everything works. Fans of the ‘avionic’ look will appreciate the button-encrusted central control surface complete with that lovely AM analogue clock. The aluminium and leather gearshift paddles are as delightful to operate as they are to look at.

The concept of being able to eat your dinner off a clean engine has always seemed a bit odd. Why would you not use a plate like normal people? Whatever, if you did for some odd reason decide that you had to use this Aston’s plenum chamber as a toast rack, you’d probably escape serious illness as it’s all very neat and tidy in the engine bay, and the bonnet soundproofing is intact. 

Equally, the slotted brake discs and red AM calipers appear to be in excellent order, and all the undertrays are in place and damage-free. Both front and rear valances and their protectors have done their job without taking too much of a pasting from the builders’ debris that infests London’s roads. The only evidence of light oxidisation is to a heatshield and some exhaust fittings.

Never buy a quality car without a proper service history, they say. We say that too, and in fact we shout it when it comes to a thoroughbred like an Aston Martin.  

We’re in luck here because this Vantage’s service book has nearly as many stamps in it as Mick Jagger’s passport, and they’re all AM dealer stamps too. The first of these suggests that the car started off life as a Gaydon HQ press demonstrator, adding considerably to its interest. The original leather ‘letterbox’ Owner’s Guide is present also. 

At the start of his tenure of the car John had the main ECU reprogrammed. One year in, he shelled out nearly £3000 on a comprehensive refresh at Stratstone in Western Avenue. This included a major service, some factory recall work and a check of the reprogrammed ECU, which came out positive. Between then and now the car has had another oil change. The MOT tester at the end of April picked up nothing untoward.

The MOT history shows nothing of concern and adds more evidence to support the car's low mileage - the current certificate running until May 2020, which was passed with no advisories.

Car journalist Peter Dron defined an optimist as someone who thinks he can just afford to run a secondhand Aston Martin, but then again he said that in 1985. The 21st century Aston is a much less slippery kettle of fish. Any performance thoroughbred will cost you more to run than a Focus, but Cheshire cat grins in a 2008 Vantage cost rather less than you might think, based on our estimate. 

Although owner John is not the kind of enthusiast to buy into a car and keep it for decades, you could reasonably call him a Porsche man as he has stewarded quite a few 911s and still has a 993 Carrera 2 in the garage. Given Aston Martin’s mission statement for its Vantage, you might say that John was exactly the sort of driver the factory had in mind for its 911-killer. 

Five years after biting on the lure, we strongly suspect that his first Aston won’t be his last. He’s only selling the Vantage now because he fancies a Ferrari V12 and specifically a 599 ‘before they ban them’.

We always encourage viewings. This Aston is located at John’s place in Chiswick. Just click the ‘Contact Seller’ button at the top of the listing to arrange an appointment. Ahead of that, or at any time during the process, you’re more than welcome to ask any questions or jot down observations in the comments section below. You won’t be surprised to hear that our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’ section will answer general questions that are frequently asked about how The Market works. 

Also please note that we have a network of trusted suppliers with whom we work regularly and successfully: Classic & Sportscar Finance for purchase-financing, Thames Valley Car Storage for storing your car, AnyVan for transporting it, and Footman James for classic car insurance.

BORING, but IMPORTANT: Please note that whilst we at The Market always aim to offer the most descriptive and transparent auction listings available, we cannot claim they are perfect analyses of any of the vehicles for sale. We offer far greater opportunity for bidders to view, or arrange inspections for each vehicle thoroughly prior to bidding than traditional auctions, and we never stop encouraging bidders to take advantage of this. We do take a good look at the vehicles delivered to our premises for sale, but this only results in our unbiased personal observations, not those of a qualified inspector or other professional, or the result of a long test drive.

Additionally, please note that most of the videos on our site have been recorded using simple cameras which often result in 'average' sound quality; in particular, engines and exhausts notes can sound a little different to how they are in reality.