Summary:
The stress nearly sent me mad
Faults:
No less than 53 claims on the warranty over the three years from first build.
Problems during that time included replacing 7 plastic coolant tanks that had cracked, faulty air con, back parcel shelf that disintegrated of it's own accord, bits falling off everywhere..
Broke down in France on a long road trip back to the UK - issues with fuel evaporation. The Aston Martin break down service turned out to be sub contracted to another firm who damaged the car when bringing back to the UK. Thousands worth of body work damage that Aston Martin Customer Service tried to blame me for.
As soon as the warranty ran out, the car was losing oil and was told I would need a new engine as a cost of 18,000. Lawyers were involved and we came to a compromise. Fell seriously out of love with the car and sold it to a dealer after putting in a new engine at a deflated price.
General Comments:
Handles well and very fast - cabin very tight and plastic.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No
Review Date: 16th June, 2008
1st Jul 2010, 22:17
Uh oh, you haven't been paying attention to Mr Clarkson now have you? Save yourself any further heartbreak and get a 911. You know it makes sense.
16th Aug 2010, 18:26
Sounds awful - shame as it's such a beautiful car.
I was very tempted to get second-hand one a couple of years back.
The dealer told me that he had ordered another fuel cap for it - a standard cap. Aston told him it would cost £300.
I would have thought £30 would have been enough for an item costing about £5 to make.
I have heard horror stories about the Aston Martin Lagonda - the same dealer told me he got one to sell, and it caught fire after a short run down the motorway. Problem with the infamous digital dashboard. Aston charged £20,000 to get it sorted out. Bargain.
Another thing - a friend of mine worked as an engineer at Aston till a few years back - told me they called the Lagonda 'The Shed' in the factory, as it was built in a similar manner. I still like them though - crazy things.