The nose on today’s Nice Price or Crack Pipe Aston Martin needs a little work. More precisely much of it seems to be missing. While it’s true absence makes the heart grow fonder, will you love this absent nose Aston for its price?
Have you ever dropped a deuce that made you particularly proud, or which you felt warranted documentation? Perhaps it was of such length that it could easily be a contender for the Guinness Book of World Records? Or maybe, while short, it’s girth made you feel as though you had just birthed a baby hippo?
We’ve all experienced those moments. I know I have. With all likelihood, few of us have ever kept so impressive a toilet trophy around for long. Fewer still would ever attempt to later foist it off on someone else. The same can’t be said for the seller of yesterday’s 1980 Pontiac Sunbird.
Perhaps that’s too harsh an analogy, but suffice to say, if you were going to save an uber-low mileage car from the Reagan era, a Iron Duke-powered Sunbird wouldn’t—and shouldn’t—be your first choice.
That lack of provenance and relevance, compounded with a certain bit of arrogance led to the super-clean little Pontiac falling in an 80-percent Crack Pipe loss at its not insubstantial $9,895 price.
So far this week we’ve had nothing but cars that have led pampered lives. Monday’s Miata was even claimed to have only been operated by shoeless drivers. That’s all well and good, but wouldn’t that necessarily foment a sense of trepidation during their ownership, lest you be the first to defile that clean record? You’re better off driving something that’s perhaps already a little rough around the edges.
With that consideration in mind, I present to you this 2007 Aston Martin V8 Vantage. Yep, it seems to have seen some shit.
Most of this fine motor car looks tidy and clean, however up front the bumper, iconic Aston grille, and most of one headlamp have gone missing, the obvious result of a substantial shunt.
It couldn’t have been that bad however since a peek inside shows that the airbags have not been deployed. Plus, while the A/C condenser has been dented up, it appears the windows still roll down so you won’t sweat to death in the car.
It’s offered with a salvage title, and while we normally shy away from such situations owing to the tainted history and challenges with insurance, I’m thinking we give this one a look since it’s really cheap, and might just be worth getting back on the road.
You’ll no doubt remember the guy who bought a totaled Lotus Evora and then nursed it back to health. This could prove a similar situation, and maybe you could call him for words of encouragement when your enthusiasm is ebbing and you feel you have made a terrible mistake.
I took a quick look at a parts supplier and the bumper itself goes for around $1,300. The lower grille assembly is a reasonable $175. A carbon fiber front spoiler on the other hand will set you back an eye watering $3,300.
The ad denotes all the salient points of the V8 Vantage model, but is omertà on how arrived at its current state. A funny thing, that Internet. A quick VIN search sheds a little more light and indicates that the car was a good bit raggier before this dealer bought it at auction. That’s evidenced by the pics here. It’s now offered in Miami, but is being advertised on Craigslistings across the nation.
Before it got its unsuccessful nose job, the 380-horse V8 put down 55,000 miles. The 4.3-litre DOHC cam engine is backed up here by a six-speed Sportshift manu-matic. That was this model’s less-preferred but more common drivetrain combo plate.
The interior looks to be in need of a good cleaning, but I’d imagine any expensive car that’s been plowed into an immovable object is going to suffer a code brown. At the very least there will be salty stains from tears or regret.
Whatever the issues, they will pale in light of the positives here, and that starts with the price. You’ll pay $17,950 to cart away this Aston Martin V8 Vantage, and with the work needed to bring it back to roadworthiness, you’ll have plenty of time to contemplate that purchase.
We don’t have the luxury of time however, as we need to get the v vote in and make some snappy commentary in the spaces below. With those marching orders in mind, what’s your take on this accidental Aston and that $17,950 price? Does that seem like a fair deal for a salvage title and the need for a new nose? Or, is this a Vantage that’s just too disadvantaged?
You decide!
Denver, CO Craigslist (the car is located in Miami, FL), or go here if the ad disappears.
H/T to Revunlimiter for the hookup!
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