A 2014 Manual Vantage with 7000 miles that I have been following has been reduced to $47k (USD). Dealer claims car does not start and has only a clicking sound. He thinks engine is seized. Is it possible there is an easier solution to this problem?

https://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-sale/vehicledetails.xhtml?listingId=612925483&LNX=CRMPD A

 

Price is still too high given that information. Maybe at half that price would anyone even consider touching it with a 10 foot pole.

 

Yeah you're probably right, but with my luck this car will be on Youtube next week: "See what I bought for a $50 solenoid"

 

Dealers aren't quite as dumb as most people think...but sometimes you can get lucky due to misdiagnosis. Might be worth a trip if you have a Foxwell code scanner handy to see what errors pop up.

 

Given the cost of parts I would go as high as 15K... That would be a tow away cost!

 

Agree, no possible way that is worth the gamble without more information-- Good for them for asking, but I doubt they will get a bite

 

it's easy enough to determine whether or not an engine is seized. what do low-mileage '14s go for assuming they run as expected? 70-80? if so, 30k savings ain't nothing to sneeze at. might be worth it to have it checked out for water damage, seized engine, starting problems, etc. if looked like a car with 7000 miles on it, inside and out...and they let you take it somewhere, like your home or a mech somewhere to check it out, it may well be worth your trouble. if they hesitate to let it out of their hands, i wouldn't bother.

 

Sure - if you can put it on a rack, put it on a start cart and hook up a foxwell it could be worth much more. I'd want to grab an oil sample as well - that will reveal much.

 

If you serious, spend some $ and have a knowledgeable mechanic (with Aston experience) go with you to look it over.

 

Don’t overthink this. If the dealer says the engine is seized, then the engine is seized. This is not a difficult diagnosis. At the very least the engine has to be rebuilt, or changed. Cost estimate might vary, but $20K to $30K is not unreasonable. Unknowns include when the engine seized was the car at speed, did it also damage the transmission etc. Buying this car at that price makes no sense.

 

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Yup. Time to move on.. When I first saw the car posted, the dealer notified me that "for whatever insane reason it will not start". I figured a 7 year old car with 7k miles might have had battery drainage if it was stored a long time without a trickle charger. Price was originally $75k. Got a notice yesterday that the price had dropped to $47k. Oh well.
Thanks to all for the replies-on to the next car.

 

There's no way a dealer would mistake engine seizing for a dead battery. I think it's safe to assume that this was a lemon.

 

If you are really hot for it, see if they'll let you do a PPI on it. Going to cost a little towing back and forth from AM dealer.

 

While implausible - weird stuff has happens. If close you can always bring a battery pack.....