Considering a Used Aston Martin Vanquish or DB7

My wife has an 03 Volante, excellent car, but parts availablity sucks, we've been waiting two months for a engine/trans ECU. I wouldn't spend the money on the vanquish with the current sh-tbox tranny and the DB9 is WAY, WAY to common already allthough it looks great.

 

SCHWING !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Having some experience and knowledge with a DB7 v12 (yep, been to the factory in Bloxham and all) I can say it is a very nice car. You'll definetly feel like a billion bucks in one. Some interior parts are a little "agricultural" and the car definetly has a wiff of hand-built, otherwise pretty sturdy and fairly well built. You will not be dissapointed.

N.B. On a recent visit to Geneva's Aston dealer, I spotted TWO DB7 ZAGATO being serviced. 2/99. Awsome.

 

My suggestion is that you strongly consider a new AM V8 Vantage, not a DB7/9 or Vanquish.

The AMV8 costs much less than the DB9, which costs much less than the Vanquish. The AMV8 looks and performs so well that you'll be quite happy in that regard.

My expectation is that the AMV8 is so good that it will slash the resale market for the DBs (and Vanquish), just as the DB9 has for the Vanquish. Why do you think there are all those Vanquishes (new & used) sitting on dealers' lots at "great" prices right now? Once the AMV8 gets fully into circulation, the same thing will happen with the DB9.

Also do not buy any car with a paddleshift until you have driven one in all of your normal driving situations, not just a quick, ideal test-drive. These things are fine for high-speed/track driving, but can be a neck-jerking, passsenger-sickening pain in urban/commuter traffic. I lived with one for several months, thinking I'd eventually get used to it. No. The problem is simply that the gadget itself decides precisely when it's going to shift and clutch, whether you're twitching the paddles or using automatic. So you and your passengers will get unexpected jerking no matter what you do. With a stick you can make your shifts virtually invisible if you're good.

Beware also that Jaguar is just about to distribute its brand-new successor to the XK8. I've seen the car, and it's very, very good. May well impact all current Aston prices accordingly.

 

Yeah the AMV8 is going to rock. Add a supercharger, exhaust, chip & stiffen the suspension & you might be able to hunt w the new Z06

 

at 110 or 120 grand the AMV8 is a great idea. Thats the car to buy. 6 speed manual too boot.

The gentlemen that says it will lower the prices further on the vanquish and the DB9 is absolutely right.

Go for the AMV8. 120 brand spanking new!

 

I haven't heard anything about the Vantages (the V8... these titles are getting difficult to articulate...) coming with paddles? Will the f1 "style" be available in it?

-Joe

 

You certainly aren't alone, but the early DBs are a far cry from the Vanquish. If style is his sole decision point I'd go early DB all the way. I spent a fair amount of time in a friend's DB6 in England and it was magical. On the other hand, it's an old body-on-frame cart that has none of the performance or dynamics of a modern car. If you appreciate hearing gas slosh from side to side while cornering you'll enjoy a ride in a DB 6's back seat (yes, there is room for adults back there); but if you're into a stiff, well-engineered chassis, solid power delivery and modern amenities, it's Vanquish all the way.

As you pointed out, it all depends on what else is in the garage, which we don't know.

 

I like that picture of the black Vanquish. It looks lowered, and with the aftermarket wheels, it's just looks right.

LouisR, do you know the story on it?

CW

 

I should take another look at the DB9, too. It just seems like I can't make up my mind on this!

CW

 

Great Videos;


The V8
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=4189886640341479577&q=aston

The DBR9 flat out
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=8846659650278217692&q=aston

 

Who cares about the chevvy!!!

Trust me, in a DB7 you will feel so special, you won't care for any other car.

 

After speaking with the dealer for about an hour yesterday, and based upon his knowledge of my garage, driving skills and preferences, he recommended only the Vanquish S and the DB9 wth the 6-speed manual gearbox.

Not surprisingly, he can obtain a brand new S in the colors I desire and would only charge me $2K over his invoice. Still, it's a $220K car with a LOT of depreciation in it.

He recommends I come in to drive the DB9 he has on his floor. It's the paddle-shift tranny, as the manuals will be rare, but it's possibly worth my time to take a test drive.

I guess I'll have to wait for the weather to improve and go have another visit. My only reluctance at this point is that either car still has serious depreciation left in it. And, with the V8 Vantage just around the corner, it might make sense to hold off until they hit our shores. They may just drive the DB9 down a bit. BTW, the DB9 could be bought (w/ 2K miles on it) for under $150K. Just HUGE depreciation on these AMs.

CW

 

You need a DB7 Vantage Coupe with the sports exhaust..........in this color!!
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

A good place for advice on new era Aston Martins is the AMOC website. A good bunch on there and oodles of experience.

http://p088.ezboard.com/bastonmartinownersclub75168

I researched the DB7 GT for months and months before finally deciding to go for a new V8 Vantage. You can get DB7 Vantage GT's for around 100k for a nice one to 130K for a basically brand new one. If you are an enthusiast the GT is the DB7 to choose.
e.g.

http://www.astonmartin-lotus.com/inventory/index.php?page_function=detail&product_id=389

It looks good, sounds fantastic and has pretty good performance too. It is based on the Jaguar XJS chassis and some mechanicals and many consider the XK8 to be the better handling car as this uses a more modern chassis and suspension. XK8's are slush boxes only though (USA)

As far as the Vanquish S I think its one of the most beautiful cars in the world and if my heart was buying any car a black Vanquish S would be it. Having said that I have always been put off by motoring journalists review of the flappy paddle gearbox. There are many people that swear by the gearbox for spirited driving on the AMOC site. Many claim that it can be a smooth as silk if driven correctly. Many also claim it is far superior to the Ferrari sister product and there are a lot of people on this site that are very happy with their F1 transmissions so perhaps the motoring journalists are wrong. I have personally never driven any sort of paddle gearbox so I cant comment but for some reason it does put me off a Vanquish (a little)
One item of advice I have seen consistently on the AMOC website is that if you live in a hilly area where you will encounter a lot of stop and go traffic forget about the Vanquish unless you want to replace the clutch very regularily.

Finally although the new V8 Vantage is only 120k (approx) you also need to factor depreciation on it too. Its an Aston after all. Looking through some lease deals it seems that the residual for this car after 5 years will be <40%. I personally think that those figures are a bit pessimistic. If you only planned on keeping it a year the supply and demand issue may mean that you lose very little though. Waiting list is at least a year. Oh and the new Jaguar XK will be slush box only in the USA again
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

I guess it all depends on who you are. If you flip cars all the time then depeciation is a consideration. But if you know what you like and you like a vanquish because its a beautiful design that will be one of the rare timeless classics, buy it. The price is the price because that is what aston needs to get to stay in business.

If you plan to keep it for 10 years or so what does it matter what the depreciation is. If you smile everytime you see it in your driveway and you feel special everytime you hit the start button and hear that 12 roar to life then who cares what you could sell it for.

If it makes you happy, do it.

 

Give that man a cigar!

All the aston Martins being discussed are dream cars.

Anyone of them would be a welcome addition to a true sports car enthusiast.

AMV8 is a new winner and priced very very well. Probably the car I would chose as its more sensibly priced.

DB9 will be a more luxury oriented GT.

The Vanquish is truly the top of the line. I would not be afraid of the paddle shifter either. Stunning in so many ways.

 

Just spend enough time with one, in varying traffic & road situations (such as steep hills) to see what it's really like. A smooth acceleration on a level freeway, etc. won't clue you in.

You can't get a Vanquish with a 6-speed manual, but you can get a DB9 with one, and the AMV8 comes with one.

The DB7s, while older & heavier (rebodied Jaguar XJS chassis, etc.) are also worth checking out, depending upon your taste, as there's plenty of "Aston" in them. I last had a 1998 DB7 - blown straight six with a stick - and it was an utter joy to drive.

Some pages to check out:

http://www.newsassociates.com/astonmartin/

http://www.amoc-na.org/