Disagree. Same fit and finish. Same taillights. The V12 may be more complex, but "delicate" is not an accurate description. The V12 is designed for 150K service life and does not fail under hard use. All fine cars with high style and pleasing exhaust notes...
Owned a 2009 DB9. Probably one of the most beautiful cars I've ever owned. The issue with Aston Martin is not their beauty. It's really that in 2009 at least they were so far behind the curve technologically. Couldn't use the Bluetooth and Nav was a royal pain. All shocks went at 20K, dash started to separate etc. For the price point there are better options. Also depreciation was ridiculous. Aside from that beautiful. Still miss the stance and sound.
Seems very upfront about his cars and repair bills and often quite detailed. Why disregard his presentations?
V8 Vantage owner here. 4 years and 7k miles. Serviced exclusively at the (great) dealer in Orlando FL. Bulletproof and reasonable to maintain. Such a joy to behold and drive.
I have a 2009 V8 Vantage that I bought new, and a 2005 Vanquish S that I bought two years ago. The Vanquish is a truly glorious thing, but it's maintenance costs are entirely different from those of a DB9 or V8 Vantage. My cars have both been serviced only by Aston dealers, which vary widely. A routine major service on a DB9 or V8V should be nowhere near $6500. My local dealer is truly excellent. My V8 Vantage has cost me less than $200 in unscheduled repairs over the 8 years and 10k miles I've had it, including the five years out of warranty. The only failure during warranty was the radio. It looks and feels indistinguishable today from the way it looked brand new. It has been an absolutely wonderful car to drive, own, and maintain. The DB9 is going to be more money to maintain, largely because of the four extra cylinders. I think it is fair to say that V12 engine is very robust, but the V8 is even more so. No question that some people will have had bad experiences, but the vast majority of people I know have had excellent service from these Aston. After the first couple of production years, the reliability generally improved, so 07 and later cars are typically more reliable than earlier ones. The big difference between the V8 and the DB9 is that the V8 is the sports car and the DB9 is the GT. Drive both and pick your preference. Have fun -- they're wonderful cars.
