Astin Martin db7 2002

i have a 2000 db7 vantage that i bought 2 1/2 years ago. my wife has driven far more than i have, and for awhile, she used it as her daily car (seeing as i told her i was buying it for her). in the time we have owned it, it has gone out of warranty. aston fixed far more things under "warranty" than i would have expected. in total, i have spent no more than $4k on actual repairs (i did put a sport exhaust on the car for personal pleasure, and i would suggest you do the same, which is not included in that price). with the time i owned the car, we have placed almost 8k miles on the car. with a car of this caliber, this is a very small amount. i can't tell you how much i have been pleased with the car. not only does it have great performance, but also great reliablility. i would not hesitate to buy another recent model aston martin again. this says alot as i had very little expectations. after all, i figured it would be as labor intensive to keep running correctly as a ferrari or other exotic.

 

The DB7 is a sexy looking car, but the main gripe against it is Ford took some shortcuts by using the "parts bin" for the chassis (Jaguar) and interior. Nonetheless, performance figures are nice, and the anecdotal evidence I've heard is that the car has held up well on a long-term basis.

Keep in mind, though, that deprecation has been a b*tch on these cars. While the purchase of a MY2000 - MY2002 should spare you some pain, keep in mind that the DB9 is just rolling out stateside. My expectation is that the DB7 drops 15% within the next 12 months, just on this fact alone.

Love the car. Hate the pricing trends.

 

I got some time in a 2002 Jubilee Edition Volante last night. Some thoughts:

- At low rev's I was surprised how much the exhaust sounded like an Infiniti G35 or FX. At 4-6.5k though, it was a wonderful wail. I would definitely install a sports exhaust with a deeper, throatier note in the low ranges.

- The low end acceleration wasn't terribly impressive for a 5.9L V12 (0-60 in 5.2 seems overstated), but it is a GT and where it really shined was at highway speeds, where if you were in a good gear (selected by the driver with the electronic shifting) it would still buck forward a bit at 70-90mph. I didn't get any faster than that but I'm sure it would have kept pulling.

- Startup with the button is fun. I will admit I turned it off again once just to restart it.

- There was a fair bit of windnoise at freeway speed, moreso than in the Ferrari spiders I've been in. I'm only 6" in shoes, but with a long torso and my head was sticking above the windline of the car getting a good breeze. I found many adjustments to the seats but not height. Maybe I missed the button.

-The leather was great and the car literally smelled luxurious.

- The auto transmission was very conservative and kept the car revving low, but was a second or so late when you wanted to get on it. The car had the touchtronic selection and just like the Tiptronic on BMW, Audi, etc., it was slow and slushy. Once you figured out you had to press it 1.5 seconds BEFORE I wanted to shift, things were ok. It was odd though being at only 4500rpms and pressing it and it would still nearly go to the rev limited 6500 before shifting.

- The electronic braking was powerful, but it was hard to get a feel of where the braking began.

- The steering was great, tight and heavy, but it didn't take much to get tires chirping. This is just the weight of the car. A little tire chirping almost gave my mother-in-law a heart attack.

- The most fun was driving it in 1st and 2nd around empty downtown streets, with the noise echoing off of the tunnels, overpasses and buildings.

Ultimately, it was a great GT car, but I wouldn't buy one for myself. I would still like to experience the difference in the DB9 (whose looks I love) and the Maserati. For a cruiser there are other, cheaper choices like the Maser, and my wife and I agreed that if we were spending this much on a car, we'd get something sportier and more aggressive. Like a yellow Diablo.

 

just curious...what s/b the price for a clean 98 db7 with 20k? also, can it serviced at any ford authorized dealership? are there any significant upgrades b/w 98 vs. later years?


ps: i had no idea that aston martin is part of the ford embrella family...learn something new everyday.

 

Well, if you're 6" (even with a long torso) the big problem is trying not to slip out of the damn seat belt and also seeing over the dash.

More seriously, I thought the interior was only OK, and on the outside there's a passing resemblance from some angles to a Chrysler Sebring. But I didn't drive the 12 cylinder, and I've been told that's the only one to get.

Depreciation is insane. The V-6's are down in the $50K range for a late '90s car with some mileage, and these look pretty similar to the 12's.

 

I had the opposite problem though - I felt like I was towering over the wheel and dash. I looked for 10 mins+ for a button for the height and was stumped.

The worst part was that I forgot to tell my wife to bring a ponytail holder, and for the hours we drove around her hair was a flying ball.

As I said, I was pleased but not "WOW" impressed.

 

Does Aston, atleast the new one, have the F1 paddles/E-Gear like Ferrari and Lambo?

The new DB9 seems to be a huge homerun from all the reviews. I love Aston Martin. The cars are sexy, yet not "flashy", and seem to have an incredible amount of luxury inside the car.

 

Astons can't be serviced at Ford dealerships. They wouldn't know what to do with them even though there are a few ford parts on the car. Astons should be service by an authorized Aston Martin dealer or a knowledgeable independent mechanic.

 

I believe the DB9 comes with a six speed auto or a six speed manual. I don't think they offer a F1/E-gear like transmission on the DB9 and I don't know if they are going to offer it in the future. The more upscale Vanquish only comes with an F1/E-Gear like transmission(that is the only avaiable transmission on the Vanquish).

 

I've been toying around with the idea of purchasing a DB7 GT. I looked at one about 9 months ago and took a pass on it at the time. I liked it, but didn't want to pay full retail for it with the DB9 so close. Maybe I should have taken the plunge, as I may have missed my chance.

Anyone have any comments on the GT?

Thanks,

CW

 

A pleasant salesman at AM New England was showing me a DB7 GT the other day and extolling its virtues. I like the car, but not love - at this point, if I wanted a ~$100k AM I would wait for the new V8 Vantage. I just got the new Autoweek reviewing it and I'm very excited to see one.

 

mondial86,the db7 2002-spec is a fine piece of kit.gorgeous,quite practical
and fast;this car is the perfect gt for your wife and 2 midgets in the back.
the boot,despite being smallish,is rather useful,the much maligned ford parts
in the cabin ensure reliablilty.
i mean,c'mon;the only ppl who would notice the ford parts are those upgrading
from a ford taurus,and that's highly unlikely.
an earlier db7 circa 2000 would be a cheap,still fast and still super-sexy option,
added w easier maintenance from it's supercharged inline 6.
whatever your choice,congratulations on one of britain's finest.

 

If you're only 6" tall, you will fit in a 1/18th scale model car! FYI, " = inches and ' = feet. LOL