Discussion
Ever since they first came out I've always had a DB7 at the top of my list, but it was way too pricey.
Time has passed, values have gone down and perhaps just possibly I could stretch to an early example. However is it likely to be any good? Will I merely have an expensive turkey on my hands? I prefer not to line the pockets of traders so plan to buy privately and have the car maintained by Scole Engineering, who currently do a great job on the TVR and are well priced.
What is the minimum private budget needed to secure a clean example, and what horrors do I need to be aware of? It will be a big step for me.
Time has passed, values have gone down and perhaps just possibly I could stretch to an early example. However is it likely to be any good? Will I merely have an expensive turkey on my hands? I prefer not to line the pockets of traders so plan to buy privately and have the car maintained by Scole Engineering, who currently do a great job on the TVR and are well priced.
What is the minimum private budget needed to secure a clean example, and what horrors do I need to be aware of? It will be a big step for me.
The variability of quality of individual cars in any limited production vehicle is always an issue - it creates fear in potential buyers and everybody who has a problem will tell you about it, so it always gets exagerated.
Looking at the market: Dealers are de-stocking and I just checked and there is only 1 DB7 Vantage and 2 volantes in the official dealer network as I write : Aston Martin are leaving the DB7 market to the specialists. That again creates a perception of risk - no AM warranty transfers risk from the vendor to the purchaser. Furthermore as with all high cost vehicles the spread in prices is wide and may have no relationship to quality - some private owners simply don't acknowledge that cars do depreciate and have unrealistic aspirations, other dealers who are sale-or-return commission and who make their return from volume of trades plus any "remedial maintainence" that can be charged by the dealer to the vendor price based on the vendors need to sell.
I am guessing, but I suspect that the issue that will emerge over the next few years is a general fall in the quality of maintainence. As cars fall in value it gets more difficult to justify the cost of proper maintainence, by the best people. Mine for example doesn't go to Works Service twice a year anymore, it goes to either Grange or Chiltern depending on what mood I am in. It will go up to Newport Pagnell maybe 1 year in two simply because justifying £2-3k bills on a car that's worth something around £30-£35k is difficult.
So, in summary: It's a buyers market, beware of BS from anybody who says either 1) they are cheap to own, they aren't, or 2) They all fall apart in clouds of steam by the roadside, they don't. Finally I find the process of buying a car a bit like courtship - it's fun and the anticipation is as good as the capture - so I'd take your time, drive as many as you can, savour the anticipation and buy the best you can afford (or don't bother at all).
Looking at the market: Dealers are de-stocking and I just checked and there is only 1 DB7 Vantage and 2 volantes in the official dealer network as I write : Aston Martin are leaving the DB7 market to the specialists. That again creates a perception of risk - no AM warranty transfers risk from the vendor to the purchaser. Furthermore as with all high cost vehicles the spread in prices is wide and may have no relationship to quality - some private owners simply don't acknowledge that cars do depreciate and have unrealistic aspirations, other dealers who are sale-or-return commission and who make their return from volume of trades plus any "remedial maintainence" that can be charged by the dealer to the vendor price based on the vendors need to sell.
I am guessing, but I suspect that the issue that will emerge over the next few years is a general fall in the quality of maintainence. As cars fall in value it gets more difficult to justify the cost of proper maintainence, by the best people. Mine for example doesn't go to Works Service twice a year anymore, it goes to either Grange or Chiltern depending on what mood I am in. It will go up to Newport Pagnell maybe 1 year in two simply because justifying £2-3k bills on a car that's worth something around £30-£35k is difficult.
So, in summary: It's a buyers market, beware of BS from anybody who says either 1) they are cheap to own, they aren't, or 2) They all fall apart in clouds of steam by the roadside, they don't. Finally I find the process of buying a car a bit like courtship - it's fun and the anticipation is as good as the capture - so I'd take your time, drive as many as you can, savour the anticipation and buy the best you can afford (or don't bother at all).
Edited by f328nvl on Monday 28th July 13:49
Thanks very much for the detailed reply. Being careful with money I never buy new cars and rarely use franchised dealers, so am familiar with the independent aspect, and I guess the TVR Griffith I own also falls into the 'not supported'/low volume/bit quirky category. In fact with TVRs the dealer network is/was highly patchy as the factory never bothered to enforce any standards; I would imagine this is rather different with AM. But anyway, the thought of having is maintained cost-effectively by a good independent outside dealer networks is fine by me and is a positive, not a negative.
As for 'best I can afford', well, I could sell everything and buy a brand new DB9, but would prefer not to because I'd like some savings and I don't want battleship depreciation. So my idea is to start far more modestly with a 6-cylinder coupe as close to £20K as possible without it being a complete turkey. I don't mind high mileage but I do want one in good condition with good history that's been well-looked after (cherished not ragged). I understand they are essentially Jaguars underneath, so am hopeful that a good place like Scole, run by engineers not salesmen, will be able to look after it for hundreds a year, not thousands. What expensive AM-only things are likely to go wrong?
It's easy to look on a DB7 and feel intimidated, but if it is 90% Jaguar maybe that's unreasonable?
As for 'best I can afford', well, I could sell everything and buy a brand new DB9, but would prefer not to because I'd like some savings and I don't want battleship depreciation. So my idea is to start far more modestly with a 6-cylinder coupe as close to £20K as possible without it being a complete turkey. I don't mind high mileage but I do want one in good condition with good history that's been well-looked after (cherished not ragged). I understand they are essentially Jaguars underneath, so am hopeful that a good place like Scole, run by engineers not salesmen, will be able to look after it for hundreds a year, not thousands. What expensive AM-only things are likely to go wrong?
It's easy to look on a DB7 and feel intimidated, but if it is 90% Jaguar maybe that's unreasonable?
The prices of DB7 are something I am taking a keen interest in, as I will be in the market for one soon. This is what Parkers say about the prices. They certainly dont match what the market currently has for sale:
For example, a 98R DB7 auto is listed as:
Independent Dealer £19,190
Private Good £17,475
Private Poor £12,905
Part Exchange £14,900
With 100K miles.
Same age, DB7 Volante auto with 100K miles:
Independent Dealer £21,280
Private Good £19,380
Private Poor £14,315
Part Exchange £16,530
A 99T Vantage Auto is listed as:
Independent Dealer £27,630
Private Good £25,390
Private Poor £19,420
Part Exchange £21,655
with 90K miles.
These all seem very low to me...
For example, a 98R DB7 auto is listed as:
Independent Dealer £19,190
Private Good £17,475
Private Poor £12,905
Part Exchange £14,900
With 100K miles.
Same age, DB7 Volante auto with 100K miles:
Independent Dealer £21,280
Private Good £19,380
Private Poor £14,315
Part Exchange £16,530
A 99T Vantage Auto is listed as:
Independent Dealer £27,630
Private Good £25,390
Private Poor £19,420
Part Exchange £21,655
with 90K miles.
These all seem very low to me...
williamp said:
The prices of DB7 are something I am taking a keen interest in, as I will be in the market for one soon. This is what Parkers say about the prices. They certainly dont match what the market currently has for sale:
For example, a 98R DB7 auto is listed as:
Independent Dealer £19,190
Private Good £17,475
Private Poor £12,905
Part Exchange £14,900
With 100K miles.
That looks very good to me - but I guess actual prices are much higher as there don't seem to be any high-mileage ones about.For example, a 98R DB7 auto is listed as:
Independent Dealer £19,190
Private Good £17,475
Private Poor £12,905
Part Exchange £14,900
With 100K miles.
Gassing Station | Aston Martin | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff