You need to buy Grant's excellent book on the subject. It will tell you more than you ever needed to know. This should be obligatory reading for anyone wanting to buy a Gaydon Aston.

http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...

Coil packs are changed on age of the car or mileage service, they don't usually go prematurely, unlike the DB7 ones which needed to be changed in 7 years regrdless of miles. HOWEVER, James' car recently needed coil packs done and they WERE covered by the AM warranty - all 12 were changed out FOC.

Dead-on with paint issues, door handles and around the steel side strakes seem to be favorite areas, hard to get money from AM, but it has been done though only a contribution.

The later the car, the more kit became standard rather than optional - there isn't much. All have satnav that I have seen (it's not great but gets you where you need to go), so options on early cars are heated seats, heated windscreen, stereo options, front sensors (I don't have and don't need), auto dipping mirror (why??) and bluetooth. Move into a 2007MY car and you get heated memory seats of a slightly different design which some prefer, but the steering rack is not quicker unless you spec a sports pack car as far as I know. Happy to be corrected!

Manual or auto (TT2)? The manual is a lovely old school shift, very slick, lovely strong gearbox. The auto has paddle override, blips for downshifts and is quick shifting for an automatic - and it is a true automatic, not a robotic manual like a Vanquish or Ferrari. Horses for courses. Manual is much rarer and depends what use you want the car for - the DB9 is more than capable of holding it's own with 'sportier' cars or cruising like a Bentley.

Clutches (in the manual) are strong as they're twin-plate unlike the Vantage which is single plate. Brakes are decent but won't take much track work, it's a heavy car. Interior is a lovely place to sit but is bnot the last word in high-tech - but that's not what Astons are for, it's a driver's car not a gadget.

Enjoy the search, check the history, ask questions on here and please have a pre-purchase inspection done - let us know where you are and we can recommend your nearset indie.

Get it done, get it upgraded

I never knew that, everyday's a school day...

Good new indeed, I'd be interested to know if that was the exception rather than the rule, pretty sure my AM warranty specifically excluded them - good to know that precedence has been set though.

Yeh, actually that's me being a dumbass, apologies for the confusion.

I love the volante. That would be my choice. There's no real drawback to getting the volante. Bit less boot space. No chassis flex. If a ragtop is what your thing, then definitely a volante.

You going for a manual or auto?

Quite a bit less boot space. Also I think the rear-seat space is slightly reduced as well due to the space needed for the roof stowage..?

It's an interesting point as more and more DB9's approach 7 years old ......some dealers say that it is necessary to replace plugs at 70k miles or 7 years whichever are sooner......others at 70k miles......the plugs are not age related.

What age were the cars? On the DB7 they rarely fail on miles, always age of the car. But by now, all should have been done by virtue of that upper gae limit being reached.

It's reckoned to be heat cycles rather than distance and the fact that V12 doesn't have much room to cool down under the bonnet after driving. Some DB7'ists open their bonnets post-driving for colling! This was the reason the DB9 had bonnet vents added...

DB9 coils are a stronger type and the bonnet is ventilated, but the engine design still doesn't allow much of the heat soak to dissipate... Does it have a narrower angle than other V12s..?

All the cars were either 05 0r 06 plates, so at the time 5 or 6 YO. Don't know about the v angle. It's probably in the service / workshop docs I've sent to most of you guys.

Michael, I googled the part number and it came up as a Denso part. From memory, I think Aston wanted £60 ish each, x 12 = £720 for the parts alone and then another £4 0r £500 to fit them. Denso supplied, direct from the far east, all 12 coils inc P&P for about £130.00.
Although they did supply the 3 pin ones first and mine was a 2 pin coil, so a bit of faffing around. In the end I just got some more 2 pins ones from them and sold the 3 pins ones on and fitted the correct ones myself.

Yep. Also eough to camp at Le Mans for two chaps - therefore 2 x tents, airbeds, sleeping bags, the lot. Be clever with your packing and there's plenty of room. Ah, good times