Aston Martin DB7 Vantage: PH Carpool
Childhood sweetheart joins PHer for all-too fleeting love affair
Car: Aston Martin DB7 Vantage
Owned since: October 2013
Previously owned: "In order of appearance: Citroen Saxo West Coast, Citroen Saxo VTR, E30 320i, E34 525i, Z3 M Coupe."
Why I bought it:
"I fell in love with it as a child in the early 1990s and swore I'd have one eventually. It's the only car I've ever bought purely for the looks. I can't help but stare at it for an indecent amount of time after I've parked."
Colour shifts chameleon-like according to sun
"As with most PHers, I went through every video and magazine review I could find online, as well as studying the owners' forum in detail. I knew about most quirks, so not much surprised me. They're also surprisingly reliable considering their age and complexity.
"I wish I'd thought a bit more about just how big it is. The test drive was brief because I was being emotional about the colour, the sound, and the general ambience (walnutty!) in the cockpit. Compared to my M Coupe (S50), the electronic throttle and the absurd V12 torque made it feel quite lithe, but when it comes to driving down some forgotten country lane in Cornwall, it takes a bit of slowing down and you're very conscious that you might wreck an Aston Martin. I'm sure it's some sort of motoring sacrilege to do that."
Things I love:
"All the cliched things, like the roar of the V12 at full chat, seeing the haunches in the rearview mirror.
"I also love that the colour is optimistically called 'Sutherland Red' - I'm finally coming to terms with the fact that it's actually probably orange. The colour is still utterly surprising, even after two years. A slight change in the level of sunlight cause a shift from copper to red to bright (OK, I admitted it already...) orange."
Unusual colour for sure but it works well
"Hate is a strong word when you're in love with the overall package. The autobox has been the biggest disappointment, as even in sport mode it doesn't shift brilliantly quickly on those occasions where I do want to push on. Then again, it's designed for cruising, and it does that superbly."
Costs:
"Honestly, it's been nothing like as bad as I (and everyone who told me not to buy it) expected - provided certain one-off things (coil packs - £2K) have already been done. I had about £400 of warranty work done on the airbag system as soon as I bought it - the light came on literally as I pulled out of the selling garage!
"Annual servicing is sub-£1K even for a big one, and I don't do enough miles or drive hard enough to get through tyres. The less said about fuel consumption the better: it's not pretty. I went in with eyes wide open though, so can't complain.
"Unexpected costs have come up, if I'm honest. I've recently had the floorpan restored by the excellent Christian Lewis in Northampton, as the underseal is so thick from the factory that it traps moisture and causes rot - this is a known problem I somehow missed, and I'd advise all potential buyers to get the car on a ramp and prod the floors quite hard as the bill ran comfortably into four figures. Based on a trawl of PH it's likely appreciated a bit in value, which has offset quite a few of these costs."
Where I've been:
Childhood dream successfully realised
What next?
"I want something a little more raw, and it never hurts to reduce the mortgage so Sensible Me says Z4 M Coupe + change. But Idiot Me says Exige S..."
Disclaimer:
Oliver submitted his Carpool a little while ago but since then has decided the 'what next' is going to happen sooner than planned and he dropped us a line to say the car is now in the classifieds. We wouldn't usually go with a Carpool on a car for sale as such but we have made an exception because a) it's a stunning vehicle we thought you'd want to hear about and b) it runs on on agreement any proceeds are put into a new PH-worthy car and not anything grown-up like a house deposit or loft conversion! DT
Want to share your (preferably not for sale!) car with PHers on Carpool? Email us at carpool@pistonheads.com!
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