RE: Aston Martin DB7 Vantage: PH Carpool

RE: Aston Martin DB7 Vantage: PH Carpool

Monday 17th August 2015

Aston Martin DB7 Vantage: PH Carpool

Childhood sweetheart joins PHer for all-too fleeting love affair



Name: Oliver Juggins
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
Colour shifts chameleon-like according to sun
What I wish I'd known:
"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
Unusual colour for sure but it works well
Things I hate:
"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
Childhood dream successfully realised
"All over. I've tried to use this car as Bloxham intended - for long, fast, road trips. And I fortunately have a wife who quite enjoys 'taking the Aston'. I've tested the limits of the traction control in the Peak District in the snowy December of 2014 (terrifying), and the limits of the coolant in a baking Cornwall (needle didn't even move). I'm heading to the Yorkshire Dales in September, and can't wait for some photos of it up there in the wilderness."

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!

Author
Discussion

insideimsmiling

Original Poster:

102 posts

175 months

Monday 17th August 2015
quotequote all
Always an occasion to see an Aston on the road and the DB7 shape remains such a pure beautiful design, especially in Vantage form. One in a colour other than silver, grey or green is a refreshing change too.

pauloroberto

229 posts

150 months

Monday 17th August 2015
quotequote all
Here's the link to the add, which avoids the word "orange": http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/a...

I'd be tempted but, for me, the DB7 looks too much like the XK100, which would be half the price.

VF7

3,116 posts

214 months

Monday 17th August 2015
quotequote all
Stunning car!!
How refreshing to see one in a different colour than silver, grey, black, green (altough they are still stunning in those coulours as well!!).
It reminds me of Brett Sinclairs Bahama Yellow DBS from The Persuaders.

Am I the only one who prefers the original i6 DB7 appearance tough? I don't mean to badmouth Oliver's Vantage of course. It's like comparing Scarlett Johansson with her near identical twin sister.

anonymous-user

53 months

Monday 17th August 2015
quotequote all
pauloroberto said:
Here's the link to the add, which avoids the word "orange": http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/a...

I'd be tempted but, for me, the DB7 looks too much like the XK100, which would be half the price.
I went and found it and have severe wallet itch, but the fact that the X100 is (much) better built and finished, better to drive, has a better interior, and will be cheaper to run has always given me pause when I see a cheap DB7. It looks better than an X100 of course, but you pay a heavy old price for that badge. At £28k it'd be hard not to consider an X150 XKR in fact.

hondansx

4,562 posts

224 months

Monday 17th August 2015
quotequote all
What is an X100? Is that geek talk for an old XK8? Hardly look like a DB7... more like a boat with wheels. Not arguing that they may very well be better cars, on paper, but come on...

My dad had a manual one when i was a kid. When we went to the factory to see it being built, they warned us the manual boxes were hit and miss. Fortunately, my old man got a good one - he loved the gearbox and hustled the car in the same way he did his E46 M3 at the time.

Did you always want an auto?

Helicopter944

15 posts

105 months

Monday 17th August 2015
quotequote all
I am SO tempted to come out of my 911 cab for this.... It is amazing...!! Fancy a swap ?

Vee12V

1,329 posts

159 months

Monday 17th August 2015
quotequote all
Surprised to see one in this colour, absolutely stunning! Can recommend that Exige V6 btw.

soad

32,829 posts

175 months

Monday 17th August 2015
quotequote all
hondansx said:
What is an X100? Is that geek talk for an old XK8?
yes

Related to Aston Martin DB7...

breezer42

132 posts

150 months

Monday 17th August 2015
quotequote all
Thanks for the kind comments all. It's something a bit different.

hondansx said:
Did you always want an auto?
I thought I'd give one a go, as I wanted something completely different from the M Coupé. Now I'm chasing variety again and going back to a manual.

Helicopter944 said:
I am SO tempted to come out of my 911 cab for this.... It is amazing...!! Fancy a swap ?
I hadn't thought about a 911 really. It's tempting but I want something pretty raw/silly this time around.

Agent57

1,631 posts

153 months

Monday 17th August 2015
quotequote all
A well-written article.
DB7 looks way better than the Jag. It's like saying people look the same because they have two eyes and a nose. The difference is in the details. DB7 will go up in value but the Jag will go down.
TouchTronic semi-automatic is a good compromise between manual and auto.

ChasW

2,135 posts

201 months

Monday 17th August 2015
quotequote all
To my eye the Jag is ageing fast. This Aston still looks stunning.

Bencolem

1,013 posts

238 months

Monday 17th August 2015
quotequote all
It's a lovely looking car in a lovely colour and was lovely to read - but CarPool is losing all integrity for me; I'm sick and tired of practically every submission being a for sale advert.

sege

552 posts

221 months

Tuesday 18th August 2015
quotequote all
What a classically good looking car.
Just imagine how cool it would be to be able to legitimately utter the phrase: "shall we take the Aston?".

C7 JFW

1,205 posts

218 months

Tuesday 18th August 2015
quotequote all
Straight up cool cars. 911's don't even come close. Which will appreciate better? That's the important bit really.

If the keys were in front of me though, I'd go Aston every time.

A Gentleman's car.

breezer42

132 posts

150 months

Tuesday 18th August 2015
quotequote all
Bencolem said:
It's a lovely looking car in a lovely colour and was lovely to read - but CarPool is losing all integrity for me; I'm sick and tired of practically every submission being a for sale advert.
Thank you for your kind words about the car. The sale thing is my fault I'm afraid; my plans for it changed after I got thinking about the alternatives when penning my responses! I went and tested a Z4M and loved it in a completely different way to the Aston.

RoverP6B

4,338 posts

127 months

Tuesday 18th August 2015
quotequote all
The DB7 was pretty when new, but the DB9 made it look thoroughly ordinary, and at 26k I'd take an early DB9 instead.

kambites

67,461 posts

220 months

Tuesday 18th August 2015
quotequote all
Fabulous looking thing, especially in that colour. The DB9 is probably a better car in every other way but I prefer the styling of the 7.

pSyCoSiS

3,581 posts

204 months

Tuesday 18th August 2015
quotequote all
Beautiful car in a lovely colour.

However, for that sort of cash, you can pick up early DB9s, which I think are even better looking cars and probably drive better too.

st_benedicts

2 posts

184 months

Tuesday 18th August 2015
quotequote all
As the owner of a DB7 Vantage Volante and experienced driver of an XKR I know which one I enjoy driving the most - the DB7 every time.
The V12 is simply a delight - flexible, instant power with a distinctive sound. The interior is designed for Grand Touring and exudes comfort. The running costs (as the OP states) are slightly more than the XK but used as a second car the expense is generally acceptable to most AM owners.
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder but he shape of both the i6 and the Vantage is very easy on the eye whereas the line of the bonnet and the pinched grill look wrong IMHO.I'm not a Clarkson fan but even he was moved to say the DB7 was the prettiest car https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WOpT3DBhl0Y but it is interesting to see him compare it with the XKRR! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VctCdHPTqoQ

However I am grateful that the XK8 / R has a lot of common parts with the DB7 and they are much cheaper!

Britcar driver

75 posts

97 months

Sunday 28th February 2016
quotequote all
Most beautiful car since the E-Type! The DB7 has aged particularly well, and I believe looks better now than it did when new. The design is more pure than Aston's current cars, and the trend, it seems, will only continue.