Tell me not to get a DB9
Discussion
cardigankid said:
Californias don't look that good in the flesh. Their is something gratuitously flashy and overblown about them. In my opinion it's a poser's car.
I was chatting at the weekend to a guy at a petrol station who had a DB9 Volante and previously had an F430. He found the F430 unreliable and the DB9 far better built and just as enjoyable a drive. Just what he said. I'd have the 9 if I were you.
They're all pretty nice, but my neighbour's white California looks quite flashy compared to others in darker colours.I was chatting at the weekend to a guy at a petrol station who had a DB9 Volante and previously had an F430. He found the F430 unreliable and the DB9 far better built and just as enjoyable a drive. Just what he said. I'd have the 9 if I were you.
Edited by cardigankid on Tuesday 1st June 15:05
Does anyone have any idea what the average age difference is between a 430 owner and a DB9 owner? I would suspect it's quite large given the differing levels of comfort and driving experience. I found the DB9 volante to be far more of a cruiser than any Ferrari I've driven. That wasn't a surprise, but I would expect that there would be considerable difference between the DB9 and a 430; they're such different cars.
Rawwr said:
To be honest, I care little about the image but I understand your point and will readily admit that a V8 Vantage isn't entirely out of the picture, I just prefer the idea of a DB9 
i came out of a db7 because it was too gt and not enough sports car.the vantage was the perfect car for me and i have now owned it for longer than any other car i've had in the past.i have racked up 33000 miles and some of those have been very long journeys.plenty comfy enough for grand touring.i am currently looking at getting into a db9 myself but this is primarily due to not being able to take the baby and wife with me at the same time.i think a 9 with sportpack and manual transmission is the order of the dayAKA8 said:
cardigankid said:
Californias don't look that good in the flesh. Their is something gratuitously flashy and overblown about them. In my opinion it's a poser's car.
I was chatting at the weekend to a guy at a petrol station who had a DB9 Volante and previously had an F430. He found the F430 unreliable and the DB9 far better built and just as enjoyable a drive. Just what he said. I'd have the 9 if I were you.
They're all pretty nice, but my neighbour's white California looks quite flashy compared to others in darker colours.I was chatting at the weekend to a guy at a petrol station who had a DB9 Volante and previously had an F430. He found the F430 unreliable and the DB9 far better built and just as enjoyable a drive. Just what he said. I'd have the 9 if I were you.
Does anyone have any idea what the average age difference is between a 430 owner and a DB9 owner? I would suspect it's quite large given the differing levels of comfort and driving experience. I found the DB9 volante to be far more of a cruiser than any Ferrari I've driven. That wasn't a surprise, but I would expect that there would be considerable difference between the DB9 and a 430; they're such different cars.
I got my DB9 in March 09, so just over a year of ownership. Despite having other vehicles, I use it all the time, all year round as it's such a pleasure to be in, to drive and experience. It never fails to put a smile on my face when I go out in it. It's been totally reliable. I'm having it serviced with Rick at DMS in July and I'll be putting the Sportspack wheels on to improve it's looks even more (if that's possible).
I'm not really a Ferrari or a Porsche fan, (fantastic cars though they may be), so I'm a bit biased towards Astons. I considered a V8 Vantage before the DB9, but I'm happy with my choice.
There are cars faster 0-60 and cars with higher top speeds, but the DB9 is faster than I am, and is all the car I need. It goes like stink when the throttle is floored, stops when required, corners really well and the V12 engine note is aural porn.... (is that right?).
Everyone seems to love Astons - people let you out at junctions, kids give you the thumbs up and generally people smile when you drive by. Someone always talks to you when filling up with V-Max, even if only to ask what the consumption is.
It's very much a personal choice - you will probably love both an Aston and Ferrari and you will probably wonder what the other would be like whichever one you buy.
I went from a Range Rover Sport after 25 years of all sorts of Range Rovers and I don't regret moving to the DB9. Haven't got tired of it yet.
Happy hunting!.
ANT
I'm not really a Ferrari or a Porsche fan, (fantastic cars though they may be), so I'm a bit biased towards Astons. I considered a V8 Vantage before the DB9, but I'm happy with my choice.
There are cars faster 0-60 and cars with higher top speeds, but the DB9 is faster than I am, and is all the car I need. It goes like stink when the throttle is floored, stops when required, corners really well and the V12 engine note is aural porn.... (is that right?).
Everyone seems to love Astons - people let you out at junctions, kids give you the thumbs up and generally people smile when you drive by. Someone always talks to you when filling up with V-Max, even if only to ask what the consumption is.
It's very much a personal choice - you will probably love both an Aston and Ferrari and you will probably wonder what the other would be like whichever one you buy.
I went from a Range Rover Sport after 25 years of all sorts of Range Rovers and I don't regret moving to the DB9. Haven't got tired of it yet.
Happy hunting!.
ANT
Edited by oilman151 on Wednesday 2nd June 12:14
I know it's not answering your question per se, but if it were me I'd get the V8 Ferrari thing out of the system first.
My rationale is quite different to Mr Gould's though (!).
If you're going to subject yourself to diesel comfort econobox hell, go out of sportscars with a proper bang. Get yourself a 355B, or perhaps even a Challenge Stradale (couple of lovely ones for sale at the moment for sensible money) and for 12mths you can be driving one of the most exciting cars ever made, and lose little/no money over the 12mths.
The DB9 is something you can always come back to later in life. Elegant, composed. Big V12. Nice enough cars, but for me they're for an older demographic.
Even the V8V, which is a truly awesome car, doesn't have the same sort of frisson a V8 Ferrari brings.
I'm not 100% sure I'd want to be driving a V8 Ferrari later in life. This is where V12s, or cars like the Aston really come into their own.
My rationale is quite different to Mr Gould's though (!).
If you're going to subject yourself to diesel comfort econobox hell, go out of sportscars with a proper bang. Get yourself a 355B, or perhaps even a Challenge Stradale (couple of lovely ones for sale at the moment for sensible money) and for 12mths you can be driving one of the most exciting cars ever made, and lose little/no money over the 12mths.
The DB9 is something you can always come back to later in life. Elegant, composed. Big V12. Nice enough cars, but for me they're for an older demographic.
Even the V8V, which is a truly awesome car, doesn't have the same sort of frisson a V8 Ferrari brings.
I'm not 100% sure I'd want to be driving a V8 Ferrari later in life. This is where V12s, or cars like the Aston really come into their own.
Rawwr said:
I'm not sure sports thrills is where I want to go, really. I have an RR9 Fireblade tucked up in the garage and have had a 340R in the past, which is about as extreme as sports cars get.
I think I'm getting old.
It's happening to us all I think I'm getting old.
A 355B is a capable long distance car, as well as being able to turn the wick up.
The CS...possibly the best car Ferrari have made since the 355.
Neither are going to be "extreme" in the sense that your other vehicles are. But if you want one last exotic hoorah before the Mondeo comes along, I suspect they'll be better devices than the DB9 IMO.
That said, Astons are very, very lovely cars.
Will you not be able to keep a toy to go with the diesel mundanery?
oilman151 said:
I got my DB9 in March 09, so just over a year of ownership. Despite having other vehicles, I use it all the time, all year round as it's such a pleasure to be in, to drive and experience. It never fails to put a smile on my face when I go out in it. It's been totally reliable. I'm having it serviced with Rick at DMS in July and I'll be putting the Sportspack wheels on to improve it's looks even more (if that's possible).
I'm not really a Ferrari or a Porsche fan, (fantastic cars though they may be), so I'm a bit biased towards Astons. I considered a V8 Vantage before the DB9, but I'm happy with my choice.
There are cars faster 0-60 and cars with higher top speeds, but the DB9 is faster than I am, and is all the car I need. It goes like stink when the throttle is floored, stops when required, corners really well and the V12 engine note is aural porn.... (is that right?).
Everyone seems to love Astons - people let you out at junctions, kids give you the thumbs up and generally people smile when you drive by. Someone always talks to you when filling up with V-Max, even if only to ask what the consumption is.
It's very much a personal choice - you will probably love both an Aston and Ferrari and you will probably wonder what the other would be like whichever one you buy.
I went from a Range Rover Sport after 25 years of all sorts of Range Rovers and I don't regret moving to the DB9. Haven't got tired of it yet.
Happy hunting!.
ANT
Thanks for that I'm not really a Ferrari or a Porsche fan, (fantastic cars though they may be), so I'm a bit biased towards Astons. I considered a V8 Vantage before the DB9, but I'm happy with my choice.
There are cars faster 0-60 and cars with higher top speeds, but the DB9 is faster than I am, and is all the car I need. It goes like stink when the throttle is floored, stops when required, corners really well and the V12 engine note is aural porn.... (is that right?).
Everyone seems to love Astons - people let you out at junctions, kids give you the thumbs up and generally people smile when you drive by. Someone always talks to you when filling up with V-Max, even if only to ask what the consumption is.
It's very much a personal choice - you will probably love both an Aston and Ferrari and you will probably wonder what the other would be like whichever one you buy.
I went from a Range Rover Sport after 25 years of all sorts of Range Rovers and I don't regret moving to the DB9. Haven't got tired of it yet.
Happy hunting!.
ANT
Edited by oilman151 on Wednesday 2nd June 12:14
If you were forced, possibly at knifepoint, to be critical of the car, what would be its downsides and horrors?
No horrors. Downside might be servicing costs, depreciation & running/repair costs. Nothing drastic has gone wrong with the DB9. The rear screen shattered last month. I couldn't work out how or why - maybe a Russian spy was shooting at the car?????? (007 etc). It was 1400 to replace.
I get my servicing done at DMS in Derby - for the quality of service, Ricks knowledge and obviously the cost is less than the dealer network.
Stone chips on the front end are always going to be a problem unless you drive like a snail and keep a large distance to the vehicle in front - (not really what you have this car for).
The seat bolster on the drivers seat wears quite badly, as you have to rub against it getting in and out. I've been quoted 270 to get this replaced.
I don't think there's anything I've mentioned above that doesn't equally apply to a Ferrari, so I see no real downsides to owning the Aston.
Mine's the touchtronic gearbox which is the best of both worlds as far as I can see - manual when I want it, auto most of the time and no heavy clutch to press. The manual box is a matter of personal preference.
Interestingly, I was talking to someone from the factory service department the other day and he pointed out that Astons very rarely get vandalised. I know from the Range Rover Sport forum that many "premium" brand cars get keyed and vandalized in various ways due to jealousy, I guess, but Astons appear to escape that for the most part.
If anyone on here has experienced any vandalism, it would be an interesting thread to discuss.
Anyway, that's my 10p worth. At the end of the day, you have to make up your own mind.
Like the bikes BTW - awesome. I felt the UK roads (and in particular other road users) were becoming too dangereous to continue riding mine (Honda VFR800 VTEC) and so I sold it. I regret it but I'm still alive!
Happy hunting.
Regards
ANT
One more thing - the rear seats are a joke - it's not a 2+2 in the true sense of the word, unless you have really small children. A couple of smallish shopping bags fills the rear. I limit mine to just me and my partner - no other passengers.
I get my servicing done at DMS in Derby - for the quality of service, Ricks knowledge and obviously the cost is less than the dealer network.
Stone chips on the front end are always going to be a problem unless you drive like a snail and keep a large distance to the vehicle in front - (not really what you have this car for).
The seat bolster on the drivers seat wears quite badly, as you have to rub against it getting in and out. I've been quoted 270 to get this replaced.
I don't think there's anything I've mentioned above that doesn't equally apply to a Ferrari, so I see no real downsides to owning the Aston.
Mine's the touchtronic gearbox which is the best of both worlds as far as I can see - manual when I want it, auto most of the time and no heavy clutch to press. The manual box is a matter of personal preference.
Interestingly, I was talking to someone from the factory service department the other day and he pointed out that Astons very rarely get vandalised. I know from the Range Rover Sport forum that many "premium" brand cars get keyed and vandalized in various ways due to jealousy, I guess, but Astons appear to escape that for the most part.
If anyone on here has experienced any vandalism, it would be an interesting thread to discuss.
Anyway, that's my 10p worth. At the end of the day, you have to make up your own mind.
Like the bikes BTW - awesome. I felt the UK roads (and in particular other road users) were becoming too dangereous to continue riding mine (Honda VFR800 VTEC) and so I sold it. I regret it but I'm still alive!
Happy hunting.
Regards
ANT
One more thing - the rear seats are a joke - it's not a 2+2 in the true sense of the word, unless you have really small children. A couple of smallish shopping bags fills the rear. I limit mine to just me and my partner - no other passengers.
Edited by oilman151 on Saturday 5th June 12:20
if you want back seats get a rapide......i have 55 plate manual db9 coupe......driven daily , never had any problems with it...had it now 3 yrs...and am still grinning..!!!!..manual car much more driver involved and quicker than touchtronic version by 2/10ths of a second...according to handbook.....
the best thing you will ever buy in my opinion.......apart from when i get a dbs , then that would be the best thing.....
the best thing you will ever buy in my opinion.......apart from when i get a dbs , then that would be the best thing.....
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