DBS ownership experiences?
Discussion
I owned a V8VR Sportshift a few years back and I'm thinking of returning to the fold once more once I've offloaded a couple of my rental properties-this time I'm thinking of a DBS Volante.(One of the reasons I sold the V8VR was the lack of rear seats so could not use for family duties).It would be a little used vehicle-maybe 3000 miles a year max.
I was just wondering what others who own or have owned this model think of it,and the best spec to go for-I was thinking auto and B+O sound system are my main essentials.Is it reliable?What are the servicing costs like?Any corrosion/paintwork issues etc?(The rear lights on my V8 didn't quite fit properly and rubbed the paintwork on the rear wings.Ialso had the handbrake pads problem on my car which made it sound like a squeaky pram wheel sometimes when I went round a corner,and the check engine light seemed to have a mind of its own,coming on and off at will.I also found power lacking a little above 100mph).Overall though the car was great-it attracted a lot of positive friendly attention from others-more so than any other car I've owned.
I was just wondering what others who own or have owned this model think of it,and the best spec to go for-I was thinking auto and B+O sound system are my main essentials.Is it reliable?What are the servicing costs like?Any corrosion/paintwork issues etc?(The rear lights on my V8 didn't quite fit properly and rubbed the paintwork on the rear wings.Ialso had the handbrake pads problem on my car which made it sound like a squeaky pram wheel sometimes when I went round a corner,and the check engine light seemed to have a mind of its own,coming on and off at will.I also found power lacking a little above 100mph).Overall though the car was great-it attracted a lot of positive friendly attention from others-more so than any other car I've owned.
Lotto AMDBSNick or Tony Hall. Don't know about a Volante but........
went 4.3 V8V to V12V to DBS Carbon Black TT2 with B+O (aren't they all?) I like to think my input helped Greg (little donkey) make the same swap from V12V to DBS. Definitely saved the best until last - wouldn't swap back. Such a great car AND my 18yr old daughter CAN get in the back with a bit of strategic positioning and is comfy enough for an hour or so. It really does tick many boxes - Get one brought
Simples
went 4.3 V8V to V12V to DBS Carbon Black TT2 with B+O (aren't they all?) I like to think my input helped Greg (little donkey) make the same swap from V12V to DBS. Definitely saved the best until last - wouldn't swap back. Such a great car AND my 18yr old daughter CAN get in the back with a bit of strategic positioning and is comfy enough for an hour or so. It really does tick many boxes - Get one brought
Simples
MarsellusWallace said:
I'm not too worried about the back seats-only my 8 year old daughter would ever be sitting in the back,and she would sit behind my partner who is quite small so could have her front seat forward a little more.
yes that would work......somebody correct me if I'm wrong but I'm not sure all DBS had back seatsmichael gould said:
MarsellusWallace said:
I'm not too worried about the back seats-only my 8 year old daughter would ever be sitting in the back,and she would sit behind my partner who is quite small so could have her front seat forward a little more.
yes that would work......somebody correct me if I'm wrong but I'm not sure all DBS had back seatsMine didn't.
Good decision. Went from a V8V Coupe to a DBS Volante almost 3 years ago and never regretted it.
Drive about 10K km per year with it, and always have to force myself to also drive my daily driver, to prevent too many miles on the DBS, but in the end, a car is for driving, not storing away.
On the DBS Volante the 2+2 config (back seats) are standard, as well as the B&O, since this was introduced in the same year (2009.5) as well as the TT2. Therefore almost no manual DBS Volantes can be found (see other thread), but if you find one, go for it! Especially if you drive only 3K miles a year, why you need an Auto box? the 6-speed manual is so much more involving and fun (and it has 12 km/h higher top speed, ie 307 km/h).
If you buy a car with (extended) warranty, not many maintenance costs per year. For me around 1-2K euro per year, but now new tires are required (295/30/20 rear, 245/35/20 front), so I budget max 1600 euro extra for this.
Common issues are indeed the squeeking brakes (because of the ceramic brakes), moisture in front lights (same as in V8V) and that's about it. The manual gearbox could be squeeking too, that will be upgraded under warranty (TSB for it).
No oil addition/change needed between regular service visits. The car loves to be driven, so use it for what it is ment to be!
Enjoy!
Drive about 10K km per year with it, and always have to force myself to also drive my daily driver, to prevent too many miles on the DBS, but in the end, a car is for driving, not storing away.
On the DBS Volante the 2+2 config (back seats) are standard, as well as the B&O, since this was introduced in the same year (2009.5) as well as the TT2. Therefore almost no manual DBS Volantes can be found (see other thread), but if you find one, go for it! Especially if you drive only 3K miles a year, why you need an Auto box? the 6-speed manual is so much more involving and fun (and it has 12 km/h higher top speed, ie 307 km/h).
If you buy a car with (extended) warranty, not many maintenance costs per year. For me around 1-2K euro per year, but now new tires are required (295/30/20 rear, 245/35/20 front), so I budget max 1600 euro extra for this.
Common issues are indeed the squeeking brakes (because of the ceramic brakes), moisture in front lights (same as in V8V) and that's about it. The manual gearbox could be squeeking too, that will be upgraded under warranty (TSB for it).
No oil addition/change needed between regular service visits. The car loves to be driven, so use it for what it is ment to be!
Enjoy!
Edited by AWV12 on Monday 18th August 21:14
Gassing Station | Aston Martin | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff