Running a DB9 - talk to me

[vinnie83]

OK so I may have convinced myself that I need a DB9.

Now I'm no stranger to running expensive cars - currently a 997 turbo and a now written off SL55.

I still may get an SL65 but really fancy the DB9 - if nothing else, just for a year before I get back into something 'proper quick'.

So I'm looking at ideally getting a main dealer car so I can have some peace of mind (and warranty).

With this in mind, I should really only have to shell out for maintenance (fuel is going to be no worse than the SL and insurance won't be much more).

Now an independent dealer had one for sale and kept mentioning "the big 50k service costing £2500" having been done on the car he was selling.

I have googled and can't seem to find info on service schedules. I will be doing ~4-5k max miles a year. The car will be driven probably a couple of times a week locally, and maybe every month a blast from London to Leicester and back.

What are the servicing schedules and costs like for these? Are there good independents about (north London) and if so, will a full main dealer history car lose value if I use them?

I'm used to generous service schedules with the Germans so was hoping for some advice from owners.

Also - what were the options and what are the must haves from those?

Thanks!

[AMDBSNick]

http://www.amwfixedpriceservicing.com

[vinnie83]

AMDBSNick said:

http://www.amwfixedpriceservicing.com

Thank you Nick, I did try to find something like that but clearly didn't look hard enough.

You seem to know your Astons - how do you find the reliability & running costs?

ETA the servicing looks to be reasonable - any idea how costly the spark plugs are?

Edited by vinnie83 on Saturday 7th February 21:22

Edited by vinnie83 on Saturday 7th February 21:22

[vinnie83]

Come on guys, this is an Aston forum - I was hoping for at least a little bit of advice about running costs??

Seriously - there's nobody with a DB9 on this forum with experience of running costs, ownership experience and sought after options?

[roughrider]

vinnie83 said:

Come on guys, this is an Aston forum - I was hoping for at least a little bit of advice about running costs??

Seriously - there's nobody with a DB9 on this forum with experience of running costs, ownership experience and sought after options?

What sort of age car are you considering??

[dkatwa]

I have a 2009 DB9 Volante (MY2010). Bought with 53k miles on it and now has 61k, though the bulk of it was driving to and from work in Cardiff (I live in London). Fuel wise, 20mpg. Servicing cost about £800 at AMW and the front shocks are slightly moist and will change them soon. No expenses out of routine servicing apart from shocks. There was a bit of bubbling around the drivers door handle and mirror - sorted FOC under warranty. Hardly drive the car now and it definitely works better when driven regularly. Can't wait for summer to take the top down. Would like the DBS for the exhaust and might retro fit a similar system to the DB9. I prefer the aggressive looks of the DBS though the DB9 lines are purer

[roughrider]

Timing chain engine, so no expensive timing belts.
Virtually 50/50 weight distribution, so easy on tyres and brakes.

I'd guess it would be cheaper to run than the other cars you've mentioned. Purely my opinion, but the SL65 engine is way more capable than its chassis/dynamics. I have met several DB9 owners that abandoned their SL's because of near misses!

Edited by roughrider on Sunday 8th February 13:42

[vinnie83]

Great stuff, thanks guys.

I'm considering an early car as my budget is ~£33k. I missed out on a main dealer car just last week as it sold within a day unfortunately.

I had an SL55 with ~550bhp and 600lb/ft so I know what you mean by the chassis - the SL65 will be not far off 700bhp and 1000lb/ft (after a little play) so yes it will be a bit hairy. The low down torque is what catches people out - it will spin wheels in 3rd in the dry so unless you are careful it can catch you out.

On the flip side, that's one thing that is slightly worrying about the DB9 - the huge drop in performance vs. even my SL55... but the noise and gorgeous looks are swaying me!

I'm surprised to hear that the DB9 appears cheaper to run than the germans - I certainly hope that's true!

[JulianPH]

vinnie83 said:

Great stuff, thanks guys.

I'm considering an early car as my budget is ~£33k. I missed out on a main dealer car just last week as it sold within a day unfortunately.

I had an SL55 with ~550bhp and 600lb/ft so I know what you mean by the chassis - the SL65 will be not far off 700bhp and 1000lb/ft (after a little play) so yes it will be a bit hairy. The low down torque is what catches people out - it will spin wheels in 3rd in the dry so unless you are careful it can catch you out.

On the flip side, that's one thing that is slightly worrying about the DB9 - the huge drop in performance vs. even my SL55... but the noise and gorgeous looks are swaying me!

I'm surprised to hear that the DB9 appears cheaper to run than the germans - I certainly hope that's true!

Which was the main dealer one you missed out on?

[vinnie83]

JulianPH said:

Which was the main dealer one you missed out on?

It was up for £33k IIRC about a week ago, somewhere down near the south coast - Harwoods I think. It was a grey car with maroon interior.

Got snapped up in a day, although he did say they have one at that kind of price every couple of months - usually a part ex for someone trading up to the new model.

If anyone is thinking of part exchanging their early DB9 please let me know - cash waiting!

[BravoV8V]

vinnie83 said:

Come on guys, this is an Aston forum - I was hoping for at least a little bit of advice about running costs??

Seriously - there's nobody with a DB9 on this forum with experience of running costs, ownership experience and sought after options?

How about running a search first? This topic has come up lots and lots over the years.

https://www.google.co.uk/search?as_q=db9+running+c...

[sukh_m]

Vinnie, pleased to see you have increased your budget

As with any performance car you will have the usual running costs, and for your budget your looking at the lower end of the market. Dealer maybe a good route to cover yourself but I'm assuming your looking at higher miles and older car? As with any ageing car, you may land with a consumables bill which warranty won't cover. Bear this in mind. A garage Queen is also not necessarily the best car either!

Good luck

[vinnie83]

sukh_m said:

Vinnie, pleased to see you have increased your budget

As with any performance car you will have the usual running costs, and for your budget your looking at the lower end of the market. Dealer maybe a good route to cover yourself but I'm assuming your looking at higher miles and older car? As with any ageing car, you may land with a consumables bill which warranty won't cover. Bear this in mind. A garage Queen is also not necessarily the best car either!

Good luck

Thanks Sukh, yep I had to increase my budget but am now kicking myself for missing the aforementioned car!

They will be early cars but I don't want any more than 60k miles - the dealer car I mentioned had IIRC 55k-ish.

I am hoping that, by getting a dealer car, I can also minimise consumables - I assume, like most approved used premium marques, that they replace any consumables (brakes, tyres etc) that are close to needing replacing?

I know they won't be new, but hopefully will get me a year of cost free motoring at least (approx 4k miles).

Even the SL's I am considering are at that age, so I know there are expenses - especially with this type of car.

[JulianPH]

Shame, the good early ones in that price bracket do go very quickly. I bought one on Thursday from HMW that never even went on the market.

Have you seen this one:

http://www.marlowcars.co.uk/aston-martin-db9-v12-i...

I was seriously considering it until HMW called me with their car. The photos don't do the meteorite colour any justice I have to say.

If they would put a 12 moth AM warranty on it it could be a great buy.

[vinnie83]

JulianPH said:

Shame, the good early ones in that price bracket do go very quickly. I bought one on Thursday from HMW that never even went on the market.

Have you seen this one:

http://www.marlowcars.co.uk/aston-martin-db9-v12-i...

I was seriously considering it until HMW called me with their car. The photos don't do the meteorite colour any justice I have to say.

If they would put a 12 moth AM warranty on it it could be a great buy.

How did you get the car before market - had you made an enquiry before?

I have seen that one, but I'm always weary of independent dealer cars if I don't know of the dealer - have you any experience with Marlow Cars?


ETA : I know mileage isn't the be all and end all, but the mileage on that Marlow car did put me off.

I figured if I get 60k or below, at my 4-5k miles a year (if I decide to keep it for that long) I can sell in 5 years when I graduate and the mileage won't be ridiculous.

Edited by vinnie83 on Sunday 8th February 15:18

[vinnie83]

These are the cars I had considered, but ultimately put off by the fact that I know nothing about the dealer:

http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/a...

The chap was really laying it on thick - which put me off...

http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/a...

Owned by him for 7 years, but still has finance outstanding - but I am going to call this chap next week.


http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/a...

Looks too cheap to me - and you know what they say about buying cars from Birmingam.... but again, if anyone is able to vouch for the dealer, you never know...

[AMDBSNick]

vinnie83 said:

Thank you Nick, I did try to find something like that but clearly didn't look hard enough.

You seem to know your Astons - how do you find the reliability & running costs?

ETA the servicing looks to be reasonable - any idea how costly the spark plugs are?

Edited by vinnie83 on Saturday 7th February 21:22

Edited by vinnie83 on Saturday 7th February 21:22

Reliability. Well neither of our cars have warranty, that should tell you something.

Plugs do not need doing until 40k miles but MUST be done at that point. I use an Indy and prices 25% less than the link I posted up and I suspect a more thorough job.

Edited by AMDBSNick on Sunday 8th February 15:40

[JulianPH]

vinnie83 said:

How did you get the car before market - had you made an enquiry before?

I have seen that one, but I'm always weary of independent dealer cars if I don't know of the dealer - have you any experience with Marlow Cars?

I had been originally looking for a DBS but was messed around by a Stratstone dealership so much that I pulled out. There were no other DBS' available in the colour/spec I was after so I decided to go for an early DB9 and then bide my time.

HWM called me last week to let me know about a DBS they had (but this also didn't have the exact spec I was after) and I told them what I was now doing. They had just taken one in in part exchange that morning and so they sent me some photos and I bought it the same day.

In technical terms I was what is known as lucky!

I nearly bought a Bentley GT from Marlow but didn't go through as a better one (in my opinion) came up privately. They were very professional though (hence me considering their DB9) and I believe they have a strong reputation (can anybody comment...?).

I wouldn't worry about buying from an independent (or privately for that matter) providing there is a full main dealer (or recognised specialist) service history and a 12 month (AM in this case) warranty in place.

Having said that, the best experience I had had with buying an Aston was (1) benefiting from the great knowledge and advice offered on this forum and (2) dealing with great dealerships like HWM and Grange.

I would listen to what the owners here have to say and give both of these dealerships a call (I've spoken with Stuart and Guy at HWM & Will and Lloyd at Grange). Let them know what you are after and wait for them to call you back when they find it!

[vinnie83]

JulianPH said:

I had been originally looking for a DBS but was messed around by a Stratstone dealership so much that I pulled out. There were no other DBS' available in the colour/spec I was after so I decided to go for an early DB9 and then bide my time.

HWM called me last week to let me know about a DBS they had (but this also didn't have the exact spec I was after) and I told them what I was now doing. They had just taken one in in part exchange that morning and so they sent me some photos and I bought it the same day.

In technical terms I was what is known as lucky!

I nearly bought a Bentley GT from Marlow but didn't go through as a better one (in my opinion) came up privately. They were very professional though (hence me considering their DB9) and I believe they have a strong reputation (can anybody comment...?).

I wouldn't worry about buying from an independent (or privately for that matter) providing there is a full main dealer (or recognised specialist) service history and a 12 month (AM in this case) warranty in place.

Having said that, the best experience I had had with buying an Aston was (1) benefiting from the great knowledge and advice offered on this forum and (2) dealing with great dealerships like HWM and Grange.

I would listen to what the owners here have to say and give both of these dealerships a call (I've spoken with Stuart and Guy at HWM & Will and Lloyd at Grange). Let them know what you are after and wait for them to call you back when they find it!

HWM is not far from me at all - in fact, when I was at uni the first time round many years ago, I used to ogle the Porsches in their window on the way home from the pub!

But they have a rather poor reputation on PH no?

If I buy, I will insist on the car being sent to AM for a warranty to be put on as part of the deal - even if it's at my expense. Hopefully the inspection will show up any dodgy cars.

I had just hoped there was more choice available - they look absolutely stunning in black but it seems a rare colour.

[JulianPH]

vinnie83 said:

HWM is not far from me at all - in fact, when I was at uni the first time round many years ago, I used to ogle the Porsches in their window on the way home from the pub!

But they have a rather poor reputation on PH no?

If I buy, I will insist on the car being sent to AM for a warranty to be put on as part of the deal - even if it's at my expense. Hopefully the inspection will show up any dodgy cars.

I had just hoped there was more choice available - they look absolutely stunning in black but it seems a rare colour.

I was not aware HWM had a poor reputation here, they have been fantastic with me. Perhaps others can comment...

The three cars you linked to are very different (the last one being a Volante and the first being blue - much slower!).

The original one you were looking at had maroon leather and you say you really would like a black car.

If I were you I would work out exactly the spec you really want and then set out to find a good example of it.

I'm not sure that black is a rare colour, but if you do fancy the black/red combo I think it is safe to say the Nick is your man (he is very shy about showing photos though )

Good luck searching and don't buy unless your heart, brain AND gut all say yes! Also, enjoy the search, I've bought one now and suddenly have no idea what to do with my Sunday's until it arrives