Should I buy a DB9 for this?
Discussion
Hi all.
I currently lease an A6 diesel and whilst most folk like it, I can’t stand the thing. Anyway it goes back in a few months and I need to replace it as my daily.
Looking at lease deals at the moment, I’m depressed by what’s in offer and thought about perhaps running something fancy as a daily. Which brings me to the DB9.
I see a lot of low miles mid 2000s DB9s creep below £30k and thought I could use it over 5 years and then sell on. My mileage is down below 6000 per year so man maths kicked in and if I keep the miles below 80k after ownership and sell for over £10k I should be better off as leasing costs in the same period would be circa £20k.
I then move on to durability. Whilst my mileage is low, I need the car to work and be reliable. That includes using it in winter, Welsh rain, family trips occasionally, school runs and the like. I was wondering if anyone uses one as a daily and what to watch for.
In terms of servicing, I also wondered what big expenses may crop up and when. Fuel economy is not a major concern but other costs are.
Finally, I don’t want to be dealing with corrosion and I’m assuming given it’s construction this isn’t an issue. Can someone confirm? I do also hate a leaking car and the aforementioned wet welsh weather means I ideally want the thing to be watertight - is this the case?
I hope you don’t mind my questions, and any feedback or advice would be awesome 😎
I currently lease an A6 diesel and whilst most folk like it, I can’t stand the thing. Anyway it goes back in a few months and I need to replace it as my daily.
Looking at lease deals at the moment, I’m depressed by what’s in offer and thought about perhaps running something fancy as a daily. Which brings me to the DB9.
I see a lot of low miles mid 2000s DB9s creep below £30k and thought I could use it over 5 years and then sell on. My mileage is down below 6000 per year so man maths kicked in and if I keep the miles below 80k after ownership and sell for over £10k I should be better off as leasing costs in the same period would be circa £20k.
I then move on to durability. Whilst my mileage is low, I need the car to work and be reliable. That includes using it in winter, Welsh rain, family trips occasionally, school runs and the like. I was wondering if anyone uses one as a daily and what to watch for.
In terms of servicing, I also wondered what big expenses may crop up and when. Fuel economy is not a major concern but other costs are.
Finally, I don’t want to be dealing with corrosion and I’m assuming given it’s construction this isn’t an issue. Can someone confirm? I do also hate a leaking car and the aforementioned wet welsh weather means I ideally want the thing to be watertight - is this the case?
I hope you don’t mind my questions, and any feedback or advice would be awesome 😎
A great idea, but I think the answer to your question about running costs, will depend entirely on luck.
You are referring to perhaps a 14 year old car, which originally cost over £100,000.
Perhaps your worst case might be, what has been reported a number of times on here, the early cars V12 engine ticking. There is a forum topic for that.
Many Aston Martins are used as occasional cars, so therefore can be kept in beautiful condition with fairly reasonable maintenance costs.
A higher mileage DB9 daily driver could be very enjoyable, or it might become expensive.
I've got a DB9 and i keep it garaged and dont use it as my regular drive.
IMO early DB9's are not good for daily drives like Audi and BMW, you will get condensation in the front and rear lights in no time and although the engine should be reliable you will get all sorts of little niggling things that will go wrong mostly electrical, the servicing and part prices are expensive.
But it all depends on what car you get, I've had 2 DB9's and some are trouble free and some keep on having lots of problems so its pot luck.
As a rule the newer ones are better but you pay more money on purchase, and the 2004 have the cosworth engines and some do start to rattle, get one thats 2006 and onwards.
Good luck.
IMO early DB9's are not good for daily drives like Audi and BMW, you will get condensation in the front and rear lights in no time and although the engine should be reliable you will get all sorts of little niggling things that will go wrong mostly electrical, the servicing and part prices are expensive.
But it all depends on what car you get, I've had 2 DB9's and some are trouble free and some keep on having lots of problems so its pot luck.
As a rule the newer ones are better but you pay more money on purchase, and the 2004 have the cosworth engines and some do start to rattle, get one thats 2006 and onwards.
Good luck.
Having owned both a V8V and a DB9 I would strongly suggest you consider switching your Aston of choice. The DB9 is a beautiful car, but your intended use really isn't what it's best at. The fundamentals are pretty solid, but little issues creep up which need sorting, and those can add up. The Vantage is a more reliable package all round, and handles regular high miles much more cheaply than the DB9.
If you dicounted the Vantage because it's a "lesser" Aston then I can assure you that's not the case. It may have been cheaper than the DB9, but that's just because it's a different type of car, you're not getting second best. It's just as fast DB9, the handling is much better as it's a sports car rather than a GT, it's smaller so easier to manage on the road, the interior is indistinguishable (at least for the early cars you are looking at), and it makes just as good a noise. If I was planning on doing 6000 miles a year in an Aston as my daily I'd pick a Vantage over a DB9 any day.
And I'm saying that as someone who sold my Vantage in order to buy a DB9. I did that because I fancied a change, and because I wanted a car to do longer weekend blasts, which is more what the DB9 is designed for.
On the plus side, well done for realising the idiocy of burning money by leasing a new car, when you can have a much more interesting and fun used car for less money long-term.
If you dicounted the Vantage because it's a "lesser" Aston then I can assure you that's not the case. It may have been cheaper than the DB9, but that's just because it's a different type of car, you're not getting second best. It's just as fast DB9, the handling is much better as it's a sports car rather than a GT, it's smaller so easier to manage on the road, the interior is indistinguishable (at least for the early cars you are looking at), and it makes just as good a noise. If I was planning on doing 6000 miles a year in an Aston as my daily I'd pick a Vantage over a DB9 any day.
And I'm saying that as someone who sold my Vantage in order to buy a DB9. I did that because I fancied a change, and because I wanted a car to do longer weekend blasts, which is more what the DB9 is designed for.
On the plus side, well done for realising the idiocy of burning money by leasing a new car, when you can have a much more interesting and fun used car for less money long-term.
Edited by murphyaj on Friday 29th November 09:18
Mine is my only car and gets used whenever I need a car, rather than being only for special occasions. It's a 2009 model.
I think 6000 miles a year in a DB9 is eminently doable. I do about half that but that's cos I live in London, so cycle everywhere instead. The car lives in a garage, with power. This is important because you really need to keep them on a charger if you're not driving them for a couple of weeks at a time.
Reliability wise, mine has never gone wrong and it has never leaked. The only problems I've had are the stereo refusing to play with my iPod, and a message on the screen telling me that the manual gear paddles had decided not to work. Both were fixed by turning the car off and on again, and never reoccurred. I do get condensation in the headlights in cold wet weather but I don't really care about that.
Most of the car is aluminium, carbon fibre or composite, so corrosion isn't an issue. The rear subframe, however is steel and can rust. Mine lived its first 8 years in Aberdeen and when I first got it serviced there was some surface rust starting on that which the garage cleaned up and repainted.
Every service they note that there's a light misting of oil on the shocks and every time they decide that it doesn't need fixing yet.
In terms of costs, the biggies are going to be consumables like brake discs and tyres, and annual servicing costs under £1000 usually, which isn't bad.
And every time you get into it it's an occasion.
I think 6000 miles a year in a DB9 is eminently doable. I do about half that but that's cos I live in London, so cycle everywhere instead. The car lives in a garage, with power. This is important because you really need to keep them on a charger if you're not driving them for a couple of weeks at a time.
Reliability wise, mine has never gone wrong and it has never leaked. The only problems I've had are the stereo refusing to play with my iPod, and a message on the screen telling me that the manual gear paddles had decided not to work. Both were fixed by turning the car off and on again, and never reoccurred. I do get condensation in the headlights in cold wet weather but I don't really care about that.
Most of the car is aluminium, carbon fibre or composite, so corrosion isn't an issue. The rear subframe, however is steel and can rust. Mine lived its first 8 years in Aberdeen and when I first got it serviced there was some surface rust starting on that which the garage cleaned up and repainted.
Every service they note that there's a light misting of oil on the shocks and every time they decide that it doesn't need fixing yet.
In terms of costs, the biggies are going to be consumables like brake discs and tyres, and annual servicing costs under £1000 usually, which isn't bad.
And every time you get into it it's an occasion.
murphyaj said:
Having owned both a V8V and a DB9 I would strongly suggest you consider switching your Aston of choice. The DB9 is a beautiful car, but your intended use really isn't what it's best at. The fundamentals are pretty solid, but little issues creep up which need sorting, and those can add up. The Vantage is a more reliable package all round, and handles regular high miles much more cheaply than the DB9.
If you dicounted the Vantage because it's a "lesser" Aston then I can assure you that's not the case. It may have been cheaper than the DB9, but that's just because it's a different type of car, you're not getting second best. It's just as fast DB9, the handling is much better as it's a sports car rather than a GT, it's smaller so easier to manage on the road, the interior is indistinguishable (at least for the early cars you are looking at), and it makes just as good a noise. If I was planning on doing 6000 miles a year in an Aston as my daily I'd pick a Vantage over a DB9 any day.
And I'm saying that as someone who sold my Vantage in order to buy a DB9. I did that because I fancied a change, and because I wanted a car to do longer weekend blasts, which is more what the DB9 is designed for.
On the plus side, well done for realising the idiocy of burning money by leasing a new car, when you can have a much more interesting and fun used car for less money long-term.
Id love the V8V but need 4 seats for the sproglings!If you dicounted the Vantage because it's a "lesser" Aston then I can assure you that's not the case. It may have been cheaper than the DB9, but that's just because it's a different type of car, you're not getting second best. It's just as fast DB9, the handling is much better as it's a sports car rather than a GT, it's smaller so easier to manage on the road, the interior is indistinguishable (at least for the early cars you are looking at), and it makes just as good a noise. If I was planning on doing 6000 miles a year in an Aston as my daily I'd pick a Vantage over a DB9 any day.
And I'm saying that as someone who sold my Vantage in order to buy a DB9. I did that because I fancied a change, and because I wanted a car to do longer weekend blasts, which is more what the DB9 is designed for.
On the plus side, well done for realising the idiocy of burning money by leasing a new car, when you can have a much more interesting and fun used car for less money long-term.
Edited by murphyaj on Friday 29th November 09:18
Sebastian Tombs said:
mrpenks said:
I then move on to durability. Whilst my mileage is low, I need the car to work and be reliable. That includes using it in winter, Welsh rain, family trips occasionally, school runs and the like. I was wondering if anyone uses one as a daily and what to watch for.
In terms of servicing, I also wondered what big expenses may crop up and when. Fuel economy is not a major concern but other costs are.
Finally, I don’t want to be dealing with corrosion and I’m assuming given it’s construction this isn’t an issue. Can someone confirm? I do also hate a leaking car and the aforementioned wet welsh weather means I ideally want the thing to be watertight - is this the case?
I hope you don’t mind my questions, and any feedback or advice would be awesome ??
Mine is my only car and gets used whenever I need a car, rather than being only for special occasions. It's a 2009 model.In terms of servicing, I also wondered what big expenses may crop up and when. Fuel economy is not a major concern but other costs are.
Finally, I don’t want to be dealing with corrosion and I’m assuming given it’s construction this isn’t an issue. Can someone confirm? I do also hate a leaking car and the aforementioned wet welsh weather means I ideally want the thing to be watertight - is this the case?
I hope you don’t mind my questions, and any feedback or advice would be awesome ??
I think 6000 miles a year in a DB9 is eminently doable. I do about half that but that's cos I live in London, so cycle everywhere instead. The car lives in a garage, with power. This is important because you really need to keep them on a charger if you're not driving them for a couple of weeks at a time.
Reliability wise, mine has never gone wrong and it has never leaked. The only problems I've had are the stereo refusing to play with my iPod, and a message on the screen telling me that the manual gear paddles had decided not to work. Both were fixed by turning the car off and on again, and never reoccurred. I do get condensation in the headlights in cold wet weather but I don't really care about that.
Most of the car is aluminium, carbon fibre or composite, so corrosion isn't an issue. The rear subframe, however is steel and can rust. Mine lived its first 8 years in Aberdeen and when I first got it serviced there was some surface rust starting on that which the garage cleaned up and repainted.
Every service they note that there's a light misting of oil on the shocks and every time they decide that it doesn't need fixing yet.
In terms of costs, the biggies are going to be consumables like brake discs and tyres, and annual servicing costs under £1000 usually, which isn't bad.
And every time you get into it it's an occasion.
Many main dealers and AM Works offer fixed price servicing, so it need not be expensive. if it's an early car, make sure all recalls/updates have been completed, especially the reduced oil dipstick length. Look for paint bubbling around door handles and wing mirrors. They are pretty bullet-proof, great cars and amazing value. Go for it!
mrpenks said:
Id love the V8V but need 4 seats for the sproglings!
Fair point. It is possible to get people in the back, I manage it on occasion in mine, but I'm not very tall and am happy driving with the seat pretty far forward. Taller drivers will often leave zero leg room in the back - and I do mean zero, the seat back will be touching the rear passenger seat. If the children are very young you might seriously struggle to get a car seat in there, but if they are old enough to just need a booster but young enough to not need much leg room you might be okay. I've been in the back of mine before, sat behind the driver, I can't say it was comfortable but it shows it's technically possible.I presume you have another car for usual family duties.
What kind of car can't do 6k a year without killing itself. You pay massive money and it can't do about 100 miles a week give or take. Beautiful car none the less.But I can't see how all these posh cars, lambos, Ferraris, Astons etc would not benefit from been driven. Hardly built that badly are they
Most people think that the more expensive cars are then generally better than say a Ford or Vauxhall, but in some ways thats not the case, Ford have the resources to have hundreds of engineers develop a new car, but AM cant afford that so what happens is some manufacturing and design issues slip into the main production cars so owners experience these once purchased.
Mainstream cars are extensively tested so most issues are sorted pre production as Ford cannot release a new Fiesta with loads of issues as millions of them are produced with a massive cost of repair and the brand image will be massively affected.
AM owners will accept all these issues as they are "hand built" but nowadays they are not handbuilt like in the Newport Pagnell times where the whole car is assembled in a bay by one guy, but just assembled without using robots.
Mainstream cars are extensively tested so most issues are sorted pre production as Ford cannot release a new Fiesta with loads of issues as millions of them are produced with a massive cost of repair and the brand image will be massively affected.
AM owners will accept all these issues as they are "hand built" but nowadays they are not handbuilt like in the Newport Pagnell times where the whole car is assembled in a bay by one guy, but just assembled without using robots.
Edited by paulrog1 on Friday 29th November 15:32
If you need 4 seats, have you considered a Rapide, they are in my opinion the best value for money Aston Martin at the moment.
Running costs should be similar to a DB9 but rarer car and often loaded with extras. My son in law runs a pre S model and, apart from tyre pressure monitors playing up , has had no issues at all.
Take a look you may be pleasantly surprised!
Running costs should be similar to a DB9 but rarer car and often loaded with extras. My son in law runs a pre S model and, apart from tyre pressure monitors playing up , has had no issues at all.
Take a look you may be pleasantly surprised!
I bought my db9 (2014) originally as my daily and only car but that didnt last long. The car will get under your skin and you will want to cherish it (imo). I found that I didn’t want to drive to certain places because the parking was terrible etc, or put muddy kids in the back (they do fit as long as you stop feeding them now), or let the wife anywhere near it. But if you are ok with all of that it is a terrific car to mooch about in and use every day, I use mine as often as I can. Your running costs will be at least high hundreds a year in servicing if nothing significant needs doing. Most bills for significant things will be big, its down to the particular car you buy and who the previous owners were. Do it. 
I certainly agree with using the car regularly.
Mine has 92k miles on it, if I keep using it it's fine.
If I haven't used it for a few weeks/month plus then I get a few error messages on first use which are cleared with a reset then it settles down again.
All mine has cost me at this mileage is tyres, service kits, a boot strut and a clogged wiper jet. So buy it, enjoy it and dont keep it locked in a garage
Mine has 92k miles on it, if I keep using it it's fine.
If I haven't used it for a few weeks/month plus then I get a few error messages on first use which are cleared with a reset then it settles down again.
All mine has cost me at this mileage is tyres, service kits, a boot strut and a clogged wiper jet. So buy it, enjoy it and dont keep it locked in a garage
I'd get one. They are terrific cars and every time you drive it you'll feel it's an occasion.
They're not the cheapest cars to own, but if you shop around and all importantly get anything you are considering to purchase, inspected by someone who knows what they are doing, it could save you a great deal of money and heartache in the longer run.
Before I bought mine I spoke to several independents and lurked on this thread for months, picking up as much information and detail as possible. The independents were unanimous that they are well built cars and pretty bullet proof on the whole, which ultimately gave me the confidence to buy.
Annual maintenance and service costs have varied for me from £800 on a cheap year to £3k on an expensive one - worth every penny though
Keep us updated on your progress and good luck
They're not the cheapest cars to own, but if you shop around and all importantly get anything you are considering to purchase, inspected by someone who knows what they are doing, it could save you a great deal of money and heartache in the longer run.
Before I bought mine I spoke to several independents and lurked on this thread for months, picking up as much information and detail as possible. The independents were unanimous that they are well built cars and pretty bullet proof on the whole, which ultimately gave me the confidence to buy.
Annual maintenance and service costs have varied for me from £800 on a cheap year to £3k on an expensive one - worth every penny though
Keep us updated on your progress and good luck
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