Some advice about this 2003 DB7 please..
Discussion
Hi there,
I have the opportunity to purchase the cheapest Aston Martin DB7 ($12,000 USD) I have come across and wanted to ask for some expert opinions regarding its rehab potential.
It's a 2003 DB7 Vantage convertible with 35K miles, routinely serviced at the dealer until 32K miles and then it sat for about 6 years with only oil changes and weekly startups. The interior upholstery is in rough shape and the original owner is upfront about having abused the car while he owned it. Roof mechanism works fine.
It has some current electrical issues:
1) The A/C, Radio and Windows all stopped working two months ago.
2) Turn indicators are not working.
3) When the engine turns off and doors close, the hazards blink for 5-10 minutes.
It seems to run fine mechanically although it hasn't had a thorough inspection. Are these fixable issues?
I would be a first time AM owner and I am excited. I am in my 30s with a stable income and garage space to work on it. Any advice would be appreciated.
I have the opportunity to purchase the cheapest Aston Martin DB7 ($12,000 USD) I have come across and wanted to ask for some expert opinions regarding its rehab potential.
It's a 2003 DB7 Vantage convertible with 35K miles, routinely serviced at the dealer until 32K miles and then it sat for about 6 years with only oil changes and weekly startups. The interior upholstery is in rough shape and the original owner is upfront about having abused the car while he owned it. Roof mechanism works fine.
It has some current electrical issues:
1) The A/C, Radio and Windows all stopped working two months ago.
2) Turn indicators are not working.
3) When the engine turns off and doors close, the hazards blink for 5-10 minutes.
It seems to run fine mechanically although it hasn't had a thorough inspection. Are these fixable issues?
I would be a first time AM owner and I am excited. I am in my 30s with a stable income and garage space to work on it. Any advice would be appreciated.
If you are happy tracing through electrical wiring looking for issues such as poor earths, broken wires and dirty contacts then you should be fine. It will take up a lot of time though.
On the other hand if you don't own a multi meter and don't know your ohms from your volts from your amps it isn't the car for you.
There are differing views about weekly starting. It all depends on how well the car is warmed through.
On the other hand if you don't own a multi meter and don't know your ohms from your volts from your amps it isn't the car for you.
There are differing views about weekly starting. It all depends on how well the car is warmed through.
I winced when I read, laid up for 6 years with weekly engine starts.
The vendor might think this is a reassuring comment for prospective buyers, but an engineer would say this is a bad thing to do with a stored car.
When electrical gremlins occur with the Aston Martins built at Gaydon (with CANbus electrical systems), the cause is frequently the battery nearing its end of life.
Perhaps that line of thinking does not apply to DB7s.
These cars must have a good battery as said above. They really struggle when the voltage drops a little. Beware of the 'the radio and aircon failed together' as this may be hiding the notorious aircon evaporator fault. The evaporator requires the whole dash to be removed which is a 2 day job plus the cost of the parts. Evaporators are around £600.
The cars are quite easy to work on so finding why the indicators do not work should not be a real problem. The alarm sounder unit may well be done now and may be part of the hazard fault although that tells you the bulbs are working! May just be the indicator relay module.
If you join the Aston Martin DB7 Appreciation Society on Facebook you will get a lot of help and there are quite a few American owners who will help you locate parts. You can also get free downloads from the files page with some manuals including parts and servicing.
Keep an eye on the parts bill as cars in the U.S. seem to be much cheaper than in the U.K. so you may not get your money back.
The cars are quite easy to work on so finding why the indicators do not work should not be a real problem. The alarm sounder unit may well be done now and may be part of the hazard fault although that tells you the bulbs are working! May just be the indicator relay module.
If you join the Aston Martin DB7 Appreciation Society on Facebook you will get a lot of help and there are quite a few American owners who will help you locate parts. You can also get free downloads from the files page with some manuals including parts and servicing.
Keep an eye on the parts bill as cars in the U.S. seem to be much cheaper than in the U.K. so you may not get your money back.
Enjoy! I missed one near me for $7K. Needed fuel pumps and a respray on the hood. If you can do your own work, and better that you have fun doing it, you will find it a car worth working on. I will say that I bought a maxjax the day after I bought mine. It paid for itself during the first time I lifted the car off the ground!
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