F90 M5 or DB11? Used purchase quandary...

[Phil.]

Looks wise and for a sense of occasion I think the DB11 beats most alternatives. It’s a classic British marque after all.

Whether you want to spend £90k on a 4-year old car with 5-year old mechanicals is another consideration.

The depreciation over 3 years on a new £90k M5 or a used £90k DB11 appears similar. However, a new or nearly new M5 can be bought for much less, reducing the overall depreciation cost.

Logic versus emotion, what a lovely decision to have to make

[memzyy]

Why not consider 19/69 plate M5 for £55k? Which will still have over a year of warranty left and you can haggle to extend another year with main dealer so it will come with 2 year+ warranty.

Not regrets when you pull next to the DB11 at the lights neither as you know you "saved" £35k - £40k.

[Phil.]

memzyy said:

Why not consider 19/69 plate M5 for £55k? Which will still have over a year of warranty left and you can haggle to extend another year with main dealer so it will come with 2 year+ warranty.

Not regrets when you pull next to the DB11 at the lights neither as you know you "saved" £35k - £40k.

It’s certainly an option.

[c10vet]

Phil. said:

memzyy said:

Why not consider 19/69 plate M5 for £55k? Which will still have over a year of warranty left and you can haggle to extend another year with main dealer so it will come with 2 year+ warranty.

Not regrets when you pull next to the DB11 at the lights neither as you know you "saved" £35k - £40k.

It’s certainly an option.

Agreed. I have one favourited on AT! But, the savings are soon forgotten when you know you missed the chance to own a AB, that’s my current thinking... carpe diem and all that

The only thing putting me off is one of the previous points about blowing 90k on a 4yr old car...

[memzyy]

They are expensive toys aren't they. Mine is 17 plate i bought it when it was just 2 yr old for £101k. Today you can get 2yr old V8 for £105k ish but probably you want the the V12.

I wonder and almost annoyed why V12 AMRs are not coming down. 2yr old still holding firmly at £120k. They were exactly same price last year too

[Phil.]

memzyy said:

They are expensive toys aren't they. Mine is 17 plate i bought it when it was just 2 yr old for £101k. Today you can get 2yr old V8 for £105k ish but probably you want the the V12.

I wonder and almost annoyed why V12 AMRs are not coming down. 2yr old still holding firmly at £120k. They were exactly same price last year too

The thing is, in the traffic light scenario mentioned earlier, the M5 would be long gone before the AM had even left the line, especially as is often the case in the UK when it’s not so warm warm or dry.

I’m sure the AM is good fun on a summer’s day but is it that much fun to drive for the rest of the year? In the past when I’ve owned V8 rear wheel drive cars I’ve taken the Range Rover keys on anything other than fine summer days.

[EC2]

Phil. said:

memzyy said:

They are expensive toys aren't they. Mine is 17 plate i bought it when it was just 2 yr old for £101k. Today you can get 2yr old V8 for £105k ish but probably you want the the V12.

I wonder and almost annoyed why V12 AMRs are not coming down. 2yr old still holding firmly at £120k. They were exactly same price last year too

The thing is, in the traffic light scenario mentioned earlier, the M5 would be long gone before the AM had even left the line, especially as is often the case in the UK when it’s not so warm warm or dry.

I’m sure the AM is good fun on a summer’s day but is it that much fun to drive for the rest of the year? In the past when I’ve owned V8 rear wheel drive cars I’ve taken the Range Rover keys on anything other than fine summer days.

I understand this point. I took my Maserati Granturismo out for its first run of the year yesterday but it was sunny and dry and a delight, well apart from avoiding the potholes. Most of the time I happily take my XC90 on its all tall tyres and hassle free drive. However, much of the fun with a big engined car is the drive, the feel and the noise rather than absolute performance per se so I understand the OPs rather strange car combi choice.

The DB11 is an interesting choice to replace my coupe at some stage but I can't get my brain round £90k for a car that is over four years old when mine was about that new.

[memzyy]

Phil. said:

The thing is, in the traffic light scenario mentioned earlier, the M5 would be long gone before the AM had even left the line, especially as is often the case in the UK when it’s not so warm warm or dry.

I’m sure the AM is good fun on a summer’s day but is it that much fun to drive for the rest of the year? In the past when I’ve owned V8 rear wheel drive cars I’ve taken the Range Rover keys on anything other than fine summer days.

I particularly moved to rear wheel drive from permanent 4 wheel drive as missed the fun factor of the rear wheel drive. M5 offers both worlds so that another tick for the M5.

In the traffic light situation i don't think anyone buys an Aston with expectation of smoking BMWs and tuned Audis off the lights. In fact that will be a shame and against brand's image. Aston provides more sophisticated and special satisfaction than that.

Saying that i am myself a bit of racer boy and a BMW surely fits my character and music taste better But i just don't feel the urge to drive the Aston the way i drive a BMW. As i said Aston is just more sophisticated than that.

I think discussion comes to the point that they are very different cars and winning points are very different and are not rivals. They are in different leagues playing different games.

To me Aston, Bentley and Maserati can be put in the same basket where Audi Merc BMW are on the different basket.

Edited by memzyy on Tuesday 2nd March 16:34

[Phil.]

memzyy said:

I particularly moved to rear wheel drive from permanent 4 wheel drive as missed the fun factor of the rear wheel drive. M5 offers both worlds so that another tick for the M5.

In the traffic light situation i don't think anyone buys an Aston with expectation of smoking BMWs and tuned Audis off the lights. In fact that will be a shame and against brand's image. Aston provides more sophisticated and special satisfaction than that.

Saying that i am myself a bit of racer boy and a BMW surely fits my character and music taste better But i just don't feel the urge to drive the Aston the way i drive a BMW. As i said Aston is just more sophisticated than that.

I think discussion comes to the point that they are very different cars and winning points are very different and are not rivals. They are in different leagues playing different games.

To me Aston, Bentley and Maserati can be put in the same basket where Audi Merc BMW are on the different basket.

Edited by memzyy on Tuesday 2nd March 16:34

I thought the AM brand reflected its racing heritage? AM was named after the Aston Clinton Hill Climb. They're back in F1 this year. A spirited start from the lights is hardly going against their brand values

Funny you mention that AM and Merc are in different categories when newer AM's are fitted with AMG switch gear and tech

I agree the DB11 and M5 Comp are completely different propositions. If I was buying a DB11 I would spend more and buy newer.

For me though, since the OP has given us this dilemma to debate, the choice comes down to usability. That is unless he is buying a weekend toy that only comes out in the good weather?

I've owned several rear wheel drive V8 performance cars and they're great at the beginning but after a while driving them in wet or cold conditions becomes a chore, constantly feathering the throttle and driving around like Miss Daisy. The TVR Cerebra I had decatted and tuned to 400BHP was the ultimate example. They were known for spinning in a straight line on slip roads because people changed gear under acceleration and didn't understand there would be a loss of traction when dumping the clutch, and what to expect next. No driver aids in those days I'm not suggesting driving the DB11 is like this but I'm sure its a bit tail happy when using the performance in anything other than good conditions.

What I like best about the M5 Comp is the power and handling are usable and fun in all but icy conditions. The Xdrive system allows you to set it up to suit your preferred driving style. You can access the performance and handling in wet/cold conditions or change the settings and behave like a hooligan. Steve Sutcliffe at Evo has recently taken a M5C round several UK race tracks and explains this far better than me:

https://www.motors-addict.com/fr/video/supercars/h...

https://www.motors-addict.com/fr/video/bmw/how-to-...

A note to the OP. If you do seriously consider a M5C then look out for Michelin's because they provide far better handling than the Pirelli's, particularly in the cold/wet.

[memzyy]

Got it

Lets forget about all RWD £100k, £200k, £300k Astons, Ferraris, McLarens etc. They all got parts from cheaper brands and not usable all year round, etc. Buyers who pays those amounts for those cars and manufacturers who built them doesn't know anything.

Get a 2yr M5 for £55k, get a chip tuning at DMS to 750BHP +, put the Michelins on, use the performance all year round, smoke everyone off the lights . Is that it? Or may be blacking out windows as well? 3D carbon effect number plates?

[Phil.]

Mentioning McLaren's, I think a £90k 650/570 would be a better alternative than a £90k DB11. Rarer, more of an occasion to drive, and in supercar territory. Obviously, not as an every day car though.

[memzyy]

They are very capable cars indeed not enough to beat the M5 off the lights but still I owned nearly new 570S for 6 months in 2016, my brother bought it off me he still has it. It certainly looks, drives and have special feeling of £90k car should have.

[c10vet]

Phil. said:

Mentioning McLaren's, I think a £90k 650/570 would be a better alternative than a £90k DB11. Rarer, more of an occasion to drive, and in supercar territory. Obviously, not as an every day car though.

Did consider Macs, Phil. Been put off by friends’ tales of woe when it comes to ownership and service issues.

The early models in particular are prone to issues with costly fixes (or a £3k per year warranty). I do like them but probably not daily driver enough, and I take the reliability warnings seriously. I can afford to buy one, but can I afford to run one?!

[c10vet]

memzyy said:

They are expensive toys aren't they. Mine is 17 plate i bought it when it was just 2 yr old for £101k. Today you can get 2yr old V8 for £105k ish but probably you want the the V12.

I wonder and almost annoyed why V12 AMRs are not coming down. 2yr old still holding firmly at £120k. They were exactly same price last year too

Yeah - the journos say the v8 is the better car, but you need a v12 with an Aston, surely!

[c10vet]

memzyy said:

They are very capable cars indeed not enough to beat the M5 off the lights but still I owned nearly new 570S for 6 months in 2016, my brother bought it off me he still has it. It certainly looks, drives and have special feeling of £90k car should have.

Any issues with it as per my reply to Phil’s post? I heard several horror stories...

[memzyy]

c10vet said:

Any issues with it as per my reply to Phil’s post? I heard several horror stories...

It had its fair share of niggles and issues when it was newer but not a horror story. All sorted under warranty as well. He keeps extending the warranty but haven't made any claims since 2019. He doesn't use it daily though only around 3-4k miles per annum on track days, eu trips or Sunday driving.

Its more of a supercar rather than daily usable sports/GT car really. My brother loves it but it wasn't for me. . I like to use my cars daily, i like the smell of genuine leather, double glazed windows, acceptable suspension comfort, special and exclusive feeling and power, performance and drama when i feel like it. Probably Aston and Bentley are only brands offer all these in 1 package.

[RichardAP]

c10vet said:

memzyy said:

They are expensive toys aren't they. Mine is 17 plate i bought it when it was just 2 yr old for £101k. Today you can get 2yr old V8 for £105k ish but probably you want the the V12.

I wonder and almost annoyed why V12 AMRs are not coming down. 2yr old still holding firmly at £120k. They were exactly same price last year too

Yeah - the journos say the v8 is the better car, but you need a v12 with an Aston, surely!

I think they said the V8 was more of a “drivers car” than the original V12, but the AMR had all of the chassis tweaks of the V8 but with the V12 engine, making it the one to have.

We drove a V8 and the V12 before choosing the V12 AMR, they felt very different tbh. The V8 felt much lighter at the front, the V12 felt much more substantial, and we both preferred it, although I can see why some people would go the other way. (I’m also pleasantly surprised they haven’t changed in value in the last 6 months :-) )

[memzyy]

I agree with your comment %100 Richard. V12 AMR is the one to have. I will probably change my car in July/August and chances are i will for AMR. Unless they became very closely priced with DBS

[c10vet]

memzyy said:

c10vet said:

Any issues with it as per my reply to Phil’s post? I heard several horror stories...

It had its fair share of niggles and issues when it was newer but not a horror story. All sorted under warranty as well. He keeps extending the warranty but haven't made any claims since 2019. He doesn't use it daily though only around 3-4k miles per annum on track days, eu trips or Sunday driving.

Its more of a supercar rather than daily usable sports/GT car really. My brother loves it but it wasn't for me. . I like to use my cars daily, i like the smell of genuine leather, double glazed windows, acceptable suspension comfort, special and exclusive feeling and power, performance and drama when i feel like it. Probably Aston and Bentley are only brands offer all these in 1 package.

Thanks for the feedback. You confirm my opinion - the Mac is good fun but not a daily.

Agree on AM and Bentley. Can’t bring myself to buy a Bentley yet as it looks a bit stodgy but maybe when older. My neighbour has a GTC and adores it though.

I think in this bracket they are all great propositions and it is just about the right fit for your needs.

[Phil.]

memzyy said:

Got it

Lets forget about all RWD £100k, £200k, £300k Astons, Ferraris, McLarens etc. They all got parts from cheaper brands and not usable all year round, etc. Buyers who pays those amounts for those cars and manufacturers who built them doesn't know anything.

Out of interest why do you have a Range Rover and not a Bentley Bentayga or an AM DBX?