Private purchase

[gfc580]

I am going to have a look at an AM DB9 on Sunday which is being sold privately. I had a chat with the owner on the phone this morning and he sounds like a cheery chappie. He has owned a few AMs in his time and seems very knowledgable, the car has been serviced entirely by an AM dealer, has good mileage for its year and has been kept in a garage.
I have never bought a car privately before and I am a bit anxious about doing so now, especially as it will be a lot of money for me. The age, mileage, colour, spec and cost are perfect for me and I like to think that it will be mine soon :-)
Does anybody have any tips, suggestions, etc that you can share to make it a bit easier for me?
Cheers.

[Ken Figenus]

Let the first car you buy privately on your own not be a DB9! Especially with no prior knowledge of the marque.

Have a look and then get help if you like it a lot. You can get 3d party warranties (choose carefully...) and they may want to have an inspection before they take it on too. A dealer may do an inspection for you for about £500 but its a bit superficial (no tick box for 'has it been on its roof once' ) and geared for shifting them rather than digging deep. But that is why they give you added assurance with a warranty. It doesn't look for poorly sprayed panels etc.

Keep a cool head now

[paddy328]

look for corrosion in the usual areas, as these will need to be painted if you spot any.

[gfc580]

Ken Figenus said:

Let the first car you buy privately on your own not be a DB9! Especially with no prior knowledge of the marque.

Have a look and then get help if you like it a lot. You can get 3d party warranties (choose carefully...) and they may want to have an inspection before they take it on too. A dealer may do an inspection for you for about £500 but its a bit superficial (no tick box for 'has it been on its roof once' ) and geared for shifting them rather than digging deep. But that is why they give you added assurance with a warranty. It doesn't look for poorly sprayed panels etc.

Keep a cool head now

Cheers Ken.
I understand what you say and I would look for some help after I have inspected it and seen it "in the flesh".
Apparently it has Aston Premium Warranty until May next year and has been serviced by AM so should I not take some comfort in that?

[Ken Figenus]

gfc580 said:

Cheers Ken.
I understand what you say and I would look for some help after I have inspected it and seen it "in the flesh".
Apparently it has Aston Premium Warranty until May next year and has been serviced by AM so should I not take some comfort in that?

Absolutely mate. Just check it through with the insurer (warranty people sub contracted by AM) and make sure its all paid up, 100% transferable and totally valid. Most owners dont skimp, but I did see a silver Vantage with a poorly painted bonnet recently which is not the kind of thing a FSH shows up.

What year is the DB9? Where is it located? Oohh you are going to enjoy it

[mikey k]

There are a few things to be wary of on early DB9s
Corroded aircon and coolant pipes
Ticking engines from running low on oil
Obviously discs and pads
Paint defects/ ally corrosion
If it an early car get it inspected by a good indie NOT a dealer their 140 point check is worthless
Look for evidence of it being well maintained and not just done to the bare minimum to get the stamps
(Common on cheaper older cars)

[Philip0]

I bought my DB9 privately about a year ago (my first AM) and the owner agreed to write to AM Works, who had done the servicing, and they gave me a detailed explanation of the car's service history, fixes, any other maintenance they had done and all recommended work. After I bought it, I sent it to AM Works to have a full service and several minor fixes (which they had told me about), such as new aircon radiator. Suggest you do likewise; if you like it, and check the previous comments made re corrosion etc, leave a deposit and ask the owner to get you permission to speak to the dealer(s) who had serviced the car (permission may need to be in writing). Remember the dealer will be hoping you use them too, so they should be keen to tell you all they know, in the hope that you will ask them to fix everything. Most importantly, have faith, these are very well made cars, and enjoy it! I have thoroughly enjoyed mine since I got it, no regrets at all. Also, you haven't bought it until you post pictures on this thread.

[gfc580]

Ken Figenus said:

Absolutely mate. Just check it through with the insurer (warranty people sub contracted by AM) and make sure its all paid up, 100% transferable and totally valid. Most owners dont skimp, but I did see a silver Vantage with a poorly painted bonnet recently which is not the kind of thing a FSH shows up.

What year is the DB9? Where is it located? Oohh you are going to enjoy it

Its MY2008 and located in the Midlands.
I'm a bit apprehensive about the buying process but looking forward to the challenge :-)

[gfc580]

Philip0 said:

I bought my DB9 privately about a year ago (my first AM) and the owner agreed to write to AM Works, who had done the servicing, and they gave me a detailed explanation of the car's service history, fixes, any other maintenance they had done and all recommended work. After I bought it, I sent it to AM Works to have a full service and several minor fixes (which they had told me about), such as new aircon radiator. Suggest you do likewise; if you like it, and check the previous comments made re corrosion etc, leave a deposit and ask the owner to get you permission to speak to the dealer(s) who had serviced the car (permission may need to be in writing). Remember the dealer will be hoping you use them too, so they should be keen to tell you all they know, in the hope that you will ask them to fix everything. Most importantly, have faith, these are very well made cars, and enjoy it! I have thoroughly enjoyed mine since I got it, no regrets at all. Also, you haven't bought it until you post pictures on this thread.

Please excuse my ignorance but you say leave a deposit - how do you stand legally when handing over money to someone you don't really know, is a hand written receipt worth the paper it's written on?

[Ken Figenus]

Great advice here mate...inch towards the chequebook

Earlier V12's can have little end issues as mike suggests (very very rarely) a trained ear will pick this up - this is your only major issue really and the location of Midlands makes having a 3d party check it out for you a lot easier. Lots of indies around etc

[Philip0]

gfc580 said:

Please excuse my ignorance but you say leave a deposit - how do you stand legally when handing over money to someone you don't really know, is a hand written receipt worth the paper it's written on?

Yes, it is: prepare it in advance, typed, two copies, and make sure you and the seller sign both copies. It should state something along the lines of "CONTRACT OF SALE" and "deposit paid of £XXX for purchase of AM DB9 eg XXX XXXX, sale price of £XX,XXXX (you can leave the £ numbers blank and fill them in on the day), full balance to be paid by [date].

[AMDBSNick]

gfc580 said:

Its MY2008 and located in the Midlands.
I'm a bit apprehensive about the buying process but looking forward to the challenge :-)

Be very very careful on a car of that year. I purchased an '08 car over the phone from an AM dealer with full main dealer history. When they went to do the 140 check to warrant the car it turned out to be a complete nail and they point blank refused to sell it to me. It went to auction. The issue you have is that you may have every stamp in the book but if the previous owner has ignored 7 years of advisories it will be a dog.

Get a very detailed indie inspection.

[Philip0]

AMDBSNick said:

The issue you have is that you may have every stamp in the book but if the previous owner has ignored 7 years of advisories.....

Mine is same year, no problems, it's a fab car - the dealer who has done the servicing will be able to tell you if all advisories, recall and service actions have been done (there's a list of recall and service actions on page 151 of Grant Neil's "Definitive Guide" book). Presume it's the meteorite grey 57 reg - looks well looked after and cherished by the current owner (wedding car etc) - it has had 4 owners, so details of previous ownerships will be important. Hopefully the same dealer has done all the servicing so you can find out.

[gfc580]

AMDBSNick said:

Be very very careful on a car of that year. I purchased an '08 car over the phone from an AM dealer with full main dealer history. When they went to do the 140 check to warrant the car it turned out to be a complete nail and they point blank refused to sell it to me. It went to auction. The issue you have is that you may have every stamp in the book but if the previous owner has ignored 7 years of advisories it will be a dog.

Get a very detailed indie inspection.

Thanks Nick, if there is a current AM Premium warranty active surely all the required work has been done (service actions, recalls, etc)?

[R8Steve]

I've pretty much lost count of the amount of cars i've bought over the years but what i do know is that pretty much every car i've bought from a dealer i've had problems with and every car i've bought privately i've had none...make of that what you will.

Get it bought and get some pictures up!

[Philip0]

R8Steve said:

Get it bought and get some pictures up!

+1 !!

[AMDBSNick]

Philip0 said:

AMDBSNick said:

The issue you have is that you may have every stamp in the book but if the previous owner has ignored 7 years of advisories.....

Mine is same year, no problems, it's a fab car - the dealer who has done the servicing will be able to tell you if all advisories, recall and service actions have been done (there's a list of recall and service actions on page 151 of Grant Neil's "Definitive Guide" book). Presume it's the meteorite grey 57 reg - looks well looked after and cherished by the current owner (wedding car etc) - it has had 4 owners, so details of previous ownerships will be important. Hopefully the same dealer has done all the servicing so you can find out.

I have an '07 Volante that is fabulous.

The 140 check is to cover warranty items as opposed to wear and tear items such as suspension bushes, low end bearings etc.

I'm just saying some of the earlier cars can have issues and buyer beware

[gfc580]

Philip0 said:

Mine is same year, no problems, it's a fab car - the dealer who has done the servicing will be able to tell you if all advisories, recall and service actions have been done (there's a list of recall and service actions on page 151 of Grant Neil's "Definitive Guide" book). Presume it's the meteorite grey 57 reg - looks well looked after and cherished by the current owner (wedding car etc) - it has had 4 owners, so details of previous ownerships will be important. Hopefully the same dealer has done all the servicing so you can find out.

Hi Philip, I have the book and all my knowledge obtained so far is from it :-) I will check the history with the dealer as soon as I have seen the car.

[AMDBSNick]

gfc580 said:

I will check the history with the dealer as soon as I have seen the car.

You may turn up and be shown a lever arch file of invoices detailing all the work and I hope you do.

Good luck.

Nick

[SlartiF430]

I bought db9 volante privately from a lovely chap here on PH.
Met him, checked out the car. The gentleman came across really well and had a long posting history on ph.
Anyway. I bought the car. Turned out the music system was faulty. It would claim it was overheating and then just stopped working g altogether. Only fix was a new unit at thousands of pounds. He would've known about this but chose not to tell me. Lesson learnt.