Buying a used DB9
Discussion
Hi Guys!
Glad to join you and hopefully becoming soon a proud owner of my first Aston Martin!
I have been doing some research over the past weeks after deciding that DB9 will be the One I wanna get. It seems obvious to me that it has to be a model after the 2009 facelift, unfortunately the 2014+ models are outside of my budget already so 2010-2012 Coupe seems to be the sweet spot for me. A couple of questions I would like to address to you experts, as I'm not myself much of an expert when it comes to cars
Firstly, I have set some criteria like the ultimate km level to 100.000km. There is one nice, well kept 1-owner car driven close to that. How do you see in general, is 90k+ already a lot for DB9 or should it still generally speaking go well and worry-free if kept well? I am going to buy it from Germany or close, as I leave in a country with right side traffic.
Secondly, when those are around 10 years old and km levels in a range between 50-100k, what specific items I should pay attention in the history? Naturally accident-free, but some specific services or replacements which should have been done already and could be costly if not?
I would very much appreciate on your advises, and naturally if there is some guideline post or website where such items + more are already covered and I have missed it, please share the link!
Ps. English is not my native, so my apologies for the possible mistakes.
Glad to join you and hopefully becoming soon a proud owner of my first Aston Martin!
I have been doing some research over the past weeks after deciding that DB9 will be the One I wanna get. It seems obvious to me that it has to be a model after the 2009 facelift, unfortunately the 2014+ models are outside of my budget already so 2010-2012 Coupe seems to be the sweet spot for me. A couple of questions I would like to address to you experts, as I'm not myself much of an expert when it comes to cars
Firstly, I have set some criteria like the ultimate km level to 100.000km. There is one nice, well kept 1-owner car driven close to that. How do you see in general, is 90k+ already a lot for DB9 or should it still generally speaking go well and worry-free if kept well? I am going to buy it from Germany or close, as I leave in a country with right side traffic.
Secondly, when those are around 10 years old and km levels in a range between 50-100k, what specific items I should pay attention in the history? Naturally accident-free, but some specific services or replacements which should have been done already and could be costly if not?
I would very much appreciate on your advises, and naturally if there is some guideline post or website where such items + more are already covered and I have missed it, please share the link!
Ps. English is not my native, so my apologies for the possible mistakes.
Cannot help specifically ref DB9 because my car is a Vantage, but a couple of points because no one has yet answered you.
A UK independent specialist has a series of videos, some of which might be helpful to you, particularly on technical issues.
Look on YouTube for Bamford Rose.
In the UK many Aston Martins are secondary cars and therefore quite a few on the used market have fairly low mileages.
The cars have shown they can cope with high mileages, but of course more use tends to equal more wear, seats for example.
Thanks Jon39 for the advice. Watched through almost all of their videos relating to DB9, really useful stuff!
What I learned: generally should be well functioning even with a bit higher mileages, yet the issues may come aside from the usual wearing parts with coils, plugs and A/C, all of them being somewhat costly to fix. And naturally also this engine tick and major catalyst issue failing the engine were quite worrying to here. But tone was still positive after all, which naturally further confirmed my decision to buy one.
The most difficult however was the advice to try to stretch the budget for the 2013+ DB9.2 as they call it. Well yeah, sounds like a nobrainer, but would need to put a bit more quids together for it. Huh, difficult choices when having a limited budget!
Still, I would really much appreciate on your feedback and advices especially from the DB9 recent buyers and owners!
What I learned: generally should be well functioning even with a bit higher mileages, yet the issues may come aside from the usual wearing parts with coils, plugs and A/C, all of them being somewhat costly to fix. And naturally also this engine tick and major catalyst issue failing the engine were quite worrying to here. But tone was still positive after all, which naturally further confirmed my decision to buy one.
The most difficult however was the advice to try to stretch the budget for the 2013+ DB9.2 as they call it. Well yeah, sounds like a nobrainer, but would need to put a bit more quids together for it. Huh, difficult choices when having a limited budget!
Still, I would really much appreciate on your feedback and advices especially from the DB9 recent buyers and owners!
Hi Mameluukki,
Look at my profile for my running costs of my DB9 which I have owned for 5 years.
I would say three things:
Make a list of the colour/extras/mileage etc. to narrow down your search. Which you seem to have already done.
Do some test drives (more than one - to get comparisons), maybe a dealer.
Get an independent knowledgeable inspection done - this could save you lots in the long run.
Good luck which the search, as they say the chase is quite exciting.
Sean
Look at my profile for my running costs of my DB9 which I have owned for 5 years.
I would say three things:
Make a list of the colour/extras/mileage etc. to narrow down your search. Which you seem to have already done.
Do some test drives (more than one - to get comparisons), maybe a dealer.
Get an independent knowledgeable inspection done - this could save you lots in the long run.
Good luck which the search, as they say the chase is quite exciting.
Sean
Hi there,
I am on my third DB9, and have the 2009 MY, with upgraded dashboard and 470HP engine. This one is , in my view, the best looking one, as it does not have the extra sills, spoilers etc.. nor the daytime running lights... but that's personal choice.
Mine is coming up for service (52.000km) and I read in the manual that after 10 years, airbags should be replaced.
I will ask dealer about this, anybody here has experience if done and expected cost ?
Other than that, just annual/regular service which costs me about 1,000 EUR each time, which I find quite reasonable.
I think, if well maintained, extra mileage should not hold you back. Once a car reaches 100,000 km, extra miles wont make a difference if you ever decide to sell.
Good luck !
Frank
I am on my third DB9, and have the 2009 MY, with upgraded dashboard and 470HP engine. This one is , in my view, the best looking one, as it does not have the extra sills, spoilers etc.. nor the daytime running lights... but that's personal choice.
Mine is coming up for service (52.000km) and I read in the manual that after 10 years, airbags should be replaced.
I will ask dealer about this, anybody here has experience if done and expected cost ?
Other than that, just annual/regular service which costs me about 1,000 EUR each time, which I find quite reasonable.
I think, if well maintained, extra mileage should not hold you back. Once a car reaches 100,000 km, extra miles wont make a difference if you ever decide to sell.
Good luck !
Frank
Thanks Guys, I really appreciate your comments! Special thanks to Sean for the cost-log you have. Running costs seems much cheaper than I expected.
My car-fever just keeps rising
Today made a couple of inquiries and let's see if the negotiations are going towards the right direction. One car has a full replacement engine delivered by Aston Martin factory and installed a few years back. Do you see this as negative or even deal-breaker, or should not impact anything?
My car-fever just keeps rising
Today made a couple of inquiries and let's see if the negotiations are going towards the right direction. One car has a full replacement engine delivered by Aston Martin factory and installed a few years back. Do you see this as negative or even deal-breaker, or should not impact anything?pbe624 said:
Hi there,
I am on my third DB9, and have the 2009 MY, with upgraded dashboard and 470HP engine. This one is , in my view, the best looking one, as it does not have the extra sills, spoilers etc.. nor the daytime running lights... but that's personal choice.
Mine is coming up for service (52.000km) and I read in the manual that after 10 years, airbags should be replaced.
I will ask dealer about this, anybody here has experience if done and expected cost ?
Other than that, just annual/regular service which costs me about 1,000 EUR each time, which I find quite reasonable.
I think, if well maintained, extra mileage should not hold you back. Once a car reaches 100,000 km, extra miles wont make a difference if you ever decide to sell.
Good luck !
Frank
Frank,I am on my third DB9, and have the 2009 MY, with upgraded dashboard and 470HP engine. This one is , in my view, the best looking one, as it does not have the extra sills, spoilers etc.. nor the daytime running lights... but that's personal choice.
Mine is coming up for service (52.000km) and I read in the manual that after 10 years, airbags should be replaced.
I will ask dealer about this, anybody here has experience if done and expected cost ?
Other than that, just annual/regular service which costs me about 1,000 EUR each time, which I find quite reasonable.
I think, if well maintained, extra mileage should not hold you back. Once a car reaches 100,000 km, extra miles wont make a difference if you ever decide to sell.
Good luck !
Frank
I asked at a previous service about the airbag replacement. There is a thread on here about it. I don't think anyone has ever changed it.
Sean
I'm on my second Aston, a DBS having previously run a vantage for 4 years and 50K miles. The DBS is currently on 71K miles. Not only can these cars cope well with high miles, from what I read they are better for it. The ones that have problems are often those that are barely used. So I'd recommend going for a newer car with higher miles, ideally through an AM dealer with a Timeless warranty for the first year.
Coil packs at 70K mile are expensive. Misted/corroded back lights are expensive as are degraded front lights. All manageable though and annual service costs of around £1k.
Coil packs at 70K mile are expensive. Misted/corroded back lights are expensive as are degraded front lights. All manageable though and annual service costs of around £1k.
EVR said:
Yes, very kind of people to share their technical work, for others to learn from.
I only very quickly glanced at the secondary cat delete article, so don't know whether this point has been addressed.
We have heard that extremely occasionally, a V12 engine develops a misfire, leading to pieces of the primary cat being ingested in the engine, with catastrophic consequences.
Therefore, instead of doing a secondary cat delete, would it be wiser to first replace the manifolds (ie cats)?
Hi there...
I have one of the highest mileage db9’s in the country as I daily mine. It’s done 127000 miles and is still excellent. These cars generally drive at motorway speeds at just over tickover so the engines tend to last really well.
Mine has had a few issues.
1) Coils and plugs. I sourced the coils from China for £200 the set.
2) Paint correction as there was a lot of aluminium corrosion
3) Brakes... I fully replaced all discs and pads as the previous set were squealing. I replaced with Brembo discs and pads and they were squealing too. So I bought a set of Borg and Beck brake pads for about £30 and they’re BETTER!!
4) Headlights have gone opaque. No amount of sanding and polishing them works. They’re expensive.
5) headlamps washers break off the underside of the headlamp. That’s an easy fix but headlights have to come out.
6) Drop links have been replaced as mine were rattling.
7) wheels refurbished
8) the gearbox park lock gets stuck. That’s an easy fix but worries a lot of owners when it happens
9) my immobiliser stopped communicating with the key just after my Aston Martin service. That turned out to be a wiring connector under the dash which just needed to be squeezed together to get the connection back with the key reader to the immobiliser unit.
10) mine eats front tyres on all outside edges!!
11) I had to disassemble my sat nav as the gear wheels had stripped. I found a rebuild kit online for this.
12) battery must be in excellent health to keep the car happy
I have one of the highest mileage db9’s in the country as I daily mine. It’s done 127000 miles and is still excellent. These cars generally drive at motorway speeds at just over tickover so the engines tend to last really well.
Mine has had a few issues.
1) Coils and plugs. I sourced the coils from China for £200 the set.
2) Paint correction as there was a lot of aluminium corrosion
3) Brakes... I fully replaced all discs and pads as the previous set were squealing. I replaced with Brembo discs and pads and they were squealing too. So I bought a set of Borg and Beck brake pads for about £30 and they’re BETTER!!
4) Headlights have gone opaque. No amount of sanding and polishing them works. They’re expensive.
5) headlamps washers break off the underside of the headlamp. That’s an easy fix but headlights have to come out.
6) Drop links have been replaced as mine were rattling.
7) wheels refurbished
8) the gearbox park lock gets stuck. That’s an easy fix but worries a lot of owners when it happens
9) my immobiliser stopped communicating with the key just after my Aston Martin service. That turned out to be a wiring connector under the dash which just needed to be squeezed together to get the connection back with the key reader to the immobiliser unit.
10) mine eats front tyres on all outside edges!!
11) I had to disassemble my sat nav as the gear wheels had stripped. I found a rebuild kit online for this.
12) battery must be in excellent health to keep the car happy
K33LER said:
Hi there...
I have one of the highest mileage db9’s in the country as I daily mine. It’s done 127000 miles and is still excellent. These cars generally drive at motorway speeds at just over tickover so the engines tend to last really well.
Mine has had a few issues.
1) Coils and plugs. I sourced the coils from China for £200 the set.
2) Paint correction as there was a lot of aluminium corrosion
3) Brakes... I fully replaced all discs and pads as the previous set were squealing. I replaced with Brembo discs and pads and they were squealing too. So I bought a set of Borg and Beck brake pads for about £30 and they’re BETTER!!
4) Headlights have gone opaque. No amount of sanding and polishing them works. They’re expensive.
5) headlamps washers break off the underside of the headlamp. That’s an easy fix but headlights have to come out.
6) Drop links have been replaced as mine were rattling.
7) wheels refurbished
8) the gearbox park lock gets stuck. That’s an easy fix but worries a lot of owners when it happens
9) my immobiliser stopped communicating with the key just after my Aston Martin service. That turned out to be a wiring connector under the dash which just needed to be squeezed together to get the connection back with the key reader to the immobiliser unit.
10) mine eats front tyres on all outside edges!!
11) I had to disassemble my sat nav as the gear wheels had stripped. I found a rebuild kit online for this.
12) battery must be in excellent health to keep the car happy
Nice to meet you fellow high mileage DB9 owner, I do believe mine is probably the highest mileage in the country at 158k !I have one of the highest mileage db9’s in the country as I daily mine. It’s done 127000 miles and is still excellent. These cars generally drive at motorway speeds at just over tickover so the engines tend to last really well.
Mine has had a few issues.
1) Coils and plugs. I sourced the coils from China for £200 the set.
2) Paint correction as there was a lot of aluminium corrosion
3) Brakes... I fully replaced all discs and pads as the previous set were squealing. I replaced with Brembo discs and pads and they were squealing too. So I bought a set of Borg and Beck brake pads for about £30 and they’re BETTER!!
4) Headlights have gone opaque. No amount of sanding and polishing them works. They’re expensive.
5) headlamps washers break off the underside of the headlamp. That’s an easy fix but headlights have to come out.
6) Drop links have been replaced as mine were rattling.
7) wheels refurbished
8) the gearbox park lock gets stuck. That’s an easy fix but worries a lot of owners when it happens
9) my immobiliser stopped communicating with the key just after my Aston Martin service. That turned out to be a wiring connector under the dash which just needed to be squeezed together to get the connection back with the key reader to the immobiliser unit.
10) mine eats front tyres on all outside edges!!
11) I had to disassemble my sat nav as the gear wheels had stripped. I found a rebuild kit online for this.
12) battery must be in excellent health to keep the car happy
TomNbk said:
Nice to meet you fellow high mileage DB9 owner, I do believe mine is probably the highest mileage in the country at 158k !
Oh awesome!! Are you still main dealer servicing it? Maybe put up a list like I did of the things that you’ve dealt with. It’s part of the pleasure of owning a db9 is fixing the bits that go wrong.
Maybe we should start a new thread... highest mileage / +100,000 mile club
158K 
Thats some mileage!!! Be good to know your ownership experience and parts replaced??
I've got 58K on my 2004 DB9, the car is fantastic, previous owner really looked after it, the issues i've had since purchase have been -
Swollen radiator
CD player jammed
Rear Bass speaker stopped working
Headliner sagged
All the above repaired and not too expensive to do, plus loads of other parts replaced as I like to do some preventative maintenance, although I do my own servicing and repairs as i'm an engineer and find these cars easy to work on.
I've got the Coils/Plugs/PCV valves job to do next winter and then i'm gunna take out the rear subframe as it's got abit of corrosion on it now, working on the car is my hobby at home so I really enjoy it.
Best cars in the world!!!!
Thats some mileage!!! Be good to know your ownership experience and parts replaced??
I've got 58K on my 2004 DB9, the car is fantastic, previous owner really looked after it, the issues i've had since purchase have been -
Swollen radiator
CD player jammed
Rear Bass speaker stopped working
Headliner sagged
All the above repaired and not too expensive to do, plus loads of other parts replaced as I like to do some preventative maintenance, although I do my own servicing and repairs as i'm an engineer and find these cars easy to work on.
I've got the Coils/Plugs/PCV valves job to do next winter and then i'm gunna take out the rear subframe as it's got abit of corrosion on it now, working on the car is my hobby at home so I really enjoy it.
Best cars in the world!!!!
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