Nearly ready to pull the trigger
Discussion
Hi, please be gentle
i have recently retired and have always wanted an Aston, so i’m looking at early DB9s, my budget is £40k.
I do like the later facelift look so Bamford Rose can fit the OEM later 9.2 side sills, but can i get the later boot lid with the raised lip as a direct replacement? it’ll be genuine parts only.
i also see that the 20 inch DBS wheels don’t quite look correct, so what are folks going with for a more modern appearance?
thanks in advance
Russ
i have recently retired and have always wanted an Aston, so i’m looking at early DB9s, my budget is £40k.
I do like the later facelift look so Bamford Rose can fit the OEM later 9.2 side sills, but can i get the later boot lid with the raised lip as a direct replacement? it’ll be genuine parts only.
i also see that the 20 inch DBS wheels don’t quite look correct, so what are folks going with for a more modern appearance?
thanks in advance
Russ
vussey said:
Hi, please be gentle
i have recently retired and have always wanted an Aston, so i’m looking at early DB9s, my budget is £40k.
I do like the later facelift look so Bamford Rose can fit the OEM later 9.2 side sills, but can i get the later boot lid with the raised lip as a direct replacement? it’ll be genuine parts only.
i also see that the 20 inch DBS wheels don’t quite look correct, so what are folks going with for a more modern appearance?
thanks in advance
Russ
i have recently retired and have always wanted an Aston, so i’m looking at early DB9s, my budget is £40k.
I do like the later facelift look so Bamford Rose can fit the OEM later 9.2 side sills, but can i get the later boot lid with the raised lip as a direct replacement? it’ll be genuine parts only.
i also see that the 20 inch DBS wheels don’t quite look correct, so what are folks going with for a more modern appearance?
thanks in advance
Russ
Pull the Trigger!
Love it !
If you’re looking at a 9 in that price bracket. I’d strongly suggest an independent inspection from a good specialist. There’s so many ropey DB9’S out there. We had a customer buy a 22k mile coupe and the car was jacked badly and the floor was very bad. Damage like that can’t be repaired unless you spend £££££. They’re great cars, but get them inspected. They were cheap for a while and fell in to the hands of people who can’t afford to run them properly
vussey said:
thanks. yes i will go to one of the recognised indies in that case.
I would go to sevenoaks aston main dealer in an ideal world but i also have a Ducati habit, so my budget isn’t at the £60k min they tend to start at.
Welcome - I too have a Ducati habit, seems to be quite common I would go to sevenoaks aston main dealer in an ideal world but i also have a Ducati habit, so my budget isn’t at the £60k min they tend to start at.
As a previous poster commented, I think you really need to be going to a marque specialist for an early DB9. Or at least get a potential car properly inspected by one.
The V12s are generally very reliable but they can be expensive to fix.
Also, the modifications you mentioned won’t be cheap and will eat into or add significantly to your budget.
I’ve also found that in the Aston world, standard cars tend to be more sought after and hold their value better than modified. Not always the case but something to think about.
Also, don’t rule out a similarly priced V8 Vantage. Definitely worth test driving one as well as a DB9.
McGurks have a great reputation as an independent Aston specialist. Check them out. I’ve never used them but I know many who have and would again.
Good luck!
The V8V is a sports car and the DB9 is a GT, both brilliant, I would make your choice based on what you want to do with it. And I would twist the piggy bank and sell an organ to buy the best one you possibly can and get it inspected. Don't rule out the dealership network, they sometimes have early 9's and they won't retail something like that unless it is tip-top. Low mileage isn't the be all and end all, but it does suggest that the car has not been thrashed as a daily driver. I don't think a car will ever totally recover from that.
As someone just said, the more you depart into modding your car, though it may look great to you, the less it will be what someone else wants to buy. Though this may not be applicable to you, I can assure you that if you trade a car into an AM dealer, the first thing they will do, if they plan to retail it, is take all the trash off it, even the expensive stuff, and return it to manufacturer's specification. That should teach you something.
You MUST WITHOUT FAIL get a copy of Grant Neal's Definitive Guide to Gaydon Era Aston Martins. That will tell you exactly what upgrades happened when, which are important and which are not. Apart from that I would also recommend, before you buy anything, that you listen to every single YouTube video which Bamford Rose has made, even the slightly eccentric ones. That will boost your knowledge by a quantum factor. I would however trust McGurk, whatever BR say.
My suggestion for what it's worth, is to fit the DB9 Sport Pack wheels. They look great, but they also look authentic. Get it right, don't trick it up with bits from the DBS or later cars. It's more important that the car looks right and is in top fettle, than it is wearing all sorts of inappropriate accessories. If that's what floats your boat, OK, but Astons look best when they are understated. If you want a DBS save up and buy a DBS, and don't turn your nose up at an auto. They are fine. The DBS is a different shaped car, it has wider rear haunches, which were later adopted on the DB9 Series 2. Trying to make your DB9 look like a DBS is going to look silly to anyone with sufficient knowledge to care a damn.
Add what you planned to spend on all sorts of AM genuine (and other) parts and other stuff, which won't be cheap, to your fund for buying the right car in the first place.
I would also say that you are buying at the wrong time of year. The best time to do what you are doing is in October-December.
As someone just said, the more you depart into modding your car, though it may look great to you, the less it will be what someone else wants to buy. Though this may not be applicable to you, I can assure you that if you trade a car into an AM dealer, the first thing they will do, if they plan to retail it, is take all the trash off it, even the expensive stuff, and return it to manufacturer's specification. That should teach you something.
You MUST WITHOUT FAIL get a copy of Grant Neal's Definitive Guide to Gaydon Era Aston Martins. That will tell you exactly what upgrades happened when, which are important and which are not. Apart from that I would also recommend, before you buy anything, that you listen to every single YouTube video which Bamford Rose has made, even the slightly eccentric ones. That will boost your knowledge by a quantum factor. I would however trust McGurk, whatever BR say.
My suggestion for what it's worth, is to fit the DB9 Sport Pack wheels. They look great, but they also look authentic. Get it right, don't trick it up with bits from the DBS or later cars. It's more important that the car looks right and is in top fettle, than it is wearing all sorts of inappropriate accessories. If that's what floats your boat, OK, but Astons look best when they are understated. If you want a DBS save up and buy a DBS, and don't turn your nose up at an auto. They are fine. The DBS is a different shaped car, it has wider rear haunches, which were later adopted on the DB9 Series 2. Trying to make your DB9 look like a DBS is going to look silly to anyone with sufficient knowledge to care a damn.
Add what you planned to spend on all sorts of AM genuine (and other) parts and other stuff, which won't be cheap, to your fund for buying the right car in the first place.
I would also say that you are buying at the wrong time of year. The best time to do what you are doing is in October-December.
Edited by cardigankid on Monday 25th April 18:57
An official Aston Martin dealer is obliged to observe some basic standards of human decency, plus you will get a warranty of sorts - buy privately, and you are going to be right out on your own.
Why not look at this at Aston Martin Newcastle, a very pretty low mileage early DB9 within your budget -
https://preowned.astonmartin.com/preowned-cars/255...
Or this, at Aston Martin Bristol -
https://preowned.astonmartin.com/preowned-cars/250...
I admit, it is a shade under twice your budget, but it is your dream car is it not, and you are only here once. It's a mint low mileage late DBS Coupe in Q special Silver Birch and Obsidian leather, with all the nice options, and B&O speakers. You won't have to pay a fortune for tweaked bootlids, bonnets and side skirts, get it remapped or buy wheels. It's all there. Furthermore that is a guaranteed investment. I will tell you what I would advise. Cancel the trip to Lanzarote (its only sunburn and cheap wine). Tell your wife that the new kitchen has had to be cancelled. Scrub your Sky subscription and get Freesat. Cancel any other unnecessary monthly commitments. Switch off the central heating. Get a part time job as a waiter or a delivery driver. Man up and sign the HP document. You know it makes sense. Just do it.
Why not look at this at Aston Martin Newcastle, a very pretty low mileage early DB9 within your budget -
https://preowned.astonmartin.com/preowned-cars/255...
Or this, at Aston Martin Bristol -
https://preowned.astonmartin.com/preowned-cars/250...
I admit, it is a shade under twice your budget, but it is your dream car is it not, and you are only here once. It's a mint low mileage late DBS Coupe in Q special Silver Birch and Obsidian leather, with all the nice options, and B&O speakers. You won't have to pay a fortune for tweaked bootlids, bonnets and side skirts, get it remapped or buy wheels. It's all there. Furthermore that is a guaranteed investment. I will tell you what I would advise. Cancel the trip to Lanzarote (its only sunburn and cheap wine). Tell your wife that the new kitchen has had to be cancelled. Scrub your Sky subscription and get Freesat. Cancel any other unnecessary monthly commitments. Switch off the central heating. Get a part time job as a waiter or a delivery driver. Man up and sign the HP document. You know it makes sense. Just do it.
Edited by cardigankid on Tuesday 26th April 08:37
thanks all! some great advice. i’ll put the v4r on ice and just ride the others, and up the budget a bit on the car, get the later facelift DB9 with the bits as standard or a DBS. there’s one going through prep at sevenoaks i went on Sunday to have a look. i also have not ruled out a vantage although the idea was a GT for a spot of touring in europe.
mcgurks is on my list.
back soon.
cheers
mcgurks is on my list.
back soon.
cheers
vussey said:
thanks all! some great advice. i’ll put the v4r on ice and just ride the others, and up the budget a bit on the car, get the later facelift DB9 with the bits as standard or a DBS. there’s one going through prep at sevenoaks i went on Sunday to have a look. i also have not ruled out a vantage although the idea was a GT for a spot of touring in europe.
mcgurks is on my list.
back soon.
cheers
All makes sense. Just to add, there’s loads of room in a Vantage, possibly more than a DB9, for luggage and they make great European tourers. Definitely drive both. You’ll know then.mcgurks is on my list.
back soon.
cheers
RichB said:
i did read it. 😀thanks all. the welcome I hoped for. Just met a mate who was lucky enough to receive a db9 as a gift. <i know>
it’s the first edition just with the clear lights. tremendous.
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