Red Devil - The local AM/Ferrari/Maserati dealer is 5 minutes from my home. You raise a point that may be overlooked or implied in some other responses--i.e., maintenance. If the Vanquish does not fall under a warranty (original or extended), then it seems that I may be opening myself to excessively expensive maintenance costs, especially if something major occurs. It appears that your suggestion is to ditch the Vanquish if there isn't a warranty that can be put into effect. Your thoughts and suggestions please!

XXXAngelXXX - Thanks for the feedback. Seems as though we have similar "commutes". What are your comments to the earlier suggestions to only buy a DB9 if it has the sports pack and is a manual?

Thanks to you both (and others that are providing valuable input)

 

i agree on Sportspack and manual if its a fun car ONLY but if you use it every day in traffic its a headache - that's why i have gone for the Touch-Tronic option in the DBS - so i now got nearly the best of both worlds

 

It's my understanding that even if the warranty has run out AM will sell you, (private or dealer sale) another factory warranty. This would be predicated on an inspection and that all scheduled maintenance has been completed and up to date on the car in question.

 

IF PCH is right about the warranty thing, then that would negate that issue but it also may be one of cost. I'd imagine without knowing for sure the Vanquish warranty would be more expensive that the DB9 one. A local friend who has/had EVERYTHING, current stable is Enzo, CGT, Bently FS, GT-R, Phantom, etc., had a beautiful Vanquish he got rid of quick because the transmission was disappointing. Unless you've driven a Vanquish and know you like it, and the same can be said for auto DB9, it's hard to say. For me, if something is for road enjoyment and not track use/best times, I'd ALWAYS select a manual if it's offered no matter how good the "auto" is. Let's face it, AM "auto" is not in the league of PDK, DSG, Ferrari systems and is really a true auto. That being said, there's nothing wrong with an auto if you like the way the car drives and responds. These "on-paper" comparisons of cars are mostly meaningless, except for potential buyer to think about things brought up and test/try for themselves.

 

does the DBS come with some sort of DSG/SMG/F1 paddle shifting equivalent? Please don't tell me it's just a regular auto with tiptronic like the old 911s...

 

o and to the OP, I'd pick the vanquish

 

its a regular autobox BUT with a hardcore software imitating a DSG gearbox...

 

I have an 03 Vanquish, and was expecting to hate the gearbox. However, I don't think it's that bad at all. Drive one before making a decision!