Hello gents,

I was looking into buying a 360 to replace my Porsche, but while searching came across a stunning DB9 in my price range. As it turns out, this will better suit my DD needs, and from my short research I've found these cars are relatively trouble free given correct maint.

My question is this, what are the major pitfalls to look out for you won't find on a PPI, and is a 2006 DB9 prone to any major issues that were thwarted in later production?

Looking for a manual car, Silver exterior on Obsidian interior. Hopefully in the coming weeks I'll find my hearts desire!

 

Finding a manual DB9 will be a challenge, but the die-hard manual drivers will come along soon to tell you that it's a very good box and worth waiting for. Mine's a TouchTronic2 and suits my DD needs very well and is still fun with the paddles. 8K miles last year (19K total), nothing but regular service & consumables.

Just make sure it's had regular service and have a PPI done. 2006 and onward really didn't have too many issues (none major) and those should have been dealt with already if serviced by an AM dealer.

A 2006 will be due a 7-year major service soon if it hasn't already had it -- about $2K at my dealer. Also watch for original tires (getting old, brittle, harsh & noisy by now) and expect to change the battery soon if it's original. TPMS sensor batteries are only supposed to last about 5 years, but mine are still ok (crossing fingers).

Good luck with your search

 

^^^ excellent info by YVR...you will love the DB9 it's the best GT car for sure, smooth and powerful, graceful and very classy. I have a manual gearbox and sport pack in mine, and althogh the manual is excellent, same gearnbox and dual disk clutch at the DBS and v12V, for a daily driver I'd go with what yvr has, a TT2 setup...they are hassle free and in traffic anything beats a manual, although I love manual and most of my autos are 6 speed.

 

Interesting choice coming from a 911.
I have a 430 and a DBS so I can understand your decision making process. I started with a Vantage and quickly traded it for the 430 because it didn't offer me the "driving experience" I was looking for.
So if you know (and test drive) that a DB9 is a GT and will not "drive" anywhere near a P or F car then you are making the right choice. I DD my DBS to work but it is a cruiser with good power and torque - mine is manual so still fun to drive.
A 360 or 430 will be wayyyy more fun to drive - much more responsive steering input and intoxicating sound, thrilling and sporty driving experience. Not the most practical tho for DD.

A few things to note on Astons....being British cars and being hand built, sometimes things aren't perfect. Make sure if you look at an older car, inspect the interior carefully. Look for wear such as seats, door trim, dash leather pulling, sticky buttons, rattles when driving high speeds, etc.
Obviously, PPI will test basic mechanicals, brakes, tire wear, clutch, etc.
Gluck, either way they are both superb cars!

 

I have a 2005 and have put some good miles on mine with out any issues so far. I think the 2005's as being "unreliable" is blown out of proportion. My car has been reliable so far and has been an absolute thrill to own! Instead of concentrating on year, look for a owner who has taken care of the car and has service records to back it up. In my opinion the key to finding a good car is one that has been well cared for and looked after! I actually prefer purchasing from a private party as opposed to a dealer that way I can hear straight from the horses mouth the history of the car.

There are two things to look for that were important to me on all pre-2008 cars. Make sure FA165 has been done (shorter dipstick) and that the transmission cooling line has been changed out to the new design. As for tires most manufactures will tell you they can last a good 10 years before they start to "rot" so I would not be concerned if the car is still on the original rubber but has good tread life. The original tires on these cars didn't last long as all (maybe 15k miles) so majority have already been changed.

Also keep in mind parts are beyond stupid money and I come from the Porsche world, so get ready for sticker shock! I actually do my own work and these cars are not difficult to work on just time consuming.

 

Don't worry about it, as opposed to Italian ones they are like an automobile milled from solid billet !

 

Hahaha....Well between Ferrari, Aston Martin, and Lotus, it seems the build quality is in about that order (with the Lotus far behind....things just rattle and loosen in those cars)

 

I agree with you regarding the Lotus, but I do really struggle to understand Ferrari above Aston in terms of build quality. Seems to me that the normal thing to do with a 430 is for owners to try and dump them once the 5 year comprehensive warranty can no longer be extended (which cost 5k a year to extend to that point already!) for fear of he horrific maintenance and repair costs.

If you search the Aston forum it's really rare to find any modern Aston with any sort of transmission or engine prob.........not quite that situation with Ferrari

FF

 

Agreed, maintenance can be a toss up.
I guess when I was referring to build quality, I meant the actual craftsmanship - exterior paintwork, interior leather, etc. I prefer the leather of the Aston over the Ferrari and nothing can beat Aston's brilliant paint work.

 

Thanks for all of the comments guys - and concerning the GT aspect of it, I come from driving the 935 K3 from 1979 so I would appreciate a GT experience at this point more than most haha.

On the gearboxes, are the touchtronic F1 style gearboxes with instant response or are they just an automatic tranny with paddles similar to the mercs?

 

It's an AM-reworked ZF automatic with paddles; starts out as the same box used on the big mercs & BMWs. It's repackaged into a transaxle with AM software.

The paddle response is not as instantaneous as an F1-style automated manual, but it's adaptive, and pretty quick when driving with some enthusiasm. The harder you drive it, the quicker it shifts. I can break the rear wheels loose with a well-timed upshift and just the right amount of right foot.

Once you've selected paddle-mode it holds the gear & won't "kick down" when you step on it but will upshift at redline unless you're also in "sport mode", in which case it just lets you hit the rev limiter. You can also give it two quick pulls to drop 2 gears, like when you want to pass. Paddle downshifts are accompanied by a throttle blip to match revs. It'll downshift automatically to prevent stalling if you coast to a stop. You can also select 2nd or 3rd from a stop -- helpful on low traction surfaces.

Low throttle paddle shifts can feel lazy, and in full auto mode it heads up through the gears pretty quickly and seamlessly.

You'll have to try it for yourself, but do include a bit of enthusiastic paddle shift driving when testing, otherwise you might find it to be just like any other auto box.