Hi guys,
have been reading the forum this weekend and decided to join.
I have been collecting motorcycles for some time, and have pretty much decided to sell some of the more collectable ones and move the money into an Aston. If all goes well I should net about $60k, and if my research is correct I'm looking at an 06/07 Vantage or possibly a DB9.
I know the cars are completely different, but I only want a manual tranny, and there's something alluring about the thought of a V12 stick in the DB9.
I don't necessarily need the fastest thing because my bikes give me that thrill, but I would like as low a maintenance as possible (this is what steers me away from the Italian cars). I am also wanting the least depreciation possible and I am feeling that these cars/years have pretty much bottomed out at this point. For those of you that will say if you care about depreciation then you shouldn't buy one; I think its both feasible and smart for my situation; I've done the same with bikes and have essentially made profit or broke even on all my bike purchases and sales for years now.
All that said, are there any years or models in my price range that I should avoid - I hear people saying things like "the later model years are pretty much well sorted" but with $60 grand or so I'm pretty much limited to the above I think. Any advice much appreciated.
Also to note I guess is the seemingly low prices of older Vanquish's and the early 90's Virage models.

Cheers
Daren

 

If you can stretch it an extra $10k you can find yourself an 09 V8V a year when most major changes occurred including going from the 4.3 to 4.7.

 

+1 for me. I bought my Vantage last August it was a 2007 with 2800 miles from the same dealer that sold new. I also received the Aston Martin one year preowned warranty which I think is important when buying a used car like these.
My car was $68,000 out the door. I'm not sure you can get an 09 with low miles for $70k but it's a thought. I agree with your transmission choice, that is what my car has. It's a very enjoyable car to drive it wonderful to look at. So far the reliability has been good. Happy hunting
Ron

 

I have the 08 V8V. Well if you have money, go with 09+...
To me it's not necessary.

 

There were some issues with the early DB9s that were sorted on later cars (ie, the dipstick). Same with the V8V (like the timing cover gasket). As stated above, the '09 V8V got a larger engine which gives more hp and tq - you can definitely feel the difference. A stock 4.3L is slow compared to the way it looks and sounds. Modified ones can keep up with the 4.7L, but mods are relatively expensive and add up quickly on top of your initial investment.

Either way you go, just make sure all the early issues are sorted out. And if you opt for a V8V, try to get a 4.7L - the extra torque gives a much better overall driving experience.

 

Great advice, thanks.

 

I has a 07 Vantage - put 24,000 trouble free miles on it and have now a 09 Vantage with a Sportshift which I personally like far more than the heavy clutch in Minneapolis city traffic of my 07 Vantage. Many 09's are now reasonable and well worth the upgrade, however, the Vantages prior to 09 had a much better sound (mine does not have the sports exhaust), but neither did my 07. Why Aston would neuter the sound is beyond my comprehension.

 

I just bought a 2007 V8V with 13k in a 6-speed and it still smells new. I have been watching the market for about 6 months before I pulled the trigger. I agree the big hit on depreciation has taken its toll and I don't see them dropping significantly in the future. That being said, I bought mine to enjoy it and drive it and keep it for a long time. The DB9 is also a great car, heavier, and much harder to find in a 6-speed.


In terms of the Italians, Maserati will keep dropping with seemingly no floor in site, Ferrari maintains value but maintenance is even more than an Aston, and you won't find a Lambo for under $80k. My buddy has a Granturismo and I was seriously considering buying one or a Gransport, but I need a manual tranny and the Vantage is so much more engaging than the GT.

 

I have always liked the Maserati's but I have heard that the maintenance costs are crazy, and thats part of the depreciation factor. If you going to pay Ferrari maint. costs then I'd want a Ferrari. I drove a Gallardo last week, and yes lovely, but north of $80k for a well maintained example. Back to the pre 09 Vantages; a member sent me a link to his that is for sale, and if timing was better, this could have been the one:

http://raleigh.craigslist.org/cto/5119147788.html

 

A potential welcome to the club!

I think all cars depreciate, a pre 09 vantage will have done most of its depreciation to where if you buy a low mileage example for a good price, you can probably get almost all of your money back if you put 0 miles on it.

If you do drive and put a lot of miles on it, it will continue to depreciate but it is "small" compared to the depreciation of the newer cars.

Maserati (from my experience of just browsing for sale ads) will drop with age, regardless of mileage. Which I guess works too if your intention is to drive it a lot.

Modern ferrari tends to hold their value well after an initial drop. But once you put some serious mileage on it you essentially alienate most of your future buyers. Again, based on spending a good year + on fchat but not having owned one.

I choose the Aston because for the $, I can buy a newer car (compared to ferrari) and drive it a lot without worry about losing the upside $ in resale (again, compared to ferrari) and since its depreciating, it does it at a less frightening pace (compared to maserati)

 

If you're debating V8V vs DB9, you really need to drive them -- they're both wonderful cars, but the experiences are quite different. The V8V is the sports car, the DB9 the GT. Sports Pack is well worth it on either, IMO. A V8V should be less expensive to maintain, by a fair margin.

I've had my '09 V8V from new, and it's been wonderful -- and extremely reliable.

 

Appreciate the advice, thanks very much. Gotta sell these 2 exotics before I get the new exotic

http://portland.craigslist.org/wsc/mcy/5150357374.html
http://portland.craigslist.org/wsc/mcy/5149940454.html

 

I had 2 MH900e's. Sold them before I even took delivery. Still have one of the black shirts with the bike #. They are pieces of art.

 

I came from a 1984 Ferrari 308 Q V Euro Model. I owned it for around 6 years, after I sold it to a fellow Ferrari club member, I stated to look for a Maserati Coupe with a stick. I bought a 2003 with 6 months still on the factory warranty. It was a lease return car with around 16000 miles on it. I loved the sound of the 4.2 V 8 motor. I Gradual and turn it into my version of the Grand sport with a stick shift. I got after market lowering springs Grand sport wheels and tires Grand sport seats and Grand sport exhaust! Needless to say I spent a lot of money on the car. I even got 30,000 miles out of the clutch which was unheard of for those cars. Even going to an independent mechanic it still ran the $5500 to replace the clutch. Every time I took the car in for service, and every time I drove the car something was wrong with it I never got out of the dealer for under $1500. After five years of ownership I had enough and I sold the car for basically the price of a used Camera! The Vantage is a much better car in almost every way, than the Maserati. The only element that was better in the Maserati than the Aston Martin was the look and sound of the engine. Other than that, my Vantage is better in every way possible. And unlike the Maserati the Vantage will probably not go down much more and it has to this point.
Ron

 

I've been researching Porsches and Astons (91's and DB9's primarily) since January. I went with a 911 as it was a more sensible and affordable option for the time being, but still plan to get a DB9 in the near future if all goes well.

Manual DB9's are rare indeed; there's usually only one or two in the country on cars.com at any given time. Whether you go Vantage or DB9, assume you might have to transport the vehicle from far, far away in order to find the right one. Given they are hand-built, low production cars, they are all configured very differently and it will certainly take some searching to find "the one". I'd say it's worth the little extra effort/cost to have the one you really want transported to you.

In the meantime, here's the only 6MT DB9 on cars.com under $60k; it's black/black with 26k and has the Sports pack:
http://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/de...8985/overview/

Beautiful Ducatis, by the way; GLWS!