first off, is there a " official" thread for this- i am sure every aston newcomer posts- What's reliability like??

i've done some research and i understand this is not a porsche, but hopefully not a ferrari in terms of maintenance. my biggest concern is access to independent garages that are on board to make the ownership affordable. is there a " sticky" thread that i can research. looking to buy an aston martin ( hopefully in mid 20's) with 16k miles on it. it was involved in a fender bended but seems to have been repaired perfectly by local dealer.

 

These should answer your questions:

 

better than previous Porsche's I've had... quite easy maintenance if you are a DIY... can get costly if you only service thru dealers...

many parts and components are sourced from Ford, Volvo, Jaguar, e.t.c so it can be a bit easier to source less expensive parts...

 

What are you expecting for a 20k Aston Martin with 16K miles on it? Which model and year? I assume it's a DB7?

I've found the two Aston's I've owned to just as reliable as anything else. The engines do leak a little more than other marques...

 

Both of my Porsche Macans had more shop time than the Vantage.

 

A crashed Aston costs $25k to fix. Seller of course will say its perfect. Please have someone do a proper PPI. Is it a clean or rebuilt title?

 

Hi..as JDU stated before buying the car have it inspected. Next if the car was repaired there are companies that inspect the car and give a rating of how well done. Most car dealers have this done
before the car is listed so the buyer feels safe.
I own a 2009 Vantage...which has been good to me...brakes..rotors and few other normal things have been done. I have over 43000 miles on the original clutch...I am not a slow driver either.
As log as you understand this is an Aston Martin not a KIA...dealers do not care if you paid $ 20,000.00 or $ 200,000.00 or more...their rates are the same. There are few GOOD service people for these cars.
I use Steel Wings in Warminster, Pa. They are not cheap but give great service.
Personally go to different vendors on this site or elsewhere and look up prices of simple things like oil and oil filter...start with redpants.lol (Rich) and do your homework
I forgot...check on insurance as not all companies cover these cars...
Good luck and safe driving!

 

My experience is aligned with a couple of other posters. My Aston has been far more trouble free than my previous Porsche.

 

Here is an interesting story. I contacted 2 AM dealers and for a clutch replacement one said $9,100 the other was anywhere from $9000 upwards. The first dealer would match another dealer's price the second was not sure if they would match another dealer's price. I got the impression they did not to really want to do the work but if they did do the work you were going to pay a very high price.

 

You're going to pay a very high price for anything you do at the dealer. I bought and had the dual clutch installed for just over half that at an indy.

 

I had my clutch in 2009 vantage with ASM replaced at my Aston Martin dealer for $3600 or so...OEM parts