Hello all,

Trying to manage my expectations whilst searching for a DB7 Vantage coupe.

Having always had modern prestige cars and always having paid main dealer purchase prices, service, maintenance and warranty rates, I’m just doing some due diligence/ reality checking around the purchase of an approx. 20 year old Aston which will be the proverbial “weekend treat” that is otherwise always going to be garaged.

When looking to buy one from a reputable independent garage with mileage between 20,000 and 40,000 miles, prices broadly seem to range between £25k and £35k. Most independents, whether ‘full on Aston specialist’ or general prestige/ classic marque specialist, seem to offer the DB7 Vantage with “a 3 month warranty”.

My questions are, if I find a car that has or would benefit from the following remedial work, should:

a) Any and all of it be dealt with by the independent seller before sale (if they’re rigid on the screen price)? or

b) Should the estimated costs of doing it be negotiated off the screen price? or

c) Should one expect to pay the screen price (or near as damn it) and budget for doing these things over time?

Note - the cars I’ve seen, despite needing a combination of the below, do present as being in very good condition inside and out; and they do seem to have very good service histories which check out; and I’ve scored them 7 to 8 out of 10 all round as I’ve been carefully viewing them with my umpteen buyers guides and examining the service histories.

Types of remedial work:

1. New tyres - some I’ve seen have tyres that maybe present as being in decent condition tread wise and don’t look to have perished and have valid MOTs, but their DOT stamps indicate they are 2007, 2010, 2014 etc year of manufacture - they should be replaced with Bridgestone or similar, so does that come off the screen price or not?

2. Service - a non Aston specialist seller pledging to service the car and air con re-charge before it goes out using their own mechanics - my preference would be to take it to a specialist of my choosing and reduce that from the screen price (reasonable or not)?

3. Paint bubbling/ corrosion/ defects - if there is bubbling/ cosmetic corrosion on any areas such as around the base of the rear windscreen; and/ or rear wheel arches; and/ or around the boot lid number plate area, is that to be expected with a 20 year old car, indicative of “an honest car” and therefore shouldn’t affect the screen price or is it a realistic negotiation point with these cars (I have estimates as to how much this will cost to make good properly)?

4. Stone chips to lower plastic bumper valance - as above?

4. Auto gearbox service?

5. ‘Independent/ specialist 3
month warranty’ - these tend to be assurance pledges from the sellers that one reputable specialist told me amounted to a gentleman’s agreement which they would always honour provided an issue is not caused by owner/ driver misuse - what sort of things would you expect such a warranty to cover (if it’s not actually written down)?

Any constructive observations welcome.

Thanks

 

I purchased my 2002 DB7 Vantage Volante in February this year, after many months of searching for the right balance of condition, paint color and interior. This one had 21,400 miles, with only 3,000 miles driven over the past 10 years. Paint, interior leather and convertible top were in excellent condition, though it did have minor stone chipping and "nose scrape" on the front lower valence. I purchased from an independent dealer/garage in Connecticut here the U.S., with limited service history on the car--it had sat in a collection, hence the limited use and service. Key for me was a pre-purchase inspection at the AM Dealer near the seller, to secure a full evaluation of the mechanicals/electricals/"catch-up" maintenance the car needed. Their report gave me confidence to move forward with the purchase, understanding the investment the car would need to be fully road ready--I use it as my daily driver. Purchase prices here in $USD are similar to the range you described and with COVID and winter market conditions, I succeeded in getting my DB7 at the low end of the range--in the U.S. prices are very negotiable on these cars. I did not have the seller perform any of the needed maintenance, but used the PPI in the negotiation on price. Due to winter road conditions and my concern over the tires and lack of recent use, I shipped the DB7 to the local independent garage where I scheduled the service.
The key maintenance items I needed were:
-- Complete fluids flush and refill--transmission, coolant & brakes
-- New front brake rotors and pads all around
-- New tires (I wanted an all-season tread/compound, and went with the Continental DWS 06 Plus--the Michelin Pilot Sports were not available in the 19" size)
-- New spark plugs
-- New battery
-- Several deteriorating hoses and gaskets
The independent garage I used guaranteed all the work for 1 year, which again provided great confidence moving forward.
Since purchase, I've put 4,400 miles on the DB7. The car runs great, with decent gas mileage for a V12. I did swap out the original Becker radio, as I wanted Bluetooth connectivity for phone and streaming navigation and satellite radio--that's the only modification I've made to the DB7. After the maintenance work I had paint correction/ceramic coating done, which really brightened the Chiltern Green color. I've enjoyed every mile driving the car, and find it a great balance of modern driving convenience and traditional performance driving "feel".
Good luck with your search and decision!

 

45K USD will get you a mint '01 V12 manual with 25K miles if you wanted one from the US. Someone in the next town over from me has one for sale right now. As nice as they get for real driver.

 

Thanks very much for the reply, good to know.

 

Brilliant, exactly the type of detailed recent experience reply I was hoping for, thank you for taking the time 👍🏻

 

Don't DB7 V12s also have all the oiling issues that plagued the early DB9s?

 

The issue is the Ford Connecting Rod small end bronze bushing/bearing. The design doesn't lubricate as well as needed. Indeed, Ford redesigned it a few years later to have slits to promote oil migration and eventually these showed up in AM's V12s (My 2006 used the old style).

Having spent some time measuring oil pressure/temperature my conclusion on rod knock is that while this is a design weakness, it can be mitigated by avoiding high revs/loads for at least 10 minutes after cold start. It takes that long for the 12 quarts of oil to come to temperature - much longer than a "normal" car. Note that the coolant temperature comes up much quicker than the oil temperature, and what matters for lubrication is the oil temperature and block temperature (viscosity and thermal expansion of the gaps between bearing and supported surfaces (crank, rods, camshafts...).

 

for 25-30K Sterling, you should be able to find a decent later DB9. Better transmission and reliability

 

2005 6spd car sold for $52k couple of weeks ago; https://www.ebay.com/itm/334182943147

If you are patient you could probably find a 2009+ DB9 manual. Which at that point was just as quick as a DBS, better interior and most of the oiling issues were sorted.

 

Hi, I've just joined and went through these issues last year when I bought my car. I spent around 6 months really looking for a car, and the previous 6 years being on and off about it. There are some really tired cars out there after 20 years on the road, and I quickly decided to view only from specialists - these cars were £100K specialist cars when new, and they still need that knowledge, so for me, buying from 'Nobby's Car Emporium' was never going to work.

In the end I bought a 73000 mile car from Martin Brewer at Runnymede. It was in outstanding condition, much better than anything else I looked at, which was no surprise because the previous owner spent £6000 the first time it went into Chilterns... I wouldn't be afraid of supposed 'high mileage' cars. A 2002 car with 30K on the clock has spent most of its life sitting around, which is no good for any car, let alone something like this. Even 73000 miles means less than 4000 miles a year, which is hardly caning it.

I got my car serviced within the price, and would thoroughly recommend Runnymede - Martin has been in the AM world a long time, has a genuine reputation to protect, and doesn't sell rubbish. I don't think his prices are outrageous either. IN the event, that service turned out to be just an oil change, so I sent the car to McGurk's as soon as I could. they serviced it again - oil and filter change, coolant and brake fluid change, and that cost £720. I also got a full health check done which it passed with no faults found - something of a rarity for a DB7 according to McGurk's. That health check alone was worth the £720!

I haven't done much mileage in it, but this year I took it to Chris Done, the acknowledged DB7 expert. The gearbox is 'sealed for life' but after 20 years a fluid change is a must. Most places just change the fluid, but Chris removed the sump (27 Torx bots...), changed the filter, cleaned it out and refilled with the correct ZF Lifeguard fluid, which isn't cheap. He also checked over the suspension, rectified a minor washer fault, recharged the aircon, and MoT'd the car. Total bill £1000 which I thought very reasonable. It was surprising how much difference it made to the drive; the car was much smoother and quieter, I was really taken aback.

In response to some of the other points, I would walk away from a corroded car, even minor bubbling around arches etc. It is well know to be very hard to fix (previous owner on my car had to replace a front wing to properly correct minor bubbling). Re servicing, I am not sure it is reasonable to expect a garage to pay for an Aston service on a car they are selling, especially if they have their own mechanics. But equally, I wouldn't want a non- Aston mechanic working on the car! maybe some compromise can be agreed - half the cost perhaps?

I've attached a pic of my car - it is for sale as I fancy a DB9, but I have been warned that in terms of ride, the DB7 is superior. Some people think the interior of a DB9 is a bit claustrophobic as well - one sits very low, with the screen a long way away. So I guess the choice between a DB7 and a DB9 might not be as easy as first thought!



Martk

 

Tried to post a couple of answers, not appearing for some reason. Mine is for sale (to fund another Aston) if you are interested. Still a long way, as we are on the Welsh border, but a bit nearer!!

https://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C1340072

I spent 6 months really looking for a car, and about 6 years on and off thinking about it, researching etc. My conclusions were:

- don't buy from a non-specialist if you can avoid them; they don't have the knowledge etc. One dealer I visited insisted the DB7V had a V8 engine fitted...
- try to get one where the previous owner has spent money, and not just an oil service every year. These cars all rust to some extent - has it been fixed properly? Have the plugs/coils been changed? Gearbox and rear axle oils changed?
- buy on condition, rather than mileage. If a car has continuous history with the right people, evidence of money spent on it and has been garaged/well looked after, it is probably a better car than one with low mileage that has just sat for years doing nothing.

I narrowed my choice for my first Aston to either a DB7V, a V8 Vantage, a Virage (NP, not Gaydon) or a DB9. I decided on a DB7, and the car I bought had actually featured in a Vantage magazine article comparing exactly those 4 cars! The author chose the DB9, but what the heck...