By way of an introduction, I relocated to the US in the early 2000's and have since been mainly working in the US, Central and South America.
After completing a large project in Chile, we (the wife & I) will be relocating back to the US although the exact location as yet is not finalized.. As of now it looks like Indianapolis (we already have a house about an hour south of Indy), Denver, Salt Lake or DC but that may change and will probably happen in late October or early November.

What is the experience with the AM dealers in the US and who has had good or bad experiences with independent dealers?

The reason being that the wife has relented and said yes to the purchase of a late DB9 or V12VS, although I do have to wait until later in the year, and as this will be our first Aston all help/advice on what to look/watch for with the vehicles and dealers would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance

 

The experience can vary widely between different AML franchises. Are you more concerned about sales or service? In my locale (Boston), the dealer is solid on service. They know the cars well and are reasonable on the charges. The queue to get the car fixed can be lengthy. A victim of their own success? That and they are waiting on a new repair facility with more lifts than they have at present.

 

I've had good experiences with Mike Ward in Denver, their Aston techs seem to know the ins and outs of the cars. They're a dealer for most exotics brands so they have the customer experience nailed, but also be ready to pay for it. I don't think they have much in stock from the previous generations, but I'm sure they'd give you a great PPI once you find the one you're looking for.

 

Thanks first of all, really trying to be as sure as possible when it comes time to buy.
Hearing first hand from current owners is a really good place to start.
I have to admit I am a bit more wary of non-AM dealers as they don’t have the experience with the cars.

 

I realize that Tampa / Orlando isn't on your list but...I can say that Orlando is outstanding with service, and Dimmitt in Tampa doesn't bother to return my phone calls or email. I'm willing to drive 100 miles to Orlando for service rather than deal with Dimmitt here. I can't say I have first hand experience with A.M. Washington, D.C. but having lived up there and visited many times, they are polite but have a reputation that isn't stellar.

 

Agree with this. The major drawback with Mike Ward is that your car will likely sit outside, sometimes for days or weeks, while there for service. They keep new Maclarens outside. It drives me crazy. They really need to build a garage where the surface lot to the North is.

 

living 30 minutes away from AM Orlando is a great benefit...Dimwitt in Tampa is awful. Never had to try their service department but sales folks are a joke

 

If you're that close, I might mention that we're planning on driving out to the Yalaha Bakery on the 17th for their Octoberfest, mid day...

On topic though, Dimmitt has never once returned a call or email regarding taking my money. I can only assume they don't need it as a business...

 

Sounds like AM dealers across the US for the most part are quite flaky.

 

From the comments it would appear that the experience has varied for the posters and as such will vary for us, although it has crossed some off the list.
I guess that it will be to 1, find the right car and then 2, figure out the dealer.
As this will be the first AM we will probably steer clear of the private market unless the car can be very well verified
So we know there will be pro's and con's for each one but our prime concern is the initial buy, and we are willing to jump on a plane for the right car if required.
After that it is finding the best option for after sales and service.

 

Speaking of Dealers. There are some good ones. BUT Don't forget, depending on the need, there are some very good Indy's out there too. Best to get a good referral in either case.

 

So go to the dealers nobody posts about?

 

Aston Martin is hemorrhaging $$$ from dumb management mistakes and misjudging the market - this obviously affects the dealers with less ability service customers. In the old (before Andy Palmer) days, anything that went wrong no questions asked, they just fixed it, but had Ford behind the company. The design changes did not go as planned and the dealers are forced to buy excessive inventory to keep the Aston relationship going, this snowballs into disputing everything and terrible customer relations. Nevertheless, to have local service I'm happy to spend the 'Aston Martin' tax no different than other luxury exotic cars, but I can tell you other Aston Martin owners are taking their service elsewhere. This is not just Aston. My wife last week bought a new Lincoln Nautilus with a 15 year 1 million mile bumper to bumper warranty. Yesterday, water spilled onto the leather passenger seat (water mind you), and took out the heating and cooling ability of that seat and actually stained the black leather - water. Morries Lincoln (same ownership as the Aston dealer) said to have our insurance pay for a new seat, we are demanding it's a design defect if some water spills and the seat should have been designed to anticipate it, after all it's an SUV. So it's not just Aston Martin, its the new age of the customer comes last. In the 35 years+ I've owned Astons, since Andy Palmer it seems to have gotten bad, but it's the dealers that are neutered. Apparently Ford is the same.

 

Ford has always treated me well. They replaced a computer for me that was caused by Rat damage, but that was the service department, they did tell me technically it wasn't covered. Rat shorted it out, car was dead. I think he said it was a couple grand. I believe the service manager has leeway. They probably could replace the seat damage if they wanted to. Sucks about the seat cooling, it's the best thing about the Ford in this hot weather, an actual AC seat, and not just a fan.

 

I have dealt with Miller Motors in Greenwich, Conn for almost ten years. Outstanding...but not inexpensive.
Thanks,
JH