Looking for a DB7, what to look for

[Chris_ar]

Hello everyone my name is Christian, I'm new on the forum.

I've been living in Long Island temporarily and it seems that in a couple of weeks I will be moving here permanently, so I've been car shopping for the last weeks.

I'm looking for a DB7 to use as a grand tourer on weekends and on special occasions but I have no idea on what to look for. Are there any particular things I should check on the car besides the obvious?

I'm still trying to choose between the v12 and six cylinder variants, I'm looking for reliability and I don't care much about running costs at this point.

Are there any manual cars in the US?

Any help and advice would be appreciated and sorry for my english.

Christian

[Serega91]

Hello everyone my name is Christian, I'm new on the forum.

I've been living in Long Island temporarily and it seems that in a couple of weeks I will be moving here permanently, so I've been car shopping for the last weeks.

I'm looking for a DB7 to use as a grand tourer on weekends and on special occasions but I have no idea on what to look for. Are there any particular things I should check on the car besides the obvious?

I'm still trying to choose between the v12 and six cylinder variants, I'm looking for reliability and I don't care much about running costs at this point.

Are there any manual cars in the US?

Any help and advice would be appreciated and sorry for my english.

Christian

The manual versions of the Vantage (V12) (420 bhp) and the GT (435 bhp) V12 are available in the US but are very rare. not sure about the i6 supercharged.

I think that it would be better to go for manual over automatic, especially if you are an enthusiastic driver. So far all the literature I have read indicated that there is a fairly large disparity in the performance between the two different transmissions on both the 6 and 12 cylinder varieties. By getting the manual I feel you will get much more car for the money.

On the 6 vs the 12 cylinder version... Each has own small advantages over the other. I believe that the 6 is not subject to rust as much as the 12, but the 12 has a somewhat better build quality being the latter car. The 6 also has a supercharger, something that would require additional care. Given your choice I would probably go for a 2000-2001 Vantage coupe (manual) or the later DB7 GT (not GTA).

There was a recent Autocar (magazine) article on the seven and I suggest you take a look at that.

Good luck

[Andrew]

I couldn't agree more with Serega's comments, well said. There is also something to be said for the torque of a V12 that you won't get with the supercharged 6.

[RoadTripper]

Welcome to the site Christian. If you haven't already narrowed it down and found your beauty, be sure to have her inspected to ensure you aren't getting a basket of problems.

A pre-purchase inspection by a knowledgeable mechanic will help sort out the issues. I know you say you aren't worried about running costs, but it is also the frustration of not having her running properly that is often the bigger deal than the dent on the wallet.

Good luck. Let us know where you are in the process.