[Endeka]

Hello everyone,

This is my first post, and I hate that it's an ask for something, so I'll introduce myself first.

My name is Ross, and I've wanted an Aston Martin since I was in college, and I think the time may finally have arrived. Up till this point I've had mostly very high performance, very stout and reliable domestic cars (modified Corvettes, modified Vipers). I mean, you have to be blind and deaf and nerve damaged not to see what would attract somebody to an AM, but I was drawn to the DB9 by the fact that it looked and sounded better than pretty much any other non-hypercar exotic, and was reported to be much more reliable (and cheaper initially). I've always been in love with this marque specifically anyway, the other stuff was just kind of biding my time.

I've done extensive googling and read the older threads on the car, and will continue to do so, but I was looking for any additional information on scouting one out, especially since I'm going to be buying one used.

Specifically, I have the following quesitons:

1. Aside from an AM PPI, if the car has little/no documentation but seems to be in exceptional shape (as is often the case with trade-ins), how much of a drawback is that? I know for Ferraris, etc. even having a competent DIYer work on the car rather than a shop can hurt the value, let alone having no documentation at all.

2. Are there any major mechanical issues with the 2005-6 DB9's that I should be aware of or look for? I know about the "too long dipstick" thing. Out of curiosity, is this something I can bring a tape measure and check if the documentation for the replacement isn't there?

3. How long is the clutch life in a manual transmission DB9, roughly?

4. I'm a big DIYer, I've done everything from clutch swaps to engine rebuilds to trans and diff rebuilds, all on jack stands. How hard is it to get service manuals for the DB9? Is it impossible for a layperson to ever find them, or are they out there somewhere?

Any other useful tips or advice is appreciated too.

Thanks!

 

[exoticarsusa]

Hi Ross, This is Wil from Exoticars USA in Milford NJ. We have a low miles (9,100 miles) 2006 DB9 coupe for sale in beautiful condition. Clean Car fax - no accidents. It's AM (dark) silver with a brown and bamboo interior. It's naturally got a powerful V12 but it's also got the rare 6 speed stick-shift trans. The car's owner, our customer, is shopping for an airplane has sold his Porsche and Ferrari already and is ready to consider reasonable offers.
http://www.exoticars-usa.com/2006-aston-martin-db9-sale/
Concerning your clutch question; That is up to the driver. Anyone competent with a clutch pedal and not abusing the car should easily get 50,000 miles out of the clutch. Not that an Aston should be compared to a truck but my Ford pickup truck, which has over 160,000 miles on it, tows a heavy enclosed car hauling trailer and plows snow, still has it's original clutch! It's all a matter of mechanical sympathy. Some people have it and some don't. We have low cost clutch options available for all exotics by the way.

 

[V12 volante man]

Hello everyone,

This is my first post, and I hate that it's an ask for something, so I'll introduce myself first.

My name is Ross, and I've wanted an Aston Martin since I was in college, and I think the time may finally have arrived. Up till this point I've had mostly very high performance, very stout and reliable domestic cars (modified Corvettes, modified Vipers). I mean, you have to be blind and deaf and nerve damaged not to see what would attract somebody to an AM, but I was drawn to the DB9 by the fact that it looked and sounded better than pretty much any other non-hypercar exotic, and was reported to be much more reliable (and cheaper initially). I've always been in love with this marque specifically anyway, the other stuff was just kind of biding my time.

I've done extensive googling and read the older threads on the car, and will continue to do so, but I was looking for any additional information on scouting one out, especially since I'm going to be buying one used.

Specifically, I have the following quesitons:

1. Aside from an AM PPI, if the car has little/no documentation but seems to be in exceptional shape (as is often the case with trade-ins), how much of a drawback is that? I know for Ferraris, etc. even having a competent DIYer work on the car rather than a shop can hurt the value, let alone having no documentation at all.

2. Are there any major mechanical issues with the 2005-6 DB9's that I should be aware of or look for? I know about the "too long dipstick" thing. Out of curiosity, is this something I can bring a tape measure and check if the documentation for the replacement isn't there?

3. How long is the clutch life in a manual transmission DB9, roughly?

4. I'm a big DIYer, I've done everything from clutch swaps to engine rebuilds to trans and diff rebuilds, all on jack stands. How hard is it to get service manuals for the DB9? Is it impossible for a layperson to ever find them, or are they out there somewhere?

Any other useful tips or advice is appreciated too.

Thanks!

Hi and welcome and well done for being able to own your dream car like a lot of us have and still aspire to.

Firstly I would say go for a Volante model. PERIOD. I tried both Coupe and Volante and found the latter to be best overall and did not feel cramped inside but its your choice and your money so try both and see what you think then buy one.

Secondly, if it has not got any service history WALK AWAY from it. I respect the fact you are a big do it yourself guy just like I am and Wayne is too on here and this is where it will work well for you as you will know what has been done and by who and to what level. As long as you keep all your receipts and log everything its as good as a main dealer history with stamps in my opinion.

Personally I don't trust main dealer as far as I could spit and this is down to personal experiences with them over the years. Unless you have physically seen it done by them you cannot these days trust em. All they want is your money at the end of the day and its just another car to them and nothing else.

Enjoy your search for your ideal DB9 and try and get one with a lot of extra's fitted to it for you to enjoy.

High milage examples are not to be discounted either as long as they have a full and complete ( no gaps ) service record with receipts for all works done and there will be too I can assure you of that.

There is no such thing as an Aston Martin that has not ever needed anything fixed on it and this applies to the new stuff too. The advantage of buying a higher miles example will reflect in its price too so you could infact be able to buy a much newer model which has high miles compared to an older model with lower miles on it.

Regards, Brendan

 

[Endeka]

Hi Ross, This is Wil from Exoticars USA in Milford NJ. We have a low miles (9,100 miles) 2006 DB9 coupe for sale in beautiful condition. Clean Car fax - no accidents. It's AM (dark) silver with a brown and bamboo interior. It's naturally got a powerful V12 but it's also got the rare 6 speed stick-shift trans. The car's owner, our customer, is shopping for an airplane has sold his Porsche and Ferrari already and is ready to consider reasonable offers.

Oh hey, you guys have that shop by the river on 619, right? I'm the guy with the red Viper ACR that drives by there on weekends sometimes in the summer, though it's usually on Sundays (visiting parents in Yardley) so I dunno if you're open.

I think your client has just about the nicest 06 for sale in the country. Unfortunately, it's also just about the most expensive, by a very sizable margin. If your client is willing to talk prices more in line with others on the market, I'd be interested in pursuing this further; after all, it is nearby, and you can't beat examining the goods before putting down a deposit.

As to everyone else, thank you so much. Coming from owning several high-performance Corvettes and Vipers, I'm ready for something more mellow, but also excited to keep with my record of performance with reliability. I've wanted a V12 Aston for ages, and I'm excited to think I might be getting close.

 

[V12 volante man]

Oh hey, you guys have that shop by the river on 619, right? I'm the guy with the red Viper ACR that drives by there on weekends sometimes in the summer, though it's usually on Sundays (visiting parents in Yardley) so I dunno if you're open.

I think your client has just about the nicest 06 for sale in the country. Unfortunately, it's also just about the most expensive, by a very sizable margin. If your client is willing to talk prices more in line with others on the market, I'd be interested in pursuing this further; after all, it is nearby, and you can't beat examining the goods before putting down a deposit.

As to everyone else, thank you so much. Coming from owning several high-performance Corvettes and Vipers, I'm ready for something more mellow, but also excited to keep with my record of performance with reliability. I've wanted a V12 Aston for ages, and I'm excited to think I might be getting close.

Hey, if your thinking of mellowing buy a little British classic Mini Cooper S !!!!!!!!!

 

[wjgesq]

Are the autos true autos are flappy paddles linked to a real clutch like the CC Maseratis?

 

[Turbowned]

Are the autos true autos are flappy paddles linked to a real clutch like the CC Maseratis?

They use a ZF six speed automatic rear-mounted transaxle. Traditional torque converter-style, but from what I've read, a very well-behaved automatic.

I'm in a similar position to the OP, however I decided that at this time it was best to get into something more usable on a daily basis considering all of the factors. I bought a 2005 Porsche 911 Carrera S for now and in two or three years hope to switch up to a 2007-2008 DB9 if all goes well. I tend to start doing extensive research at least a year or two before making a purchase decision so I know full well what I'm getting into when I buy a severely-depreciated exotic car. I'd prefer to wait until I can afford the 07-08 rather than the 05-06 primarily because of the newer-style seats which appear to wear better than the older style seats, and because of the optional Sports Pack on the coupe. As much as I want to be a manual purist I recognize that so few of them are offered in a manual, and it almost seems like the automatic is a better pairing for the big GT coupe. As long as I have one manual car in the stable I can get away with an automatic Aston.

Who knows, if I keep drooling over them long enough maybe I'll make a rash decision and trade up for one even sooner!

 

[wjgesq]

Can one be purchased for 50k or less in reasonable shape, say 2005-2008 these days? Asking prices seem all over the map. Curious as to what the actually sell for though.