[kerrywittig]

Looking to purchase a 2005-07 DB9...........I own a 12 cyl. Ferrari, even produce aftermarket parts & upgrades,and build offroad vehicles & aftermarket billet items.
I do ALL my own work.

I want to first get as much info about this era DB9 so I know what to avoid or what to take-on, as long as I know that.....I can make the repairs/up-grades and or procure the parts to get the car correct.

I'm not adverse to buying a "driver"! I plan on driving the car and not just wax it and garage it!

Currently I am looking at a 2005 with 68K miles on it........reportedly NO issues, 2nd owner, whom has logged the last 60K on the odometer....I will get to see and drive the vehicle in about 2 weeks if it is still available..........

What should I look for?
What should I be feeling or NOT feeling behind the wheel and under my feet?
What should I be hearing from the engine and trans?

I ask because I know what I would look, feel and hear on a Testarossa or a Maranello or an old Maserati Biturbo that would alert me immediately that there were issues and also I would know the "costs" involved........But as I said when it comes to a DB9...I'm a rookie!

Or if anyone knows of a good "driver" example here in the US..let me know!!

Any help would be mucch appreciated.

Rookie Me

 

[zagreb]

I'm in a similar situation as yourself - have a few exotic cars, do much of the work on them myself, etc... I was thinking about a DB9, doing some reading, research, yadda yadda, until I ran across a youtube video detailing the catastrophic engine failure of a low mileage DB9.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pzmL2rl1j8Q

The obvious oil starvation problems of the engine are bad enough, but the fact that the cars are literally built with off-the-self Ford pistons is unforgivable. Yup, that's right, generic Ford pistons, and who knows what else... I always scoffed when people derided these V12s as nothing more than two Mondeo engines joined together, but take a look at that video.

Apparently there are a few good reasons why these cars have lost 75% of their value.

 

[Vulcan]

If you go to the website below and register (free), then go to the Gaydon section, you will find your question has been asked by many potential buyers doing their research before buying. You will find everything you need to know about this model and the others from the company and the replies are posted by owners who have experienced the cars, not by those intent on running a brand down.
The post above is scaremongering, anyone can find faults with any car never mind a supercar or whatever you choose to call it. That video is old hat now.

For proper advice I would suggest this: http://www.amoc.org/

 

[SpawnyWhippet]

Currently I am looking at a 2005 with 68K miles on it........reportedly NO issues, 2nd owner, whom has logged the last 60K on the odometer....I will get to see and drive the vehicle in about 2 weeks if it is still available.........

Hi, did you drive this car in the end? I am also looking for a daily driver with higher miles, as I want to drive a DB9 without depreciating it substantially, so I don't mind having a car that has done most of its depreciation in somebody else's hands.

I am very interested to know how well this car with a relatively high mileage has survived.

 

[altawashm]

DB9 = 2009 and above "only"



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[Leftcoaster]

I would make too much of factory Ford pistons

I'm in a similar situation as yourself - have a few exotic cars, do much of the work on them myself, etc... I was thinking about a DB9, doing some reading, research, yadda yadda, until I ran across a youtube video detailing the catastrophic engine failure of a low mileage DB9.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pzmL2rl1j8Q

The obvious oil starvation problems of the engine are bad enough, but the fact that the cars are literally built with off-the-self Ford pistons is unforgivable. Yup, that's right, generic Ford pistons, and who knows what else... I always scoffed when people derided these V12s as nothing more than two Mondeo engines joined together, but take a look at that video.

Apparently there are a few good reasons why these cars have lost 75% of their value.

I have built a lot of race engines in the last 30 years and while I once refused to use any but the best 'racing pistons' from reputable suppliers/manufactures. I have found in the last 10 years or so that GM and Ford factory pistons have better uniformity in dimensions and weight than most of the racing pistons that I was spending way too much for. Ford's Racing parts have been particularly good. When I build an engine I 'blue print' it so I ask my balancing shop to bring the pistons within 5 grams of each other. They have found that many of the racing piston supplier's pistons require too much skirt removal to bring them within my specifications. Today's factory tolerance is quite superior to what I was used to in the 'old days'. So in short, it may not be such a bad thing to use Ford pistons. I have only 27K miles on my 2009 and have found it flawless in performance and the engine winds up quickly, very, very smoothly.

 

[Vulcan]

I have built a lot of race engines in the last 30 years and while I once refused to use any but the best 'racing pistons' from reputable suppliers/manufactures. I have found in the last 10 years or so that GM and Ford factory pistons have better uniformity in dimensions and weight than most of the racing pistons that I was spending way too much for. Ford's Racing parts have been particularly good. When I build an engine I 'blue print' it so I ask my balancing shop to bring the pistons within 5 grams of each other. They have found that many of the racing piston supplier's pistons require too much skirt removal to bring them within my specifications. Today's factory tolerance is quite superior to what I was used to in the 'old days'. So in short, it may not be such a bad thing to use Ford pistons. I have only 27K miles on my 2009 and have found it flawless in performance and the engine winds up quickly, very, very smoothly.

Well said

 

[LRDog]

Looking to purchase a 2005-07 DB9...........I own a 12 cyl. Ferrari, even produce aftermarket parts & upgrades,and build offroad vehicles & aftermarket billet items.
I do ALL my own work.

I want to first get as much info about this era DB9 so I know what to avoid or what to take-on, as long as I know that.....I can make the repairs/up-grades and or procure the parts to get the car correct.

I'm not adverse to buying a "driver"! I plan on driving the car and not just wax it and garage it!

Currently I am looking at a 2005 with 68K miles on it........reportedly NO issues, 2nd owner, whom has logged the last 60K on the odometer....I will get to see and drive the vehicle in about 2 weeks if it is still available..........

What should I look for?
What should I be feeling or NOT feeling behind the wheel and under my feet?
What should I be hearing from the engine and trans?

I ask because I know what I would look, feel and hear on a Testarossa or a Maranello or an old Maserati Biturbo that would alert me immediately that there were issues and also I would know the "costs" involved........But as I said when it comes to a DB9...I'm a rookie!

Or if anyone knows of a good "driver" example here in the US..let me know!!

Any help would be mucch appreciated.

Rookie Me

Don't know if you bought the car but, here is my .02 cents...... Take it for what it's worth! 2 pennies!

Buy the newest, lowest mileage car your budget will allow.

There is a dipstick issue on the early DB9s and also an update was done in 2009 with more power.

Good luck!

 

[SpawnyWhippet]

I bought that 68k mile car in the end, it was a huge mistake. The thing was completely unreliable - every time I took it out of the garage something failed. I owned it for about 3 months then finally got sick of spending every spare afternoon taking it for repairs and traded it for a Porsche 911. I lost a fortune on the car.

Basically, its a pretty kit car, and nothing about it except the styling was any good.

 

[LRDog]

Sorry to hear. Sounds like my first Porsche 928 back in the early 90s. Bought one with miles when options with fewer miles and better history were available. Ended up being a nightmare with a damage history (not disclosed by the dealer) and constant mechanical/electrical problems. Learned my lesson quickly the hard way. ALWAYS buy a car with known history, as few miles as possible, as new as budget will allow and have it checked out by someone who knows what they are looking at.... Like I said, I learned my lesson quickly with that first 928 and bought 7 more 928s over the next 20 years and all were fantastic cars.

 

[wjgesq]

If you go to the website below and register (free), then go to the Gaydon section, you will find your question has been asked by many potential buyers doing their research before buying. You will find everything you need to know about this model and the others from the company and the replies are posted by owners who have experienced the cars, not by those intent on running a brand down.
The post above is scaremongering, anyone can find faults with any car never mind a supercar or whatever you choose to call it. That video is old hat now.

For proper advice I would suggest this: http://www.amoc.org/

But are they Ford pistons?