Reliability? Maintenance costs? Issues?

I may have an opportunity to purchase a 2005 with 15K miles for under 40k.

Garage stored, owner is a good friend.

Another good friend is a top notch mechanic, keeps my Ram in tip top shape.

Did as much research as possible online, hoping someone here has actual experience.

Thoughts?

Without access to diagnostics (dealership ONLY), your mechanic won't be able to do anything. Are you rich enough to let a dealer maintain it? Run away and save your money.

Reliability isn’t terrible. What is, is working on them. Terrible accessibility and access. They actually have quite a few ford parts on them so if you’re good at cross referencing you can save some serious dough there. Every bodies idea of reliability and what constitutes “reasonable maintenance costs” are, is different. We looked VERY VERY hard at owning one. So far as befriending a Aston mechanic and really picking his brain. His words: if nothing big breaks and it’s just the normal Little repairs and stuff, brakes and maintenance. 25k over the course of five years ownership. We passed. Lol

As a teenager, in the '60's, I was taught that those cool British cars and motorcycles were better to let someone else own. They leaked oil, had funny engineering, and things (especially electrical things) broke or didn't work right. Nothing I've seen in the intervening 60 years has changed my mind.

Have you inquired why it has such low mileage? If $40K is a good deal, buy it, drive it a few months, then sell it for a profit.
First reaction from me is being in “Gone Huntin’s” camp.

The Germans didn't bomb the Lucas Electric plant. They considered them an ally.

I have looked at newer ones numerous times, currently have a 911 GTS. There aren't any dealers close to me so that is my one big issue. I have just found a mechanic locally that is certified by Aston Martin so the wheels are turning a bit lately.

Like others have said cost of ownership of this type of luxury items is always subjective, that's why is a luxury. Sounds like you know the history and know it's been well maintained. I would get it to a dealer and it checked out, all cars that my have been sitting/stored may have little maintenance issues, spending a few $$ to know what you're getting into is money well spent. Little things like Z rate tires general maintaince cost a bit more if you're not used to it.

Aston builds a beautiful car and I'd bet it would put a smile on your face every time you drive it.

Best of luck and keep us posted.

For me -

Unless I was lusting after one and always had - IE shopping for one and came across this one - why buy it?

You didn't save a dime - you spent 40k

Just because it's a good deal wouldn't be enough for me to purchase - even if it does have a low cost of ownership. I'd have to be an Aston DB9 fan first - deal second.

Sometimes I think you should go on the Comedy specials on TV!

That was pretty funny. It made me remember that Lucas Electric was also referred to as the "Prince of Darkness."

Lease a new one. Maintenance included. Enjoy it for 24 months, turn it in. You had fun and drove a classy ride. You don't get an Aston Martin because you are on a budget.

To follow up on that, you buy it for $40k, put $10k into it. (You think tires are $99 each at Pep Boys???)

Drive it for 24 months (when its not getting service) and sell it for maybe $25k.

OR

Spend $1k/mo on the lease.

Either way you're gonna have $25k into it.

I've always thought the Aston Martins were a couple steps above the Jaguars in reliability and looks but that is subjective. I've looked hard at the newer Jaguar F types and the Aston Martin DB9, Vantage, etc... and if I had the money I would have bought one already. I've seen some pretty good deals on them but I keep having this nagging statement in the back of my mind- are they cheap for the same reason BMW's get cheaper right at 5 years when the warranty runs out? If you're handy and you know and trust a good mechanic you could probably repair almost everything on a BMW, Jag, or Aston Martin with a little help and paying someone to do the diagnostics on it... whether you are up to that as part of ownership is up to you...

Bob

I mean it's got basically the same performance as an S550 Mustang GT. If you find it luxurious, I could see it but really I'd rather have the Ford. Way eiasier to get more performance (whether straight line or road course) out of it. And the top interior is pretty nice.

James Bond did not drive a Mustang!

The AM has a look very similar to a Jag XK.
Last fall I bought a 2010 XK with 50K miles in mint shape, someones summer car, stored inside. The sticker on the Jag in 2010 was a bit over $89,500, I bought it for $22k
A deprecation of $67 K over 10 years is rather steep, but you can find these around for that kind of money and end up with a great looking car with lots of performance left in them.
The ticket is to have the maintenance history, mine had a clean CarFAX , just after I bought it I put about $2000 into it by having all fluids changes and the transmission fluid and filter changed, recommended for a 10 year old Jag despite it's low millage.
A car like this is like having an high maintenance mistress, she looks beautiful, great lines but requires a lot of expensive attention, but gives you exceptional performance. 385 hp, 0-60 in 5.5 second, speedometer goes to 180mph.
If you're on a budget forget it,
I traded my 03 BMW Z4 in for it, that car was trouble free for the 17 years I owned it, but got tired of all the shifting, was looking for a late model Vette, in the 40K range, but decided a Vette was a belly button car, (everyone had one) not so with a Jag XK.

40k also sounds on the high side. If you can afford 20k in maintenance and repairs in the next 5 years go for it. Like I said, there is a lot of “Ford” in that car. Our Jag XJR was basically a Lincoln LS. I’ll give you an example. I was doing suspension and it needed control arms. Exact same part. Different part number. Lincoln control arms were 80 bucks apiece. Jag’s were 300. Same part. I’ve owned plenty of high end cars and Astons are pretty much at the top of the heap when it comes to repairs. More so than Ferrari sometimes.

limies are as good at making cars as they are at orthodontia

you asked a public forum, THIS is what the standard response is probably gonna be. you're buying an Aston Martin and you want know if it will be expensive?

really?

So, anyone with actual seat time in a DB9?

He actually drove a Mustang on two wheels IIRC.

wife's boss had a Continental GT. It was in the shop a lot. There was a huge problem with the windshield wipers just not working. Warranty did not cover replacing the electronics that control that. He traded it in on a Mercedes AMG

And, which aspects of "performance" are you citing - those on paper. I would venture to guess that you have never driven a DB, at least to any significant extent of performance- or - if by some miracle you have, you probably have never done the same with a factory S550 Mustang GT. Please give us those actual driver experienced performance comparison facts.

To the OP - never a DB9 - would love it, but not to happen. But, yes to much earlier model DBs and three other Brit types. The later the model - the more challenging to tune/diagnose/repair/work upon and pay for some components. If you really want that DB(. not an easy decision in my view.

Definitely a cool car, but... get ready for frequent and very expensive maintenance costs.

I'll say this once and you'd be well-served to listen:

In all the years they've been building 'em, the Limey's ain't made a reliable vehicle yet.

And I've owned quite a few: from a '64 3.8 MKII Jaguar to a '99 XJ Jag and multiple older Land Rovers. I'll never purchase another British vehicle...

Well, I wouldn't turn down a DB5 or Zatago if offered... or a Spitfire with a Merlin engine.

Do you know why they quit making TV sets in Britain?

They couldn't figure out how to make them leak oil.

I'm thinking that I almost never see one in the physicians' parking lots at hospitals and medical centers.

The AM is swanky. They are just cool cars. Cant help with any firsthand seat time.

Since Jag was mentioned, I really like the F Type R. Same genre as the AM.

There so many great car tests available it’s fairly easy to get an idea of how a car will perform.

In this case, a GT500 isn’t even necessary. A 5 year old GT350 crushed the OP’s DB9 lap time by 45 seconds at Nurburgring.
45 seconds is a freakin’ eternity.

I love anything Aston Martin, but would never own one....regardless of how much money I had.

What's the problem... they hold 12 qts....probably you only need 6 qts....
but the extra 6 qts prove your point about the leaking...

I know Jags back in the 60s, were also 12 qts and specified 20W 50 Castrol.

Yeah comparing it to a GT350 isn't even close to fair. It's a reasonable comparison to a straight base model GT. Same HP, same weight, the base GT will have a hair better skidpad with the same tires.

I see my joke failed.

Not at all! I laughed. You gotta have your hearing checked.

Comparing a Mustang of any vintage or pedigree to an Aston Martin is more than an apples to oranges comparison. Guys who are in the market for a DB9 usually aren't looking for a GT500 Mustang, and vice versa- two completely different worlds.

I can't make sense of the Aston Martin thing. It seems to be a rich guy thing bragging about how much money he paid to have a shop build him a car. The new ones look cool for sure, but that new corvette seems cooler than any DB9....

You can like what you like. Doesn't matter. A limey pos is still a pos.

A high school buddy of mine's father used to buy Jags. He always had 2 or 3 in the yard that wouldn't run.

Porsche for the win. My 2017 Boxster S flat azz scoots and goes from wicked (3.6 0-60, sub-12 quarter mile and 180 mph top end) to a pleasure to drive with the push of a button. Good on gas as well given the performance. Begs to be driven hard but just makes it easy.

No doubt Jaguar has built some epic pieces of schite. I wouldn’t lump the newer F type in there though.


Sweet car, Ed! The 718 Boxster and Cayman are some of the best looking Porsches IMO.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^AGREED^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Another fable....I've owned a few Jaguars in my day and zero issues with electrical stuff. I've never owned an Aston Martin, but for that kind of money I'd jump on it..

Deep cut, right there....

Yep. Track day or morning run on a twisty road the Mustang would be my choice but the Aston is a GT car. Spending all day in it at high speeds on a variety of roads is where it excels.

Dave Demauro wrote a whole series of articles about life with a used Aston as a daily driver - https://jalopnik.com/here-s-what-it-really-costs-to-own-a-45-000-used-aston-1781264600 is one of them.

Frankly, if it's been maintained and you want to do it why not? Cars are not investments for the most part - enjoy what we want.

For $100k plus, it should.

Off topic -

I've seen a definite uptick in Maseratis on the road here lately.

The C8 Vette is high on my wish list, but unrealistic on my salary.

The DB9 at the price point it's being offered is an opportunity which doesn't come around often.

I've always found Astons to be head turners.

Pugs thanks for the link. I saw that when I began to do my research.

Here too. My cousin had one and promptly sold it when he found out it needed a $5,000.00 (standard - pads and rotors) brake job. Not sure if it had ceramic discs. Outrageous.

Thank Bergstroms for that. The dealership's about 2 miles away from me. It's the same spot as the Porsche, Alfa, and Jag lot.

The new corvette is a joke as a perfomance car. It's slower on most tracks than a C7 Grand Sport, costs a fortune to buy, costs a fortune to work on and has a locked ECU.

If you want to look like eurotrash with a man purse I guess it acomplishes that though

I'm a Porsche guy but the Aston has always caught my eye. If it's fun money that you are spending, why not? If you need to totally rely on it for a daily driver, maybe not......Porsche, Aston, and the like are more costly to maintain but as a hobby car they are flat out fun! Would not let my 911 go for anything....

Yeah - GF bought her Mini there and I'll be down there on Sat for service on my bike. Should take a hot lap through the lot.

I could very much like a 911 done Magnus Walker style.

Maseratis have I believe the highest depreciation of any brand. I’m seeing a fair number around too. Those will of course disappear when the owners find out what it’s like to maintain them. A 5 year old 150k Maserati can often get picked up for less than a third of its MSRP.

I haven't owned a DB9, but had a Vantage for quite awhile that was flawless. Traded that one on a DB11 with the Mercedes AMG M177 V8. It was THAT car that pushed us to AMG's, my wife and E53 and me a GT63 - I'd not go back. Of course I've owned Porsche's from an E series 911T to a later 997 and wouldn't go back there either. I'm too old and have shifted gears to luxury/touring vs balls-to-the wall performance. If I were still in that mode would wholeheartedly recommend either Aston or Porsche.

Thanks for that Longbob, interesting

Thanks Journeyman!

You are welcome. Some of it wasn't too much of a surprise about how it is more or less considered that Porsches are the most reliable for the exotics. What was a surprise was the comment about how much the exotics have improved on reliability and quality from 2010 and newer.

Haven't read/watched it - but such outcome would probably be due to modern tech/QC applications and more commonality of components. Just a guess.

I own the Jag XK8 with ford 4.2L engine 295HP 2004. Bought it with 50,000 miles has 53,000 now. Mine is a ware coupe.

So far I have only changed all the fluids. It has a 6 speed ZF trans I change to the Ford fluid for a 6 Speed ZF as it is $7.50 a quart

Jag ATF is $30.00 a quart. I had one coolant leak near the intake manifold. Plus I replaced on head lamp lense for about $325.00

parts only. So far pretty cheap to own. Lots easier to get in and out of compared to a Corvette.

bullshit, JeffObama

Test drove it today.



Love it.

Owner just did a full tune up, front and rear brakes, recharged the AC, filters, oil, et cetera a week ago.

He's going to let me take it for a couple of hours next Friday.

I think its coming home with me.

IMO, a great choice... a friend has a Vantage and I had a chance to at least sit in it and the craftsmanship in the interior, engine compartment, and assembly of the body components are equal to the great looks. The leather interior and stitching was impeccable and everything in the cockpit just seemed to be in the right place for a real drivers' car... with all the maintenance done already and that price you can't really go wrong on it...

Bob

I bought it.

Loving the exhaust note.

Will update.

Any part will cost thousands of dollars not counting the import cost. Run away