Aston Martin Db7

I was too. Too bad there aren't more responses.

But I did find this article interesting.

http://www.autoweb.co.uk/car_revs/rev_used.asp?strTitleMajor=Aston%20Martin%20DB7%20(1994-%20to%202004)

Cheers!
Wes

 

I too, would be curious as to the running costs of the 456 compared to db7. Although I've primarily been looking at 993s, recently the idea of earlier supercharged 6 DB7s have been popping in my head. All 3 have the miniscule backseats to accomodate the 8 year old munchkin for short trips and the prerequisite good looks compared to other 4 seat coupes. Always loved the looks of the 456, a modern day Daytona if you will and way out of my price range. Would be cool to drop off the kid at school in any of the 3 cars but it would be most awesome in the 456. That V-12 will have no problem drowning out the Hanah Montana/Highschool Musical cds in the mornings!

 

That link I posted has some interesting info on running costs for the DB7.

After I bought my 328, the seller was looking into the running costs and 'issues'
related to 456's and was quite scared off. And he had already owned a Ferrari!
If you would like I could post what he said, provided I can find it.

But let me know if that link I posted doesn't work. I suspect it doesn't, and
it's a great article.

Wes

 

You better do some research on the Automatic tranny on 456's in particular.

Is it true that if it gets toasted you may have to pay upwards 60k?

 

This is what my friend discovered about 456 ownership.....



Problems on the 456 in general that push up maintenance costs:

Electrical glitches galore (particularly dominant in the European only 92-95) but can still take later models down

Dealer 15k service = $6-7k, Dealer 30k =$11k at Ferrari of Seattle… some people are actually having their car flatbedded to Ron Tonkin in portland and back and saving $1k to 3k

Rear glass cracks = body torque cracks rear glass and causes leaks = $6k per window break for part and install

Rear self adjusting stocks - $1k per side maintenance every other year based on other’s failures

Windows glass adjustments galore – even after the recall that Ferrari picked up 80 hours (2 techs for a full week) per car… it still leaks like a sieve because the windows still go out of alignment regularly and now it is no longer covered under recall/warranty… if you found a car that it wasn’t done under recall = shop rate * 80… so FOS would be $11k to get it to where you only need a $500+ adjustment every 3 months if you don’t want the windows to leak .

Radiator rebuilds – everyone has done it 1 to 3 times… if you even tap lighly the underside of the car on a parking stop you likely need one due to the fact the radiator is poorly located for this type of type of day to day hazard $300 to $700 depending on shop and outsourced rebuild rates.

Leather dash bubbling and delaminating.

Black window trim delaminnating.

Poor plastics – everyone has replaced their bubbling dash controls (surrounds heat control, surrounds radio) – this is yearly for some folks… I’m not that picky though – I’d skip this for sure. OEM parts for this ar $1k. Some people have had metal fabed painted and coated and replaced the OEM parts because they are crap.

Random weirdness - If you’re silly enough to get he auto (god, I’d kick my own ass every morning for buying an auto Ferrari) you’re loking at a $40k transmission to replace… what/why? The diff and the transmission is in it’s own unit – it’s rare and there are no other production cars sharing the transmission. Lucky you.

Regular maintenance PRICEY – for some reason the Ferrari NA pricing defies logic – the most common wear parts are 2x what they should be (owners’ opinion… 328 parts were silly expensive until Ferrari sold off most of their parts to that London company… I’m sure in the future this will improve as it becomes less interesting to Ferrari SPA and Ferrari NA to use it as a profit center…)

Bunch of little things just turned me off – every owner I talked to has said “maintenance isn’t that bad” but then when I asked what they spent and they looked through receipts there was not a one out of the group of 6 people I talked to that after 5 years of ownership had spent less than $8k a year… all while their car was plummeting in market value.

 

Sure.
But the basic address is www.autoweb.co.uk, then just find the Used Car Reviews.

Quoting now.....


Opinion
Enthusiasts had originally feared that there would be a price in character to pay for the DB7’s polished excellence, but if there is, it's difficult to spot. Certainly, the interior features Ford and Jaguar switchgear in places, but it's so coherently used that only an expert would spot the fact. In fact, the cabin is as pleasing to the eye as the sweeping lines of the exterior - which is saying something. The shape was penned by Scottish designer Ian Callum and has been hailed as the best looking British car since the Jaguar E-type. It's as if the stylist has taken the classic Aston shape and smoothed off the sharp edges; the result is very elegant.
You expect a great deal for the price of a three-bedroom semi and by and large, there’s not much to disappoint you. The leather and walnut-trimmed cockpit is as classy as you would expect, with proper, thick Connolly hide and matching piping. Equipment levels are also lavish enough for you not to feel cheated. A CD stacking system, electric seats and powered everything comes included but there’s no sunroof.
The Aston DB7 certainly feels a good deal more special than it’s sibling and chief bugbear, the Jaguar XK8, although many felt that this sense of exclusivity wasn’t worth the additional cost over the excellent XK8 and awesomely swift XKR models. Buying a used DB7 is the best way to offset this cost discrepancy.


Cost
DB7 prices start at around £25,000 for a 1995 M-registered coupe from a private seller with patchy history. It’s often more economical to pay £28,000 for a car from a specialist dealer with a full history than try to cut corners at this level. After all, a new set of tyres, a full service and minor cosmetic repairs can easily punch a £5,000-sized hole in your wallet. A 1997 model Volante should be around £31-£34,000 depending on condition, whilst Vantage coupes are performing strongly in the used market with a 1999 V-registered car still fetching £43,000. Insurance for all models is, somewhat predictably, Group 20.

Problems?
The DB7 is remarkably untemperamental for a specialist super-coupe. That is not to say it can be run on a shoestring, however. The typical cost of a 30,000 mile service will be around £800, and potentially troublesome items such as the rear axle, gearbox and differential need to be scrupulously maintained and regularly treated to fresh lubrication. The composite bodywork panels (nose cone, bonnet, front wings and bootlid) need to be closely inspected, as they are all but impossible to repair and costly to replace.
Check the alloy wheels, as they are especially prone to kerbing damage, and also inspect those big tyres as DB7s are very sensitive to bad wheel alignment. The optional Aleseo split-rim alloys have also been prone to peeling lacquer. The standard air-conditioning system isn’t the most robust and should be checked for leaks and effectiveness. Be careful with the factory-supplied remote alarm, as the boot can easily be opened. This may not sound like a serious problem, but the bootlid only pops up by about 5mm, and when it does the internal light comes on. Many DB7 owners have been left with flat batteries as a result of this characteristic. The seat trim is also not the most hardwearing, especially when specified in white leather.
Because of the number of incremental changes the DB7 underwent, it’s best to speak to either a main dealer or one of the growing number of independent specialists who will also know the car’s history. It pays dividends to look at a few cars to get a feel for what you’re after, but there are worse ways to spend a weekend.

Parts
(approx based on a 3.2 coupe) As you might expect, Aston Martin DB7 spares aren’t cheap. Any damage to the composite body panels usually means a replacement part, and these cost around £600 for a new nose cone, £800 for a bonnet and £400 for a front wing before you factor in the cost of painting. The DB7 can be plagued by noisy differentials. If new oil hasn’t been added every 30,000 miles, a replacement will cost £1,000 including fitting. If wheel alignment has been ignored you’ll be looking at over £200 each for front tyres. Front brake pads are a reasonable £65 a pair, whilst a new clutch assembly won’t break the bank at around £250. What will send your bank manager diving for cover is the cost of a replacement headlamp. Break a lamp unit on one of the early cars and you’ll need to upgrade to the Mk2 lamp unit, as the first-generation part is no longer available. At £625 each, and you’ll need a matching pair to pass the MoT, you’ll never look at a stone chip the same way again.

Overall
If you undertake to buy a used Aston Martin DB7, first be very sure of what you are getting yourself into. Despite more modern manufacturing processes at its Newport Pagnell factory, you’ll still find a plaque under the huge bonnet of every DB7 proudly proclaiming the engine’s handbuilt origins and the name of the man who signed it off. Running costs are high as the car will need regular servicing and any skimping in this department will be rapidly apparent. With the DB7, perhaps more than any other, buying at the bottom end of the market is a false economy. Go for a car with a proper service history, bought from people who know their stuff and are looking to forge an ongoing relationship. Still, it’s worth the expense to see that winged emblem on the fascia, safe in the knowledge that James Bond would be happy to sit where you are.

 

If you have a weakness for Ferrari, have you considered a 2006 Maserati GranSport. About the same $$$ and you get a warranty. In addition, it has timing chains so the service intervals are much less.

 

Thanks Wes, sorry for the late reply. unfortunately the link didn't work.

 

Yes, but try the one I posted later in post #8 and it works. Then just
go to the top right corner and find "Car Reviews" and go from there.
You can find it soon after that under "Used Car Reviews".

What spooked me about the DB7's, especially the one I looked at online,
was that the wheels, while they looked great, actually were not. And
instead of the front tires being 245's, they were 225's. This actually
tipped me off since no DB7 came with that size, that year anyway. I
suspect what happened is the owner damaged one or two wheels, then
they saw how much they were to replace (no, there are none on ebay)
they got aftermarket ones. I reflected and decided I didn't want a car
with such limited aftermarket support. Heck, where would I have been
without FerrariChat when I had a Ferrari? The only online group seems
to be in the UK. A lot of help that would be.

Cheers!
Wes