Aston Martin DB7 Vantage
Discussion
Hi all,
I bought this car back in 2016, and have been through a few ups and downs over the years, but I thought it was time to start a thread on it. I think this is the first time I've started a readers thread...
I spotted an advert in October 2016 for the car for sale, and it immediately attracted my attention. I had already earmarked some budget for another car, and I really fancied having a V12 (I'd never had one before, and it feels like one of those automotive things I wanted to do). There were a few other V12s I'd looked at: I nearly bid on a Lamborghini Espada at an auction in Goodwood, but in the end I only put a cheeky low bid in, as I was scared about running costs (I know V12s aren't cheap to run, but I read about plenty of 5-figure bills for keeping a 70s Lamborghini on the road!); I did put a bid in on a V12 Series 3 E-type coupe, but that didn't work out either, and then when I saw this advert I gave the garage a call.
It's a 1998 Aston Martin DB7 Vantage, with a manual gearbox.
Here are some pictures when I bought the car: I love the black over black colours, and the carbon fibre dash is much cooler than some of the wood dashes which went into the cars...
In my initial conversations with the garage, one of my initial concerns was that the car was a Cat D insurance write-off back in 2006 (the bonnet and front wing were damaged a few years ago, but fully repaired); this made me a bit nervous, but after I'd had a pre-purchase inspection, it didn't come up with any horrors (a few bushes worn seemed to be the major problems), so I decided to go ahead. I'd also swapped notes with a previous owner (from an old piston heads advert) who confirmed that this was only minor bodywork damage, so I decided to go ahead.
So in November 2016, I agreed to buy the car. There were a couple of areas which weren't perfect, but the dealer agreed to cover half the cost of replacing all of the MoT advisory bushes, and we also agreed to go halves on fully replacing the head lining, which was looking a bit tired. As I picked up the car and drove it home, I remember being so excited. It felt so grown up; the car is obviously powerful, but it's also very comfortable. It feels like a proper GT car - the kind of car you'd happily drive 500 miles in a day in; or drive down to the south of France in! The effortless power; the manual gearbox (oddly, it reminded me on a Rover SD1 my dad had when I was in my late teens) - it has a proper mechanical feel to it, and a small squeeze on the accerator sent the car up the road. I like the fact that you have to take time with gearshifts, and at low speed, there can be a bit of drivetrain shunt if you aren't smooth with the inputs.
I lived in London when I first bought the car, so I wasn't really able to use it much. I kept it in a local secure garage, and only used it from time to time. Finally, in 2017, my plan to move out of London came to life, and we moved out to Somerset. After a year of renting, we bought a new home, and I could finally think about using the DB7 a bit more. I put the car in for an MoT, and after fixing the hazard warning lights, it sailed through it's MoT. Through 2018 to 2020 after that initial period of not using it much, I loved using the car (although I see I did less than 1,000 miles in that time - it felt like more at the time) - we had some great days out - I took the car to the AM Factory, where we had a factory tour; and we did a few coffee and cars events.
One reason I was able to convince my wife that we could get the car was that it has the +2 seats in the back - my kids were quite young back then and with some small booster cushions, they fitted really well in the car!
Then in 2020, as Covid hit, I put the car back into storage, and it sat for two years (like so many old cars, I guess). In late 2021 I sent the car off to a specialist AM place (in fact, they'd serviced it previously and done a good job, so I was happy to go back to them). Sadly, despite being a specialist, they didn't seem interested in getting the car back on the road. Eventually they sent me a text with a proposed list of work and an estimate for £12k - just for an MoT and a service. I decided not to go ahead, and got the car back home, where it's sat ever since.
In the last week, I've had a mobile mechanic come round - he's worked on a few DB7s before, and he's given the car a full inspection, and confirmed (thankfully) that almost everything on the list that the specialist sent me is not required. The specialist suggested the car needs a full set of disks and pads; this mechanic has confirmed that the pads and disks have at least 6k miles left (not surprising, as they were changed in the time I've owned the car). There are a few areas that the mechanic has also identified which weren't on the original list, so we've agreed a plan of attack. The work is happening in early October, with a view that the car will be MoT'd and serviced and ready to use by then. And then I can plan the other work that I'd like to have done over the winter.
It's exciting to have the car looking like it'll be ready to use again soon - I feel like a kid who's just got one of their favourite old toys back again! Can't wait to use it later this year! Hopefully more updates to follow!
I bought this car back in 2016, and have been through a few ups and downs over the years, but I thought it was time to start a thread on it. I think this is the first time I've started a readers thread...
I spotted an advert in October 2016 for the car for sale, and it immediately attracted my attention. I had already earmarked some budget for another car, and I really fancied having a V12 (I'd never had one before, and it feels like one of those automotive things I wanted to do). There were a few other V12s I'd looked at: I nearly bid on a Lamborghini Espada at an auction in Goodwood, but in the end I only put a cheeky low bid in, as I was scared about running costs (I know V12s aren't cheap to run, but I read about plenty of 5-figure bills for keeping a 70s Lamborghini on the road!); I did put a bid in on a V12 Series 3 E-type coupe, but that didn't work out either, and then when I saw this advert I gave the garage a call.
It's a 1998 Aston Martin DB7 Vantage, with a manual gearbox.
Here are some pictures when I bought the car: I love the black over black colours, and the carbon fibre dash is much cooler than some of the wood dashes which went into the cars...
In my initial conversations with the garage, one of my initial concerns was that the car was a Cat D insurance write-off back in 2006 (the bonnet and front wing were damaged a few years ago, but fully repaired); this made me a bit nervous, but after I'd had a pre-purchase inspection, it didn't come up with any horrors (a few bushes worn seemed to be the major problems), so I decided to go ahead. I'd also swapped notes with a previous owner (from an old piston heads advert) who confirmed that this was only minor bodywork damage, so I decided to go ahead.
So in November 2016, I agreed to buy the car. There were a couple of areas which weren't perfect, but the dealer agreed to cover half the cost of replacing all of the MoT advisory bushes, and we also agreed to go halves on fully replacing the head lining, which was looking a bit tired. As I picked up the car and drove it home, I remember being so excited. It felt so grown up; the car is obviously powerful, but it's also very comfortable. It feels like a proper GT car - the kind of car you'd happily drive 500 miles in a day in; or drive down to the south of France in! The effortless power; the manual gearbox (oddly, it reminded me on a Rover SD1 my dad had when I was in my late teens) - it has a proper mechanical feel to it, and a small squeeze on the accerator sent the car up the road. I like the fact that you have to take time with gearshifts, and at low speed, there can be a bit of drivetrain shunt if you aren't smooth with the inputs.
I lived in London when I first bought the car, so I wasn't really able to use it much. I kept it in a local secure garage, and only used it from time to time. Finally, in 2017, my plan to move out of London came to life, and we moved out to Somerset. After a year of renting, we bought a new home, and I could finally think about using the DB7 a bit more. I put the car in for an MoT, and after fixing the hazard warning lights, it sailed through it's MoT. Through 2018 to 2020 after that initial period of not using it much, I loved using the car (although I see I did less than 1,000 miles in that time - it felt like more at the time) - we had some great days out - I took the car to the AM Factory, where we had a factory tour; and we did a few coffee and cars events.
One reason I was able to convince my wife that we could get the car was that it has the +2 seats in the back - my kids were quite young back then and with some small booster cushions, they fitted really well in the car!
Then in 2020, as Covid hit, I put the car back into storage, and it sat for two years (like so many old cars, I guess). In late 2021 I sent the car off to a specialist AM place (in fact, they'd serviced it previously and done a good job, so I was happy to go back to them). Sadly, despite being a specialist, they didn't seem interested in getting the car back on the road. Eventually they sent me a text with a proposed list of work and an estimate for £12k - just for an MoT and a service. I decided not to go ahead, and got the car back home, where it's sat ever since.
In the last week, I've had a mobile mechanic come round - he's worked on a few DB7s before, and he's given the car a full inspection, and confirmed (thankfully) that almost everything on the list that the specialist sent me is not required. The specialist suggested the car needs a full set of disks and pads; this mechanic has confirmed that the pads and disks have at least 6k miles left (not surprising, as they were changed in the time I've owned the car). There are a few areas that the mechanic has also identified which weren't on the original list, so we've agreed a plan of attack. The work is happening in early October, with a view that the car will be MoT'd and serviced and ready to use by then. And then I can plan the other work that I'd like to have done over the winter.
It's exciting to have the car looking like it'll be ready to use again soon - I feel like a kid who's just got one of their favourite old toys back again! Can't wait to use it later this year! Hopefully more updates to follow!
Thanks for all your comments - I'm glad there's some love for the car on here. It's funny how I fell out of love with the car when it was away, but now it's closer to being back on the road, I'm getting excited about it again. I'm so fickle!
And yes, thanks @jeremyc, of course it's a 2000 car - I'm not sure where I got 1998 from! 1st registered in April 2000.
As I was buying the car, it was very interesting to find out that an early owner of the car was in fact, @jeremyc, hence his knowledge on this!
In fact, jeremy also shared some earlier pics of the car while under his ownership:
A few other random photos of the car.
I parked up one day, and came back to find this had parked next door - older and younger cousins!
And here's a couple of pics of the day out at the AM factory - definitely recommended!
... and with an even younger cousin!
And yes, thanks @jeremyc, of course it's a 2000 car - I'm not sure where I got 1998 from! 1st registered in April 2000.
As I was buying the car, it was very interesting to find out that an early owner of the car was in fact, @jeremyc, hence his knowledge on this!
In fact, jeremy also shared some earlier pics of the car while under his ownership:
A few other random photos of the car.
I parked up one day, and came back to find this had parked next door - older and younger cousins!
And here's a couple of pics of the day out at the AM factory - definitely recommended!
... and with an even younger cousin!
£12k was:
I'm all in favour of doing preventative work and repairing things that need it, but the list they gave me is just nonsense. I replaced the engine mounts and some related bushes at its last service, which cost quite a lot extra, and there are a few other things I'd like to have done this year, but I won't be spending anything like £12k.
| work needed | cost | latest view |
|---|---|---|
| minor service | £900 | yes - will definitely need a full service, including all parts and labour, this might be a fair cost |
| MoT test | £60 | yep - will definitely need this |
| tyres | £1000 | no - tyres are in excellent condition - they are > 6 years old but still have plenty of life left in them |
| full set of brake discs and pads | £2200 (!) | brake pads and discs have at least 6k miles of life left in them - not needed |
| brake callipers | £1800 | there is one caliper slightly sticking from not being used for 2 years - may need some remedial work, but the underlying parts all appear fine; step 1 will be to take to apart and clean it up |
| engine air intake | £1500 | no obvious problems |
| new spark plugs and coils | £1600 | spark plugs will be replaced as part of service; coils are fine - engine running very well |
| suspension rack bushes | £900 | no obvious issues; but a bent track rod end noted which will need replacing; other bushes will be further inspected |
| fully replace all underseal | £1800 | I might redo some of this, but the car is in pretty good condition underneath, and definitely doesn't need nearly £2k of underseal doing! |
I'm all in favour of doing preventative work and repairing things that need it, but the list they gave me is just nonsense. I replaced the engine mounts and some related bushes at its last service, which cost quite a lot extra, and there are a few other things I'd like to have done this year, but I won't be spending anything like £12k.
rejn said:
£12k was:
I'm all in favour of doing preventative work and repairing things that need it, but the list they gave me is just nonsense. I replaced the engine mounts and some related bushes at its last service, which cost quite a lot extra, and there are a few other things I'd like to have done this year, but I won't be spending anything like £12k.
That list is attempted theft, plain and simple. | work needed | cost | latest view |
|---|---|---|
| minor service | £900 | yes - will definitely need a full service, including all parts and labour, this might be a fair cost |
| MoT test | £60 | yep - will definitely need this |
| tyres | £1000 | no - tyres are in excellent condition - they are > 6 years old but still have plenty of life left in them |
| full set of brake discs and pads | £2200 (!) | brake pads and discs have at least 6k miles of life left in them - not needed |
| brake callipers | £1800 | there is one caliper slightly sticking from not being used for 2 years - may need some remedial work, but the underlying parts all appear fine; step 1 will be to take to apart and clean it up |
| engine air intake | £1500 | no obvious problems |
| new spark plugs and coils | £1600 | spark plugs will be replaced as part of service; coils are fine - engine running very well |
| suspension rack bushes | £900 | no obvious issues; but a bent track rod end noted which will need replacing; other bushes will be further inspected |
| fully replace all underseal | £1800 | I might redo some of this, but the car is in pretty good condition underneath, and definitely doesn't need nearly £2k of underseal doing! |
I'm all in favour of doing preventative work and repairing things that need it, but the list they gave me is just nonsense. I replaced the engine mounts and some related bushes at its last service, which cost quite a lot extra, and there are a few other things I'd like to have done this year, but I won't be spending anything like £12k.
V6Twinturbo said:
Yeah sounds like a lot of the "specialists" out there. Try www.astonkeeper.co.uk much more down to earth and will show you what you've got and let you decide if it needs doing.
Can confirm from first hand experience these guys are proper gurus.Also recommended if you have a weird Zyyek ECU Jaguar (XJR-S in particular) that makes most “specialists” weep.
V6Twinturbo said:
Yeah sounds like a lot of the "specialists" out there. Try www.astonkeeper.co.uk much more down to earth and will show you what you've got and let you decide if it needs doing.
Thanks for the recommendation - that link doesn’t work and I can’t find any reference to them - do you have any more details?Gassing Station | Readers' Cars | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff