DB9 or GTR Experience Sought

[breitlings]

I've been loosely playing around with the idea of buying a toy. But really I'm in the research phase.

The DB9 is beautiful, I've heard the 07+ aren't that bad but does anyone have experience with maintaining them? Or general thoughts re owning one.

Same question for the GTR?

Thanks

[superdog]

No experience. But I vote Aston. And I’m a huge fan of the GTR. But def Aston.

[G8RDPM]

No experience either, but I think the fit and finish on the Aston is a different level!

[jcoltrane]

You couldn't have picked two different cars.

DB9 is beautiful, hand-built, high-quality materials, but still British and expensive to repair. Cruise for days in supreme comfort listening to the symphony of the V12. It was $4k to replace the wiper motor in my 09 DBS, so buyer beware owning an Aston Martin out of warranty.

GTR is the opposite of everything I just wrote.

[kulak]

Originally Posted by jcoltrane

GTR is the opposite of everything I just wrote.

I believe the GTR engine is hand built.

[piratfisk]

Originally Posted by kulak

I believe the GTR engine is hand built.

They are, in apparently hermetically-sealed factories. I think I heard that on TopGear. I’d still vote for the lovely V12 but pay whatever amount of money it took to get a warranty.

[texasmade]

When people say GTR, are you guys referring to the Nissan GTR or AMG GTR?

[breitlings]

I really like the amg gt (and the SLS) and variants but I was asking about the Nissan; however, now that you mention it...

thanks for all replies will be more responsive tmrw.

[iLLGT2]

AMG GTR not even a second or third thought!

They feel like they are built out of a solid slab of granite, SO MUCH FUN, did I mention, SO MUCH FUN?

Most fun car I've had and experienced out of anything in the past 5 years I've owned, including Lamborghini, Ferrari and Mclaren!

[Laszlo]

I'd go GTR. AM is about to go bankrupt, I would avoid at all costs.

[OmegaJJH]

Originally Posted by Laszlo

I'd go GTR. AM is about to go bankrupt, I would avoid at all costs.

Don’t worry about that. Aston has gone bankrupt 7 times so far in their history.

I’ve never owned but have been around the DB9 a little. The ones I’ve seen have all suffered with rust. So just have a really thorough check of bodywork.

I’d imagine the Volvo infotainment system will seem clunky nowadays but I’d still choose a DB9 over a Nissan any day despite the GTR’s ludicrous performance.

Whoever suggested the AMG GTR... I suspect this is a completely different price point.


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[Laszlo]

Originally Posted by OmegaJJH

Don’t worry about that. Aston has gone bankrupt 7 times so far in their history.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

So true!

[lhanddds]

Ive owned an Aston Martin Vantage for about 11 years. It has the automated clutch with paddle shifting. I had to replace the clutch at 40,000 miles. This is fairly common. Other than that, the vehicle has only needed routine maintenance. For a high performance vehicle that's pretty amazing. I don't know about the GTR (Mercedes ?) But a hand built car like an Aston is a special experience.

[andyxxx]

I purchased myself a DB9 (Sports pack) for my 50th with the idea to have the car as a keeper.

I did not enjoy the experience.

The car had no major mechanical issues, but plenty of minor electrical faults which re-occurred time and again that Aston never managed to solve. It also needed to be constantly plugged into a trickle feed charger (apparently common) or the battery would go flat overnight – another issue that the Aston dealer could not resolve.

The car made a fantastic sound and I loved the interior and drive – but the Mrs did not (with hindsight I should not have gone for the Sports pack as the ride is a lot harsher, which she hated)

The final and most major issue that made me decide the car was not a keeper was also a fairly common issue with cars built around 2007:
The car started corroding (not rust, as it is alli but oxidisation) around the door handles and the window seals which AM initially tried not to honour under their 10 year body warranty. I persisted and without going into too many details, they did finally pay for the work – which was over £5000 several years ago.

A friend has had a DB9 Volante for the last 3 years without any issues and six months ago swapped for a new DB11 Volante that has also been trouble free to date.

I still think they are a beautiful car, but I could not live with the hassle.

[Hanze]

As far as buying yourself a toy goes , you’ll have to get the gtr but avoid the 07’ - 12’ they are hit and miss and can face several mechanical problems, other than that the drive of the gtr is just extraordinary nothing really compares every time you get behind that wheel it’ll put a smile on your face. As for AM , it’s “meh” for me.

[Ballzzz]

Aston = “good ole bloat mobile”
GTR = “sophisticated ricer”

Both fun for what they are & if I was presented with the OP’s choice I’d say GTR. As lifeless as that car is the ONLY thing the Aston has is history & v12.

I would be much happier with a 997.2 gts - similar price range - but that’s just me

[zama]

Like Larry I have a V8 Vantage owned for 3 years no major mechanical issues, and the car is 12 years old. Parts and Service are a little higher than most but if you become enthusiastic you will find lots of specialists and a lot of parts are Ford. Not sure why you would go a DB9 over a Vantage, the Vantage handles better is just as fast and cheaper to run, and is considered to look better. We seem to have confusion over GTR, a Nissan, well made fast but not that pretty, a Mercedes GTR great car so I think you cannot go wrong.

[M45]

The Nissan is an appliance for going very fast. It is also a Nissan. It’s not particularly good looking inside or out. It might go faster and corner well, and if you’re one of those people who can rattle off car statistics you might like it, but I think I had mine for four months before I sold it and got a 991.1 which is much slower and yet much more enjoyable.

[1st amg]

Originally Posted by Ballzzz

Aston = “good ole bloat mobile”
GTR = “sophisticated ricer”

Both fun for what they are & if I was presented with the OP’s choice I’d say GTR. As lifeless as that car is the ONLY thing the Aston has is history & v12.

I would be much happier with a 997.2 gts - similar price range - but that’s just me

I could not agree more on on both counts. I have had many friends who had a GTR and though a techinical marvel, they have no spirit in the drive. They all said the same thing, no character at all. Just point and shoot. Very very boring in the engagement to drive and sound like $hit.
At least the AM has a soul, not a huge performer but it has many things that make you feel good.

[fkim011]

If you are talking Nissan GTR, then it be a hard pass for me. Have you driven one and heard all the noises the transmission makes as your shifting? It's nearly impossible to drive smoothly at low speeds much like the single clutch Lamborghini Aventador.

The DB9 is the better of the two options but the DBS is where my heart if it was an Aston or the V12 Vantage.

[V25V]

Originally Posted by Ballzzz

Aston = “good ole bloat mobile”
GTR = “sophisticated ricer”

Both fun for what they are & if I was presented with the OP’s choice I’d say GTR. As lifeless as that car is the ONLY thing the Aston has is history & v12.

I would be much happier with a 997.2 gts - similar price range - but that’s just me

What this guy said. Both are questionable, especially the Aston.

[RW16610]

That's a very tough choice really. If those are the only two cars out there in that price range you're interested in then it should be one of those. I would look into all other options first to give you more of a comparison before jumping into anything.

No personal experience but for me the Nissan GTR lacks that prestige. Unless you're tracking it you can't use any of these near their potential.

With service costs as no factor it would be the Aston Martin for me. If you just want to enjoy going fast and have something that will likely take more of a beating (reliability?) then the GTR is worth a look.

Did anything from Porsche catch your eye? In your shoes that's very likely where I would be looking.

[ckaynyc]

I would look at a Porsche product.

[superdog]

Originally Posted by ckaynyc

I would look at a Porsche product.

Always solid advice.

[DaytonaSubmariner]

I am totally into cars 100% (watches and cars - who would've thought they would go together so well )

A good friend of mine had two GTR's over the years. The first one, he had from new in 2009 right when they came out. He doesn't even have a garage (off street parking next to his house) and the car was bullet proof. He put over 40K miles on it and daily drove it year round in Pennsylvania. He actually had the all-season tires that were the option.

He then traded it in for a new 2014 GTR. Unfortunately, his back was not in the best of shape and he had to sell it to get a better riding car (Infinity G37x), but he loved it.

I was able to drive both a speed and the 2014 was much improved over the 2009 in terms of quality feel and driving dynamics. The 2009 you could feel the computers trying to work things out. The 2014 felt much more organic and would even allow some oversteer. Both cars felt very solid in terms of build quality.

Now, I have a little story about the AM DB9. My buddy and I "rented" a half day of driving exotics with Gotham Dream Cars. Rob Ferretti is the COO (I'll come back to that later). We drove two Lambo Gallardos (one coupe, one vert - both with more than 30K miles), Murc, SLS, 599GTB and a DB9 Volante.
Of all the cars we drove, the 599GTB felt like liquid silk. You could drive the car cross country without a problem at all. The Lambo's were VERY impressive. They felt much more buttoned down that I thought they were going to be. The SLS was an earlier model and rode like my fathers 1985 Corvette Z51 - meaning, it felt like it had no suspension.
This brings us to the DB9. What an utter POS! It felt like it was going to fall apart! It rained later in our drive and we were in the DB9 at the time. I had to use my hand to clear the windshield because the defroster didn't work. If you cracked the window, it was like a waterfall was coming in the window. The entire car felt terrible and cheap. We drove my 2006 BMW 330i (e90) there and it felt like night and day better than the AM DB9.

Now, I'll let the actual expert talk to you about what "exotic" car you should buy and which one you shouldn't.

What are the most reliable exotic cars?
"Reliable Fun and Fast: Porsche"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aGK7XPNFhpQ

What's it like to rent exotic cars to celebrities?
FFW to 1:12 - Pat Sayjak
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T-3jfZZ7LLs

[breitlings]

I ended up buying More of an every day car. At this point. Thank you everyone for your insight.

[Andad]

35 GTR.

[1st amg]

Originally Posted by breitlings

I ended up buying More of an every day car. At this point. Thank you everyone for your insight.

What did you end up buying?

[encarter13]

Originally Posted by ckaynyc

I would look at a Porsche product.

Another vote for this, but I will expand a little more.

About two years I purchased a Porsche. However, I searched for about a year before I decided on what to buy. You name it and I probably drove it.

GTR
Corvette
911
Cayman
Boxter
M3
M4
M5
Jaguar F-Type
Viper
AMG C63

I know I am forgetting something. Anyway, you get the picture. Porsche really is that good.

[encarter13]

Originally Posted by breitlings

I ended up buying More of an every day car. At this point. Thank you everyone for your insight.

Just saw this update. Ignore my previous post