1998 Aston Martin DB7 from UK and Ireland - Comments

This is not a car that you would expect to go wrong, but as with all hand built cars, the fit and finish is less than perfect, but it all adds to what is a great car.

The seat belts do not return very quickly, and considering its age and mileage, this is not very good.

I really, really would advise anyone thinking of buying this car to go to a dealer. You may pay more, but if anything goes wrong you WILL have to take it back to a dealer, and talking to other owners, dealers do not like cars that have not been supplied by them. MUST have a full Aston service history.

On balance the 3.2 V6 is not going to break any land speed records, but has more than enough power.

Be afraid of a service, they charged me £25 to take the wheels off!

The fuel tank is FAR too small.

I HATE the fact that parts of this car come from a Ford something or other.

I suppose it handles better than the roller, but I never really driven it hard.

I've driven newer models and can report that the V12 engine makes mine look like a Mini -the power is truly amazing, and the noise does not betray any 'Ford' origins.

You may dislike Ford, but you've got to remember that Ford has wads of cash to spend getting Astons right. If Aston Martin wasn't owned by Ford it wouldn't be able to afford the Design costs for just a wing mirror! Part sharing keeps costs as low as possible and the parts that are shared are minimal, you've got to remember that the superb Jaguar X-Type is essentially a Ford Mondeo, at least the majority of the Aston is a different car!

The DB7 uses a straight 6, not a V6.

I do not enjoy that luxury and exotic car manufacturers use parts taken from regular cars. What they do is logical, maybe I would do the same if I were in their shoes. They are trying to get the costs down and as a result both the companies and their customers benefit. But there is also a non-rational, emotional side to it...

Would it annoy you to know that the rear light units on a DB7 come from a Mazda 323? At least if you break one you can get one cheap from a Mazda garage rather than paying Aston Martin prices...

Errr... the DB7 is *NOT* hand-built. If it was then the 'imperfections' probably wouldn't be there. Part of the problem is that they're producing this car to a lower budget to make an Aston more affordable to the masses (ie: like the Porsche Boxster). See http://www.pistonheads.com/fastcars/astonmartin.htm.

TVR machine their own switchgear and fit bespoke lighting units and other accessories to cars costing half as much as this. There really is no excuse for such penny pinching on a car of this price.

Granted, in the scheme of things, it's not so important, but isn't it supposed to be the details that make a "prestige" car like an Aston worth the money? It's not as if the DB7 does things that a cheaper Jaguar XK can't do.

Having had a bash in a friends 1999 DB7 and being able to compare this to cars such as 911's, TVR Cerbera's & Tuscan's, as well as a host of regular "fast" production cars, I can disillusion anyone reading this that thinks any DB7 is anything to do with a mini!!

What I would say, is that it is great medium between an out and out sports car and a Grand Tourer. A to B is fast and comfy, without any of the annoying squeaks, drama's and scary moments you get out of a Porche or Jap turbo.

What I would say is that, once they resolve their reliability, TVR's are more satisfying. They feel more powerful, they are more precise and you can live with them just as easy as a DB7, and they are truly British god-damn-it!

Is everyone missing the point with their DB7 v 911 v Tuscan comparisons. The point is the DB7 is an Aston Martin. If James Bond had driven a TVR I get a sense that Ian Fleming would have died a poor man.

It may be cheaper than a Ferrari, but the Aston name is easily the most prestigious marque in the world.

...Aston Martin, with such a cherished history and racing pedigree, at such an expensive price, is now posing in the limelight of the past, with the heart of an economy car motor sourced from the company who bought them. That flies in the face of the inspiration that built the Aston name in the fist place. I don't buy the argument that Aston couldn't afford their own motor. TVR manages to do it, and they aren't even exported to the US. Aston, on the other hand, has ten times the pedigree of a TVR, but with Ford ownership, one only wonders what kind of pedigree they'll have in ten years. I certainly doubt if the Ford V6 sourced V12 engine will survive on the race track like the previously engineered and constructed motors Aston Martin build themselves.

That engine might be Ford V6 sourced, but it's been designed, built, and tested by Cosworth. I don't think there'll be any worries somehow. As for the Ford V6 itself, Noble don't seem to be having any problems with it, even tuned to the order of 150 bhp per litre! Don't forget, this engine is designed to cover 100,000 miles between major services!

The DB7 is hand built the fact that the body is perfect is down to the skill that's possessed by the engineer that put it together (they are hand built), secondly why is TVR and Aston Martin in the same sentence. TVR are made of plastic and smell like the inside of a shopping bag. They are built to a far inferior standard to that of the DB7, and who ever wrote the review quoting from piston heads.com, Id say take everything on that site with a pinch of salt, i.e. they like to talk rubbish. Go to that site if you like Subaru’s not Aston Martins.

"more affordable to the masses (ie: like the Porsche Boxster) "

You must be joking!

The "masses" can't afford a new car of any description.

Don't rely on auto journalists for your information, just use your own good judgement.

The journos have to say something and often talk drivel.

It's an attempt to get attention, like Janet Jackson showing part of her assets.

Journos talking drivel; how true! One springs to mind in particular. He presents one of those trendy U.K. auto shows on television- is it "5th gear" or "Top Gear" or something? He is simply nauseating. Waffles a lot; says very little of substance. And can`t drive.

Is he the tall one?

In December 05 I bought an M Reg DB7 manual coupe with 36,000 miles on the clock, using a windfall from mum and dad and some savings. Yes I could have paid some of the mortgage off, and I haven't had it long enough to experience any problems or costly servicing... but at this moment, I absolutely LOVE IT. Looking forward to driving it, I don't think I have been as excited since I was a young kid on Christmas Eve. It is a very beautiful car; its exclusive, classy, fast and very sexy. OK it's a bit thirsty (20 mpg) and I keep knocking the indicator stalk with my knee, its difficult to get into and out of, and ther's not much headroom for a six-footer, BUT I DONT CARE! It's an Aston!! pah to your amg mercs, porches, lambos, ferraris. Even the maseratti I saw today in central london didn't look as elegent as my 10 year old pedgree supercar.