You can count the car makers that have offered V12s without even having to take off a shoe. Today’s Nice Price or No Dice DB9 was Aston Martin’s second foray into that market. Let’s see if it’s now worth a new owner delving into.
The present Ford Expedition is in the Goldilocks spot in sales, sitting above Chevy’s Suburban but below the Tahoe. That must prove vexing for Ford, as the company is used to the F-Series earning the top sales title in its category. The 1997 Ford Expedition 4X4 we considered yesterday came out on top, as its nice presentation was accompanied by a modest $4,800 asking price, and that earned the truck a solid 83 percent Nice Price win.
Hey, have you been keeping up on Henrik Fisker’s exploits of late? If you have, you likely know he’s going through some tough times with his latest automotive endeavor. It’s not quite as bad a time financially as for the buyers of Fisker’s Ocean electric car, but no doubt he’s feeling their pain. However, Fisker—the company’s—financial flailing isn’t the first rodeo for Fisker—the dude.
About a decade back, Henrik started a company that made a number of swoopy hybrid electric sports saloons before succumbing to creditor calls. Prior to that, he had launched a coachbuilding business, modifying BMW and Mercedes coupes and convertibles. That, too, proved a bust.
In fact, to find any notable success in Fisker’s curriculum vitae, you must go back to when he was simply designing cars, not attempting to build them. One of the most striking of those successes was the Aston Martin DB9, the design of which Fisker shepherded through the final stages after taking over from Jaguar and Aston designer Ian Callum. Although now nearing 20 years old, the design remains one of the best in the biz.
This 2006 Aston Martin DB9 is a prima facie example of the design’s triumph. I mean, just look at it! The car appears stunning in the pictures, presented in stately Cairngorm Grey Metallic paint over 19-inch factory alloys and a blue leather and burlwood interior. With just 32,130 miles on the clock, it hasn’t had much road time to mess things up, and it’s new enough not to feel like it’s missing out on all the major fancy bits a car of this caliber demands.
Oh sure, quite a few of those bits—the sound system, a smattering of interior knobs and switches, and the like—all come from Volvo, but those are well enough integrated not to cause a problem.
Then there’s the engine. It’s a 5.9-liter V12 co-developed by Aston Martin and Ford during the latter’s ownership of the former, good here for around 450 horsepower and a nut-twisting 420 lb-ft of torque. Backing that up is a six-speed transaxle sourced from ZF and connected to the engine via a composite driveshaft housed in an alloy torque tube. Independent suspension and disc brakes are fitted at each corner, all tuned for eating miles of highway.
According to the seller, this DB9 is “British muscle in amazing condition. Mechanically and cosmetically. Everything works and is ready to drive anywhere.” They have apparently owned the car since new and are now offering it with a clean title and event-free history. They will also throw in a battery tender and car cover in the deal. The asking price for that packed-up package is $39,500.
That’s a far shade lighter than the quantity of cash purchasers of the car required when new, and despite some very minor wear and tear, it seems to still be in almost new condition. Do the price and that condition seem to jive?
What do you say? Is this DB9 worth that $39,500 asking as it sits? Or do those numbers just not add up?
You decide!
Phoenix, Arizona, Craigslist, or go here if the ad disappears.
H/T to RevUnlimiter for the hookup!
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