Looked at a 2004 DB7 Vantage coupe with low miles and good history. Decent exterior condition.

It was raining on the dealer’s forecourt at the time but both front floor well carpets were soaking wet and so I lifted the carpets to find the foamy under pads ringing wet and the floor pans showing what to me looked like concerning signs of corrosion indicating this has been a long time problem on the car. Also found unsightly mould along the out edge of the rear passenger side carpet; and a slightly concerning build up of water pooling in the fuel neck recess (which again looked a concern).

Regarding the wet carpet and corroded floor pans, the car has had a recent windscreen change by a specialist; and the air conditioning was blowing cold and fine.

Guessing the reason for the wet carpets could be windscreen drains blocked, failed door window seals or a heater matrix problem.

The black leather driver’s seat also looked scuffed, cracked and tired…

And the entire headlining was hanging low (which they have a specialist lined up to fix)…

Disappointed as the car otherwise seemed decent.

Salesperson seemed genuinely surprised when I said I’m not progressing my interest in the car, trying to assure me they will have an AM specialist remove all carpets and make good!

 

Well..that doesn’t look good…you still thinking the windshield drains blocked ..

 

Hi,

I've just joined - had my DB7 Vantage for a year and was looking for some useful DB7 chat. I've hopefully attached a pic of the same area on my car - this is what it should look like!!

Mark

 

Thanks for the reply… have moved on to another… the history and legitimacy of the seller in the other is A1 to the point I think it will be a near trouble free purchase but… it’s 2002, has done 60k miles and given my intention is to enjoy the experience/ do few miles with the quiet hope of making it pristine and if kept for a fair few years these will appreciate in value, I’m not sure if the mileage is a tad too high for its value to appreciate much, even if prices do go on the future ascendency….

 

Hi again,

I've replied to one of your other posts as well, but think I need to wait for mods to approve first. I don't think 60K miles is an issue, it really depends on how well the car has been looked after. I saw plenty of 'low mileage' examples that hadn't been serviced in 2 or 3 years, because the owner felt the mileage didn't justify it. To my mind this is the wrong approach - any car like an Aston needs to be seen by the service shop at least annually in my view. Plus any 20 year old Aston DB7 will have had corrosion issues - have they been dealt with properly? I bought a car that the previous owner had had to replace a wing to correct what he had been told was 'minor bubbling' because the wet gets in under the skin and can't be removed. he had the wing painted at first, but the bubbling was back in a few weeks. If a car has a good service history, has been looked after by the right people (ideally Aston for the first few years, then a specialist like McGurk, Chicane, Davron, P&L etc, or if really lucky Chris Done at DB7.com), has had money spent on dealing with issues on top of just oil servicing, and has been garaged, I wouldn't be afraid to buy one with slightly higher miles. I looked at quite a few and bought one with 73K miles - it was head and shoulders above the rest.

 

There is an awesome '01 V12 manual coupe near my house with 26K mile for $45K. Looks super mint.

 

won’t do the OP much good, being that he’s in Scotland.

 

Mine is for sale - it is at least in the right area, if not exactly the same country.

 

Yours was probably a good decision to move on. Good info for those on the hunt....

“In the car’s history, see if it has been given a new windscreen at any point. If so, the plastic scuttle trim may have been incorrectly refitted; it often is, leading to water getting into the cabin. Once this happens, the carpet can rot, along with the floorpans. Also, the two ventilation fans can be ruined: they’re £620 new (£375 exchange) each.
“

Read more at: https://en.aston-martin-club.com/art...ying-guide-128

 

I know, but it's a shameless plug in hopes someone here wants it and needs me to take a look ;-)

 

Well, the one I’m buying doesn’t do that Sir… no wet carpets, or rusty floors - a fully fettled, superb history, impressive looking and very fine DB7 Vantage coupe… from a renowned specialist. Thought it would take about a year to find one… it took 4 weeks and the 4th car I looked at 👍🏻