As Aston Martin restoration specialists, we love restoring and repairing Aston Martin cars. If someone brings us a vehicle that needs a full restoration or some repair work, it’s music to our ears; it’s what we’ve been doing for over 30 years. We love repairing and restoring Aston Martins.
But if you’re considering buying an Aston Martin, you’re going to want to know what you’re getting into. You’re going to want to know if you’re going to be able to hand over the cash and head off on a continental road trip or if you’re going to need to check your AA membership before you even turn the key.
That’s why an Aston Martin inspection can be a low-cost high-value investment. An inspection by a specialist takes away the guesswork when it comes to buying your dream car, and gives you the peace of mind that you’re buying a perfect vehicle, or if not, you know what kind of work and investment you’re going to have to make to put things right.
In our experience, there are two situations that make an inspection of an Aston Martin an essential part of the buying process. These are buying a classic car and buying a modern car.
Classic Aston Martin Pre-Purchase Inspections
When it comes to classic Aston Martins, it’s all about understanding the extent and quality of the underlying repair and restoration work that’s previously been undertaken. That’s because it’s rare today to find a classic Aston that hasn’t had work done, very rare.
When doing a pre-purchase inspection on a classic Aston, it’s about making sure an amateur hasn’t molested the car, or if they have, the extent of the work required to put it right.
The main difference between an inspection on a classic Aston and an inspection on a modern car is that uncovering problems is often not the end of the story.
Classic Astons don’t come along every day, and it’s not uncommon to buy a car that needs work. In these cases, the purpose of the inspection is more about helping the potential new owner better understand the investment they’re going to have to make once they’ve bought the car to get it up to the required standard.
That’s not to say we haven’t inspected classic cars and advised our customer to leave well alone, because we have. But it’s more usual for the inspection to be carried out to understand better the amount of work that’s going to be required.
When it comes to classic Aston Martins, people still buy with their heart and not their head. This is driven by the scarcity of the cars and the romance that surrounds them. It’s different with modern vehicles.
Aston Martin Inspections on Modern Cars
The cost of buying a modern second hand Aston Martin is making them more appealing to people who perhaps thought they could never own such a car. For example, a 2006 Aston Martin Vantage with 50k – 60k miles on the clock can be bought privately for around £25k-£30k. From a dealer, the price rises a little, but at around £35k you’re still getting a lot of car for your money unless you’re buying a bad one.
To avoid being the person who bought the Aston Martin of their dreams, only to empty the remainder of their savings on remedial work, get a pre-purchase inspection carried out.
In our opinion, when it comes to modern Aston Martins, and by that, we mean cars from the mid-nineties onwards, an inspection is a must and here’s why.
Where classics are concerned, your choice is limited. If you find a DB6 at a price you can afford, and you simply have to have a DB6, you might have to buy the car warts and all and spend the money required to make it right although the inspection should give you some bargaining power with the seller.
Furthermore, with a classic, the chances are high that even after spending money on the car, it’s eventually going to increase in value beyond the investment you’ve made, including the restoration work. It’s different with modern Astons.
If you’ve always wanted a modern era Vantage and you’ve got £30k burning a hole in your pocket, you can afford to be more choosey. If the immaculate car you’ve spotted in Autotrader isn’t all it seems, there are plenty of others.
For example, recently, we inspected a DB9. Before we even put the car on the ramp, we found £10k’s worth of repair work was required.
Now, a quick online search shows you can buy a 2004/5 DB9 for well under £25k, which in itself is truly fantastic value for money. But if you find yourself shelling out another £15k on repair work before you even show it to your friends, it’s going to hurt. An inspection helps you avoid this sort of heartache.
In our view, an Aston Martin inspection service is more relevant when buying a second-hand modern car than a classic, although for peace of mind both make absolute sense.
When An Inspection Doesn’t Make Sense
If you’re buying from an Aston Martin specialist, like us, you can buy with absolute confidence and an inspection wouldn’t be money well spent. We live by our reputation, and the cars we sell are fully sorted vehicles.
There are, of course, other reputable Aston specialists like us with whom you can be confident, but there aren’t many. So if you’ve set your heart on an Aston, be that a classic or an excellent second-hand modern car, you know who to call.
For a more general overview on what to think about if you're looking at purchasing a used Aston Martin, we've put some of our thoughts together about investing in an Aston Martin. It tells you what you can get with budgets from as little as £25k up to £700k and more.
