If you were to ask a random bunch of people what they thought was the most beautiful car over the last two decades, I’m quite sure Aston Martin would get a lot of votes. Starting with the DB9 in 2004, following on with the V8 Vantage in 2006, and then the Vanquish in 2012 (that Sven fell in love with in an old post in Swedish that you can read here), we’ve been spoiled with beautiful cars coming out of the factory in Gaydon. The head designer at the time Henrik Fisker, who’s also been featured previously on this blog as we’ve written about the Karma, can take credit for most of these, even if he didn’t fully design the DB9, rather finishing off the car that was done by Ian Callum.

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The thing is though, Astons have not only looked expensive – they have been so as well. Until now. Because as we speak, around EUR 40.000 will get you a low-mileage V8 Vantage, or for that matter a DB9. That is pretty much a steal, especially in the case of the DB9 which was considerably more expensive than the V8 when it was new. I strongly doubt good, relatively low-mileage cars will get much cheaper over the coming years.

Let’s first settle the fact that although both exist both with and without roof (the V8 is then called the Roadster, the DB9 the Volante), the design only fully comes into its right in coupe form. The fixed roof also saves around 100 kg (meaning around 1600 kg for the V8 and 100 more for the DB9) and means there are fewer parts that can break – not unimportant when you’re talking about a hand-built British sports car, as we’ll come back to later.

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The DB9, as a 2+2 seater, is around 30 cm longer. To me the V8 looks nicer, more compact, with better proportions. And given the back seats cannot by anything but very small children anyway (and by the time you buy an Aston, they will be too big anyway…), there’s little reason to choose the DB9 for them. There is however a very big reason to choose the DB9, and that is of course the fabulous, 6-litre, naturally aspirated V12 from the (old) Vanquish, developing around 450-520 hp depending on construction year. The V8 in the Vantage developed around 380 hp as 4.3-litre, and around 420 hp after 2008 as 4.7-litre (in later years there was also a V12 Vantage, but that’s at a very different price point today). Most will agree that power is thus plentiful in both cases, as is the sound, both with 8 and 12 cylinders.

Both cars were reworked in 2008, meaning more power but also improved build quality, and some slight design quirks. With some luck you can squeeze in a post-2008 car to the EUR 40.000 budget, or stretch it a bit, in which case it’s probably a good decision.

So what’s the downside? Certainly not the engines, that have a solid reputation even in higher mileage cars, as long as they’ve been properly serviced. The interior has aged less well than the timeless exterior design and should be inspected carefully. Unfortunately, there’s also been quite a few quality issues with everything from the slightly upward-opening swan doors, to – many – electrical issues. Therefore, having a specialist inspect the car you’ve just fallen in love with might be one of your better decisions in life. And then there are of course the running costs, and the insurance, and… But then again, if you’re looking for cheap car to own, an Aston shouldn’t be on your list in the first place.

Both the DB9 and the Vantage had long runs and large production numbers in Aston terms. The DB9 was replaced by the DB11 in 2016, the V8 Vantage was produced a year longer. Something like 17.500 DB9’s were produced in total and around 22.000 V8 Vantages (exact numbers seem impossible to find!).

To me an Aston is in a class of its own. The “baby” Aston V8 Vantage was discussed as a 911 alternative when it was launched but I think that misses the point. The 911 (at this price point typically a low-mileage 997, or slightly cheaper as a 996 4S) will objectively always be the better car, but you see one on every corner. How many Astons did you see this week? It’s a rare thing of beauty and a traditional driver’s GT car. It’s actually a car where performance is secondary (but not the engine noise!), since its more about the feel, the sound, the whole experience. Personally I would go for a post-2008 V8. But if you want nothing but the best it can only be the V12 DB9. Because a naturally aspirated V12 can never be wrong!