Is Buying An Aston Martin A Good Investment?
Nothing says luxury combined with impeccable taste quite like an Aston Martin. After all, if it’s a car worth enough for James Bond then it should be good enough for the rest of us!
The truth is that there are a lot of different luxury car manufacturers to choose from. With all of these options, what makes Aston Martin a better purchase? Is it a good investment at least?
There are a lot of reasons to get into an Aston Martin over other brands, but the scope of this article is more a buying guide if you are already thinking of buying one. Not necessarily an essay on how it is better than other luxury cars. We’ll leave that up to you after you’ve read the buying guide.
Investment realities
To not leave anybody in suspense we will cut right to the heart of the matter and let you know that a new Aston Martin does not hold its value as well as a Porsche or Ferrari in the same class.
This is not to say that it is an inferior car. It’s just that the criteria making a new car a future collectible is not always about the quality of the car itself. The one investment which seems stable is to buy an older Aston Martin and hold onto it for a while. Enjoy driving it yourself for a bit and then sell when the market turns around again.
Even if you see a potential investment opportunity, make sure that it comes back with a clean background. Also, be very careful if you find an antique that you think would look great in a collection. There may have been some restoration work done that damaged the value. Not only would some of the restoration jobs be of low quality, you could also be looking at bad repair work that makes the car less road worthy.
If you have been paying attention to the latest Aston Martin news, then you are probably eagerly awaiting the arrival of the Valkyrie. This futuristic iteration would be a lock as a good investment as they will be limited, but you’ll need a cool £2.5million to get your hands on one.
Why buy an Aston Martin?
One of the biggest reasons to buy an Aston Martin is the heritage. Yes, many people love to drive an Aston Martin because of the James Bond connection. They look very cool and are made one at a time so there is something unique about the individual car that is yours.
There’s a sort of scarcity effect when it comes to owning an Aston Martin. Not everybody has one. Sure, not everybody has a Ferrari either, but an Aston Martin certainly catches the eye when you see one out in public. They seem to be a much rarer site than other luxury marques. They also have a cultural value as they say “British” more than other cars.
Also, there is something about the person who buys an Aston Martin over a Rolls Royce. Whereas a Rolls seems to suggest the driver is of a certain age, or is a member of the Rock and Roll aristocracy, an Aston Martin suggests a more sophisticated one.
One reason for this is the understated design. It implies a certain distinguished taste. Especially if you opt for one of the new models.
Performance is always at the forefront of factors when buying a luxury car and Aston Martin has made many improvements to their newer cars. Partnering with Mercedes – AMG has provided them with a superior powertrain and even onboard operating system. The car is all Aston Martin but with a little bit of German engineering for good measure.
Buying new, the best value would be the DB11 as it costs a fraction of what you would pay for a similarly classed Bugatti, for instance. A step up is the DBS which puts you in a more exclusive area as it costs around a quarter of a million pounds. It’s more powerful than the DB11 and provides a few extras as far as options.
The Vantage is the model causing the most excitement around the Aston Martin marque. It is a good entry level car as far as price goes, but it has a sporty design and some real power under the hood that has caught the media’s attention.
Why you shouldn’t buy an Aston Martin
The biggest complaint among Aston Martin owners is the cost of maintaining a vintage one. Even if you only drive a few thousand miles per year you should expect to pay considerably to keep it in tip top shape. The issue is that specialists that know how to work on the more exotic models are hard to come by. And their numbers are falling every year.
Buying a new one is less of a headache so the costs and annoyances of maintaining one are not nearly as great. No more than what would be expected of a Ferrari or Bugatti in the same class, at least.
Another issue when buying a new Aston Martin is the lack of choice. Since these cars are made one at a time, there is little room for customization. They have a very small workforce that build these cars so the limit extras as to not stretch the production line too thin for each car.
There are also not very many models to buy. Your choices are limited when it comes to buying new. Right now you have the choice of the DBS, DB11, Vanquish, Rapide, Vantage and the futuristic Valkyrie. There is some talk of an SUV coming out soon, but as of right now those are your only options.
Conclusion
Aston Martin has a very loyal and enthusiastic customer base. There is even an association for owners that provide help and a sense of community. If you are thinking of buying one, it is usually a foregone conclusion that you will want one. That is to say that people that buy them usually are dead set on getting one.
