When I was a kid, Aston Martin was known for big, beautiful grand-tourers with striking looks and silky smooth naturally aspirated V12 engines. Whether we’re talking about the Vanquish, the DB9, the DBS, the Vantage, the short-lived Virage, or the four-door Rapide, all came available with a V12 engine free of forced induction.
That all changed in 2017 when Aston Martin revealed its replacement for the long-running DB9, the DB11. It wasn’t called the DB10 because that name went to a concept vehicle used in the James Bond movie Spectre, though I’ve always wondered whether Aston skipped the name to avoid putting the number “10” on the back of the car, which might’ve convinced onlookers the car used a V10, and not a V12. This is why the company went from DB7 to DB9, after all, according to Top Gear. It couldn’t have people thinking the DB9 had a measly V8.
The DB11 was an important car for Aston because it was the first turbocharged production vehicle introduced by the brand. It was also supremely expensive, starting at over $214,000 when new. Now, though, thanks to the miracle of depreciation, you can pick up used examples for cheaper than a brand-new Chevy Corvette.
Big Power, Delivered
This era of Aston Martin marked the beginning of its partnership with Mercedes-Benz, which took a minority stake in the brand starting in 2013 to work together on engine development (that stake was upped to 20% back in 2020). The DB11 was the first vehicle to appear under this partnership, getting a Mercedes-based infotainment system update that the brand desperately needed to keep up with the competition.
Mercedes helped with the engine, too. Aston’s aging, Ford-based V12 wasn’t going to cut it any longer; it needed something with headlight-grabbing power and gobs of torque. And the company found both in its new 5.2-liter twin-turbo V12. Rated at 600 horsepower and 516 pound-feet of torque, it was more powerful than the twin-turbo flat-six in the Porsche 911 Turbo, the twin-turbo V8 in the Ferrari California T, and the twin-turbo W12 found in the Bentley Continental GT.
The DB11 also ushered in a new design era for the brand. Gone were the simplistic, perfectly proportioned lines of the DB9 and DBS, replaced by something more bulky and muscular. Just as important were the upgrades to the interior, which came as a major upgrade from the over-decade-old layout found in the old cars.
Performance from that V12 was mighty. Car and Driver managed to squeeze a 0-60 time of 3.6 seconds from the car in testing, while Aston claimed a top speed of no less than 200 mph. Curb weight is a not-insignficant 4,222 pounds, but the car was still a nice thing to wheel, at least according to C/D’s first drive:
The DB11 is built on Aston Martin’s new bonded and riveted aluminum structure that will eventually supplant the company’s aging VH architecture. Bolted to that aluminum structure is an elastic suspension that never abuses the driver, even if he or she selects the firmest of the suspension’s three modes. Quick-ratio steering offers real feel, with minute, tactile tugs pulsing through the wheel.
Unlike cars from brands like Ferrari and Lamborghini, which seem to be mostly immune to huge depreciation hits, Aston Martins are not. And in 2026, that means deals aplenty.
We’re Talking Base Corvette Money, Here
The 2017 Aston Martin DB11 carried a starting price of $214,820, including destination. Accounting for inflation, that’s about $282,000 in today’s money. Now, though? You can find used examples for under $70,000.
Truthfully, I could only find one example listed for under the $70,000 mark at the time of this writing, listed in California with 50,000 miles on the clock. The Cars.com listing says there’s no history of accidents, and that the dealer has lowered the price by $17,000 since first listing it for sale back in September.
If you don’t mind spending a few more bucks, there are a handful of used options in the mid-$70,000 range, including this beautiful blue example with 38,000 miles on the clock, listed in Chicago, and this all-white model in California with 34,000 miles. As with any car, cooler colors demand a price premium.
If you’d rather have the Mercedes-sourced twin-turbo V8 offered later in the DB11’s life, those are pretty cheap, too–but not as cheap. On average, you’re looking at about a $10,000-$15,000 delta between the cheapest V12- and V8-powered cars. The cheapest one without any accidents disclosed in the listing is this silver example with 32,000 miles, yours for just under $85,000.
Why are the V8-powered DB11s more expensive? Well, in addition to being newer and lighter, most people think they’re better to drive than the V12 cars. From Top Gear’s 2018 review:
It’s a much crisper, more confidence inspiring car to drive. The steering is more positive on turn in and you get a much better sense of what the tyres are doing. It doesn’t lurch into roll as abruptly, so carves a smoother line; and when you come out the other side of the corner, you can actually use the torque without the back axle getting jumpy. The V8 is a much more together, tauter and rewarding car to drive. I don’t think it’s any slower, either.
MotorTrend echoed a similar sentiment in its first drive:
The V-12 DB11 is a good grand tourer, but aspects of its on-road personality don’t always feel settled. Its 600-horsepower twin-turbo V-12 is hugely impressive in a straight line, but the chassis doesn’t feel neutral or confidence inspiring to me. Meanwhile, the transmission felt incongruous with the level of refinement Aston sought to deliver; shifts felt like an old-school single-clutch gearbox, and the paddle-shift actuation itself felt like it took too long. The V-8 model solves those issues, and then some. It’s a great grand tourer for a long road trip, and it can also stop at a racetrack along the way and hold its own in terms of performance.
Having driven neither, I’m not in any place to recommend one car over the other. But like any aging, fast-depreciating exotic, you have to go into owning a used DB11 expecting to spend big bucks on maintenance and repairs, no matter the engine under the hood.
While there haven’t been any major reports of drivetrain issues, Car Magazine reported interior quality and software issues in its 10-month-long-term test of a DB11 back in 2021. These problems, as well as other software- and interior-related issues, have been documented on the AstonMartinLife.com forum. Stuff like leather separating from the dashboard, transmission malfunctions, and blind spot monitoring faults. Nothing crazy, but stuff that’s probably pretty pricey to fix at an Aston dealer now that these cars are out of warranty.
So while yes, you can get a hand-built British grand touring car with supercar performance from a twin-turbocharged V12 for less than the price of a new Corvette, you have to maintain realistic expectations about upkeep costs and reliability. Even considering that, I know I’d still take the Aston every time.
Top graphic image: Aston Martin; DepositPhotos.com
I stumbled upon to older guys walking into a restaurant last year. One had a McLaren I want to say 570 one had a C8. They saw me looking and we started talking. They were friends and had bought them both a few months prior used McLaren new c8. They said most people didn’t no the difference just say nice cars. Or why does the one look so funny from the back. I asked if they had a bet to see who spends more and retained the most value they said no but they talked about it. They just drive around and talk to people. The used exotics are tempting but you have to be a bit crazy or stupid I think. Maybe if you get an absolute smoking deal at the bottom of depreciation and can work on them yourself plus are good at sourcing non oem branded parts.
So it doesnt have an 11 cylinder?
Honest question about used cars like this: who buys them, and how? Do banks really underwrite loans on rapidly depreciating assets like these? I should think the market of buyers who have the liquidity to maintain one of these but not enough to finance a brand-new one has to be pretty small. Newly-signed pro athletes, perhaps?
Exactly why they depreciate so quickly. The market of buyers willing to spend 70k on a car that will be so difficult and expensive to maintain is very small. Those with the means to maintain it will almost always spend more for the newest/best.
You have to be a certain kind of person to want a used Aston, and another kind entirely to deal with the maintenance requirements and quirks.
The vinwiki former used car salesman Ed is always hocking some kind of lease for them. It seems like financing but structured in a lease somehow for tax reasons I guess but apparently there are some other advantages. Credit unions will also finance just about anything if they like you. The maintenance that’s another question.
My brother in law bought a DB11 V8 for 110 in 2021 and he struggled to get 60k for it when he sold it 2 weeks ago. He had a V8 Vantage before that and it too lost 50% of it’s value in 5 years. You have to really want an Aston is all, they depreciate down to 40k pretty much all of them and they maintain like a 250k car. You have to want it and if you have the credit, the bank will make it happen.
I wonder how many can write them off as business expenses? Or do they borrow against their “not income” stock gains?
Is this engine bespoke to this car?
Stuff like leather separating from the dashboard, transmission malfunctions, and blind spot monitoring faults. Nothing crazy, but
stuff that’s probably pretty pricey to fix at an Aston dealerstuff that you wouldn’t accept out of a 5 year old Honda, but continue to pay nearly a quarter of a million dollars new for.…y’know, stuff like that.
Yawn. The part about the V8 vs V12 is interesting, otherwise the depreciation isn’t news. And I care about as much as I care about them changing the touch sceen controls on a new S-class, or that I can get a new McMansion for the same price as a used mansion. Something more like, you can get a 2015 GTI for the price of a new Vespa 310 is probably more relevant for my demographic.
With the economy crashing, there are going to be so many deals during America’s downfall…. if you have the money, anyway
Maybe worth it if I can source replacement parts on Temu or NAPA. I can only imagine that an oil change at an AM dealer would be a grand or more.
I know there are a lot of “always buy used” people but here, hunting down a used Aston, buying, titling, transporting, insuring, and then repairing and maintaining it, Vs. Going to the local Chevy dealership and getting a new warrantied Corvette, and pay Chevy repair prices. I would take the much uglier Corvette.
Honestly, it’s probably the more exciting of the two to drive. Corvette does give you tons of car for the money.
I’ve always loved the way Astons look, and the V12’s are like a more refined 69 Big Block Corvette. I dunno, at $70k, there’s a lot of options, though I’d probably just get a C6 Z06 – it’s done depreciating, and you can daily it.
I’ll never not swoon over an Aston, but for my $70,000+ I’d just get the C8 or the nicest LC500 I could afford. Yeah, another Corvette is boring, but I could get it serviced at a Chevy dealer and any friendly neighborhood mechanic can work on a GM small block. An LC500 isn’t as prestigious, but it’s just as striking and I’d be able to drive it for the rest of my life.
It pains me to say it, but I really don’t think I’d mess with an Aston unless it was brand new…and even then I’d lease it. There’s just so much bespoke, needlessly complex, quintessentially British engineering that goes into these. Didn’t this very site run an article about a cheap DB9 a few years ago and how much of pain in the ass it was even for an owner that’s a skilled wrencher?
I’d assume the Mercedes bits are a little bit more solid…but even then, how much would you really want to fuck around with 10 year old forced induction AMG mill? Honestly if for god knows what reason I simply HAD to have something exotic for this much money I’d probably just get a Lotus. If any of the bodywork goes wrong so help you god…but at least the powertrain is right out of a Toyota.
Or just be like every other dentist or whatever and get a Porsche. Sometimes the popular stuff is popular for a reason….
The way I see it (and maybe if I could actually afford one I’d see it differently) an Aston isn’t a splurge. A corvette or a lower tier 911 is a “you know what, I can afford this and I deserve it” kind of purchase. In my mind, and Aston is a “my Ferrari isn’t comfortable enough to daily” or “my Lambo stays at the beach house” kind of car.
I just can’t see a scenario where I’d spend my money on one. Not because they aren’t desirable, but because I can get an objectively better sports car for less money – I just will probably never have enough extra dough for it to be an option.
The LC500 is the answer here. A truly beautiful grand tourer with Lexus reliability baked in? Yes please!
I definitely remember an article about cheap DB9s a while ago, and there were parts of the engine that were shared with the Duratec V6, but I would be worried about everything else that can go wrong. Unfortunately I think my Boxster is as exotic as my cars ever get. Mid-engined is pretty cool, it’s fun to drive, and more power wouldn’t hurt but I am also too chicken to go to a track day. When I was younger I thought the Elise would depreciate to reasonable prices by the time I was shopping for a second car, but unfortunately other priorities have left them out of reach.
Now, you too can be Freddy Tavarish.
Would have to have been on fire first.
$75-85k for these has to be close to the bottom of the depreciation curve, right?
Of course there’s going to be some substantial maintenance costs (even if things don’t break) and insurance costs, but it seems like to you could drive one of these for a couple years without losing much value.
I’d be skeptical of that; it’s not like older Astons stopped depreciating here, or at $50K, or even at $30K for rough ones.
https://www.cars.com/shopping/results/?stock_type=used&makes%5B%5D=aston_martin&models%5B%5D=aston_martin-db7&maximum_distance=all&zip=46384
https://www.cars.com/shopping/results/?stock_type=used&makes%5B%5D=aston_martin&models%5B%5D=aston_martin-db9&zip=46384&maximum_distance=9999&sort=best_match_desc&page=2
Interesting – I was thinking the v8s dropped a little quicker but the v12s held their value a bit better. Surprised to see some of those cheaper DB9s. Also interesting to see all the variation – it seems like the spec of the car makes a big difference in the long haul.I wouldn’t mind driving one of those DB9 Volantes….
I wouldn’t be so sure. Astons can dip pretty damn low. It’s not that hard to find them in the 30s or 40s. They are so much of a pain in the ass to keep running that tend to keep going down and bottom out in the 30s.
I wonder if the Mercedes bits will help value (because of reliability) or hurt it in the long run (because not “real” Aston).