Aston Martin DB9 GT review: the last and best of a genuinely great shape
3.9/5motorssouq Editorial Team
A late DB9 GT with a full, ideally franchise-adjacent service history is the sweet spot of the used Aston Martin grand tourer market: enough performance to matter, a decade of engineering refinement behind it, and depreciation that has already done most of its work. Treat the pre-purchase inspection as mandatory, not a formality.
Pros
- The most refined and highest-powered version of a twelve-year production run
- 5.9-litre naturally aspirated V12 with real presence and a proper soundtrack
- Upgraded brakes and retuned adaptive damping fix the earlier cars' softer edges
- Depreciation curve has largely flattened, unlike a newer, still-depreciating Aston
Cons
- No factory dealer in Bahrain; servicing means an independent specialist or a UAE trip
- Cambelt and cooling-system maintenance on the V12 is expensive and mandatory
- Cabin electronics and infotainment feel dated next to a same-period German rival
- Interior leather and dash trim show UV and heat damage on neglected examples
The DB9 launched in 2004 as the car that finally replaced the DB7 with something built on Aston Martin's own new VH aluminium platform rather than borrowed underpinnings, and it stayed in production, evolving, for twelve years — an unusually long run even by grand tourer standards. The 2013 GT update was the last and most significant refresh, and it is the version worth seeking out.
Power rose to 510 hp from the earlier cars' 470, brakes were upgraded from the Vanquish, adaptive damping was retuned, and the Touchtronic 2 gearbox replaced the older, less sophisticated automatic. None of it reinvents the DB9's fundamental character — a relaxed, effortlessly quick grand tourer rather than a hard-edged sports car — but it sharpens every part of the experience that mattered.
What ownership actually looks like
These cars are now approaching or past the decade mark, which puts them squarely in specialist territory rather than dealer-warranty territory. Bahrain has no factory Aston Martin presence, so servicing is either an independent specialist familiar with the VH platform or a trip to the UAE network. The V12's maintenance needs — cooling system, cambelt interval — are real costs, not rumours.
Interior electronics, particularly on cars before the very final production years, can show their age with sat-nav systems and infotainment that feel dated next to anything from the same period German rival. It is a car bought for how it drives and looks, not for its touchscreen.
What to check
Ask specifically for cambelt and cooling-system service records, inspect the leather and dashboard for UV and heat damage consistent with years of Gulf sun, and have a specialist check the adaptive damper system for fault codes before agreeing a price — replacement units are not a minor expense.