What is a bargain? Well, it’s all relative. According to the Collins dictionary, “Something that is a bargain is good value for money, usually because it has been sold at a lower price than normal.” With just 26,969 miles on the clock, this breathtakingly beautiful 2009 Aston Martin DB9 up for auction on Bring A Trailer could be a relatively inexpensive way of joining the V12 manual club, but V12 and manual is just one way of skinning a grand tourer. The Lexus LC 500 is wonderful, one of the best V8 GT cars ever made, and past manual DB9 results could send this DB9’s price on a collision course with Lexus’ flagship. This could get interesting.
It should go without saying that the Aston Martin DB9 is the platonic ideal V12 grand tourer. Big 5.9-liter engine up front, drive to the back, a forest on the dashboard, a herd’s worth of leather, suspension supple enough to sand down the road’s rough edges, and drop-dead gorgeous looks. I love the DB9, and so does just about everyone else. Even with the cringe-inducing Bond-obsessed hardcore fanbase, Aston Martins of this era just don’t feel as trashy as similarly-aged Lamborghinis and Ferraris. The DB9 doesn’t know what a Bitcoin is, has never sat parked outside of a crossfit class, and is blissfully unaware of TikTok. It’s a proper, distinguished GT car that doesn’t fall into the frumpiness trap.
Driving a DB9, you get a sense that the engineers simply hadn’t heard of Nürburgring lap times, instead focusing on how to get from Gaydon to Loch Ness as quickly, confidently, and comfortably as possible. The steering is cleaver-sharp and astonishingly accurate for a car of this age and genre, the suspension tuning feels as right as an Eames chair, and the V12 under the hood is aurally intoxicating yet never brash. Even the six-speed ZF automatic transaxle found in most examples holds up remarkably well. However, this Aston Martin DB9 doesn’t just have two pedals.
Between the front seats of this Aston Martin DB9 sits a conventional shifter with six forward ratios to choose from. In 2009, some bold soul decided to skip newfangled automation and ended up scoring one incredibly rare coupe. Just 385 manual DB9 coupes were ever made, making this variant rarer than the Ferrari Enzo and Porsche 918 Spyder. To the brave few with the outstanding taste to order these cars new, we salute you.
Some commenters on Bring A Trailer are taking issue with the minor cosmetic imperfection of lifting dashboard leather, but that affects basically every Aston of this vintage and is a trivial manner to stretch out and glue back down. If anything’s working against this Aston Martin DB9, I reckon it’s the all-black-everything spec. Sure, black paint and a black interior is unassuming, but it certainly isn’t the first choice for highlighting how stunning this car is. Still, anything with a V12 and a manual transmission is tantalizingly rare, and I wouldn’t be surprised if bids climb well beyond the current high bid of $58,000. If things really pop off, bidding could put this 14-year-old DB9 up against the latest and greatest in V8 GT cars: The 2024 Lexus LC 500, now with a touchscreen instead of a stupid trackpad.
The LC 500 gets all the GT car hallmarks right. It’s absolutely beautiful, feels preposterously expensive and well-made, emits a brilliant noise, and is all-day comfortable. It’s also properly expensive when you load it up — with the dynamic handling package, the all weather package, the heads up display, the Mark Levinson sound system, and the new-for-’24 multispoke wheels, this big coupe annihilates checkbooks with a price tag of $111,210 including a $1,325 freight charge. However, manual DB9s have hammered for wild money before, with this Volante fetching $85,000 despite having a hit on its CarFax. That may still be $14,550 more than a base LC 500, but given historically lower interest rates on new cars and the presence of a factory warranty, I could see the justification to go new.
With a new LC 500, you don’t have to worry about history, and you don’t have to worry about servicing costs either because it’s a Lexus. The five-liter 2UR-GSE V8 is a proven, reliable performer, and Lexus vehicles aren’t known for being electrical nightmares. Chances are, 200,000 miles from now, an LC 500 will still feel great and cost pennies to maintain.
With the auction for this Aston Martin DB9 closing later today, we’ll have to wait and see if this six-speed coupe closes the gap with today’s greatest entry-level GT car. Granted, even if things inch towards six-figure territory, this DB9 will still be a bargain by V12 manual standards. After all, how many cheaper cars pair twelve pumping pistons with three pedals? There’s the BMW 8 Series, the Aston Martin DB7 GT, and that’s about it. However, the warranty and servicing network of the Lexus LC 500 is a massive benefit for GT buyers who actually want to grand tour. So, what’s your money on?
(Photo credits: Bring A Trailer, Lexus)
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Good luck finding one in running order, but early XJ-S’s could be had with the manual, and they’re not particularly expensive. That said, a nearly 50-year old BL product might be even more daunting for proper GT use than the Aston. If the reliability doesn’t get you, the gas stations will.
That is a legitimate conundrum. I love Astons and want to own one someday, even if it’s just a Cygnet for the laughs. I also want to own a V12 someday, and having one with a manual would be a dream come true.
But… the LC500 has some sort of weird hold on me that I just can’t shake. I generally admire rather than love Toyota products but I find the LC500 to be achingly desirable, particularly in forest green with a tan interior.
Ultimately I would have to go with the Aston because of its rarity and count on LC500s eventually depreciating enough that I could own one knowing it will have plenty of life left when I do get it.
“The LC 500 gets all the GT car hallmarks right. It’s absolutely beautiful”
The front grille is absolutely hideous.
If money were no object, Aston (actually, in that case I suspect the answer would be “both”). In reality where money is limited and I really, really like both cars I’d go Lexus for sure.
No.
I’ve driven a few Astons of this era, and aside from not fitting, I really didn’t find anything special about them, and the interiors were crap. Makes me deeply sad, and my god are the pretty. but no, I’d have the Lexus. looks awesome, beautiful (if kinda stupid) interior, and it will just.. go. If it were a DBS, though. oof. I’d be homeless from repair bills, but.. DBS.
DB9 is one of the all-time greats. It’s a high-water mark for Aston Martin design. It’s practically perfect in every way.
That being said, I’d want a GT car that I can jump in and go wherever, whenever. Something that I would arrive at my destination more relaxed than when I left. And that isn’t a 16-year-old English sports car.
The LC500 is a car with real presence. It has a plethora of really beautiful color choices available for both the interior and exterior. It’s just excellent. If somehow the Aston bids up to LC500 money, the LC would have to be my choice.
The answer is yes. I don’t even need to think about it, as I’m not a fan of the LC500 and I’d prefer the manual anyways.
I know the old saying is you don’t buy a Ferrari when you can afford one, you buy a Ferrari when you can afford 10. I’ve extrapolated that to any relatively exotic brand. So yeah, I love the DB9 but if it’s MY money and I can only afford 1 DB9, I’m buying the Lexus.
This has always been my “rich guy lottery car”. I don’t like exotics or supercars, but if I won the lottery one of my first splurges would be a DB9 of this vintage. I thought they were stunning when introduced, and I still find them stunning. This just gives me the fizz.
The Lexus, not so much, though I dig the blue interior.
Ditto on the lottery car. An Aston would be one of my first purchases if I ever won something that I never play. 😉
Lexus. I like the Aston. That wood and V-12 are tempting.
But the Lexus is awesome too, and if I wanted to take it on a cross country trek one day and really do some “grand touring”, I wouldn’t need to plan my route for proximity to Aston Martin mechanics “just in case”.
Aston all day everyday. That LCD screen in the Lexus isn’t going to age well. DB9 will remain classic for years to come.
Agree. The worst part of the LC is the infotainment, it was horrible when it was introduced adn will be horrible until Lexus stops making LCs.
I’m going AM. Driving that has to be a heck of an experience, and it is gorgeous. I love the Lexus, but they are still being made and a nice one will undoubtedly be available later for sampling IF I ever tire of the Brit. I am buying an experience, not a commuter, so I’ll accept some maintenance.
Well it sold for $80,000 which makes the decision a bit tougher.
But I’m still going with a brand new Lexus over someone else’s AM, even at $30K less.
No.
Lexus, all day, every day. Let some other bedazzled enthusiast get their heart broken owning a British supercar.
Can I have a brand new manual Lotus Emira and keep the change?
I see it’s once again time to flog my favourite worn-out car quote:
Definition of an optimist… “A person who thinks he can just afford to run a second-hand Aston Martin”
Peter Dron, Fast Lane, November 1985
Lexus all the way. It would look soo good in the carpool lane. Plus it won’t break down in the carpool lane. That’s priceless.
Heart? Aston. Logic? Lexus.
If I’m spending that much money, it better be on something that works every time. Lexus for me. I’m not much of a gambler. Not with those kind of stakes anyways.
Heart says manual Aston
Head says Lexus
Bank Manager says neither
Lexus to avoid sleepless nights
Seconded
I’d be tempted by a seventies DBS V8 preferably in navy blue. My understanding is the V12 in the DB9 is built out of two Ford V6 duratec engines. I know there are many bespoke AM parts on it. I know that the Ford V6 duratec is an excellent engine developed originally by Mazda and Suzuki. I know that Cosworth had some later input. Would not spend AM money on a what is very beautiful and well engineered horseshit. Lexus all day long.
The Aston will cost you more in 1 year of maintenance than the Lexus will in a lifetime. It isn’t just the money, it’s the time and inconvenience the really soured me on exotic cars.
I am a huge Aston fan, and absolutely adore the DB9, but the Lexus LC is an absolute stunner. If I had this level of money, which I absolutely do not, I’d still struggle with which one to get.
Kudos on a challenging question!
That’s like asking me to decide between my kids. But V12 manual is just too tempting. I would be crying as I walk away from the Lexus. But then snick snick happy vrooooom!