C6 vs DB9: Which One Would You Buy?

These two cars share only basic features in common, but it’s a compelling question.

A recent forum thread had us scratching our heads a bit. In the C6 Corvette General Discussion forum, Iron Leopard asked an unusual question. If you had a choice between a C6 Corvette and an Aston Martin DB9, which would you pick, and why?

Naturally, being CorvetteForum, most of the responses favored the Corvette. However, the reasoning for many of these responses is pretty sound and sensible. In the end, it all comes down to maintenance costs for most responders.

Value 

IamJon says, “As cool as the DB9 is, I based my decision on reliability and repair cost.” He makes a good point – one of the main draws of the Corvette over other sports cars that offer similar performance is cost.

Corvettes are less expensive to buy up front, and they’re less expensive to repair, too. Parts are comparatively inexpensive, and they can be repaired at any Chevrolet dealership in the country. If we wanted to drive a sports car coast to coast, we’d pick a Corvette before anything else for that reason alone. Other sports cars may be more comfortable or luxurious, but we’d hate to find ourselves stranded if something went wrong.

Dano523 has some experience in this category. As he explains, he used to own a Ferrari Testarossa. In his words, “You can pick older import high performance sports car for fraction of what they sold for new, but upkeep parts are going to eat you alive in the end.”

Patsgarage is one Corvette owner who wouldn’t mind a DB9, but he echoes the sentiments of other posters. “I love my [Grand Sport], but if money were no object a DB9 with a 6MN would be very hard to turn down.” Comparatively, the Aston Martin just does not offer a great value compared to the Corvette.

Performance

How do they stack up when it comes to performance? The first DB9s were powered by a 5.9-liter V12 engine making 450 horsepower. Power gradually increased throughout the DB9’s run, which ran from 2004 to 2016. The early cars could get to 60 miles per hour in just 4.7 seconds.

We found this 2005 DB9 on Hemmings for $53,990 in California. So, what does that kind of money buy you in a C6 Corvette? We found this 2013 Z06 in Missouri for about a grand less. The Z06’s 7.0 liter LS7 is rated at 505 horsepower, which helps the burly ‘Vette get to 60 miles per hour in under four seconds. In fact, it’s nearly a full second faster to 60 than the Aston Martin.

It’s truly amazing to see just how far above its price class the Corvette punches. It’s especially impressive considering how much easier the Corvette is to live with than most other sports cars. Sometimes, it’s not so bad being a cheapskate.

Photos: Hemmings

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