I don’t need one. My BMW X1 does just fine. That’s the problem. The sentiment, just fine has been the governing principle for too long. I do envy the contented soul, not enthusiastic or obsessive over things like oversteer and headliner materials
Heavy steering aside, the X1 is a perfect vehicle. X-line trim with chunky skirting that echoes older Volvos. Eats brambles without making a fuss. It triumphs over steep hills and mucky grass like a pro. I’ll miss it.
But it will never be a classic. And that matters now in a way it didn’t before. Millennial quarter life crisis, anyone? More like 1/3, but who’s counting.
WFH changed the calculus for this car decision. The reliable commuter car was always a compromise. Initially delivered upon by my Rover 75 and then bested by his successor, the BMW 5 series. But, both were built for someone else’s schedule, someone else’s constraints. When the commute disappeared, so did the justification. Practicality without passion, is just a depreciating asset in the driveway.
Early Contenders
The Assassin : a Porsche Taycan or an Audi eTron GT. Clinical. Precise. Responsible. The cars you’re supposed to want. The best of both worlds, there’s a Jay Z and R Kelly joke in there some where?
The Legend : a Mercedes W124 E-Class or — be still my heart, an Aston Martin DB9.
The DB9 is the least likely choice. It’s also the only one that made my pulse jump when I initially considered it… And by some order of God, my wife didn’t laugh me out the room or go catatonic when I brought the option to her. She actually started researching it herself, right alongside the Merc!
The W124 is bulletproof engineering wrapped in perfect proportions. The DB9 is theatre. Neither makes sense on paper for 2026. Both make sense in every way that matters when you stop pretending spreadsheets can quantify the burble of an engine or the weight that a solid door close can have in one’s heart.
The EVs are impressive. Spaceship like acceleration, tech-forward, low running costs. They’re what you choose when optimisation is the goal, and no one ever said a Porsche(even electric) won’t put a smile on your face. And I personally think the Taycan will be a cult-classic.
The classics are impractical. Maintenance, parts, fuel costs. Smiling through financial ruin while waiting for a man with a big truck to carry yours back to the shop. These cars are what you choose when the goal is something else entirely.
I’ve spent enough time being sensible. The X1 proved that works. Now I want to find out what happens when the car isn’t a compromise. What’s motoring like when it’s the choice I would have made if I’d been honest from the start?
The DB9 is probably not the answer for a family of 4… But the fact that I want it to be tells me everything I need to know about what comes next.
My readers are the sorts of people who think of these things…so what would you do? Leave a comment, what car would you add to the mix?
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