Aston Martin DB9 (2004 - 2018) V12 Coupe Touchtronic 2d Auto Owner Review

I enjoy driving any car but sometimes it's more than just driving. Buying the DB9 was something I had toyed with for years, simply because it's so beautiful, sounds so good and has a feelgood factor I can't put a value on. I wanted a low mileage example because I plan to keep it for a long time and don't expect to put huge mileage on it. Probably only 2-3k miles/year I would guess. Positives? The sound when accelerating (especially up a mountain pass), the sound when it starts up (even the starter motor sounds good), I don't think I can think of a car which looks better (I even prefer it to the DB11 styling which I think is less pure, it smells fantastic inside and is a really nice place to be. People don't seem to immediately judge me as I imagine they would if it were a Ferrari, or did when I had a Porsche. It rides very well. Firm but compliant. Lovely steering. It's a relaxing drive in auto, but if you press Sport and use the paddles it comes alive. The Carbon-Ceramic brakes are amazing. Downsides? I'm terrified of car parks and people opening their doors on it. It's slower in a straight line than my AMG 63 CLS, not as quiet, thirstier, less practical (back seats are just storage space), has more little rattles/squeaks than the Merc, the satnav is awful (just use Google Maps) and the nose is longer than you might think (oops!). However, I'm lucky to be able to choose which car for which occasion. The Merc is a beast. The Aston is a class act which makes me smile regardless of the niggles. Makes me feel special even if I'm quite average. Makes me enjoy cleaning it. I even enjoy filling it up with fuel because I have to get out and look at it! Makes me want to drive it, not just go from A to B.