My New Car.

Well new to me. But this isn't as simple as you'd think.

1. Think of a budget.
2. Every car you like costs at least $2k more. No use kidding yourself that you've set your budget too low, or pretending to yourself that your budget is flexible. It shouldn't be.

But a car is a car is a car? Not remotely no.  But when did it all start to go difficult.

Back in the day you had a Model-T. in Black. Big Rims and all. But cars seem to get smaller and smaller, and then suddenly bigger and bigger. I think perhaps the Americans had something to do with car bloat.

But what do you really need. I know what you don't need. A stonky great big 4x4 for commuting is what you don't need. Similarly Smart Car or Micro-car for the same job. Are you stupid.

And apart from "sports cars" that are by an large seen as "girly" cars in this part of the world, or Penis substitutes if you are older, there isn't a decent 2-door car to be had.

Which would be sensible right. Why haul a couple tonne of steel and foam about with you when all you need really is one seat.

I wish is was that easy.

Some cars seem timeless, some just look old the day they came off the line. Some have beginners design school gradutard all over them, liberal use of plastic bumpers an all. Some are manly, some are girly, some are gender neutral.

All of them are just cars.

I don't care as much as I used to, he says, but to me, the car is an extension of you. So I want to drive something wild and out-there but also conservative and easy (read cheap) to maintain. Such is the way things are.

Short list? I don't even have a long list. Except that once you start looking you have flash-back of nostalgia, what about a Ford Cortina Mk5, or a Capri? or hey a Torana. Classic Mini? Mini-Van. They are there if you look or want to look hard enough. And have enough for two cars since they can't be reliable even with the best will in the world I couldn't see it happening.

Also you need something that no-one is going to nick off with. key or otherwise damage or give you stick about. So that crosses of a fair few too.

I'll let you know how this goes, it hasn't started well :-(