Cars - Renault 14TS

It was a Giant Test in Car magazine that clinched it. By late 1983 the much-loved Citroen Dyane (JES) was in terminal decline mechanically and structurally, and while all that was fixable the recent arrival of our very precious daughter Kate had raised awareness that driving in the Dyane was like being inside a crumple zone - passenger protection in any significant accident was non-existent.

So the hunt was on for something a bit more solid. It had to be French, for the summer holidays, so it was between Citroen, Renault and Peugeot. The Car article was a comparative test between a Renault 14TS, a Fiat Strada and an Alfasud, all mildly tweaked versions of the standard cars. The Alfasud won of course, as it was Car's favourite machine at that time. However, the Renault acquitted itself well performance-wise, had a good 1.4 litre engine, handled much better that the rather spongy standard version, and was well equipped for the time. Car's verdict was something along the lines of "if you like lots of buttons to press, this is the car for you". Well, after the Dyane, the thought of electric windows (front only) and a fifth gear was mouth-watering. I wanted buttons, lots of them, so the 14TS it was.

I tracked one down eventually, in white, at a showroom in St Martin's Lane, now the site of a Pret A Manger sandwich bar. This was NLM 711V, a couple of years old and in very good condition, and as the 14 had just been discontinued it was also going for a reasonable price. The Dyane broke down - electrics - on the drive up from Southampton to effect the part-exchange, but we did the deal and I proudly drove the Renault home.

There was a long hill on the M3 up which the Dyane had always laboured, forcing a change down to third long before the crest, while heavy lorries thundered past. On this first trip I found that not only did the Renault not slow down, it could accelerate in top gear from halfway up! 1.4 whole litres! This was an uplifting moment.

NLM stayed with us for just over three years, and was a delight. Unlike the experience of many others, I found it reliable and dependable. Although the suspension was slightly stiffer than standard it still rode exceptionally smoothly, but could press on along back roads when required. The fifth gear meant that it could cruise comfortably on motorways. It was roomy for four adults, and had a surprisingly large boot under its hatchback.

Its styling had always caused comment, and it had been marketed disastrously on its launch as a "poire", something from which it never recovered. It was rounded, almost plump, with a strong scalloped line on the flanks curving down to the rear wheel arch. I liked it, however, and now feel that it was way ahead of its time in both its design and the marketing campaign. Certainly it was much more characterful than the drab (but no doubt safer) design that Renault brought out to replace it.

Cars - the Healey 100/6

For my 21st birthday (just before in fact) I was given an Austin-Healey 100/6 by my parents, which cost £200. I had chosen this machine myself, and in my glee had failed to discern that its bodywork was largely made up of chicken-wire, newspaper and fibreglass filler. The engine, however, was simply superb and it went like the clappers. I took it out onto the newly constructed motorway north of the Forth Road Bridge and topped 100mph, which was something in those days. It had electric overdrive on 3rd and 4th gears, and there was nothing sweeter than flicking overdrive on and hearing the engine note drop a tone as you surged onwards. It was heavier than my father's big Vauxhall estate, and almost impossible as a result to push, let alone push start, so during the winter months it was essential to find a hill to park it on, just in case. I had the most marvellous eight months with it.

Its demise was tragic. I was taking a friend down to Harrogate en route to a summer job north of London, which was going to fund my driving the car to Greece to meet my then girlfriend who had had a job out there. The friend had brought along a whole box of books which went in the boot. It was pouring with rain. I had just fitted a brand new set of Michelin XASs. Just south of Newtown St Boswells on the A68 I lost the rear end completely on a bend, the car careered through a wire fence and into a field of barley. We were fine, thank goodness, but the car was in shreds. It was only insured for third party damage, and repairing it cost more than I could afford, so off it went to a new home.

As we were sitting in this field in the car in the rain, some people ran over from a house nearby and said. "you know, you're the second car that's done that this week". The corner has now gone, smoothed away, so I suspect we weren't the last car to do that particular trick either. I took the train to Greece.