Today

I've made the decision: it's going to be a Lexus Cabriolet. My company car goes back at the end of March. I want a car that gives me a sense of comfort and security while turning a couple of heads.

I test drove the Lexus a couple of weeks ago. There are really only 2 seats and Becky complained that I wouldn't be able to take her & Lizzy places. Tough - we'll go in her boring grey Toyota instead (once she's got the dents sorted).

It's blue with a cream leather interior. Everyone tells me that I'll get fantastic service from Lexus and that, anyway, it'll never go wrong.

In My Day

A new car was a concept utterly foreign to me until I began to have company cars.

When I met Paul, back in 1971, he had an ancient Sunbeam Rapier. One of those whose air conditioning consisted of rust holes in the floor. That died one night after we'd been out on a date, so he trotted off to a place on a very nasty Eastbourne council estate and bought an Austin Westminster for £25 from a man called Mr Fox (should have been our warning, really).

Paul was undergoing his police training at that time and was mortified to be stopped by the police. Turned out that the car had a forged tax disc and dodgy MOT. Paul stormed over to Foxy's, showed his warrant card and demanded his money back. Which he got and put down as a part payment on the Vauxhall Victor Estate that featured in an earlier blog.

I'm going to place my order in a couple of weeks - just love that new car smell.