My latest car like my last four is an ebay special. The car was advertised with a buy it now price of £450 so I offered £325 as a laugh really. Next moment a counter offer of £350 is made by the advertiser. I accept this offer straight away even though I am still bidding on five other cars and with a highest bid on two of them.

The car looks good in the picture and is the same colour as one of my previous Renaults a 21 GTX which cost £315 and I kept for nearly 18 months. The description is limited still I book my ticket to Brighton to go pick the car up at the weekend.

When I get to Brighton I realise I have forgotten to bring the sellers phone number and address with me. I have the street name but not the number so have to walk up the street to see if I can see the car. Luck for me the seller sees me walking up the road and comes out and takes me to the garage where the car is safely locked away.

It starts first time and when i look over it I am amazed it is in perfect condition not a mark on it inside is spottless to but for a smell of old car. Opening the bonnet it is all good a nice clean engine only a small oil leak spoils the picture. I had over the three hundread and fifty pounds to the owner and away I go.

Insurance is the reason I have got this car. The previous owner wanted to give it to his nephew but he was quoted £4000 for insurance mine come in at nearly £600 that is with three years no claims bonus so a 70% reduction. I thought there was a recession on! It is the same price as my previous car a Saab 900.

Driving the car home to London it runs perfectly easily hiting seventy mph I keep the speed down to sixty most of the way. It all works well the 1.2 litre engine as enough power to get me up hills without a problem. Handling is good along with road holding it is like a go kart.

I had wanted an automatic and a three door but the manual is not really any problem although all my driving is around town the clutch is a bit heavy but I can live with it. The power steering is excellent and what you need around town. The car starts easily and runs smoothly my first tankful of petrol has now been used and I have managed about 31 mpg.

The car came with a few recepts stating the front brake pads are new along with a new alternator the previous owner told me it had just been serviced and he included a new belt.

The old car smell has gone after a week so may be it was an old garage smell. I looked forward to driving the car for a long time however it only last eight months and three thousand miles. The cluch cable went after every thousand miles meaning it needed a new clutch at a cost of £300 that was a nono. I was offered £120 scrap and took it.

As it was only one week into a new MOT and two months into new road tax and after a £100 service its not such a good buy at £350 as the extra £290 minus the £120 is £520 plus petrol at 30 mpg is 100 gallons at £6 a gallon is £600 so £1120 to drive 3000 plus miles about 30p a mile in toto.