Name: Gareth Stubbs
Previously owned: Fiat Grande Punto 1.4 GP, Volkswagen Scirocco GT 2.0 TDI
Currently owned: VW Mk7.5 Golf GTI
On the shortlist: A Cayman of sorts, plus an older M car or AMG Mercedes.
The Shed
Mitsubishi Shogun Pinin
Cost: £1,495
Remaining balance: £98,505
Why I chose it: "I'm going to need a winter beater so something relatively cheap, Japanese, a bit scruffy and 4WD ought to do the job. It's probably quite liberating to have something you aren't that fussed about getting beat up. The more I think about it, the more I want a cheap car!"
The Brave Pill
Mercedes-Benz S600
Cost: £12,995
Remaining balance: £85,510
Why I chose it: "I swithered on a few nice looking V8 models of this generation of S-Class, but nothing says brave like a V12 with two turbos and high miles, does it? I love this generation's styling and how long it was a class leader in the luxury saloon market. And this one is green! It would be terrific cruising up and down the motorway for about five minutes until it broke."
The one still on sale
VW Up GTI
Cost: £12,750
Remaining balance: £72,760
Why I chose it: "If I suddenly didn't need a bigger car for longer journeys but still wanted one for running around town and fun drives, this would be right up at the top of the list of cars to buy. I know it's not quite the throwback people hoped it would be but the peppy engine, manual box and small footprint, combined with actual crash structure, make this a great hot hatch in my eyes. It's the same colour as my current GTI and the three-door looks so much sweeter in my opinion."
Porsche Cayman GTS (981)
Cost: £54,995
Remaining balance: £17,765
Why I chose it: "Right now, the new 718 GTS with a 4.0 appears to be my ideal fast road car. There aren't any for sale in the classifieds just yet but this 981 GTS, with a manual 'box and limited-slip diff, is hardly a shabby replacement. The GTS tweaks the already pretty 981 shape just so and in an age of paddles, turbos and particulate filters, this seems to be the perfect antidote. Any change left over would be put towards getting the gearing sorted at a Porsche specialist."
BMW M3 (E46)
Cost: £13,495
Remaining balance: £4,270 (Put towards the Caymans gearing or for therapy when the S600 ruins me)
Why I chose it: "Has there been a better all-round M3 package than the E46 M3? I'm not sure. There are few cars that seem to combine everyday usability, an exceptional powertrain, a sensible size, handsome looks and superb dynamics in such a cool package. This manual coupe seems to have been pretty well looked after and whilst I know I 'should' have the 18-inch wheels, the CSL alloys add so much aggression to an already purposeful car."
1 / 6