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During the last few weeks with the CRX, I was becoming increasingly aware of the cost of the project and how long it was taking. At the same time, I was lucky enough to sample a friends Caterham 7, and that was that - I had to have one. The Caterham was so much more of an experience, so much more exciting and demanding. It also had a big financial advantage; Caterhams are one of the best cars to buy for depreciation which is a stark contrast to building a race car and doing a season, which is more like flushing money down the toilet.

So that was that, I needed a Caterham. I toyed with the idea of building a Westfield or a Caterham but it would have been too expensive to build the kind of car I wanted. The best option would be a used car that had been loved and upgraded appropriately over its life. So I sold the CRX and all the parts I'd accumulated and managed to get a long way towards funding the next car. A nice chap near Birmingham had his car for sale and we quickly arrived at a deal that found me 'investing' in a pristine, cherished 7, with almost all of the important extras already fitted.

Just like when I first started driving the CRX, the Caterham was a shock to the system. The most obvious trick up its sleeve is the acceleration. Then come the brakes, shortly followed by the cornering poise and grip. It's not even remotely comparable to the already impressive CRX - it's an entirely different league of performance. It's the kind of car where you just have to 'think' and it will respond. Everything is basic and simple which means there is a cable clutch, cable throttle, unassisted brakes free from a vague servo or ABS, no power steering, not even a radio. Colin Chapman's ethos of 'added lightness' is in full effect in a car that has remained essentially the same for 50 years.

So far I've managed to keep the 'upgraditus' relatively under control; I've ditched the full windscreen and doors for a carbon fibre wind deflector (aeroscreen) and a pair of carbon fibre half doors, and the heater leaked so that came out and saved several kilos. The only other thing I've added is a limited slip differential which helps with getting the power down coming out of corners on track. It's also good for power-slides and donuts.

It hasn't been all fun and games though. I've had to replace the radiator and some of the ignition system, as well as deal with other more serious problems. After a trip to watch the F1 boys at Silverstone, the gearbox seized. It was a very worthwhile learning experience removing the engine and gearbox and finding out what had broken, but I could have done without the large bill for the rebuild. I'm now aware that a gearbox that's used on track needs to be serviced every year, which will save me from any big surprises (and bills) in the future.

The great thing about the Caterham is that it really is a kit car. There's a lot of emphasis on doing work at home and most things are quite easy to do. The car is well laid out and generally speaking everything is easy to get at. Perfect for the enthusiast, particularly with the support available from Caterham and the Lotus 7 Club.

At the time of writing I've had the car for 14 months and covered 13,500 miles (well over twice the distance I had anticipated - it's just that much fun) and I'm looking forward to enjoying the car for a good while to come.

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I don't think I could ever have imagined I'd be driving a big Volvo estate at 22. When the time came to take the CRX off the road I did a lot of research into what would be the best car to use to tow the CRX to track days and races. The 850 was smooth, comfortable, quiet, refined, luxurious, and had enough space for all of my kit, as well as being able to tow well over its own enormous weight. Three years later it had proven itself to be a great buy and would be a hard car to replace.

Aside from oil changes, new spark plugs, HT leads, distributor cap, CV joint, brake caliper, brake pads and rear springs, I was able to leave the car well alone and enjoy the reliability. It managed 190,500 miles and still felt reasonably well screwed together, although the front suspension and brakes were fairly shot. After changing the rear springs for stiffer 'towing springs' it even handled quite well too, a point demonstrated when I used the car at a North Weald day while I didn't have a more appropriate car. It made a wonderful contrast to the Caterham.

All good things come to an end though and with the MOT looming and the chances of passing without significant work quite low, I decided to move on. The Volvo will be missed but I'm looking forward to the next 3 years in the iQ.

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It's 2004 and I've just written off my beloved Alfa. I've got a nice cheque from the insurer and need some wheels, pronto. As it happened, a month or so earlier I had driven a college friends Honda CRX. It was such an amazing contrast to the Alfa; crisp throttle and steering, low down, noisy. Just the kind of car your mum would hate, and by sheer coincidence it was now for sale. I already knew it was a good car with lots of history and had been well looked after, so we settled on a price and the car was mine.

The first few days of driving the Honda were an enormous shock to the system. It was like nothing I'd driven before, you had to be awake all the time and if you lapsed, it would bite. But the reward was a wonderfully balanced car that did exactly what you asked it to do. This car demanded respect and full concentration. It was truly a drivers car and I was about to discover what I'd been missing. The Honda CRX changed my life, without a doubt.

On the second day of ownership I took the car to Santa Pod with some friends and recorded a low 16 second run - significantly quicker than I'd ever managed before. However, I was beginning to learn more about weight and the influence it had on a cars behaviour, and when I returned home I pulled out the amps and sub-woofer that had been fitted, instantly saving 25kg. Unfortunately it was at this point that I noticed the water in the spare wheel well.

After some further investigation, what appeared to be a solid car turned out to be in serious need of attention. A large proportion of the metal holding the back of the car together had rusted away and it looked like the left over cash I had, previously ear marked for new suspension to replace the worn out dampers, needed to go on a strip-down and restoration project. No big deal I thought; if I was going to keep the car for a while I wanted to make sure it would last.

The plan took an unexpected change of direction when I was involved in [another] minor incident where a 4x4 collided with my passenger side door. I was lucky, the impact destroyed the door but the car was otherwise undamaged apart from a small part of the rear quarter panel which was now dented. I was quickly able to replace the door with a white one which my friends and I decorated to pass the time. The car was beginning to look a little sorry for itself with rust showing through at the back and now the door as well. I was undeterred though since the bodyshop was going to take care of everything.

And that was exactly what they did. But it wasn't plain sailing, since it seemed every time I visited the workshop more problem areas had been discovered. The car ended up with two brand new sills, passenger side rear quarter and back panel (behind the rear bumper). Many man hours and a full respray later, the car was immaculate. Pristine, glimmering in the sunshine, looking brand new. I was the envy of the owners club and had one of, if not the, 'mint-ist' CRXs in the country.

From that point I cherished the car and even went as far as to cycle to work in the rain so the car could stay nice and dry in the garage. But I wanted more; more performance, more handling, more fun. It started with a harness and taking some interior trim out to save weight, but it was a very, very slippery slope. Before I knew it the car was stripped bar a pair of carbon seats and the dash, and I had replaced the entire suspension, brakes and wheels. Since visiting the bodyshop who also happen to specialise in preparing and racing Hondas, I decided that track days were what I wanted to do and the CRX would be my weapon of choice.

Over the course of 2006 I visited Silverstone, Llandow in Wales, Brands Hatch, Silverstone again and finished the year at Brands Hatch for a second time. The car progressed from a tweaked road car to being not far short of a race car. I had to invest in a trailer and a second car and the Honda was taken off the road around April 2006. The car received all sorts of suspension tweaks and weight saving to get the handling just right, and allow the standard 135hp engine to get the car going as quickly as possible. During the final track day of the year I was able to compare my progress with an authentic CRX Challenge car from the early '90s, complete with genuine racing driver behind the wheel. The outcome was that my home-brew track day car was just as quick as the professionally thought out and built car. To this day I am immensely proud of that achievement.

I learned a huge amount over the course of the year, from how a cars handling works in relation to the suspension settings, to how to drive properly on a circuit. I was so impressed with the performance at the end of the year that I decided I would get the car ready to race and enter a few rounds of a championship by the end of 2007. All I needed was a cage, fire extinguisher and electrical cut-off. I wish I had been more conscious of that at the time though, since I was more interested in having more power and having the perfect race car. As a result, 2007 was a difficult year, during which I managed to blow up an engine and ultimately waste a large amount of money on a roll cage.

After the cage was fitted, I stripped the car down to a bare shell and delivered it to the workshop where they would adapt the bodywork to make the car more suitable for racing. This of course was not required, but I had a vision of the perfect racing CRX and that was what I was going to have. Unfortunately, by this time it had been months since I'd driven the car in anger and the itch needed to be scratched. The huge costs involved were also a major factor in my decision to postpone my racing career and sell the CRX, and ultimately move on. It was a tough decision to make, but the right one at the time.

The CRX and I had been on a long journey and I still miss the car to this day. If you ever get the chance to own one, jump at it - they are one of the best handling front-wheel-drive cars ever made.

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"To be a true petrol head, first you must own an Alfa Romeo" - that's the view of a certain well known motoring journalist which happens to be shared by the majority of car nuts. An Alfa is not just a car, a tool to get to a destination; it's a piece of finely crafted Italian art, a close friend to accompany you on a journey. I would have said 'journeys', but let's not push our luck just yet.

After my first year of motoring I was in a position to upgrade. An Alfa 156 had recently joined our family and had me thoroughly impressed. When I discovered a 147 would be within my budget, I was convinced it would be the best move despite the large number of nay-sayers trying to convince me otherwise.

I would come to learn that there is a large amount of truth behind the vicious rumours of poor reliability; I don't remember the exact number of times the car had to visit a dealer during the time I had with it, but it was far more often than it should have been. It was usually just minor niggles and I got my money's worth from the warranty. However, I hadn't factored in the cost of tyres, or parts, or servicing, or labour; the car was costing me a fortune and something had to give. I was determined to soldier on but looking back, I don't think I could have managed for more than another 6 months.

In the end, the car and I were involved in an incident which led to it being written off. There was a very deep section of flooded road which I failed to notice and the car sailed across and into the barriers. It was a glancing blow so the damage was relatively minor, but it was significant enough to cost more to repair than the car was worth. So I walked away (somewhat shaken) with a cheque from the insurers and some important life lessons.

Before all of that though I had many happy months with the car. It was comfortable, pretty, good to drive and even quite nippy despite its 1200kg weight. I saw my first trip to Santa Pod with the car and recorded a 17 second run which is quite respectable for something with just 100hp/tn. I changed the exhaust for a Supersprint system which combined with the already evocative engine note which has long been an Alfa charm, sounded absolutely fantastic. I even had plans to change the wheels and the suspension (as you do at that age), before fate intervened.

The Alfa was wonderful car and I would definitely consider having another one in the future. I think my Alfa experience came too soon in life, but I learned many valuable lessons (the hard way).

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It doesn't matter who you ask, their first car is always something special and for me my Renault Clio was no exception. It was a brilliant little thing and I have a lot of fond memories of my first 12 months of driving.

Initially, the sudden freedom of not having anyone sat beside you to tell you what to do was quite scary. I remember the first time I had to think about demisting the windscreen as well as worrying about where I was going. Even fiddling with the stereo was a challenge.

But after a few weeks I came to love driving. The freedom, the speed, the excitement. Who wouldn't enjoy that at 18? The car was fantastic, and I'm not just saying that through rose tinted spectacles. It was in excellent condition for its age and aside from a split CV boot, knackered starter motor and a leaky sunroof, nothing failed at all (despite the thrashing it received). The poor thing didn't even get an oil change.

At that age I didn't really know about handling, but I did know that thanks to the special Clio 16v alloys and wider than normal tyres it had a tremendous amount of grip. A friend of mine had a similarly powered Ford Fiesta and I will always remember the time when we sailed around a corner in the wet; no problem for me and the Clio, but I looked in the mirror to see him and the Fiesta clatter into the kerb. Good times.

One of the other things I remember most from my early days of motoring was just how cheap petrol was - 73p a litre! We could get from home to Birmingham on nothing more than a thimble of fuel and some good music. Although the one time I did drive to Birmingham I remember the dire lack of brakes as I came off the motorway slip-road.

After 12 months it was time to bid the car a fond farewell. Or at least, that's how I'd like to remember it. Unfortunately I managed to have a minor prang a month or two earlier which meant a new bonnet, and there was a loud squealing from a rear wheel bearing whenever it wasn't raining. I was beginning to loathe driving the car and wanted something that didn't have ice on the inside when I came to start it in the morning.

Nonetheless, the Clio was my first car and it was brilliant.

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