I frustrate myself sometimes. I’ve got the Golf running nicely now, after a fair dose of expenditure – probably in the region of £250 in total, consisting of a cambelt change, complete rear brake overhaul and various service items. I’ve also been distracting myself with the Land Rover – which I like very much – and the 2CV – which has been undergoing a fair bit of work itself. The plan was that the Golf would be the dull, dependable transport.

And it’s been very good at that, stepping in when I needed to get to North Yorkshire and the Disco failed and being the car I just jump in when I want to get to the end of the journey without rainwater running into my shoes (though I have improved the leak situation on the Disco at least!). Yet, there’s always something else I want to own. Always.

The one thing lacking with the Golf is comfort. I don’t get on with the driving position and the rather firm ride gets depressing after a while. The Mercedes was great for comfort, but pretty much every other aspect of this barge reminded me why I don’t like barges. Welsh roads need small, nimble machines. Finding comfort amongst cars of a smaller scale is difficult, but Citroen manage it readily enough.

Which brings me back to the GS and BX again. The GS or GSA in particular hold massive appeal. They’re deliciously quirky, supremely comfortable and I love the styling. I don’t like their propensity to rust quite so much, nor their rather fuel-slurping manners. Sub-1300cc cars really shouldn’t struggle to top 30mpg. But, it’s a car I’ve always wanted to own and never have. In fact, I’ve barely clocked up any miles behind the wheel of one at all – probably about 10 I reckon, split between two different GSAs. With much gnashing of teeth, I watched a GSA estate come up for sale for £850 but I was powerless to buy it. All my funds are tied up in the Golf.

These sleek cars are causing sleepless nights

It may be that it’s too late to own a GSA anyway. They’ve gone a bit beyond daily transport for most people. That leaves me pondering a return to BXs instead. There are still quite a few of them about, and I’m being properly tempted by a non-turbo diesel and a very tidy petrol right now. In fact, tormented may be closer to the truth. Both have less than 80,000 miles on them – rare for a BX – so perhaps I’d find either a lot more pleasant to drive than my previous, leggy BX estate.

Selling this. My biggest mistake?

Where I really went wrong was selling my silver BX TXD Turbo. It was a great car, in which I did many thousands of miles in the short time I had the car. Stupidly, I sold it because I’d convinced myself I needed a towbar when actually all I needed was a neighbour with a Land Rover. Even more stupidly, I have my own Land Rover now!

That BX was a car I sold for all the wrong reasons and is probably the only time I’ve sold a car on which I was still very keen. The lack of practicality compared to an estate is easily remedied now I have another workhorse. Given that I still keep finding BX parts littering our storeroom and my garage, I think it really does make sense to get another. Doesn’t it?

PS – anyone want to buy a Golf? £825.