Inevitably, I’ve decided that the Rover needs to find a new home (offers invited around £350). This was hardly an unlikely scenario, especially as it wasn’t the car I set out to buy in the first place. There’s no desperate rush though, unless you fancy a month of free road tax – in which case you need to buy it before 1st October!

Yet again, the problem remains: What IS the right car? I spend more hours than is healthy pondering this very question. Comfort is high on the agenda, but being poor, low running costs are also a consideration. This is the biggest battle. Big barges tend to be expensive to run, but offer great comfort.

Take the Citroen XM for instance. I’ve now driven three of them this year, and it’s very much my sort of car. But diesels tend to go out of my price range, and petrols don’t offer superb economy. The four-pot petrols also feel a bit wheezy for such a big car. A V6 automatic is the ultimate – but I really can’t afford to run one. An XM really has to be automatic though. The manual just doesn’t feel right for a wafty barge. I do adore the Bertone styling though. Wonderful.

Has the time come to try XM ownership?

It’s a surprisingly big pressure trying to find the right car. I seem bloody hopeless at it when you consider my track record. There are lots of cars I like certain elements of – Citroen comfort, Land Rover Discovery off-road ability, Daihatsu Sirion fun-factor, Nissan Leaf peace and quiet. Trying to combine all I want in one vehicle just doesn’t seem to work – though the 2CV manages most of the above bar serenity.

The Rover 600 remains desirable, but would it be a bit too much like the ‘Ronda’ I already own? That said, it is far more attractive to my eyes – one of the most pleasing of all Honda-era Rovers. Buying a car because it looks good seems a bit silly to be honest, but then it’s not quite in the same league as an E-Type is it? I just happen to find them pleasing, especially in Nightfire Red.

Am I the only one who considers this beautiful?

Trying to do all this on a meagre budget just makes life even more challenging. I do want something nice though! Surely it must be possible to buy something nice for less than £500? I have purchased three vehicles this year. None of them were really what I wanted. The BX reminded me that I feel I’ve served my time with BXs. The Maestro van was hilariously awful. For a while. Then it was just awful. The Rover was convenient and isn’t a bad motor at all, it’s just not a car I actually want to own.

So, I need to focus. The Rover hasn’t sold yet, so I’ve plenty of time to decide what I actually want and see if I can actually buy it. Perhaps I’ll even end up with only the 2CV for a while. We’ll see…