Without a doubt, the favourite car I ever owned was an orange VW Beetle. I owned it in the 1980s, but it was 1970s built - can't remember what year. Part of the registration was HUC, and I called it "Little Mrs. Eileen Huckbody", for no real good reason.

The heater didn't work, and in the winter I had to scrape the ice and frost off the *inside* of the windscreen, as well as the outside, sometimes several times during a journey if it was cold enough. All part of the charm of the car. Sadly, rust got the better of it and it would have cost me far more than I could afford to have it repaired to get through the MOT, so we had to part company, and I part-exchanged it for a bright blue Yugo (remember them ?) which was another jolly little car, but never quite the same.

For the past several years I have been driving Daewoo Matiz - now Chevrolet - on my third one now - and like them very much. In some ways, they remind me of dear old Eileen.

- jeanie