Time for a bit of a confession...

As I've written before, I always wanted a Caterham. Well, not always. At some point(s) in my life I was utterly satisfied with a bow and arrow made from a stick and some string. Ever since I understood what a Caterham was though, I've wanted one. What then could be better than owning one and driving it every day?

As it turns out, owning one and not driving it every day. I'll give you a moment to collectively roll eyes, tut, mutter "I told you so's" and so on.

Before I go on, I should point out that the reasons for not driving it every day are fairly simple. They are not:

Because it's a hassle

Because it's impractical

Because it's uncomfortable

Because it's dangerous (it is - people really, really don't use their eyes early in the mornings)

Because it's noisy

Because it's too slow

Because it's too fast

Because it's too expensive

Because I like to listen to the radio

Because of the British weather

Because my wife doesn't like it

Because I'm too tubby to fit in it any more

Because I can't visit Ikea, etc.

Man with a beard

It's because I'm now acutely aware that in reality, driving it every day will wreck what is a beautiful car. The issue is that no matter what you do, it you drive normal miles in it, the chassis, which is steel, will, without doubt, begin to rust. Mine has had a waxoyl treatment which helps, but it'll still rust, just the same as any other car. The paint will tarnish, no matter how much love you give it short of washing it every day. And then, because it’s not a normal car, you don't sell it for a knock down price to a first-time driver who wants any old runaround.

Garage widow

What you do is strip it back, send the chassis off for a refurb, try and avoid upgrade fever while it's in bits and then pay a man with a beard a stupendous sum of money to rebuild it, or take all the skin off your knuckles and make your wife what is affectionately termed a "garage widow". I do not want to do this.

So, the net result of all of this is, because I have fallen a little bit in love with the car, and thus require a cheap and cheerful runaround myself, there’s a new game in town. It’s the “What sort of car can I get for £xxx?” game. Brilliant.