Over to you

I have three cars, but the only one worth mentioning is my 1965 Ford Cortina and its signature peace-sign rear lights. I’m the second owner and it’s still used daily. My first car at university was one like this and I’ve had several since. The doors close with your little finger and the engine starts after the first swing.

Thanks to my passion for cars and my reading of your excellent magazine for the past 40 years, people regularly approach me for buying advice – mostly on second-hand cars – and I have organised countless deals, of which none have ever backfired. It is my hobby and I don’t charge.

My advice: the bargain is not the car with the lowest price but the one whose ownership history you know. The bargain lies in the condition and history of the car: you get what you pay for. Contrary to public belief, you can buy a bargain from a dealer and, in addition, you have a comeback when you buy from a reputable dealer. What’s more, if you ask for the particulars of the previous owners and talk to them, you potentially reduce the risk.

Finally, don’t look at the odometer alone because short distances are killers and it is not only the clutch that suffers, but all the moving components, including the engine that never reaches operating temperature. Generally, older people don’t rev their engines, they keep their vehicles in garages overnight and service them regularly. The downside to buying from us older fogeys is that there may be a scratch or two on the bumpers. MALHERBE MARAIS Grahamstown