LOVE ‘THE BEAST’

I LOVE CAR of the Year’s objective criteria, but looking at the sales charts, people obviously use other criteria. I read Ray Atkin’s conundrum (Inbox, February 2021 issue) and thought about one I have. We own seven cars, some quite nice drives, but one of them is a 1989 Mitsubishi Pajero. It’s old, tired, slow and needs some work. Every year it’s harder to justify re-registering it, although it is still pretty good off-road, swallows heaps of stuff and makes me drive in a more relaxed manner. Yet, we have one member of the family who just loves it and is not interested in any of the other cars. If I pick up the keys to ‘the Beast’, even if I’m careful to not jangle them, and she’s at the front door in a flash. She even likes to just sit in it for a while if she’s feeling stressed. So, should I listen to the views of a three-legged Staffy?

Yes, yes you should. Park it in the backyard. Can be the new dog-house...