Mike Brewer's column

Now, I try to make a point of buying only legendary cars of my generation - models that stirred my soul when they were launched - and this time, as I had a bit more money, I knew the task would be simpler. But even I was left speechless by some of the deals we managed to pull off!

I started by buying a 1975 Alfa Spider square back, with chrome bumpers, a little dent in the front and a hole in the passenger floor. However, this car has all the hallmarks of a classic, red, Italian convertible with pots of character and a raspy engine. And the price? You won't believe it: £2,200! With my mechanic Edd China's repair and a full front end respray, it ended up at £3,100. Wow! In my opinion, that looks a lot better on my driveway than a mundane everyday machine.

Car two was even better - a 1985 BMW 635 CSIA in red, with a cloth interior and nasty wheels, but mint on the bodywork and mechanically sound. It was mine for £2,000, and after a clever purchase of another model with leather and a mint set of BBS rims - later sold as a non-runner on an Internet auction site for only £300 - we made a great car out of the two. With a few minor tweaks here and there, it ended up costing only £2,500! That's an Eighties masterpiece in stunning condition for the price of a used Peugeot 406! It really makes good sense, doesn't it?

Then there are the others: a 1984 Jeep CJ7 for £1,100 and a 1984 Corvette C4 for only £2,100 - but I couldn't resist blowing the budget on a 1976 Porsche 911S Targa. Are you ready for this? £5,000! For that we got a sound running car with all its bits in place. Only after we bought it did a crunch develop between second and third, forcing us to get an upgraded box for £1,500.

Still, once the speedster has been finished by Edd, it should owe no more than £7,000. I know I haemorrhaged money on this one, but now I'm driving around in something even my car-wise neighbour thinks I mortgaged the house for, and I'm in no doubt I'm going to sell it for a tidy profit.

All this dealing has once again fired my enthusiasm - and my wife Michelle was so fed-up with me going on about starting a collection of cars, she beat me to it and bought me a 1972 Volvo P1800E. With 26,000 miles on the clock and a full history, this one-owner example is in mint condition - and it cost... well, I'm not telling, just in case the dealer in me wants to flog it on!