[Tim Falce]

The best all round car I've ever owned has to be my 1995 1.5d Corsa Merit. I bought it when it was 3 years old in 1998 and to date has been one of the cheapest and most reliable cars I've owned. In the fourteen and a half years it's been in my family it's only had normal service items, a new rad due to the fan thermostat breaking when I had to change it, a new rear section of exhaust pipe last month after 148000 miles, one clutch at 120K, the release bearing went but the plate was fine and a couple of wheel cylinders.

I used it for a few years before my wife nicked it off me, we partly taught my daughter to drive in it and she then had it for 5 years after she passed her test. She's boiled the engine dry on one occasion (due to fan thermostat) she rear ended a BMW so hard it left the shape of the engine on the back of the radiator (second rad but not included in maintenance) and then drove 5 miles off the motorway with no water in it with no adverse affect.

The only real headache I've had with it was when for two years I put two new alternators and two batteries on it due to charging issues, eventually an AA man found the problem which was the glow pugs weren't turning off, they'd been on for about two years, which was being caused by a £5 sender unit in the cylinder head.

All in all it's a terrific car and I still use it daily as it does around 55mpg and the only niggle is that the heater has always been ****.

So what's the best all round car you've had, do tell.