Motoring: My Worst Car - Tim Vincent's Porsche Boxster

I'VE HAD some of the world's worst cars in my driving career, which has included all the usual exploding Metros. It is funny, though, because my best and worst car is the one that I'm driving now

It is a Porsche Boxster which I bought new two years ago. It is a fantastic car to drive but a pain to own. Let me explain.

First of all it was an expensive car. The old Jeep I part-exchanged was worth less than the cost of the extras I ordered on the Porsche. Suddenly I was aware of the responsibility I was taking on, especially as I found myself agreeing with the salesman, who emphasised how important it was to have air conditioning in an open-topped car.

Then on the day I was due to collect it, the car had been lost. Somewhere between Germany and the UK, the dealer lost track of the trailer. Luckily, they managed to locate it before I was due to drive from London to Wales on a Friday evening.

Being rush hour, the M25 was gridlocked, but I didn't worry. The sun was shining, I was in a brand-new Porsche with the top down and I thought life couldn't get any better, especially when a limousine with girls in it pulled up next to me and they started waving. I waved back and then they shouted back a word that began with W and ended with R. It was my first, but not my last brush with Porsche envy.

The car is parked in the street, so I have come to terms with the fact that it is going to pick up some knocks and scratches, but watching a school bus drive down my narrow street and clip the door mirror was a nightmare. Up until then I had treated it like a precious toddler. Now I leave the scars on rather than havethem repaired.

Finally, a rash decision when I bought the Boxster came back to haunt me. The dealer had secured a series of registration plates with BOX on them. That sounded like a good idea, so P200 BOX became my registration. Then, in another traffic jam, some lads shouted to me: "Nice motor, shame about the reg number though." Why? "It reads `poo box', dunnit."

I love my Porsche, but hate the attention and worry that goes with it.

Tim Vincent presents `Fully Booked' on BBC2 on Sundays, from 9am to 12pm. He was speaking to James Ruppert