We are in week three of owning an 04 Xfire - and we drove many miles to find the right one. I would recommend you test drive as many as you can before settling on a purchase and carry out all the usual checks you would when getting a new car.

I found that the auto was better for us - so my wife can drive too - and went for the half grey leather interior - which for some reason makes the cab feel bigger.

Look for rust and paint loss under the bonnet areas, back wings near the wheels and inside the boot lid there are some plastic lugs that settle down the boot lid, some of the cars we saw were really rough in this area. Check the bottom of the doors too for rust or paint chips up the door sill - they are big doors and some cars we saw were very chipped in this area.

Check the tax as some cars fall in the higher tax bracket due to emmisions I believe - which could add to running costs that you werent expecting - its around £180 a year difference if money is an issue.

I have been using ours for daily work commutes and she is running more economically than my BMW but you foget about the fuel as soon as you drive one.I dont find her underpowered at all and I just get a grin every time I drive her, no one seems to know what kind of a car she is - even had people think its a kit car or an Aston - which is funny.

The forum has taught me loads already and there are some cool users willing to help - even getting my cabin mats sorted - which came yesterday - was simple having had advice.

I think Andyd's roadster is sweet, looks the business................very tempting....I can see a matching pair for the wife so to speak.

Good luck with the hunt, you wont be disapointed.