Vocabulary: classic cars 詞匯: 古典汽車

Let me ask you a question: Have you got a car?

I own a small car: it's a Nissan Micra. I bought her seven years ago from a local car dealer here in London. Although I have been the owner of a Toyota Corolla, a Nissan Sunny and a Honda Accord, this little Micra is most special. It felt like love at first sight - the moment I saw her, I knew I had to buy her.

She wasn't cheap, in fact, quite pricey at ￡1,200 for a car that was already 13 years old, but I have no regrets, she is a lovely reliable car and she has never let me down. I do not drive every day: I am a typical Sunday driver, which means I do most of my driving at the weekends. Over the last seven years I have only driven 9,500 miles, whereas many drivers in the UK do around 12,000 miles per year.

Time passes quickly and my car will soon be 20 years old. Does that mean it is becoming a 'classic car'?

Here in the UK there are many classic car enthusiasts: these people own old cars and they spend many hours cleaning, polishing and renovating their beloved cars. A good friend of mine has a classic sports car but he has not driven it for many years - it spends most of the time in his garage. The car is a beautiful 1970 Lotus. It has been re-sprayed and now looks fantastic. He says it's a labour of love and he has promised to take me for a drive.

Really old cars, from the 1920s and earlier, are called vintage cars. They look very different to modern cars; the drivers sit very high up - and many of them do not have a roof. A lot of vintage car owners meet up for the traditional London to Brighton run. This is a 60-mile route from the centre of London down to the Brighton coast.

I saw some of the cars last year as they left London. Many of the drivers were wearing traditional clothing, reflecting a particular period of British history. Watching the cars go by was a wonderful spectacle and I'll join the onlookers again later this year. I hope it isn't raining, not just because I will get wet, but because many of the poor drivers have no protection.

Sadly, my little Micra isn't considered a classic yet. However, if I look after her well enough for long enough, maybe in another 30 years she will qualify as a classic item.

What cars do you like? I would be very interested to learn if anyone has a classic car and how much you love to cherish it. It's nice to own a new car but there is something very special about owning a classic car and keeping it going year after year.