MY first experience of driving was in a car park in Burtonport, Donegal on holiday. It was in my father's Volkswagen Variant. The first car that I bought myself was a Toyota Corolla. I went out shopping for a car with my father and we decided upon a new one, and it cost A£4,600. It was a four-door model and was bombproof.

I drove it for four years with absolutely no trouble at all.

Following that I bought a Renault 9, which was okay, but it really didn't suit me.

This was followed by a 1991 BMW 3 series. A doctor had owned it and he was pedantic about keeping it clean and in perfect condition so it was in superb condition.

After the BMW, I bought an Alfa Romeo GTV and I was lucky in that I had no trouble with it, which I know was not always the case with these.

With the birth of my second child, the GTV has to go and it was traded after 15 months for an Alfa 156. Again, I have been blessed with the 156. It has been perfect and the garage I deal with, Donohoes on the Kylemore Road are brilliant. I am driving the 156 at the moment, but I did borrow the Alfa GT diesel recently and I thought it was great. I would be tempted by one of those. I would also consider a used 166, as they seem to depreciate quite heavily, but buying one second hand would make a great buy.

My Dream Machine would be a brand new Mercedes S500. It is such a huge car and has such amazing credibility.

Now that is a car I would like spending time in. It is a shame that because of VRT they are so expensive in this country!

Aidan Cooney is a Sports Anchor on TV3 News.

He was in conversation with Paddy Comyn

MY first experience of driving was in a car park in Burtonport, Donegal on holiday. It was in my father's Volkswagen Variant. The first car that I bought myself was a Toyota Corolla. I went out shopping for a car with my father and we decided upon a new one, and it cost £4,600. It was a four-door model and was bombproof.

I drove it for four years with absolutely no trouble at all.

Following that I bought a Renault 9, which was okay, but it really didn't suit me.

This was followed by a 1991 BMW 3 series. A doctor had owned it and he was pedantic about keeping it clean and in perfect condition so it was in superb condition.

After the BMW, I bought an Alfa Romeo GTV and I was lucky in that I had no trouble with it, which I know was not always the case with these.

With the birth of my second child, the GTV has to go and it was traded after 15 months for an Alfa 156. Again, I have been blessed with the 156. It has been perfect and the garage I deal with, Donohoes on the Kylemore Road are brilliant. I am driving the 156 at the moment, but I did borrow the Alfa GT diesel recently and I thought it was great. I would be tempted by one of those. I would also consider a used 166, as they seem to depreciate quite heavily, but buying one second hand would make a great buy.

My Dream Machine would be a brand new Mercedes S500. It is such a huge car and has such amazing credibility.

Now that is a car I would like spending time in. It is a shame that because of VRT they are so expensive in this country!

Aidan Cooney is a Sports Anchor on TV3 News.

He was in conversation with Paddy Comyn