Real world reviews of real world cars

I've been planning a new section for PetrolBlog for some time now but everyday life keeps getting in the way. But then I read this article on @KuangEleven's blog, Torquesteer:

During a drive back from Cambridge a few days ago I had an idea.

There seemed to be a disproportionate amount of broken down cars strewn along the A14, leading me to do that mental ‘there but for the grace of Bosch go I’ thing in the hope that it’d prevent me from joining them. Not all of these were the usual 15 year old econoboxes either – a new Jaguar XF seemed to have succumbed to an attack of the vapours in solidarity with its cheaper four wheeled brethren. This situation connected with the knowledge that I had a fresh copy of Octane magazine sitting at home waiting to be read, and left me with the sense of a gap when it comes to life experiences with everyday cars.

It’s easy to find beautifully penned missives about the latest metal on the market, coming from the perspective of a factory fresh loan for the week. We’re also well catered for when it comes to the classics, with plenty of lovingly detailed road trips in prime examples of top-flight auction candidates. What about the rest of us though? Where’s our voice? Who speaks out for the bangers, the stopgaps, and the ‘cherished but crap’ cohort?

What if we were to collaborate on a blog that trod the middle ground? I’m thinking in terms of a series of contributions that treat our beloved old nails with the reverence usually reserved for heavenly chariots made of unobtanium and unicorn hooves.  The best they could normally hope for is a point by point lowdown buried twelve pages deep in the dusty archives of a consumer site, and I think they deserve better. What about a few hundred words at a time talking about how it felt to live with a car that, by most measures, most people wouldn’t look twice at? That old Citroen might have been a nail, but it was your nail and you cared for it even though it didn’t show you any loyalty in return.

Stories of real cars in the real world, told lovingly by real people? How about it?

Craig's thoughts are remarkably similar to mine. I'm attracted to the underdog, the also-ran and the wallflower. The cars that at some point in our lives, most of us will have to come into contact with. Perhaps it is a hire car on holiday? Or a cheap post-university wagon? Or a reliable old workhorse that got you through a turbulent part of your life.

So how about it? Real world reviews of real world cars?

How it evolves is largely down to you - the avid PetrolBlog readers. Yes - both of you! Let's hear it for the unloved, the underdog and the unpublicised. Let's also hear your own personal experiences of cars that are held in high esteem within petrolhead circles, but left you feeling cold and wanting so much more.

This is your story. A posthumous review of a car you once loved. Or a car that you couldn't bear to part with. Or maybe even a car you couldn't wait to see the back of. PetrolBlog is your soapbox - shout from the sunroof! A few hundred words, an old Polaroid or two and your own, very personal account of the old motor. Perhaps ending with one consistent question, WOULD I BUY ANOTHER ONE?

Let us know your thoughts via the blog, twitter or Facebook.