I shall be retiring at the beginning of September and, having had a company car for most of my working life, would now appreciate some advice as to what I should buy after I stop work (and stop driving 25,000 to 30,000 miles per year). I am in my mid-sixties, active and in reasonably good health. I shall be playing golf locally once or twice a week and also hope to spend some time driving in Europe with my partner, possibly towing a caravan. My partner has a Fiesta Zetec S 1.6TDCI which was recommended by you a few years ago and which she loves, but as she is already retired she may downsize to a "shopping basket on wheels" for local trips and we would then use my car for visits to family and friends who live further away. I've always been very interested in cars and for some years I was a race marshal at various venues in the UK. My family think there's a touch of the boy racer in me, and I certainly would like a car with a bit of poke. I currently drive a Seat Leon TDi FR. I've been looking at the Ford Focus and C-Max, Kia Ce'ed and Citroen C4 but none of them has set my pulse racing - although my partner liked the Kia Pro-Ce'ed. However, these cars seem to be aimed at family drivers. For most of the time my new car will be used by me and my partner, with no passengers. Comfortable seating is a high priority, together with cruise control, i-pod connection, and possibly built-in satnav; I definitely don't want an automatic, but do have a preference for diesel - though could be persuaded otherwise. Additionally, as my car insurance has been paid for by the company for which I work, I will be starting from scratch with insurance after I retire and will have to build up a no-claims discount over the next few years. My budget is in the region of £12,000 although I could stretch to spend a bit more for the right car. I would really appreciate your help, and look forward to hearing from you.