A while back, all I wanted was an Alfa Romeo GTV. The 916 model.

Not just any one either. I wanted the V6. The proper one.

Now, this was an Alfa, so naturally everyone had an opinion. They break down. The electrics are rubbish. They’ll bankrupt you. You’ll spend more time looking at warning lights than the road. All the usual stuff.

Did I care? Not really.

I wanted one.

The problem was finding the right one. I knew I wanted the V6, I wanted the teledial wheels and I wanted one that hadn’t been completely abused. Mileage had to be sensible, the bodywork couldn’t look like it had been parked using touch alone and, most importantly, it had to fit my budget.

That last bit tends to ruin all the fun.

I looked for months. I drove loads of them. Some looked great in the advert and considerably less great when you actually stood beside them. Some were too expensive, some had too many miles and some just felt wrong.

That’s the annoying thing when you know exactly what you want. You can find nearly right all day long.

Right engine, wrong wheels. Right wheels, wrong colour. Lovely car, ridiculous mileage. Perfect car, completely wrong price.

Then eventually I found it.

A green one.

And strangely, the colour actually helped me. It wasn’t the colour everyone was chasing, so it sat within budget. Underneath it was everything I wanted: the V6, the teledials, sensible enough mileage and a car that I genuinely liked the second I saw it.

I loved that car.

And that’s really the point.

Sometimes you don’t need somebody to tell you what car to buy. You already know. You just can’t find the bloody thing.

That’s where National Car Finder comes in. Tell us exactly what you want. Tell us what you absolutely will not compromise on and where you’ve got a little wiggle room.

We’ll help you hunt for that exact car you’ve had in your head.

Because sometimes the right car isn’t hard to choose.

It’s just hiding.