Michael Powell’s first car served him so well he has never felt the need to change it.

He still drives the green 1,300cc Volkswagen Beetle he bought new in May 1968 from Black and White Garage in Birmingham Street, Stourbridge, for £746.

In the 42 years since then, the Beetle has covered some 254,000 miles, which is ‘low mileage for the year’ according to its owner.

But it has probably covered an even greater distance – Mr Powell had a problem with the odometer which meant it did not record several hundred miles.

The 75-year-old retired engineer, of Richmond Grove, Wollaston, said that it was his late wife Cynthia who originally wanted a Beetle.

The couple married in 1963 and their son, Matthew, arrived in 1967, so they thought it was time to get a car.

They found a second-hand VW for sale at £630 in Cradley Heath and Mr Powell, who was working at engineering firm Weldall and Assembly in Old Wharf Road, Stourbridge, put down a deposit and took out the remainder of the cash from the bank.

But overnight he had second thoughts about the car due its scratched condition and pulled out of the deal.

The VW Beetle Michael Powell first bought 43 years ago

He said: “I said to my wife we could have a new one for a little bit more money so we went to Black and White and chose one in the colour we wanted with a biscuit-coloured interior.

“They were quite surprised when they asked for a deposit and I said: ‘Will £630 do?’”

The car has needed plenty of care over the years to keep it roadworthy – it has a replacement engine and a full respray (in the same colour) was carried out nine years ago. Mr Powell services it every 6,000 miles and changes the oil every 3,000 miles.

He said: “It’s basic and does not compare with the luxury of modern cars but it has given me excellent service. Being air-cooled, Beetles tend to be noisy and the heating system is not very good but one major compensation is I did not have to worry about radiators or hoses freezing up in the extreme cold temperatures we experienced recently.”

He lost his wife 14 years ago and perhaps he is preserving his memories of Cynthia by keeping the car she wanted all those years ago. He said: “It was her choice to have the Beetle.

“The only other similar size car my wife and I could afford at the time would have been a Morris 1000 – I consider that we made the correct decision.”

By Peter Carroll