“Don’t worry, there’ll be no harm done and I’ll soon get you on your way.”It took him nearly half an hour to do that. “I’ll have to take the air vent out to get at it,” he pronounced I started to feel a bit uneasy. So it was into the car and the immobiliser lock, hidden from view in the glove compartment. The immobiliser is a security lock which effectively prevents the starter motor from working and the fuel from getting to the engine. I satisfied myself that my car was, to all intents and purposes, dead.Thirty minutes after my call, the AA man arrived And charming he was, too First he checked under the bonnet No chance of starting the engine from here. But a new Renault 19 was trickier territory; human error and a mislaid key to an anti-theft device seemed a more probable predicament. “Someone will be there within the hour.” This was reassuring, even though there were worse places to be stranded than a sunny car-park on a weekday.Testing the rescue services seemed a simple idea and had I been driving my old brand of unreliable motor, any number of bits could have fallen off quite naturally.

“We will make you a priority since you are on your own,” she said. But when they are not offering interest-free loans, how do they perform where it matters? And are the AA and RAC the only options? To find out we tested the response time and service provided by three organisations.
At 10.10am I called the AA from the cool of PC World in south London. I fingered the engine immobiliser key in my pocket while, somewhat guiltily, reporting its loss to a sympathetic woman. Instant roadside rescue is why we put up with a sea of unwanted maildrops from motoring organisations. Just an hour away from the airport the car splutters to a stop No amount of tinkering and pushing will get it going again.

It is every driver’s nightmare and precisely why more than 8 million of us belong to the AA and more than 5 million to the RAC. Not a sporty car but shares the Alfa’s strong individualistic streak.Alfa Romeo 155 1.8 Twin Spark, pounds 14,140Engine: 1773cc, four cylinders, 126bhp at 6,000rpm Five-speed gearbox, front-wheel drive Top speed 124 mph, 0-60 in 10.1 seconds Fuel consumption 28-33mpg.. Rather an ordinary engine, though.Nissan Primera 2.0 SRi, pounds 13,995 Crisp handling and sportified looks but the image remains unenticing.Renault Laguna RTI 2.0S 16V, pounds 14,810 Lacks the fizz of Alfa’s latest 155s but is a more capable car overall.Saab 900 2.0i five-door, pounds 14,495 Cheap for such an upmarket image – although lowish equipment levels show why. The 1.8 cannot quite match this bigger- engined car for sheer exuberance, but it is still the sort of car that is hard not to drive with gusto once you are out on the open road.John SimisterBMW 316i, pounds 15,595 More rewarding handling than the Alfa. If you went for the 2.0, you would get quicker responding steering that makes for a car that is almost balletic in its agility. The engine remains the same, with its two spark plugs per cylinder (only the 2.0 version gets Alfa’s all-new, 16-valve motor with vibration-smoothing balancer shafts), but the suspension is greatly improved. It now has good looks, achieved by bulging out the wheel arches, lowering the suspension and tidying the details.

Version one was a big disappointment, an Alfa Romeo that failed to do what an Alfa should – which is to look good and be a hoot to drive Version two is a different prospect altogether. I would happily borrow it again for a long, winding A-road drive, but my passengers would take the train.
Richard PrestonThe expert’s viewThis car is one of the great remakes of our time. The boot is bigger than you would think: I got three suitcases in. Typical front seat comment: “This is making me feel sick.” Everyone agreed the seats were good, though the six-footer in the back felt his head close to the roof.

The car grips the road well and the power steering feels sure and precise; firm, contoured seats hold you comfortably in place through fast bends In short, I had fun, though my passengers were not so sure. The engine makes a throaty roar at anything above crawling speed; the leather-trimmed steering wheel is small and sculpted to the hands; the gear change is light and easy: everything conspires to make you drive faster than you meant to. The driver’s view

The way this car handles brings out the boy racer in you, even if you mean only to drive at 29mph to the supermarket. Specialist nurseries include Brian Sulman Pelargoniums, 54 Kingsway, Mildenhall, Suffolk IP28 7HR (01638 712297 mail order); Denmead Geranium Nurseries, Hambledon Road, Denmead, Waterlooville, Hampshire PO7 6PS (01705 240081); Fibrex Nurseries, Honeybourne Road, Pebworth, Stratford-on-Avon, Warwickshire CV37 8XT (01789 720788); Vernon Geranium Nursery, Cuddington Way, Cheam, Sutton, Surrey SM2 7JB (0181-393 7616).. Then we will have the perfect pelargonium – one that can stay out all winter.Membership of The British Pelargonium and Geranium Society costs pounds 6.50 a year (134 Montrose Avenue, Welling, Kent DA16 2QY). Look out in secondhand bookshops for D Clifford’s Pelargoniums (Blandford Press, 1958).