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  1. Five of the best cheap thrills for car nuts
  2. Gran Turismo, Gran Turismo
  3. Track days, Need for speed
  4. 'Chip' your car, Budget upgrade
  5. Buy a 'future classic', Speculate to accumulate
  6. Pimp your ride, Amp it and crank it

Gran Turismo, Gran Turismo

For the time being you'll have to get your kicks on the lightened 'GT5 Prologue' version for PS3, but there's enough there in terms of breathtaking graphics, astoundingly realistic physics and esoteric levels of car-culture minutiae to keep any car fan happy. Heck, the franchise's influence is such that the first game in the series, back on the original PlayStation in 1997, is widely regarded as the catalyst for the Subaru Impreza's subsequent rise to cult car status. There's no release date for the full version of GT5 yet, but it will feature the Top Gear test track, and thus probably a Suzuki Liana, so you can finally prove to yourself that you are indeed a better driver than the 'cat' in the hat, Jay Kay. You probably are.

If you want to do things properly you'll need a copy of the game and a PS3, of course, as well as something like the Game Racer Elite Driving Simulator - a racing chair, steering wheel and pedal set combo so fantastically alluring that you'll never leave the house again. It's yours for a cool £325.

Mark Nichol