Mark, a pensioner who only wanted to give his first name, was awoken by a couple of "small explosions" around 1am on Monday.
He saw flames shooting out above his hedge, followed by the "huge" sound of his 2018 Holden Captiva’s tyres and windows blowing out.
The West Gore resident called emergency services, who got the blaze under control.
However, his burnt-out car was left glued to the road.
"I can’t even explain the fire.
"It was intense. I couldn’t even get out of my driveway. It was pretty bad.
"[The car] was uninsured too — I ran out of insurance and couldn’t afford to renew it.
"I’m a pensioner. It lapsed and then this happens," he said.
Police are investigating the fire as a suspected arson, but Mark said he had no idea why anyone would target his vehicle.
"I’ve got no ill-will towards anyone in town."
Mark, who retired in November, said the car came from his late mother’s estate and he had no other form of transport.
He said it was a tough moment for him to have to rely on others, but due to his health and the lack of insurance, he wondered what avenues were left for him but to ask for help.
"I’m a pretty quiet person. I have a few health issues, so getting to appointments and such makes it a bit awkward, but I’ll keep my chin up.
"A friend of mine has been talking about a GoFundMe, [but I’m] not sure about those types of things.
"I hate asking for a handout, but I’ve lost so much the last few days. My health has taken a kick, but I’ll bounce back."
Mark said he did not have much to say to the culprits beyond just wondering what their motives were.
"To a degree, I feel sorry for them, whatever drove them to do this. At the same time, I do believe in karma, so there’s not much more I can say beyond that.
"I’d probably like to use other words, but I’m trying to be polite. It’s left me in a really awkward situation, not knowing why. It’s difficult," he said.
Mark said he appreciated all the help from the community, with the small things like trips to the grocery stores or heading to Dunedin for medical appointments now far more of an undertaking than they were last week, but he was taking it "one day at a time".
A police spokesperson said lines of inquiry were being undertaken and they were appealing for any information to assist them in their investigation.
Police said they would like to hear and receive any CCTV or dashcam footage from Joseph, Frank and Thomas Sts from around the time of the incident, or "any suspicious behaviour or activity before or after the car fire in the Frank St area".
