I woke a couple of times in the night because of the rain, but I did sleep better than I have done for a while. I suppose not needing to be up silly-early helped.
I had quite a few notifications on Facebook this morning following on from a post I’d made last night. I made something of a decision yesterday as I drove home. Bearing in mind I had intended to trade in my car eight years ago I think it fair to say I’ve had my money’s worth out of it. When I found myself unable to replace it as planned in 2013 I had this idea to put money aside, run the car into the ground and then replace it when it finally went belly-up. Over the last few months I’ve had to take the car to the garage for intermittent problems with an oil leak, the alarm, the parking brake and the starter, and (it has to be said) I’m not so much wondering what will go next as wondering if the bit that goes next will be terminal. I’d like to think I’ve got a few months before that happens, so I’ve got a few months to think about a new car. I’d rather replace it with a bit of thought than replace it in a panic.
What do I want?
My current car is a seven-seater. Do I need something that big? No I don’t. My current car is a Renault as were the last two. Do I stick with what I know - am I being *that* silly in thinking (from watching Anglo-French relations deteriorating on a daily basis) parts for a French car will be prohibitively expensive in the not-too-distant future? I’d like to do my bit to save the planet, but with no practical way to charge an electric car, maybe a hybrid might be a good idea?
My only “must have” point is I want a car with a back end into which the dogs can jump in and out.
So not knowing the first thing about cars I asked for the opinions of friends. I had hoped that everyone else would be far more knowledgeable on the matter and tell me what they would get. However most people told me their good experiences with the car they already had… which realistically confirmed my theory that all brands of car must be reasonably reliable, or they wouldn’t still be in business. Interestingly those who did speculate on cars they didn’t have all seemed to say good things about Ford; a brand I’d never really previously considered.
One thing which did bother me was when looking at some of the finance deals. When calculating the excess milage I really did need a calculator to multiply ten pence by four thousand miles. So much for that degree in maths that I really have got…
I had planned to take the dogs to the woods this morning but bearing in mind the constant rain of the last two nights the place would be a swamp, so we stayed locally where we would be walking on tarmac. We did a quick circuit of Viccie Park, and apart from Pogo barking at OrangeHead the walk passed off without incident.
Mind you there were a lot of “a certain sort” in the park today; Young mothers in fluffy pyjamas stinking of cannabis swearing at the sea of children with them that they were going to be late for school. We saw quite a few of those today.
By the time we got home the washing machine had done its thing so I hung out the laundry, and whilst the dogs snored I wrote up a little CPD, then “Daddy’s Little Angel TM” phoned asking if she could have my old car when I get a new one.
With a few minutes spare I settled the dogs and drove over to the local Ford dealership to have a look at the cars they had there. Having heard great things about the Ford Kuga I was rather disappointed to see that they started at thirty thousand pounds. The Ford Focus was another make that seemed popular, but the rear end wasn't overly canine-dynamic with quite a lip for the dogs to jump over. I quite liked the look of the Ford Mondeo (and the price) but the chap selling them said they were too small for me. Mind you judging by his taste in suits I think I will ignore his comment. It has to be said that the only other suit I've seen like his (apart from on clowns in circuses and on the telly) came in for a lot of ridicule at a scouts jumble sale many years ago.
In all honesty I have been entirely put off of Ford cars by that rather abysmal suit that the salesman was wearing. I'd like to think he was wearing it for Red Nose Day or for a dare. It was *not* the sort of thing that anyone has worn intentionally for over fifty years.
I drove on to Tesco to get peanut butter. I came out with lunch and wine and having forgotten all about the peanut butter, and then headed in the general direction of work. I had to take a detour at Goudhurst though. Finding myself behind two huge lorries which had ignored the signs saying that the road was unsuitable for lorries of that size, I detoured at the Goudhurst Arms to bypass the sharp corner that I knew the lorries would not be able to negotiate. My detour brought me out just below that sharp corner, and I looked up the hill to see not only was one of the lorries stuck, but its way forward was blocked by an equally huge lorry coming the other way (which had also ignored all the warning signs).
I got to work and did my bit. It wasn't a bad bit, as bits go and it had the added advantage of cake too. But as the day went on so I rather wilted, and felt like death warmed up by going home time.
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