Same old, same old....
I have a new(er) car! :)
I'd been meaning to replace it for quite some time anyway as it's had an oil leak for over a year.... I wasn't expecting it to pass its MOT last year, but somehow it did and it was coming around again next month, plus the insurance and car tax were also due for renewal in October so it made more sense to spend the money on an upgrade. ;)
Anyway, I did a quick search on AutoTrader last week, found a used-car trader just 3 miles away with one I fancied, went for a test drive and agreed to buy it with them taking my old one in part exchange (saving me having to scrap it).
It's actually pretty much the same as before, another Vauxhall Astra (my 4th in a row now), and even the same bright red - although that was just luck. But this one is a 2004 model, so 9 years newer than the last one. Normally, I don't bother looking at cars less than 10 years old, and this one cost twice as much as the last one (the first time I've spent more than 3 figures on a car), but I really liked the look of it and couldn't be bothered waiting for something older and cheaper to show up.
Besides, with Bro2 borrowing my car most days since he returned from his travels and using it to ferry Mother around while she's currently unable to drive herself, it seemed wise to go for something a little newer and hopefully more reliable. I don't do much mileage myself, mainly just pootling locally between home, work, and Mother, most of the time, so I'm kind of blasé about breaking down - not that it happens that often - but for some reason other people are a bit more nervous about that possibility. Anyway, this one has a low mileage, just 2 previous owners and nice clean history, so I'm crossing my fingers and hoping it'll turn out to be a good purchase.
And that nice low mileage... was 69,996 when I picked it up, and after a quick detour to fill up the tank it rolled round to exactly 70,000 when I reached home. ;)
I'd been meaning to replace it for quite some time anyway as it's had an oil leak for over a year.... I wasn't expecting it to pass its MOT last year, but somehow it did and it was coming around again next month, plus the insurance and car tax were also due for renewal in October so it made more sense to spend the money on an upgrade. ;)
Anyway, I did a quick search on AutoTrader last week, found a used-car trader just 3 miles away with one I fancied, went for a test drive and agreed to buy it with them taking my old one in part exchange (saving me having to scrap it).
It's actually pretty much the same as before, another Vauxhall Astra (my 4th in a row now), and even the same bright red - although that was just luck. But this one is a 2004 model, so 9 years newer than the last one. Normally, I don't bother looking at cars less than 10 years old, and this one cost twice as much as the last one (the first time I've spent more than 3 figures on a car), but I really liked the look of it and couldn't be bothered waiting for something older and cheaper to show up.
Besides, with Bro2 borrowing my car most days since he returned from his travels and using it to ferry Mother around while she's currently unable to drive herself, it seemed wise to go for something a little newer and hopefully more reliable. I don't do much mileage myself, mainly just pootling locally between home, work, and Mother, most of the time, so I'm kind of blasé about breaking down - not that it happens that often - but for some reason other people are a bit more nervous about that possibility. Anyway, this one has a low mileage, just 2 previous owners and nice clean history, so I'm crossing my fingers and hoping it'll turn out to be a good purchase.
And that nice low mileage... was 69,996 when I picked it up, and after a quick detour to fill up the tank it rolled round to exactly 70,000 when I reached home. ;)