My new car!

As most of you know, I've got married, gone on honeymoon and moved house in the last few months. So imagine my consternation when I discovered that I also had to buy a new car.....

I'd owned my beautiful silver Ford KA for six and a half years and he was quite possibly my favourite possession in the whole world. He was called Bobby and I adorned him with pink stars soon after I bought him, because that's just the kind of thing I do. He was my very first car which gave him extra significance. Bobby and I have been on all kinds of adventures together and I actually thought of him more as a child/pet than as a car. Just call me a crazy car lady.

Although I'd never had any problems with Bobby's engine and he never broke down, he had been falling apart in other areas over the last few years. He was rusting terribly, the heating was broken (and permanently set to 'on'...), and it sounded as if I was driving a clunky old tractor when I hit the slightest bump in the road. However, I was still determined that I was going to get Bobby through his MOT in October to attempt to get him through one more year. 

Unfortunately, the man at the garage took one look at the car and told me it wasn't even worth paying for an MOT as the rust was all in extremely damaging and debilitating places and it would only get worse from here. The car's frame was weakening and it was getting to the point where it wouldn't be particularly safe in the event of a crash. I really appreciate the garage man's honesty as he could have just taken my money and left me none the wiser, but I was still devastated at the time. I know this sounds ridiculous as it's just a car, but he's my Bobby! 

My husband (I still enjoy the novelty of typing that) had been researching new cars for me for months as he'd guessed that Bobby wouldn't make it through his MOT. He knew I wanted a small car which was cheap to run, tax and insure so he put together a very comprehensive shortlist for me. 

The shortlist: Toyota Aygo, Skoda Citigo, Volkswagen Up, Kia Picanto, Fiat 500, Ford KA. 

We went off to test drive a few cars the very next day. I seriously felt as if I was cheating on Bobby when I was sitting in different cars and trying to get a feel for what I liked, but unfortunately it had to be done as soon as possible as Bobby's current MOT certificate was running out in a fortnight's time. I ruled out the Aygo straight away as it had the smallest boot in the world, and I also ruled out the stylish Fiat 500 as it was pretty expensive and quite cramped inside. I also decided against trying the new Ford KA as I didn't want to risk having the same rust problems on a different car, and it was also more expensive than the others to insure. 

So that left me with the Citigo, Up and Picanto. I test drove the Citigo and liked it on the whole, although the interior was uninspiring and I felt as if the brakes were very harsh... my handbag was propelled dramatically off Neil's lap whenever I slightly touched the brakes. These factors put me off the Citigo, even though it was a nice little car. I also ruled out the Picanto as it felt absolutely massive when I sat inside it and I didn't think I could get used to the size, so that left me with the Volkswagen Up. 

We went to Sinclair Volkswagen in Cardiff as we'd seen a white Up on their website in our price range. I always said I wouldn't have a white car as I thought they'd show up the dirt very easily, but the Up actually looks really nice in white. I felt much more comfortable when I drove the Up than when I drove the Citigo and everything about the car felt slightly more polished. Decision made! 

We paid the deposit and I said I'd collect the car at the end of the following week. Although it was very difficult to say goodbye to my precious Bobby (especially with the knowledge that he was off to the scrapyard), I am really enjoying the little comforts in my new car such as the air conditioning, heating that actually works, and the CD player. It's a cute little car and it runs very smoothly... it's also a lot quieter than Bobby! 

Volkswagen gave me a lovely bunch of flowers when I went to pick up my new car which was very unexpected. These went some way towards consoling me, it has to be said. 

Now that it's all official, I just need to decide on a name for the new car... I haven't been able to settle on one yet because I'm still grieving for Bobby! Russell and Doug have been suggested as they're both characters from Disney's Up film... what do you think? Let me know!