After years of good loyal service it is with sadness that I have sold my 18 year old, much loved, VW Cabriolet. The only car I have ever liked so much that I kept it for so long, even taking to Canada and back! Most cars only last about a year before they get sold on.
Goodbye old friend
City living means we're a one car family and while Brumhilda (yes, that's her name) never let us down, she was old and when old cars go wrong parts can be hard to source. Plus, old cars have more ailments than newer younger models.
The reliability issue was not the lone motivating factor. Obviously older thirstier cars use more petrol/gas, and accordingly attract higher taxes. £245 road tax per year. Soft top cars are also higher risk and older cars costlier to repair so insurance is more. Factoring in all this, I found that with the savings in Petrol/Gas (new car does over double the mileage), insurance (half) and the yearly tax at a measly £30 per year (thanks to extremely low CO2 emissions) we could afford to buy a new car. Okay, not quite new if truth be told, more like ever so slightly pre-loved. So our motoring costs remain the same, including loan repayment, but now we have a shiny, newer little Fiat Panda MPV that sips diesel like a, well...frugal diesel sipping thing. Making this new car greener than the old one, even though it's blue.
Prada, our new Fiat Panda, as approved by Kitty
Our new baby has aircon, a full glass opening roof, electric everything, including hands-free and iPod dock and looks cute too. It's easy to drive and park and is very comfortable and quite roomy for a small car. It's zippy and more than holds it's own on the motorway/highway. It returns 65mpg (Imperial) / 54mpg (US) / 4.4l per 100kms. That's fuel efficient in any language!
So, it's a sad thing to say goodbye to a much loved car, but that is tempered with the excitement of a shiny new arrival. We average 600 miles/1000kms each month so there's hope that this little cutie will last for years to come!
Welcome home Prada!
6 comments:
the perfect name for such a sleek car ... use it in the best of health and road safety!
If Kitty approves all is well.
Yes, sad to wave good-bye but as the German song goes
Wer wird denn weinen, wenn man auseinandergeht,
wenn an der nächsten Ecke schon ein andrer steht...
Definitely the perfect name and thank goodness Kitty approves!! Enjoy the new car with all its fun "toys"! Hope the rest of you week goes well, Rob!
Sylvia
Farewell, Brumhilda and nice to meet you, Prada. :-)
It's really weird how attached people can get to cars. I cried when I sold Vanilla, the van and I now talk to my Rusty all the time.
Enjoy your new car, it's lovely!
welcome to the world Prada
you're a beautiful girl
as is Kitty
tail up and hooked is such a compliment
I had a 95 Jetta til last August
you are so right about the repairs!!
now I have a 2006 Jeep
Love the new wheels. I totally understand the feelings of guilt when moving on and leaving an old trusted friend - hopefully Brumhilda will have a new owner that will look after her just as well as you have. I miss our 15 year old Volvo 440 - not that I had a name for her but I probably should have... she's in scrapyard heaven (god rest her suspension). The Mazda3 whilst a great car can't hold a candle to that old Volvo. Oh well... so, Prada welcome home and look after your Daddies and Brumhilda, tarrah you old tart, you'll be missed xxx
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