More Cars

So I didn't win the bid on the L200 and the fuel problem on the Merc has been getting steadily worse (unless it's just down to the cost of fuel going up)

The garage confirmed the Merc isn't leaking any fuel, but beyond that, they could offer no help. They couldn't plug it into the computer as it has an old style socket and they only have the modern technology, so they just gave it back to me and walked away

I spoke with an auto electrician who came up with a suggestion that the temperature sensor is knackered and not telling the ECU when the engine is warmed up, so it's constantly running on full choke

Trouble is, it still needs to be plugged in to be sure, else I may just be replacing expensive stuff unnecessarily. I'm not willing to spend the money on a car I don't want to keep anyway 

So this week I've been car hunting

And I don't believe how much the price of used cards has gone up. It must be down to Boris and his ilk, wanting to ban petrol and diesel engines, like the unstoppable morons they are. The Government usually turns everything it touches into shit, but this one is really making a concerted effort at it

I've seem models of cars that I've bought for £500 and sold for £200 a couple of years later, now on sale for £1500 and up. 25 Year old bangers with hardly any life left in them and now on garage forecourts with a price tag that would have been laughed at a few years ago

I went to view a big Volvo in Bury on Monday. It was a 2001 with 160k miles on it and the chap wanted £1500, for what looked like a £500 car. The bodywork was ok, but when I started it, the engine sounded like it was about to fall out

I told the chap I wasn't interested as, "It's a bit rough mate". His response was, "Yeah, it's an old car"

Nobody is interested in haggling anymore, either. The marked price is what you pay or you walk away

I also got lost looking for that garage and then got lost again on the way home, ending up on a never ending country road to hell. I know Americans love their country roads, as they have their Ford F150s and country road music, but this English country road was barely wide enough to get one car down, full of ruts and potholes and I was driving it in a stupid sports car that simply wasn't built for the job

I've seen Toyotas with 160 / 170 and 190k on the clock, a Volkswagen van with 300k on the clock (I shit you not), all asking for over £1500. I did find a Jag for £870, but the MOT history said it was rotten underneath and on the subframe, so that was a no

Finally yesterday, I found a fair decent car. It's ten minutes from where I work, 2007 reg, low mileage at 80K, has 12 months MOT and is in good condition all round with no rot. The chap wanted £1495 for it. After much haggling, he agreed to take £200 as a deposit and £1295 on collection, but that was the lowest he would go. Two years ago it would have been a grand, tops

I bought it

Mitsubishi Lancer

It's not the most boring car I've ever owned, but it's in the top five. I'm now looking forward to a couple of years hassle free and inexpensive motoring

Let's see how that goes