My little car was inspected on Friday morning, and on Monday I got a text message (Honestly, this doesn't warrant a phone call?) from the underwriters,to say that they do not consider the car to be economical to repair so want to write it off. To be fair, they are probably right - its 12 years old, so not worth a vast amount, but I have owned it ever since it was new, and I got very attached to it.
So, I now have to buy a new (to-me) car. And I am finding the idea rather stressful, partly because I'm being bounced into buying at short notice. Also, because I am trying to move house, its not the best time to be buying a car - I'd rather do it after I move, when I have a better idea of how much spare money I have. But needs must.
Ttoday, I had a conversation with the insurers to get hold of the engineers report to double check the figures, and to run it past my Smart guys (who confirmed that both the costs if it was repaired and the value are probably about right - it's not really possible to do a direct comparison, as there are very few of the age, make and model as mine around, and those which there are all have significantly lower mileage. The ones which are older are all left hand drive, as well, which makes it harder still. But I think if my garage who knows both the car, and the make, very well, think the figure is fair, then they are probably right.
So. I think I am going to hire a car for the next week or two so I have time to look around, rather than buying the first car I see because I have to give the hire car provided by the insurers back and need a car urgently - I think that spending £300 or so to make the time to find the right car rather than the first one I can find is probably a sensible idea.
But I can't really summon any enthusiasm for the task.
Showing posts with label Smart Car. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Smart Car. Show all posts
Tuesday, 28 January 2014
Saturday, 23 January 2010
Not as Single Spies...
Also, it never rains but it pours (which is particularly appropriate as it has, indeed, been pouring with rain all day)
I'm still unwell, which is frustrating - I ended up coming home from work at lunchtime yesterday, and didn't go in today - I knew I had no clients due on Friday (Thursday, I had several in the morning, some of whom had had previously to cancel appointments due to the snow, so I didn't want to let them down) So I spent most of the day snuggled up under a fleece, with a succession of mugs of lemon & honey, and an intermittant cat, working my way through a box of tissues and wondering whether daytime TV is really quite as surreal as it seems, or whether, if I wasn't running a slight fever and was able to stay awake for a whole programme at a time, it would all make sense.
I suppose I should be grateful that modern medicine means that most of the time I don't feel like this (being asthmatic, the fact that I can breathe at all, and that most of the time I can do pretty much everything else I want, too, should be cause for thankfulness)
My car was due to go in to the garage to be serviced, which I could have put off, and to have new brake pads & discs (which I felt couldn't, or shouldn't, be) Luckily the garage isn't too far away, and I got there in safety. I was a little taken aback to find the courtesy car which they gave me was a LHD - most disconcerting (especially when not at my best & most alert) I think it's weirder to drive a car which is exactly the same of mine but the wrong way round, than just to drive a car that's the wrong way round, even when the roads too are all wrong. Happily I made it back home safely.
A little later I got a call to say the service & brakes were done, but they had found that a rather important spring was broken, and would I like them to fix that, too? As this is turning out to be a rather expensive month, what with the car insurance coming up for renewal, I asked whether it needed to be done straight away, or whether it was safe to leave it a little and to live with the rattle.
'No' they said 'better to do it now, as it will affect how the car handles so is really a sefety issue'.
'Oh dear' says I, 'Better have it done, then. What'll it cost?'
'If we have to replace it all, about £330'
'Gulp'
It was about 2 hours before they called again, by which time I was sure that this must mean they had had to replace eveything, and I'd worked out that this meant the whole lot, including the orginsal service & brake stuff, would be about £800 (although I later worked out I'd added it up wrong, and that it would actually have been £650 ) so when I got there and was told £440 it felt as though I had got off lightly, although still a bit chunk of cash to be parting with all at once.
*sigh*
And I still have to pay to get the windscreen replaced, some time soon (becasue of the chip at christmas)
The other frustrating thing this weekend is that I was due to go to Birmingham for my sister's belated housewarming party (She actually moved in in September, but 10 days later left for a month in Australia, then it was practially christmas, so the party was put off 'til she was settled in) I wsa going to drive up today, go to the party tonight, and meet up with my (other) sister, and cousins, as well as E herself. It would've been fun. But it would also have been antisocial of me to go and share my germs with all her guests, and I don't really think I would have enjoyed it (even if I managed to get that far) But it's bad timing.
Still. At least Tybalt approves. An arrangement in which I lie around in bed or on the sofa not moving much, and don't have the appetite to finish meals suits him, although he does object to my coughing & sneezing, and from time to time stalks off looking aggrieved because I am not providing a nice, comfortable, steady lap to sit on.
I'm still unwell, which is frustrating - I ended up coming home from work at lunchtime yesterday, and didn't go in today - I knew I had no clients due on Friday (Thursday, I had several in the morning, some of whom had had previously to cancel appointments due to the snow, so I didn't want to let them down) So I spent most of the day snuggled up under a fleece, with a succession of mugs of lemon & honey, and an intermittant cat, working my way through a box of tissues and wondering whether daytime TV is really quite as surreal as it seems, or whether, if I wasn't running a slight fever and was able to stay awake for a whole programme at a time, it would all make sense.
I suppose I should be grateful that modern medicine means that most of the time I don't feel like this (being asthmatic, the fact that I can breathe at all, and that most of the time I can do pretty much everything else I want, too, should be cause for thankfulness)
My car was due to go in to the garage to be serviced, which I could have put off, and to have new brake pads & discs (which I felt couldn't, or shouldn't, be) Luckily the garage isn't too far away, and I got there in safety. I was a little taken aback to find the courtesy car which they gave me was a LHD - most disconcerting (especially when not at my best & most alert) I think it's weirder to drive a car which is exactly the same of mine but the wrong way round, than just to drive a car that's the wrong way round, even when the roads too are all wrong. Happily I made it back home safely.
A little later I got a call to say the service & brakes were done, but they had found that a rather important spring was broken, and would I like them to fix that, too? As this is turning out to be a rather expensive month, what with the car insurance coming up for renewal, I asked whether it needed to be done straight away, or whether it was safe to leave it a little and to live with the rattle.
'No' they said 'better to do it now, as it will affect how the car handles so is really a sefety issue'.
'Oh dear' says I, 'Better have it done, then. What'll it cost?'
'If we have to replace it all, about £330'
'Gulp'
It was about 2 hours before they called again, by which time I was sure that this must mean they had had to replace eveything, and I'd worked out that this meant the whole lot, including the orginsal service & brake stuff, would be about £800 (although I later worked out I'd added it up wrong, and that it would actually have been £650 ) so when I got there and was told £440 it felt as though I had got off lightly, although still a bit chunk of cash to be parting with all at once.
*sigh*
And I still have to pay to get the windscreen replaced, some time soon (becasue of the chip at christmas)
The other frustrating thing this weekend is that I was due to go to Birmingham for my sister's belated housewarming party (She actually moved in in September, but 10 days later left for a month in Australia, then it was practially christmas, so the party was put off 'til she was settled in) I wsa going to drive up today, go to the party tonight, and meet up with my (other) sister, and cousins, as well as E herself. It would've been fun. But it would also have been antisocial of me to go and share my germs with all her guests, and I don't really think I would have enjoyed it (even if I managed to get that far) But it's bad timing.
Still. At least Tybalt approves. An arrangement in which I lie around in bed or on the sofa not moving much, and don't have the appetite to finish meals suits him, although he does object to my coughing & sneezing, and from time to time stalks off looking aggrieved because I am not providing a nice, comfortable, steady lap to sit on.
Sunday, 3 May 2009
In which there are Sculpted Sheep
So, my car was due for a service (in fact, it should have had it 1,000 miles ago, but I haven’t been very organised) I knew that I had a lot on, so I arranged to take it in first thing in the morning , on the basis that the garage would not have had time to build up a back log, and that I would then have the rest of the day to catch up on other tasks.
The garage which looks after my little car is excellent – they specialise in Smarts, and know exactly what they are doing (The official Smart/Mercedes garage calls on them when they need help…) and they are both cheaper and , for me, much more convenient than the main dealer. Their timekeeping is not their strongest point, however, hence my wish to get in at the start of the day.
The drive over was lovely – the roads were empty, the sun was shining and all the hedges are full of flowers. The hedges themselves are all that lovely new, bright shade of green you only get with the new growth in Spring, and the hedge-bottoms and woodland are full of blu
ebells and wild garlic and cowslips – very nice to be driving past in the spring sunshine.
The garage is on a little industrial estate and if it has a disadvantage it is that there is nothing to do and nowhere to go within walking distance. I had brought a book to read while it was serviced but as it was such a nice day decided to go for a walk instead – I do want to try to get fitter than I am (losing weight would be good, too, but being less unfit is my priority), and this seemed like a good opportunity.
I walked up to the Cannard’s Grave roundabout – Which is well known locally for the ‘Rock Flock’ - a small flock of sculpted sheep, which tend to be decorated and embellished throughout the year as appropriate. At present, they are just their usual selves, but at other times of the year they may appear in Santa Hats, with a May Pole, wearing Easter bonnets etc. I was happy to see that the solitary Black sheep, who went missing a little while ago, appears to have returned safely!
The sculpted Sheep were
the high point of my walk, but walking along, even just by the side of a road, in the sunshine was as pleasant a way as any of passing the time, and when I got back I only had a short wait for my car, which, I was happy to learn, didn’t need anything unexpected or expensive doing to it!
In the afternoon I met my new house-mate at the station and then she unpacked while I read the papers, before sharing a meal. Tybalt approves. He has been much friendlier than is his wont, which I take a good sign.
It was a good day.
The garage which looks after my little car is excellent – they specialise in Smarts, and know exactly what they are doing (The official Smart/Mercedes garage calls on them when they need help…) and they are both cheaper and , for me, much more convenient than the main dealer. Their timekeeping is not their strongest point, however, hence my wish to get in at the start of the day.
The drive over was lovely – the roads were empty, the sun was shining and all the hedges are full of flowers. The hedges themselves are all that lovely new, bright shade of green you only get with the new growth in Spring, and the hedge-bottoms and woodland are full of blu
ebells and wild garlic and cowslips – very nice to be driving past in the spring sunshine.The garage is on a little industrial estate and if it has a disadvantage it is that there is nothing to do and nowhere to go within walking distance. I had brought a book to read while it was serviced but as it was such a nice day decided to go for a walk instead – I do want to try to get fitter than I am (losing weight would be good, too, but being less unfit is my priority), and this seemed like a good opportunity.
I walked up to the Cannard’s Grave roundabout – Which is well known locally for the ‘Rock Flock’ - a small flock of sculpted sheep, which tend to be decorated and embellished throughout the year as appropriate. At present, they are just their usual selves, but at other times of the year they may appear in Santa Hats, with a May Pole, wearing Easter bonnets etc. I was happy to see that the solitary Black sheep, who went missing a little while ago, appears to have returned safely!
The sculpted Sheep were
the high point of my walk, but walking along, even just by the side of a road, in the sunshine was as pleasant a way as any of passing the time, and when I got back I only had a short wait for my car, which, I was happy to learn, didn’t need anything unexpected or expensive doing to it!In the afternoon I met my new house-mate at the station and then she unpacked while I read the papers, before sharing a meal. Tybalt approves. He has been much friendlier than is his wont, which I take a good sign.
It was a good day.
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