S I went car shopping again. This time it's V who wants a new one just 'cos I got one and hers is 10 years old and showing signs of getting tired.
I used to always go scruffy but I'd happened to shave recently and the jeans weren't as muddy as usual because the sheep had brushed the last lot off and not jumped on me for two days. That and i do like driving my overly expensive electric toy so we went in style (It's a style I tell you!)
V doesn't take car shopping seriously. the whole reason she wants a new one is because of neck and shoulder pains and complaining that mine isn't comfortable for her (and it's too big and she doesn't understand all the technology but , yes, she likes the power and instant torque and automatics but she doesn't want to plug anything in but it has to be a 4x4 and it has to be petrol...)
She wants ground clearance but doesn't want to have to climb in. She wants to be sitting up high inside but wants one with a low roof. So you see my problem.
At least modern car showrooms have clean loos and free nice coffee. Biccies too if you pick the right dealerships (Tesla do all sorts of fruit bars, cold drinks and stuff - you can have lunch there but V won't handle thinking about keeping it charged and anyway the new cheaper ones aren't going to get to the UK for at least 2-3 yrs).
We only managed 4 dealerships before her eyes glazed over and she couldn't remember the difference between Volvo and Audi (yes, dear, that was the one with the 4 circles).
She did quite like the Nissans but hated leather seats and they weren't quite right and there's a holdup over new X-trails. She did find the Volvo's quite comfortable but amazingly i couldn't get in most of them. Heck, you'ld think scandinavians would make a car for tall people. There was only one prospect on the list.
She hated all the Audis from the comfort viewpoint and then threw a spanner into the proverbial by suggesting she keep the moss-covered X-trail and sorn it for the fields and get something smaller for her real journeys.
We were on the way home but i pulled into the Mini dealership. V finally decided there was one she quite liked - because of the colour. For heavens sake, woman! It was only when i pointed out that it was a convertible and 2 door and the top was down (her two apparent pet hates) that she noticed those little details.
Getting V to halfway look after a car is a nightmare. Her X-trail has moss growing on it and is a pretty green (it was white when we bought it). She actually went to have it valeted when it was a few months old and the valet company refused the job on the grounds of how many sticks and treasures the dogs had hidden inside. She took it to the garage once because the door wouldn't close properly - and they fell over laughing at the clumps of dog hair they pulled out of the lock.
Next week it'll be Kia, Ford, Mitsubishi and Subaru's turn..
I did point out that all these dealerships offer 24-48 hr test drives. There's 4 towns equidistant from where we live and 10 dealerships in most towns. If she test drove 2 cars from each one that'd be 3 mths of cheap motoring and never have to wash one....