I mentioned in my last post that I'd probably be posting quite a long post next about sexuality and friends etc, but as you can tell from the title, this isn't it.
Right now I'm feeling in a good place, for once, so I want to focus on that.
As my Twitter followers will know, I started learning to drive recently. I had started writing a post about how my first lesson went but got a bit bored so left it :) now I've had 5 x 2hr lessons (so 10hrs) and it seems to be going really well I am happy to report. My clutch control is getting better, and after the first ten minutes of each lesson where I come off the clutch a bit too fast my gear changes are pretty damned smooth, if I do say so myself. I'm pretty confident at 3 point turns/turning in the road and my instructor actually said it's quite rare for someone to be as good at it first attempt as I was :) last lesson I started trying the reverse round a corner manouver, and I wasn't quite as good at that but I'll get there. Get a bit confused with my lefts and rights when I'm goig backwards :s
I've also booked my theory test for in a couple of weeks time so the pressure is on! I'm reading the Highway Code every spare minute, taking practice tests and doing practice hazard perception tests on the net, and I'm so keeping up the revision. Both my brother and sister passed their theory tests first time (though it was slightly easier then) so there's a bit of added pressure there, on top of the pressure I'm putting on myself; I so want to drive and do well and get passed quickly.
Now, again as my Twitter followers will know, I also started looking at cars a few months back on the web...more specifically I started looking at VW Camper Vans. Now I have ALWAYS wanted a VW (T2 to be model-specific) so that was my initial object of web searching, but then after much sensible talking with a lot of people I figured having a VW as a first car would be foolish, for many reasons. Firstly, being a new driver would make me more likely to have an accident, and I wouldn't want to fuck up my pride and joy in the first year. Secondly, price wise they are pricey, and THEN there's insurance for those beasts. So I put that dream to bed for now and focussed my desires on a little banger.
My sisters cars have all been bangers, and with the exception of a couple of duds have all been nice cars. And there's just something about an 'old banger' as a first car, like a rite of passage or something. To cut a long story short, after a lot of dissappointments at cars I liked on autotrader having been sold, there was a light at the end of the proverbial tunnel. I saw a little Peugeot 106 on autotrader and rang the guy selling it only to be once again told it was gone...BUT, he had good news. He'd just got a Peugeot 205 in and would we like to see it? Obviously I jumped at the chance :)
On Friday we went to see it, and I basically fell in love with it :) it's a charcoal grey, 1.7/1.8 diesel, N reg, power steering and being MOT'd on Monday, selling for about £600. Sadly, having not passed my test I couldn't drive it, but mother gave me a handy running commentary of how it drove and said it didn't feel at all a bad little car. The guy selling it said he was getting it MOT'd on Monday and was confident it would barely need anything doing to it, but that he'd change the front drivers tyre as it was looking a bit tired (excuse the pun) get it fully, properly valletted, sort the sun roof out as it was stuck, and put a cd player in there for me! All in all from what we could see it really was in excellent condition, no visible rust and nothing falling off.
We said we'd give him a call on Monday and see how the MOT went and then maybe come and see it again. The other plus is that he hasn't advertised it anywhere at all, he only mentioned it to us as we'd rung about another Peugeot and he'd just had it in.
So off home we went to talk the dreaded first driver expense of...INSURANCE!!!
We got a few quotes that were all £1,300 + and a few around £1,000 before trying gocompare again, and we were amazed. We managed to find a quote that instead of being 2 or 3 times the value of the car, was also around the £600 mark! For a first time driver! On a provisional license! That pretty much sold it to me I must say ;)
Nevertheless, we drove round Exeter today just to see if we could see anything else in our price range and after nearly 6 hours the only thing we'd found was a slightly fading P reg Peugeot 106 in worse nick than the N reg 205! Needless to say, I know what car I want :D
So now I have to wait til Monday to see it again, and I CANNOT WAIT!! A family friend who knows a lot more about motors than we do and who used to give my sisters cars a once over, has agreed to come with us when we see it on Monday/Tuesday to give us a second opinion, which the seller said was more than ok. So all being well, as long as it doesn't come out of it's MOT rather poorly and our motor mate doesn't think it's a shit bag, I may have a car very soon :) and insurance! :D
So yes, I am one rather happy and very excited (but tired) young lady :) and you know what...?
It feels pretty damned good.
Here's hoping it lasts.
Now, to try and get some sleep with the added bonus of a jolly long lie in tomorrow morning...Maybe it'll make Monday come faster!!!!!!
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