Photo: Cecilia at the opening day of the Lifestyle Garden Crentre at Newtowncunningham.
This week Cecilia Keaveney reminisces about her first experiences in the daunting world of young car ownership. It certainly highlights the problems of first time buyers!
What was your first car?
A blue Ford Fiesta
How old were you?
23
How did you get it?
I was teaching in Coleraine and completing a masters degree in Belfast so I needed a car. Given my limited budget as an eternal student at that point (6 years at university so far), I went to a reputable garage and asked for a demo range small car. I had many concepts of what I wanted but money decided it fairly swiftly and I got a 2 year old Fiesta that had previously been on a mobility scheme and so was deemed to have been well looked after and not abused.
What was it like?
It was what would now be seen to be a very old fashioned style but as it was my first car, it "had no faults" –even though it didn’t even have a radio! The first job was to get a radio sorted!
Was it reliable?
Funnily enough I thought it was. I had nothing to compare it with. I took it to my teaching job in England and when it came to MOT time, an astute teacher friend indicated that my front wheels were "Hen toed" and that this would need to be rectified if I were to pass the MOT. As a music teacher my spare time was limited but took the car to a garage. The interest that my alignment test gave the entire staff gave me some considerable concern! They explained that it went off the scale that they used! They said that in their opinion to align the car would leave it impossible to drive. They said the car’s symptoms were consistent with a car that had been in a crash and had had the steering wheel replaced in a manner just to keep the car on the road! The guys were very informative as to what I could do and suggested I take the car to a particular garage to be sorted. As I went in search of the garage that they had suggested, I unfortunately went to the wrong location where I subsequently had another nightmare experience with a second garage who basically offered to take the car off my hands for me - leaving me with neither a car or money for another. I realized m mistake and by retracing my steps I found the right garage where they gave me the confidence just to leave them the car and they would sort it all out.
How did you feel about being a car owner?
At first elated then frustrated. At first scared to even drive it in case I damaged it. Eventually with that first car I could have quite happily pressed the button on the scrap yard machine to see it squashed into a box!
Fondest memory of the car?
Saying goodbye to it.
Did you give it a name?
I described it as many things and called it many names but never labeled
it with any affection.
What happened to it?
I left the garage to do what they could. They said they would put it through the MOT. I got a call at school to say it had failed the test. I was surprised to hear it failed on a scratched windscreen. This scratch had been caused by our cat. She used to climb onto the roof via the windscreen so that she had a vantage point to see into our kitchen. The garage resubmitted the car. When I got the certificate I went straight to a car dealers and sold the car with its full MOT and bought a Rover Metro 1.1.
What was the best car you ever owned and why?
I have bought much more expensive cars in the recent past due to the amount of driving I must do in my job. Comfort and reliability have moved me to using BMWs. In reality I suppose I see a car as a tool to get me from A to B rather than a luxury. As long as they serve that purpose they are all my best cars.
What was the worst car you ever owned and why?
My first one. The man who sold it told me that as I was a young person buying my first car, he would ensure that I got a car that would be so good that I would always use his garage again. However the sales pitch didn’t match the car’s performance and subsequently I would never encourage anyone else to that garage.
What are you driving now?
An 03 BMW 320 diesel - blue again!
What is your dream car?
One that will react in a Star Trek fashion to my words "Beam me home Scottie".
What was your first car?
A blue Ford Fiesta
How old were you?
23
How did you get it?
I was teaching in Coleraine and completing a masters degree in Belfast so I needed a car. Given my limited budget as an eternal student at that point (6 years at university so far), I went to a reputable garage and asked for a demo range small car. I had many concepts of what I wanted but money decided it fairly swiftly and I got a 2 year old Fiesta that had previously been on a mobility scheme and so was deemed to have been well looked after and not abused.
What was it like?
It was what would now be seen to be a very old fashioned style but as it was my first car, it "had no faults" –even though it didn’t even have a radio! The first job was to get a radio sorted!
Was it reliable?
Funnily enough I thought it was. I had nothing to compare it with. I took it to my teaching job in England and when it came to MOT time, an astute teacher friend indicated that my front wheels were "Hen toed" and that this would need to be rectified if I were to pass the MOT. As a music teacher my spare time was limited but took the car to a garage. The interest that my alignment test gave the entire staff gave me some considerable concern! They explained that it went off the scale that they used! They said that in their opinion to align the car would leave it impossible to drive. They said the car’s symptoms were consistent with a car that had been in a crash and had had the steering wheel replaced in a manner just to keep the car on the road! The guys were very informative as to what I could do and suggested I take the car to a particular garage to be sorted. As I went in search of the garage that they had suggested, I unfortunately went to the wrong location where I subsequently had another nightmare experience with a second garage who basically offered to take the car off my hands for me - leaving me with neither a car or money for another. I realized m mistake and by retracing my steps I found the right garage where they gave me the confidence just to leave them the car and they would sort it all out.
How did you feel about being a car owner?
At first elated then frustrated. At first scared to even drive it in case I damaged it. Eventually with that first car I could have quite happily pressed the button on the scrap yard machine to see it squashed into a box!
Fondest memory of the car?
Saying goodbye to it.
Did you give it a name?
I described it as many things and called it many names but never labeled
it with any affection.
What happened to it?
I left the garage to do what they could. They said they would put it through the MOT. I got a call at school to say it had failed the test. I was surprised to hear it failed on a scratched windscreen. This scratch had been caused by our cat. She used to climb onto the roof via the windscreen so that she had a vantage point to see into our kitchen. The garage resubmitted the car. When I got the certificate I went straight to a car dealers and sold the car with its full MOT and bought a Rover Metro 1.1.
What was the best car you ever owned and why?
I have bought much more expensive cars in the recent past due to the amount of driving I must do in my job. Comfort and reliability have moved me to using BMWs. In reality I suppose I see a car as a tool to get me from A to B rather than a luxury. As long as they serve that purpose they are all my best cars.
What was the worst car you ever owned and why?
My first one. The man who sold it told me that as I was a young person buying my first car, he would ensure that I got a car that would be so good that I would always use his garage again. However the sales pitch didn’t match the car’s performance and subsequently I would never encourage anyone else to that garage.
What are you driving now?
An 03 BMW 320 diesel - blue again!
What is your dream car?
One that will react in a Star Trek fashion to my words "Beam me home Scottie".
No comments:
Post a Comment