ME AND MY MOTOR JIM MURPHY

Name: Jim Murphy

Address: Moville

Car: Renault Kangoo 1.2

Strictly speaking this is my wife’s car (a practice nurse), but I seem to be driving it more and more these days. I think this is due to it being very practical and economical. : Its like a great big Citroen 2CV but with an engine and not made of cardboard. If its good enough for the Fir an Post its good enough for me!

I use it for my daily commute to Derry. It isn’t a flying machine, but for me that is not an issue. I have been a fire-fighter for over 25 years and have been to some horrific road crashes. There is nothing (and I mean nothing) worth getting mangled for. I stick a cd in the player (Ian Dury or Madness), chill and watch God’s own county sail by. Apart from its commuting function it also is used for getting the kids to activities. It has moulded plastic cargo floor in the boot and moulded rubber mats in the passenger areas. After horse riding, hillwalking or a day at the beach it can be mopped out.

How long have you had the car?
About 18 months, I got it from Kelly’s Toyota dealers in Letterkenny who have been really good to deal with (nearly as good as Frank Faulkner).

Any plans to change?
No, this vehicle is so practical and reliable that we are going to keep it till it dies, which hopefully is a long way off. We are not into shiny new things for the sake of it.

Best thing about the car?
Apart from the floors and the reliability, I like the rear sliding doors, which if you have had kids throwing doors open against other cars you will understand why. The sliding doors also mean you can sit it the car with the doors open. Apparently it drives with the doors open too which would make it a great getaway car if you did not need to escape in a big hurry. When the rear seats are folded down it becomes a proper van. This actually is a van made into a car rather than a car that does van impressions. The stowage is quite phenomenal. We re-cycle to the max and it carries everything to the amenity site. This means we only need to put a wheelie bin out every five to six weeks. There are also overhead storage bins, which is great for stuff that you want to stay in the car but not rattling around the boot. Did I mention the deep tray over the driver’s head? You could get a side of beef in it.

Worst?
What do I not like about it. It still has a locking petrol cap, which is a bit fiddly. Most cars now have a flap, which does not need a key.

How often do you wash it?
Hardly ever washed, perhaps once a month. Life is too short for such nonsense.

Any modifications?
No need, this car is nearly perfect, although some roof bars would be nice for carrying long stuff (does washing count as a modification?)

If you were minister for finance, what would you change?
Firstly I would abolish VRT, it stinks and is nothing more than government theft. Secondly I would exempt cars adapted to run on bio fuel from any duty or taxation, lastly I would stop people killing themselves on the roads by significantly boosting the Garda Traffic Corps.

What would you like to be driving around in?
Anything convertible, I like the wind blowing in my scalp. The ideal car would be a Morris Minor but I would settle for a Sunbeam Alpine or a Triumph TR4

Motoring.