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The Trials and Tribulations of New Car Ownership!
As many of you will know from reading my various posts throughout last year I was seriously thinking about upgrading my 2011 Nissan Xtrail for a new, possibly electric car.
Well, that decision was taken out of my hands late last November when I got "T boned" in my car and it was subsequently written off. It didn't look very roadworthy after the firies cut off both drivers side doors. plus the centre column to get me out. Luckily I was uninjured but I had to spend the day at the hospital having various tests.
Living rural is a nightmare if you don't have transport so a replacement car was high on my list of priorities. I had to turn words into action so I pulled up my big girls pants, took a gulp and launched myself at the Car Yards.
Having decided that as I have solar at my house with some spare capacity I could go electric and "drive sunshine"! I opted for an MG4 extended range.
It was ready for delivery the last Friday of the year and I excitedly took myself off to take possession of my new toy.
Now ladies, remember the feeling when you arrived home from hospital with your first newborn? How suddenly you were responsible for a new life and felt totally inadequate for the task? Well, that's about how I felt after driving the beast home.
I'm not a dunce, I've been driving for over 50 years, damn, I even used to race cars but these new fangled things are a thing to behold!
They tell you that with cars these days all you have to do is steer, that's not strictly true. Suddenly there are decisions to be made and I'm terrible, give me a choice of two things and I'm totally flummoxed! Simple things like seat position (six way adjustment), steering wheel (infinitely variable) mirrors etc. all with options. All that and you haven't even turned the engine on yet. Then there's things like do you want one, two or three car lengths between you and the car in front, do you want the power steering light, normal or heavy. How do you want to drive? Eco, normal, sport or something else who's name escapes me for the minute! Do I want the braking to be regenerative and if so how much? There are a million questions like those to be answered for you to get the best from the vehicle.
I haven't even tackled the infotainment system yet, I'm leaving that for another day when my brain doesn't hurt so much, or when my tech savvy son visits!
I've tried reading the manual, who writes those things? I do not have a degree in car speak so most of it went right over my head and I'm none the wiser.
I've decided that I've just got to get on with it, hope that my decisions are mostly the right ones and that I've got it set up in a good way. Maybe some of the intricacies will become clearer with use, I don't know.
It sits there in the garage like some sort of untrained monster, mocking me, telling me that for all my years of driving I know very little about modern cars which after all are mainly a computer and a battery.
Anyway, be that as it may, I'm off out for a spin around the block, just because I can and I'll sail past the filling station with a smug, self satisfied smile, after all, I'm driving Sunshine, now, can we please have some!!
for 2024
