Cars

This is hard for me to explain.

For some reason I get very emotionally attached to my cars. Ive only ever had 2 for which I didnt feel any form of remorse when I either was forced or felt best to part with them for one reason or another.

And, because of my dog and wishing to make his life easier and being semi practical about life, a time has come to change my car.

I currently own a very happy and well loved ford probe. top of the range, all the mod cons, goes like the clappers, has never let me down, (other than the lock froze the other week when it was very cold), but, a sports car is not dog friendly, the leather seats and claws wont work, having a boot that comes to my waist is not easy for a dog with an injured leg to bounce into.. a cd player is not comfy for them to lie on, and well, it seems its time to come to buy a new one.

So, last weekend my hubby took me to the place we bought my current car from to see what they had. One thing I hate more than anything is boring cars, and well most modern cars are boring.. And Im also tight with my money so to be honest, I didnt want to spend any money, the car I have is a good car, but, we're trying to be practical.. So, we look around the lot, I dont like small cars (so if you sit in the drivers door and can touch the passenger window without leaning.. no chance), I dont want a girly car, I dont want a merc A class (would rather die), or a BMW.. so.. there werent that many choices within the price Id spend and the car Id get .. it came out as:

A T reg ford focus about 3.5k
A V reg landrover freelander 5k
A V reg corvette 20k
A mondeo .. dont know the exact year or price.. why? it was a hiddeous colour put me right off

now.. (the prices are the numbers at the end btw) now the corvette is obviously somewhat expensive, but it is a seriously nice car, so much as I wasnt going to buy it, it has to go on the list as well Id buy it given half a chance.

So, the ford focus, the most practical of the 2, its a 1.6, black.. unfortunately theres a girl in my office, almost same age as me.. owns an almost identical car, this could be its twin, same year, same colour, same model.. so.. no offense world.. keep it.

So, a Landrover freelander, its a 4x4, its petrol - would have been slightly nicer if it was diesel but, there you go, it was a nice enough colour - black would have been better but a second hand car, you cant always pick what you want. Its a very deep metalic red. 5 doors, dont need 5, a 3 door would have been nice, but to be honest, its not so bad, doesnt quite have the ac/sunroof etc that my current one has and Im gonna miss it, but, its very dog friendly

This is my current car the grey one


This will be my new one

Today, my current car and I went for a drive, for me parting with a loved car is like a relationship break up, for today we went for a drive we had a huge amount of fun, and then came.. the talk. The one where you explain its not its fault and that you love it, but that its over.. Parting with the probe feels wrong, previously when parting with a car it was either because of total infatuation with a new one, or, major painful loss of an old one, this one is for practical terms, and it feels like going home just before the end of the film, just missing say the last 5-10 minutes, it just feels like its a teeny bit too early.. Not that it shouldnt happen, just that theres a little more life and goodness in it yet.

But, come tuesday its going to be a hard day. Its going to be very emotional behind the scenes. Dont get me wrong, I am looking forward to the freelander, Im sure hes going to be fun, just in a very different way. My probe knows his time is up, a bulb failed in his head light this morning so he only has 1 eye. He looks a little sorry for himself - I took a number of pictures and its sad his parting photos will have him with 1 eye, but I do have a number of photos of him, looking happy on our driveway, hes in very good condition, I just hope his new owners when they find him will love him even half as much as I do.. Id hate to think they dont.

I guess it feels like it would parting with one of my dogs because a land lord has said I cant keep them but I can have a cat.. I can love a cat, theres nothing wrong with the cat, and so on, but, Im parting with a friend and I want to think that he will go to a home where hes loved and given the same love as he gets now.