zerolight

I got into the car this afternoon to nip along to my Physio appt. Turned the ignition. Not a peep. Well, actually, it did go peep. Or rather, clink. It should have gone “broom, broom, rattle”. That’s how my friends son describes the sound of my Impreza. Basically, the engine didn’t turn over.

Thankfully Subaru have a 24hr Assistance package as standard with their cars. An hour later and it was up and running. Flat battery being the culprit. We’ve just not been driving much this past few weeks. I think the Impreza knows it’s days are numbered, and that next week it could very well be heading off down south to be replaced by our new car. It’s gone in a huff. I’m half expecting a flat battery again tomorrow.

Is this a sign that now definitely is the right time to change cars? Is this a sign that I really should have listened to Zee and never mentioned that we were changing cars. Is it a Jinx? An Omen? Or just plain bad luck? Who knows… I’m going with it being the right time.

A year ago, I’d only consider a car if it had over 200bhp, really poor fuel consumption, and offensive insurance premiums. A year ago my ideal car was all about performance, handling, and fun. A year ago my ideal car was a Subaru Impreza WRX.

My son is approaching 8 months of age. My perspective has shifted. Now, I want a car that’s got exceptional fuel economy, cheap insurance premiums, yet is large enough to cope with family life (and prams). It’s got to have a diesel engine, the 1.9TDI seemingly industry standard for family cars. In an ideal world it’ll look like a sheep in wolfs clothing. All show, and no go. Just to retain a bit of fun.

I’m still shopping, but the aim is to reduce the insurance premium by at least 60%, and double the fuel economy. I have my eye on a few cars, all big 4 door saloons. TSB Car Select appear to be far more competitive than any of the main dealers, despite sourcing their cars from those very same dealers. We’ll see what happens.