“I like driving in my car, but it’s not quite a Jaguar”
Petrol prices are skyrocketing. The roads are jammed and congested. The environment is in terminal decline. And I’ve decided to become a motorist. My timing couldn’t be better.
I first got a driving license waaaaay back in 1997, after three miserable attempts at passing the test, but I never got a car because I was a poor student and couldn’t afford to keep one running. It seemed like a needless luxury, and I was happy to rely on public transport and the generosity of my friends. Plus, getting inebriated was too much fun.
But then my kindly parents offered me their old banger, a Peugeot 106, and I figured I might as well take it off their hands. What better way to learn again than with a crappy old car that no-one’s going to miss? It’s got a diesel engine, which means it’s supposed to be economical, and it’s relatively safe and steady on the road.
It’s been an interesting experience, so far. Getting used to the dimensions and quirks of the car is one thing (reverse parking is a bitch), and in particular I’ve grown to like the reassuring sound of the engine. It’s a low, grumbly rumbly noise, like a quartet of cats purring in harmony.
But the strangest thing is how much smaller my world suddenly feels. The physical geography is exactly the same, but getting from Point A to Point B is so much quicker. Now I’ve got a set of wheels, I’d be extremely reluctant to give them up.
Footnote: A funny thing happened before I took possession of the Pug. My dad had an accident where he parked the car at the top of the hill and forgot to put on the handbrake. It rolled downwards, nose first, and pranged into a parked car at the bottom of the hill. There’s a giant dent in the bonnet, and the paint is all scratched up. The insurance should take care of the repairs, but it’s ironic that my dad had an accident in it before I did. He’s the one who’s been giving me lessons and lectures on road safety.
This entry was posted on Saturday, June 28th, 2008 at 5:07 pm and is filed under personal. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
