Photo Blog! Car Hunting.
My friend bunnyflower does photo blogging sometimes through adayinmylife. They're always excellent, so I decided to have a play too.
Last Wednesday I stopped over at my parents house, because the Thursday was going to be spent hunting down my very first car. I passed my driving test in February, after seven gruelling attempts at the damned thing. In the past six months I had been waiting for a savings account to mature so I could afford a decent car. I'd asked my Dad to help me look round since I know nothing about cars or buying them. He jumped at the challenge, mapping out visits to about ten second hand car dealerships, a morning of looking round then an afternoon of test driving, and essentially planning the day with military precision.
I <3 my Dad.
Ok, so to the day-
I open my eyes, rested and well, to see...
Well feck that. More sleep!
A bit better time. Would've prefered more sleep, but I physically cannot force myself to stay in bed any longer.
Jump up! Bed is way too messy...
Voila. Much better. This bedding is not mine I hasten to add - I took all my good bedding when I went to uni and disguarded it over my time there, so this is my younger sister's old duvet cover, on my old bed, in my old room. Ah... memories.
I get dressed. This top is actually a vest designed for under clothing, but I thought it was too pretty to cover up and now it's a regular rotation in my wardrobe. The jeans are my favourite ever Jane Norman ones. I don't know what I'm going to do now Jane Norman has gone bankrupt - I'll never find jeans that fit so nicely ever again. I also wear my glasses almost full time now, since my vision over the last year has nose dived. Anything further than arms length away is a blurry haze. Not impressed.
Downstairs I take in the vast array of breakfast cereals. There are three people in the house - my Mum, my Dad and my sister - yet these four are just a small percentage of the cereal options available.
I don't like cereal.
Clearly neither does Astra (so named because when my Daddy was still a fireman (he's retired now) he rescued her from behind the dashboard of an Astra car. Yes, firemen really do save cats!).
I opt for a fish finger sandwhich instead. I wouldn't normally have time for breakfast, so it's nice to come home and find my Mum has set me a place thus reminding me to actually eat it. There's a vitamin pill, a probiotic yoghurt drink, a glass of juice and a cup of tea. Mummy looks after me...
I go in search of the newspaper. Unfortunately, my parents read the Daily Mail, with it's oh so cheery headlines. Please don't judge them - they're wonderful people really!
Since the paper is kinda meh I give up on it and instead watch Astra stalk:
She is not impressed with me doing so.
Just past 9am, and Dad announces it's time to start the hunt. To the Dad Mobile!
...
Ok, so no photo of the Dad Mobile. I forgot in my excitement.
We drive to stop number one. Which is closed. So on to stop number two.
Here we find the first car that I like. A Peugot 206 (or 106. One or the other). It's not my favourite car ever, but looks nice and the garage owner says they're good first cars. One for the list!
Lets play a game actually - I'll show you photos of all the cars we saw that I liked, and you guess which one I bought.
Next garage is a bust, but the fourth has a nice yellow fiat punto. I always liked the idea of a yellow car, simply because of the 'mini punch' game (we play it as the 'yellow car punch' game). I like the idea that people are beating each other up simply because I've driven past.
Anyway. The garage where this car is gets extra points for this:
OMG! Spiderman!
On to a couple more garages with nothing to show, then we meet my favourite person of the day. He's the classic used car salesman. Very eager to sell me something, gives me the 'one owner, hardly used' line and generally looks very slimy. He knocks £400 off the asking price of a blue clio without me having to ask and promises that after a test drive I'll 'fall in love with it' and he can 'guarentee' I will buy that car.
So we break plans and I go for a test drive there and then rather than coming back. Mainly to shut the guy up.
This is my Dad backing the car out of a narrow spot. He won't let me do anything tricky without insurence bless him.
I do not fall in love. The front left tyre makes a funny noise, and the clutch is very dodgy. We take it back and Dad tells the slimey salesman in no uncertain terms that's it's crap. We leave, chuckling about the broken hearted look on the man's face. Becuase we're bastards.
Next garage has a silver Ford KA. It's no secret that I love Ford KAs, so this one is definitely on the list. Plus the guy there gives us some tips for things to check that we hadn't thought of. We also go to a garage next door at this point and they have two KAs, not as nice though.
On the way to the next place, we drive past this:
That's the shell of the fire station where my Dad used to work. It burnt down a few days ago. Luckily it was an old site and the firemen have moved round the corner so noone was hurt. Still, ironic huh?
Time check! It's way past elevenses time so Dad stops at a proper greasy spoon cafe:
And buys us a well earned cup of tea. Below it, you can see my note pad. I told you there was a list! One drink later, some talk about mobile phones and the superiority of Nokias (my Dad is happy because he just upgraded to one with a touchscreen to keep him 'in line with us kids', and I'm taking all these photos on my new Nokia N8 which I joygasmed over when I finally received it) and we're off again.
If I had £3,500 I'd have a smart car. Look at them - so cute and compact. One day my pretty...
This garage had nothing I liked, in my price range at least.
However at the next place we found another Ford KA, this one a luxary version. Fancy! (Leather seats and a CD player essentially the difference). Another for the list.
Also here I found a Citroen C3 in metallic blue that went on the list too. Unfortunately the photo didn't take, or I forgot or something. I was very tired by this point. Luckily, it was the last place on my Dad's route round all the dealers in Barnsley, so we toddled off back home.
That's the parental home, and a bonus photo of my Dad.
12.40 - it's definitely time for lunch.
Mum had left us lunch bagged up before she went to work. A sandwhich, a yoghurt, some fruit salad, and a biscuit. Also yet another cup of tea (I drank so much tea this day that I was shaking from the caffine overload). Set my Kindle up too - I'm making my way through all the Discworld books in order, and I'm up to 'Soul Music'. I made that cover by the way. Also, I have two spoons because I got out one for my yoghurt, and Dad got me one out two like ten seconds later.
Quick time check, and then on to Compare the Meerkat!
Sorry, Compare the Market. To look at car insurence quotes for the cars I liked. Most are around the £1000 mark. I decide that I'm just going to test drive the two KAs, because they have the lowest quotes, and I have said for months that I'd like a KA.
I also notice that if I get insured through Compare the Market, I get sent a free Meerkat soft toy. Hmm...
Anyway, I need the car first.
Now, at this point Dad and I went back the two garages with KAs that I've already posted (navy first, silver second). Since I was driving, I didn't take any photos at this point. So text only for a moment I'm afraid.
First test drive was the navy KA Luxury. It drove really well, bit of a sharp clutch, but then again it had been sitting on a forecourt for a while. Even my Dad - who hadn't liked KAs before this - said it was a nice car.
Unfortunately, when we got back we had a proper look at the problem spots the guy had suggested checking. My Dad found rust under the sills below the drivers door, and proceeded to poke a hole in it with the car keys. Not be having that car then!
So on to the silver one. It drove like a dream, and within a couple of minutes I had said 'Dad, I want to buy this car'. Dad insisted on driving it too and I think he fell a little bit in love as well. We checked it properly and no rusty holey bits on this baby.
Quatre to three, and I had found my car! Into the dealership, twenty minutes, some paperwork and a huge amount of cash later and it was all mine. MINE!
Well, it will be. They're going to MOT and service it and I can pick it up on Wednesday! But for now I have a picture of me grinning inanely. My family has a tradition of making up phrases to remember number plates and mine is going to be 'Batman! 18 Cats Making Jumpers!'.
Yes we're odd, but very friendly. Incidentally, that's a personalised number plate with the old owners initials. He was one letter off having my initals! (I'm RMJ). He had to stop driving so sold the number plate too. It's really an 03 plate, if that means anything to anyone else (about 8 years old).
3.10 - time to race to:
The bank! I need to transfer some money between accounts so I can pay my insurance.
Ah, Barnsley. Yes the town hall is surrounded by scaffolding but don't let that fool you. It always looks a dump, even without renovations going on.
Dad decided that we should reward ourselves with baked good from Greggs. I am excited. Unfortunately, when I get home:
Oh noes! Squahsed fairy cake alert!
Astra is beside herself with worry over my dessert disaster.
But it's ok, because it's still nommable.
A quick time check reveals that it's time to go buy car insurance. I look around a fair few places, and the best quote is from Admiral (which friends had recommended too) through Compare the Market. Which means...
I GET A FREE SOFT TOY MEERKAT! *cough* That's probably not as exciting to anyone else. That's a screen shot of the video telling me I'll be getting said Meerkat by the way.
This is the notepad I've been writing on all day. It's not very much I just felt like showing you all my hard work.
It's twenty five to six (it's not very clear on the picture, but I wanted to time check on this clock specifically because I made it as a child. Plaster of paris mould and poster paint. I had a jungle themed room and it was for in there. Now it lives in my parents toilet, so I had to hunt for this photo!). All this car stuff is making me hungry. Whats for dinner Dad?
Ah - suspiciously orange Spag Bol. Yummy. Mum normally cooks, but she is off to a work do tonight. Dad is a good cook, but he mainly does fiddly posh stuff so the basics sometimes turn out a bit studenty bless him.
While Dad cooks, my sister arrives home from Dental Nurse School. She's in training. Here she is, with Justin Beiber-esque hair. It's not normally so.
Even plated up, the Spag Bol looks a funny colour. But it's really tasty, as you can see:
For dessert, I grab a Magnum. I am shocked by what it reveals.
Normal looking magnum...
A magnum within a magnum! OMG! It's some kind of Magception! (Iceception? An ice cream within an ice cream dammit).
7.05. Time for me to bid the family farewell and head back home. I thought I might be driving this, but for one last time my Dad had to make the trek through to Hudd with me. He'll miss getting out when he doesn't have to I'm sure. He might be cheering, but I know he's really crying inside.
As if.
My house! Slight admission here. This photo isn't taken on the same day. I didn't take one, but the blog looked funny skipping straight inside, so here it is. Think of it as a DVD bonus feature.
I took some Spag Bol home for Ash, so here he is cooking it. He'd been working all day and was just standing in the kitchen disparing over our empty cupboards when I arrived. So he was very happy to see me!
8.05 already? Phew. We slump down together to watch some 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer'.
Mmmm- Spike...
9.10 and Ash heads to bed (he'd not slept much the night before with being on a early shift so he was nodding even while eating). I headed to the computer to read a proper newspaper.
Messing around on Facebook I see my sister has spotted my little joke at the parental homested:
(Text = [Sister]: Hahahahah XD Just looked over at the printer and noticed Ruth has stuck a 'J' before the 'Epson' logo).
This is a very old joke amongst us Jepsons. I was amused to see that my parents had recently bought a new printer which allowed me to make it again thought. I did try to photo it but it didn't come out clearly.
Feel free to add me on Facebook if I haven't got you by the way.
Time check! 11.21. Probably bedtime now. I have to be up early 'cos I'm working at a youth theatre summer school the next day. I lock up:
(Yup - my keyring says 'I survived Sunnydale High'. I'm a Buffy geek).
Aww it looks like our toothbrushes are kissing. I almost don't want to rudely disturb them to brush my teeth. although glancing round my bathroom I think of another game to play!
How many ducks does Ruth's bathroom contain?
1,2
3,4,5,6 (there's four in that box) 7,8,9
10,11
12,13,14
15
16
MANY! Ok, Lets count the towel as one, so the final tally is 17!
I love rubber ducks. I'm thinking of asking people to bring us them to celebrate our housewarming when we finally manage to throw one.
Off into the bedroom and here's what awaits me:
Aww. So cute. But it means I have to be very quiet and get undressed in the dark, 'cos he wuzzles fuzzily at me when I turn the light on (I do the same if our positions are reversed too!).
Final time check, and an end to this photoblog!
(Well, I didn't photograph the hours I lay awake unable to sleep. Caffine overload + imsomnia = still awake at 4am. Grr...)
And that's my day in photos! Hope you enjoyed and I didn't crash any computers with so many graphics...
Ciao
~*Ruth*~
Last Wednesday I stopped over at my parents house, because the Thursday was going to be spent hunting down my very first car. I passed my driving test in February, after seven gruelling attempts at the damned thing. In the past six months I had been waiting for a savings account to mature so I could afford a decent car. I'd asked my Dad to help me look round since I know nothing about cars or buying them. He jumped at the challenge, mapping out visits to about ten second hand car dealerships, a morning of looking round then an afternoon of test driving, and essentially planning the day with military precision.
I <3 my Dad.
Ok, so to the day-
I open my eyes, rested and well, to see...
Well feck that. More sleep!
A bit better time. Would've prefered more sleep, but I physically cannot force myself to stay in bed any longer.
Jump up! Bed is way too messy...
Voila. Much better. This bedding is not mine I hasten to add - I took all my good bedding when I went to uni and disguarded it over my time there, so this is my younger sister's old duvet cover, on my old bed, in my old room. Ah... memories.
I get dressed. This top is actually a vest designed for under clothing, but I thought it was too pretty to cover up and now it's a regular rotation in my wardrobe. The jeans are my favourite ever Jane Norman ones. I don't know what I'm going to do now Jane Norman has gone bankrupt - I'll never find jeans that fit so nicely ever again. I also wear my glasses almost full time now, since my vision over the last year has nose dived. Anything further than arms length away is a blurry haze. Not impressed.
Downstairs I take in the vast array of breakfast cereals. There are three people in the house - my Mum, my Dad and my sister - yet these four are just a small percentage of the cereal options available.
I don't like cereal.
Clearly neither does Astra (so named because when my Daddy was still a fireman (he's retired now) he rescued her from behind the dashboard of an Astra car. Yes, firemen really do save cats!).
I opt for a fish finger sandwhich instead. I wouldn't normally have time for breakfast, so it's nice to come home and find my Mum has set me a place thus reminding me to actually eat it. There's a vitamin pill, a probiotic yoghurt drink, a glass of juice and a cup of tea. Mummy looks after me...
I go in search of the newspaper. Unfortunately, my parents read the Daily Mail, with it's oh so cheery headlines. Please don't judge them - they're wonderful people really!
Since the paper is kinda meh I give up on it and instead watch Astra stalk:
She is not impressed with me doing so.
Just past 9am, and Dad announces it's time to start the hunt. To the Dad Mobile!
...
Ok, so no photo of the Dad Mobile. I forgot in my excitement.
We drive to stop number one. Which is closed. So on to stop number two.
Here we find the first car that I like. A Peugot 206 (or 106. One or the other). It's not my favourite car ever, but looks nice and the garage owner says they're good first cars. One for the list!
Lets play a game actually - I'll show you photos of all the cars we saw that I liked, and you guess which one I bought.
Next garage is a bust, but the fourth has a nice yellow fiat punto. I always liked the idea of a yellow car, simply because of the 'mini punch' game (we play it as the 'yellow car punch' game). I like the idea that people are beating each other up simply because I've driven past.
Anyway. The garage where this car is gets extra points for this:
OMG! Spiderman!
On to a couple more garages with nothing to show, then we meet my favourite person of the day. He's the classic used car salesman. Very eager to sell me something, gives me the 'one owner, hardly used' line and generally looks very slimy. He knocks £400 off the asking price of a blue clio without me having to ask and promises that after a test drive I'll 'fall in love with it' and he can 'guarentee' I will buy that car.
So we break plans and I go for a test drive there and then rather than coming back. Mainly to shut the guy up.
This is my Dad backing the car out of a narrow spot. He won't let me do anything tricky without insurence bless him.
I do not fall in love. The front left tyre makes a funny noise, and the clutch is very dodgy. We take it back and Dad tells the slimey salesman in no uncertain terms that's it's crap. We leave, chuckling about the broken hearted look on the man's face. Becuase we're bastards.
Next garage has a silver Ford KA. It's no secret that I love Ford KAs, so this one is definitely on the list. Plus the guy there gives us some tips for things to check that we hadn't thought of. We also go to a garage next door at this point and they have two KAs, not as nice though.
On the way to the next place, we drive past this:
That's the shell of the fire station where my Dad used to work. It burnt down a few days ago. Luckily it was an old site and the firemen have moved round the corner so noone was hurt. Still, ironic huh?
Time check! It's way past elevenses time so Dad stops at a proper greasy spoon cafe:
And buys us a well earned cup of tea. Below it, you can see my note pad. I told you there was a list! One drink later, some talk about mobile phones and the superiority of Nokias (my Dad is happy because he just upgraded to one with a touchscreen to keep him 'in line with us kids', and I'm taking all these photos on my new Nokia N8 which I joygasmed over when I finally received it) and we're off again.
If I had £3,500 I'd have a smart car. Look at them - so cute and compact. One day my pretty...
This garage had nothing I liked, in my price range at least.
However at the next place we found another Ford KA, this one a luxary version. Fancy! (Leather seats and a CD player essentially the difference). Another for the list.
Also here I found a Citroen C3 in metallic blue that went on the list too. Unfortunately the photo didn't take, or I forgot or something. I was very tired by this point. Luckily, it was the last place on my Dad's route round all the dealers in Barnsley, so we toddled off back home.
That's the parental home, and a bonus photo of my Dad.
12.40 - it's definitely time for lunch.
Mum had left us lunch bagged up before she went to work. A sandwhich, a yoghurt, some fruit salad, and a biscuit. Also yet another cup of tea (I drank so much tea this day that I was shaking from the caffine overload). Set my Kindle up too - I'm making my way through all the Discworld books in order, and I'm up to 'Soul Music'. I made that cover by the way. Also, I have two spoons because I got out one for my yoghurt, and Dad got me one out two like ten seconds later.
Quick time check, and then on to Compare the Meerkat!
Sorry, Compare the Market. To look at car insurence quotes for the cars I liked. Most are around the £1000 mark. I decide that I'm just going to test drive the two KAs, because they have the lowest quotes, and I have said for months that I'd like a KA.
I also notice that if I get insured through Compare the Market, I get sent a free Meerkat soft toy. Hmm...
Anyway, I need the car first.
Now, at this point Dad and I went back the two garages with KAs that I've already posted (navy first, silver second). Since I was driving, I didn't take any photos at this point. So text only for a moment I'm afraid.
First test drive was the navy KA Luxury. It drove really well, bit of a sharp clutch, but then again it had been sitting on a forecourt for a while. Even my Dad - who hadn't liked KAs before this - said it was a nice car.
Unfortunately, when we got back we had a proper look at the problem spots the guy had suggested checking. My Dad found rust under the sills below the drivers door, and proceeded to poke a hole in it with the car keys. Not be having that car then!
So on to the silver one. It drove like a dream, and within a couple of minutes I had said 'Dad, I want to buy this car'. Dad insisted on driving it too and I think he fell a little bit in love as well. We checked it properly and no rusty holey bits on this baby.
Quatre to three, and I had found my car! Into the dealership, twenty minutes, some paperwork and a huge amount of cash later and it was all mine. MINE!
Well, it will be. They're going to MOT and service it and I can pick it up on Wednesday! But for now I have a picture of me grinning inanely. My family has a tradition of making up phrases to remember number plates and mine is going to be 'Batman! 18 Cats Making Jumpers!'.
Yes we're odd, but very friendly. Incidentally, that's a personalised number plate with the old owners initials. He was one letter off having my initals! (I'm RMJ). He had to stop driving so sold the number plate too. It's really an 03 plate, if that means anything to anyone else (about 8 years old).
3.10 - time to race to:
The bank! I need to transfer some money between accounts so I can pay my insurance.
Ah, Barnsley. Yes the town hall is surrounded by scaffolding but don't let that fool you. It always looks a dump, even without renovations going on.
Dad decided that we should reward ourselves with baked good from Greggs. I am excited. Unfortunately, when I get home:
Oh noes! Squahsed fairy cake alert!
Astra is beside herself with worry over my dessert disaster.
But it's ok, because it's still nommable.
A quick time check reveals that it's time to go buy car insurance. I look around a fair few places, and the best quote is from Admiral (which friends had recommended too) through Compare the Market. Which means...
I GET A FREE SOFT TOY MEERKAT! *cough* That's probably not as exciting to anyone else. That's a screen shot of the video telling me I'll be getting said Meerkat by the way.
This is the notepad I've been writing on all day. It's not very much I just felt like showing you all my hard work.
It's twenty five to six (it's not very clear on the picture, but I wanted to time check on this clock specifically because I made it as a child. Plaster of paris mould and poster paint. I had a jungle themed room and it was for in there. Now it lives in my parents toilet, so I had to hunt for this photo!). All this car stuff is making me hungry. Whats for dinner Dad?
Ah - suspiciously orange Spag Bol. Yummy. Mum normally cooks, but she is off to a work do tonight. Dad is a good cook, but he mainly does fiddly posh stuff so the basics sometimes turn out a bit studenty bless him.
While Dad cooks, my sister arrives home from Dental Nurse School. She's in training. Here she is, with Justin Beiber-esque hair. It's not normally so.
Even plated up, the Spag Bol looks a funny colour. But it's really tasty, as you can see:
For dessert, I grab a Magnum. I am shocked by what it reveals.
Normal looking magnum...
A magnum within a magnum! OMG! It's some kind of Magception! (Iceception? An ice cream within an ice cream dammit).
7.05. Time for me to bid the family farewell and head back home. I thought I might be driving this, but for one last time my Dad had to make the trek through to Hudd with me. He'll miss getting out when he doesn't have to I'm sure. He might be cheering, but I know he's really crying inside.
As if.
My house! Slight admission here. This photo isn't taken on the same day. I didn't take one, but the blog looked funny skipping straight inside, so here it is. Think of it as a DVD bonus feature.
I took some Spag Bol home for Ash, so here he is cooking it. He'd been working all day and was just standing in the kitchen disparing over our empty cupboards when I arrived. So he was very happy to see me!
8.05 already? Phew. We slump down together to watch some 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer'.
Mmmm- Spike...
9.10 and Ash heads to bed (he'd not slept much the night before with being on a early shift so he was nodding even while eating). I headed to the computer to read a proper newspaper.
Messing around on Facebook I see my sister has spotted my little joke at the parental homested:
(Text = [Sister]: Hahahahah XD Just looked over at the printer and noticed Ruth has stuck a 'J' before the 'Epson' logo).
This is a very old joke amongst us Jepsons. I was amused to see that my parents had recently bought a new printer which allowed me to make it again thought. I did try to photo it but it didn't come out clearly.
Feel free to add me on Facebook if I haven't got you by the way.
Time check! 11.21. Probably bedtime now. I have to be up early 'cos I'm working at a youth theatre summer school the next day. I lock up:
(Yup - my keyring says 'I survived Sunnydale High'. I'm a Buffy geek).
Aww it looks like our toothbrushes are kissing. I almost don't want to rudely disturb them to brush my teeth. although glancing round my bathroom I think of another game to play!
How many ducks does Ruth's bathroom contain?
1,2
3,4,5,6 (there's four in that box) 7,8,9
10,11
12,13,14
15
16
MANY! Ok, Lets count the towel as one, so the final tally is 17!
I love rubber ducks. I'm thinking of asking people to bring us them to celebrate our housewarming when we finally manage to throw one.
Off into the bedroom and here's what awaits me:
Aww. So cute. But it means I have to be very quiet and get undressed in the dark, 'cos he wuzzles fuzzily at me when I turn the light on (I do the same if our positions are reversed too!).
Final time check, and an end to this photoblog!
(Well, I didn't photograph the hours I lay awake unable to sleep. Caffine overload + imsomnia = still awake at 4am. Grr...)
And that's my day in photos! Hope you enjoyed and I didn't crash any computers with so many graphics...
Ciao
~*Ruth*~