Nice people thread part 3- Nice as pie

LydiaJ

PasturesNew wrote: »

There's a lookup site.... you choose your car/model and choose your caravan/model and it tells you instantly if it's up to the job.

All I have to do now is remember it.... I hope to be back within 10 minutes having found it and edited this post.

Edit: Under 1 minute it took in the end. http://www.whattowcar.com/

Thanks PN. I'll see if I can get that site to help me, but I'm afraid my caravan is far too old to appear on its list of caravans.

I need to get it back really. I lent it to a friend about 18 months ago. He was homeless and living in a tent, so I said he could live in the caravan for a while until he found somewhere to live. We had it back from him for a week last summer so we could go on holiday in it. (He moved back into his tent for the week, I think.) Since then I haven't seen him - he doesn't work at my workplace any more. Anyway, I know he's recently got married, so I imagine he's moved in with his new wife now and won't be living in the caravan any more, so I ought to get it back and get it serviced etc. I must get back in touch with him about it.

I don't suppose we'll use it this summer, actually. This year we're not going to the event we usually use it at. We'll be having holidays visiting all my brothers in their various countries, I think, unless late-nearly-ex's inquest gets in the way.

Davesnave

DD1 had her car written-off today by a young driver, who accidentally pressed the loud pedal approaching a major junction. She isn't a happy bunny, as she's spent the last nine months sorting out all its little foibles.

So I expect I'll also be looking at cars over t'internet.

Hamish's suggestion of an Audi is a good one, but not being in Scotland, or in the wilds, Lydia would have more choice and greater simplicity with a 2 wheel drive.

Other makes popular with owners, and proving reliable at present, are Honda, Skoda and Toyota. Depends if there's something in their range that appeals, of course.

I'm dreading getting rid of the van, but soon I won't be able to justify driving around in something with a 12' load space, especially when most of it is empty. Having said that, it's amazing how often large things need to be carried....Only last week it swallowed the entire contents of a student room, a 6' ferret cage , two dustbins, a bicycle, a single mattress and a chest of drawers. It wasn't even crowded in there.

LydiaJ

Dave, I feel for your DD1. I hope you and she can find another car to suit her quickly.

The car I'm replacing is a 1.8 litre 02 reg Nissan Almera Tino. I was hoping to get it to last another year or two before replacing it. It's been about the right size for me and I've been very happy with it. I've particularly appreciated being able to take the rear seats right out to make more space for taking stuff to the tip. I'll have a fair amount of tip trips to do over the next few months as I gradually tackle all my dreaded boxes.

Davesnave

LydiaJ wrote: »

Dave, I feel for your DD1. I hope you and she can find another car to suit her quickly.

The car I'm replacing is a 1.8 litre 02 reg Nissan Almera Tino..... I'll have a fair amount of tip trips to do over the next few months as I gradually tackle all my dreaded boxes.

DD1's was a Golf, but it wasn't loved, compared with the Polo it replaced. I'm just keen to see that she receives a fair amount to buy another vehicle.

The Tino was a super, versatile car, likely to have had Nissan's usual reliability. Unfortunately, Nissan don't make many large cars for the UK market now, only the Qashqai, which you might feel is rather male-orientated.

I drive a Primera. It's as dull as a dishwasher, but it just keeps going, doing nothing particularly well, or badly. The nicest estate car I ever had was an Audi, although it wasn't reliable and may have had its mileage reduced, and the most practical was a Vauxhall Carlton, which would take a single bed.

PasturesNew

My rear seats drop down with one hand in 2 seconds. Back onto seat, then flip that up so they're against the front seats. 6'x4' of carrying space, 3 cubic metres. Side sliding doors also make it easier to reach stuff that's loaded first - and I find them great for shoving shopping into in a confined car parking space. Also great when you're trying to faff about with stuff in the rear of the car (e.g. getting a coat/bag out of the back after you've parked) when cars are trying to pass as you've not got a rear door open and potentially flapping about in the wind.

PasturesNew

LydiaJ wrote: »

Anyway, I know he's recently got married, so I imagine he's moved in with his new wife now and won't be living in the caravan any more, so I ought to get it back and get it serviced etc. I must get back in touch with him about it.

He's probably moved her in too - and she's up the duff

LydiaJ wrote: »

unless late-nearly-ex's inquest gets in the way.

How come these things take so long, and you don't have dates? It should all be quicker, with timescales and more firm dates in place... else you're just hanging around without closure.

You should bring it down my way and I could take you beach foraging and to other weird and obscure places that most tourists don't find out about

lostinrates

I've had a weird day.

It ended nicely though, on a hammock, looking up into the dense canopy of my horse chestnut tree and swining gently with the cats sitting on me, and dh asking if I wanted a glass of wine and a blanket.

vivatifosi

The end of your day sounds idyllic lir.

Out of interest, has anyone put in an application for Olympic tickets? The powers that be say that up to a 1/3rd of the population has expressed an interest, so by the law of averages there must be others on here who are interested in going. If so, what events? We've put ours in today. Have applied for athletics, rowing, swimming, football, beach volleyball (DH's fault) and cycling as well as the rare as hens teeth opening and closing. Will be interesting to see if we get any.

michaels

I have no interest - probably should for the kids, once in a lifetime and all that, but the packaged mega corporate nature of the games is just a turn off.

More importantly DD2, 5, has taught herself how to ride a bike without stabilisers and it is so cute seeing how much she enjoys it and is so proud of herself for doing so quicker than DD1 who was nearly 6 when the incentive of a birthday bike was enough for her to teach herself. Best thing is they were both able to do it for themselves without any of that parent running alongside bit being needed.

vivatifosi

That's brilliant michaels and very young to learn by themselves too. Sounds like they have a natural sense of balance that could serve them well in other sports also.