beach chick Posted July 21, 2011 Share Posted July 21, 2011 o joy! today I am taking my mum out to look at cars. she's 81 and her fiesta is on its last legs. so we are off to tour various showrooms - I'm dreading it! she knows nothing about cars (would like a red one ); she's also very deaf so all conversations are conducted at full volume, and she's not sure she wants to do a test drive "because I'm sure it will be fine" words fail me ... think I'll be on the drink when I get home. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chook n Boo Mum Posted July 21, 2011 Share Posted July 21, 2011 Good luck I remember a conversation in a staff room many years ago.............."hubs has bought me a new car"......"Fantastic, how exciting, what is it?"........."blue"............. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beach chick Posted July 21, 2011 Author Share Posted July 21, 2011 well, I survived - and she has bought one!! a 2008 hyundai i10, silver, 5,000 miles, vgc. I must have driven her around about 8 garages in 3 towns in total, where she told each individual salesman her lifestory before getting in and out of various cars most of which she dismissed immediately on various grounds (seat too low, seat too high, seat too soft, seat too hard, wrong colour, steering wheel 'felt funny' and my favourite "no, it feels as if someone has died in here" )but then felt it would be polite to continue to chat to the poor salesman anyway anyway, at the last garage we looked at the car she first thought of (not the red one mentioned in first post, a diff one in a main dealer); I managed to convince her that she HAD to take a test drive and way-hay, bob's your auntie!! deal is done, she takes delivery next week. I am EXHAUSTED but managed to behave very well and tolerantly throughout and did not roll my eyes or go 'Mum, COME ON' once! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluekarin Posted July 21, 2011 Share Posted July 21, 2011 ....and my favourite "no, it feels as if someone has died in here" I am EXHAUSTED but managed to behave very well and tolerantly throughout and did not roll my eyes or go 'Mum, COME ON' once! to the first! And to the second; do you think parents do that in payback for all thse years they had to telll us to"Come one! Hurry up!" etc etc Glad she found a car that she liked though Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angie Posted July 21, 2011 Share Posted July 21, 2011 Oh beach chick well done....would you like to come with me ????? I have simple needs ...must be of mpv style/ mobility range, so i can get in and out with various walking sticks and at times a wheel chair, i may consider an automatic and i'm not fussy about the colour. The main things is i have to be able to get out of it easily......simple really oh and i haven't quite saved enough for a new one yet...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keyhole kate Posted July 21, 2011 Share Posted July 21, 2011 You must have the patience of a saint my mum bless her used to drive me barmy buying something as simple as a frying pan No way could I have gone shopping with her for something as important as a car especially as she was a frightningly terrible driver Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plum Posted July 21, 2011 Share Posted July 21, 2011 You've given me a laugh tonight. I wonder if my kids think of me like that Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sadietoo Posted July 21, 2011 Share Posted July 21, 2011 Your post made me smile...but at least at 81 she is still able to drive..and maintain some independence, so that's really great... . We are looking for a new car at the moment, and I hate it...I mostly couldn't care less what I drive..and really object to the expense..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CatieB Posted July 21, 2011 Share Posted July 21, 2011 Thank you. You have given me such a laugh too, I laughed out loud on the bus..so you have helped a number of people today. Whereas I have just read it to DH and he said thats not funny is humour gender based or is he just a misery Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beach chick Posted July 21, 2011 Author Share Posted July 21, 2011 I do love her loads, and she is (frighteningly) independent although has real mobility and health problems (osteoporosis and osteoarthritis mainly). she reckons she has about another 9 years driving in her - mr beach chick is hiding his head in his hands at the prospect!! she took against the people at Honda for no reason that I could see (the Jazz was the car 'someone had died in' and it was too expensive anyway) and the man at Fiat terrified the life out of us because he heard her say 'good morning' to the receptionist in plummy tones and raced over to say is that mrs beach chick senior - she'd forgotten she'd spoken to him on the phone yesterday anyway she couldnt have the Fiat Panda because it was 'Cocktail Blue' - lovely car, went like a dream, but no she didnt like the colour. (when I win the euromillions I am getting a new fiat cincquencto in red, I sat in one today and it was gawjuss and no room for the kids really, but I digress....) bless her, as long as she's happy with it. altho she was a bit hurt that they didnt want to take her 12 year old fiesta in part ex!! but we can help her sell that privately I guess. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sadietoo Posted July 22, 2011 Share Posted July 22, 2011 Ahh bless...there's nothing wrong with a 12 year old fiesta..I'm currently driving a "Y" registered fiesta (sorry can' t do the maths) which is about the only thing we could afford to insure the kids in so they could learn to drive...hope she is happy in her new wheels!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beach chick Posted July 28, 2011 Author Share Posted July 28, 2011 it was delivered today. so far she has managed to drive it from her drive into her garage - and now wants mr beach chick to go round on sat to tell her how to get it out of the garage again (same way it went in??), plus how to change gear without kangarooing and how to break without hitting dead stop faster than you can say knife erm, it's a car mum?! of course he will go and be very patient with her, but it will test all his reserves. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paola Posted July 29, 2011 Share Posted July 29, 2011 (when I win the euromillions I am getting a new fiat cincquencto in red, I sat in one today and it was gawjuss and no room for the kids really, but I digress....) I have just one of these and I love it! Such a cheeky looking little car! Its for me and the 3 kids to pootle about in so its perfect. I have the twinair engine so the road tax is free and does about a million miles to a tank Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woodcat Posted July 30, 2011 Share Posted July 30, 2011 (when I win the euromillions I am getting a new fiat cincquencto in red, I sat in one today and it was gawjuss and no room for the kids really, but I digress....) I have just one of these and I love it! Such a cheeky looking little car! Its for me and the 3 kids to pootle about in so its perfect. I have the twinair engine so the road tax is free and does about a million miles to a tank We also have one and it's red. We are all totally smitten with it, its fabulous. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beach chick Posted July 30, 2011 Author Share Posted July 30, 2011 paola and woodcat I am so really? the red one? the lovely cute shiny red one with the lovely red dashboard? I want to cry now.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woodcat Posted July 30, 2011 Share Posted July 30, 2011 paola and woodcat I am so really? the red one? the lovely cute shiny red one with the lovely red dashboard? I want to cry now.... yup thats the one... i wanted ladybird spots but wasn't allowed to Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beach chick Posted July 30, 2011 Author Share Posted July 30, 2011 I am greener than a green thing on a green day.... but I wouldnt have had the ladybird spots either! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paola Posted July 30, 2011 Share Posted July 30, 2011 I went for the bright blue Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
