Hi - can't remember if i've already said hello.....

[impis]

..........so i'm saying it again.

I'm what my mother once described as a 'keenager' - still 18 on the inside, but the packaging is beginning to wear out. I teach at a school for pupils with moderate learning difficulties. Quite a few of them are on the autistic spectrum. Despite their difficulties, many do go on to take gcse's - and if you met any of them in the street, you probably wouldnt realise there was anything amiss. They are delightful young people and I love my job.

My car owning history.
1. After passing my test, I had to share Mr Impis' car - an austin princess, then a Nissan, then a Rover 213. Eventually, I got my own car - a very old ford escort estate, with very little mileage [had belonged to my elderly uncle] but with a very poor state of bodywork. Mr Impis sanded and filled the holes, and painted the whole thing in red lead - ready for a respray - but never got any further. Like a poodle, this car seemed to go on forever, despite the big end 'going'. When Mr Imp wanted to get a new car, I was 'persuaded' to buy his rover 213 for £1000 and to give him my ford to put in part exchange.

The 213 was luxury in comparisson with the ford, but the windscreen broke on several occasions. It came to the point where the frame for the window was almost completely rotted away, and another replacement would have been impossible. It was time for the car to go. By this time, I was back in full time employment, and able to have a car that I really wanted, for the first time, ever! I bought a black Tigra - and absolutely LOVED it. I had that car for 7 years, with barely a problem. It had the most beautiful mirror shine, and I used to just gaze at it, lovingly, hardly daring to believe that it was mine. Local yobbos keyed it a couple of times, - but i had the scratches polished out, or resprayed, and it stayed looking pristine. Eventually, of course, things began to break down on it- and it eventually stopped and refused to start again. The AA came out, an in the process of trying to start it, set fire to the engine. They extinguised the fire quickly, but it needed a new wiring loom. My insurance refused to pay out. Unlike their advert, they refused to say 'YES'. It cost me over £500 to have it repaired. By this time, I was beginning to hanker after a convertible. My kids had grown up, one had left home, so I looked around and eventually settled on a peugeot 206cc - in moonstone. I loved it, but did not have that 'awe and wonder' experience that i'd had with the tigra all those years previously. I sold the tigra, via ebay, and got a much better price for it than I would have got from any garage.

The pug was lovely - full leather interior etc, but there was absolutely no room in the back for passengers, and everyone commented on how 'girly' the car was. I kept it for 3 years though, and it never let me down. I began to look for a larger convertible [hard top a must] and it was a tossup between a 307cc or a megane cc. The opportunity to get a black megane cc came up first, and so I bought my current car. Much roomier than the pug, but without the leather, i'm very happy with it at the moment. When clean, its gorgeous, but i think that one of its previous owners must have parked it near a holly bush, judging by the small scratches along the side and window - very faint they are, but i'm aware of them. One thing that is really bugging me about the car is the drivers door handle [outside]. The bit where you put your thumb keeps dropping off [i've had to superglue it back in] and is cracked and some of the silver has come off to reveal tacky plastic underneath.

I love the megane - but still haven't got that 'can't believe its mine' feeling that I had with my Tigra. I dont think i'll ever get that again.

Lots of questions - probably - and I ask you all to be patient with me. Reading the handbook doens't always make things clear, especially when it covers all models and you don't know which bit applies to your car.

imp

xx

[robznet]

Hello Imp, welcome to the MOC! Can't remember you saying hi before but what the hell!! Hope you find the forums useful.

Rob

[Stranger]

And a big hello and welcome from me too

[Basenji]

Nice to click you.
zdrówko