It has been a hard month for the Jag as she was forced into daily driver duties following the wee Ka's awful MOT performance. It failed on corrosion in the sills, a-pillars and elsewhere, plus the cracked windscreen, dodgy brakes (imbalanced) and a leaking power steering rack plus a burst gaiter. The latter two issues were ones I hadn't been aware of so came as a bit of a surprise and add to the already sizeable list of work needing done to the Ka. The failed MOT, along with lapsed insurance and end of the Road Tax have put it off the road, hence the need for the Jag's call-up.
All the problems with the Ka have brought me to decision time regarding its future. Whether they mean 'putting it down' so to speak, or stashing it away as a restoration project (and by that I mean a complete strip down to bare shell, followed by a weldathon, engine rebuild/replace & gearbox change), I haven't determined yet. Part of me doesn't want to let it go. It has been a great wee car and huge fun over the last 8 years. I really enjoy the way it drives, how it handles, and how it looks, slammed on the 15-inch alloys that used to adorn my first Ka. However, if I'm being honest with myself it's gubbed. The cost of repairs just to keep it on the road is far too much. I mean, the rack problem itself might necessitate a swap out, which would put the Ka on its FIFTH one, and they aren't cheap. So, unfortunately, scrapping SN02 FVT may be the only option. If I find the space though, I could maybe put the whole lot away to work on in my spare time so that I can practice and hone the skills I am going to need if I want to be a classic car restorer...
On a positive note, the drama with the Ka meant that I got to use the Jag a lot more this month. It has majestically taken me everywhere without complaint. The daily use has reinforced at least two things, the first of which is that she is an awesome car (sport mode FTW), and secondly she is not suitable for use as a daily driver if you are on a small budget. Why? Well, lets put it this way, she has a serious drinking problem!!
Over the course of a week or two I must have sank about £100 worth of fuel into her, only to see it gobbled up thanks to an average MPG of around 14 to the gallon thanks to the stop-start city driving & short journeys normally handled admirably by the Ka. H9 WAP's prodigious thirst for unleaded plus the sheer cost of fuel nowadays really limit the amount I can enjoy driving her. Enjoy it though I have and there has been no bother at all with the Jag while she was doing the rounds. The rattle from the timing chain tensioner is louder mind you, or maybe I'm just more conscious of it, and I've noticed a nail or something in the nearside rear tyre which explains why it needs pumped up every week. College is due to start again next Wednesday so I will hopefully finally be able to get the oil changed, swap out the knackered tensioner for a 2nd hand one, fix the puncture, and then apply Tetraseal to her bottom. I also need to order replacement pads & discs as well as bump up the mileage on the insurance but need to generate more income before I can do either. As ever, work in progress.
One of the duties undertaken by H9 WAP was ferrying me around the region as I chased a new car to buy as a replacement daily runabout. The poor economy of the Jag reinforced the need for something more 'sensible' and to be fair I had been thinking about getting a bigger car to use as a daily for some time. My stepson, William, isn't getting smaller and had been finding things a bit cramped in the rear of the Ka. I set my budget to less than £1000 & began looking about. I am afraid to say that most of the cars available in the price range are shoddy, rusty, battle scarred shitboxes. Either that, they are too small for my needs, have intergalactic mileages or are large, thirsty saloons like the Jag. I actually saw a decently presented Jaguar S-Type V6 for a measly £800 but I would've ended up living in it had I bought her. In the end I plumped for a 2002 Nissan Almera 5-door in blue with part history through a reliable local garage, receipts showing lots of recent work (that I don't have to do, hurrah!), proven reliability, proven economy, CD player, central locking, A/C plus Tax and MOT through 'till May 2013. Ladies & Gentlemen, I present 'The Nameless Nissan'... Some monikers have been suggested, such as 'Thor', 'Malaria', 'Hyjinx' and even 'Norman', but I've yet to decide on a name. It might not ever get one!
I am impressed with the wee Nissan so far. It does everything I need it to do but I find perhaps that it lacks some of the charisma that the Ka has. Not to worry, what it lacks the Jag more than makes up for.
