A couple of days ago, with a lump in my throat and a few tears I said goodbye to a loyal and trusted companion, Isabella. Isabella and I have been together for nearly four years and together we have journeyed far, nearly 20,000 miles.
She has enabled to do things and go places I never dreamt possible prior to her entering into my life. She has helped me in getting help when I have been unwell, given me independence where once I would of been stuck in the house for days on end when I am poorly, aided me to aid others when they were sick and enabled me to me see many places that I would never of been able to see with out her. She has kept me safe and protected on cold, dark winters nights and often provided my friends and colleagues with the same.She has been reliable, dependable and has always when in her company, she has kept me safe, dry and warm.
My decision to part company with her was difficult, something I had hoped I wouldn't have to do for more several years. But she was becoming ragged around the edges, she was getting old and it was showing. She had let me down for the first time a few weeks ago and I was beginning to feel that she was no longer reliable as she once was. One night she came close to leaving me stranded at midnight, only after much persuasion did she choose comply with assisting me in getting me home.
After a conversation in July in which I was advised that it was time that she and I should part company I was forced to face facts and make the difficult decision that it was time to move on and obtain something newer and more reliable. It was hard.
Isabella was my first car. A base model Ford Ka, she was 6 and half when I bought her and just gone 10 when I let her go, covered in rust patches, a few dints and scrapes (including one from were I reversed into a grit bin, a bright yellow grit bin!). It was obvious after talking to the mechanic at the garage and taking a number of other factors into account she was going to cost me over £1000 in the next year to keep her on the road, completely uneconomical. Added to this was the fact that she was becoming unreliable, winter is drawing in leaving me somewhat concerned that Isabella would leave me stranded one dark winters night, though I knew I wouldn't be stranded for too long thanks to the AA breakdown service I didn't relish the thought. As difficult a decision it was, I knew it was time to let her go. It wasn't the car that bothered me, it was what she stood for Isabella was my first car, the car my late much loved and greatly missed Grandma helped me purchase, its body work was her favourite colour and she shared my grans name.
But in parting with her she performed one final service for me. She helped me in buying my new car. I had seen the car I wanted. The problem it was £800 over my budget. I went to the dealership explained that I liked the car, what my budget was and that I had a vehicle to part exchange. Isabella was worth only around £300 according to my garage. The dealership offered me £800 for her, I agreed and in doing so both Isabella and my grandma helped me to purchase my new car. I view what I was given as part exchange as being given back what my grandma gave me towards my Ford Ka.
I collected my new car the other day and sadly left Isabella behind, to be sent off to be auction and most likely to be broken down for parts and scrap. In a few months time my baked beans might even come in a can made from recycled Isabella. I hate the idea of her being broken down for scrap though, knowing that someone with the right skills could keep Isabella on the road for a few more years, it feels like a waste of a car that though her body was was battered and she needed attention to a few other bits and pieces her heart (the engine) was still going strong. She had less than 57000 miles on the clock.
After a conversation in July in which I was advised that it was time that she and I should part company I was forced to face facts and make the difficult decision that it was time to move on and obtain something newer and more reliable. It was hard.
Isabella was my first car. A base model Ford Ka, she was 6 and half when I bought her and just gone 10 when I let her go, covered in rust patches, a few dints and scrapes (including one from were I reversed into a grit bin, a bright yellow grit bin!). It was obvious after talking to the mechanic at the garage and taking a number of other factors into account she was going to cost me over £1000 in the next year to keep her on the road, completely uneconomical. Added to this was the fact that she was becoming unreliable, winter is drawing in leaving me somewhat concerned that Isabella would leave me stranded one dark winters night, though I knew I wouldn't be stranded for too long thanks to the AA breakdown service I didn't relish the thought. As difficult a decision it was, I knew it was time to let her go. It wasn't the car that bothered me, it was what she stood for Isabella was my first car, the car my late much loved and greatly missed Grandma helped me purchase, its body work was her favourite colour and she shared my grans name.
But in parting with her she performed one final service for me. She helped me in buying my new car. I had seen the car I wanted. The problem it was £800 over my budget. I went to the dealership explained that I liked the car, what my budget was and that I had a vehicle to part exchange. Isabella was worth only around £300 according to my garage. The dealership offered me £800 for her, I agreed and in doing so both Isabella and my grandma helped me to purchase my new car. I view what I was given as part exchange as being given back what my grandma gave me towards my Ford Ka.
I collected my new car the other day and sadly left Isabella behind, to be sent off to be auction and most likely to be broken down for parts and scrap. In a few months time my baked beans might even come in a can made from recycled Isabella. I hate the idea of her being broken down for scrap though, knowing that someone with the right skills could keep Isabella on the road for a few more years, it feels like a waste of a car that though her body was was battered and she needed attention to a few other bits and pieces her heart (the engine) was still going strong. She had less than 57000 miles on the clock.
The following photos are of Isabella and Victoria my new car. Victoria got her name from the fact that she was collected on my sisters wedding anniversary, she got married on the island Gozo, the capital of which is Victoria-hence her name.
It does amuse me slightly the rather appropriate sign above Isabella
Victoria, the space age car (referring to the strange pod they use for speedo etc)
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