Goodbye Bluebird

Bluebird, when she was brand new in 2016.
The bird on the right was a lot older.

Bluebird, my trusty Hyundai I10 had clocked up nearly 90,000 miles since I bought her in 2016.  I realise that, by modern standards, that's not a particularly high mileage, but she was also beginning to drink oil, needing a top-up every 3000 miles or so.  Again, I realise that that's not particularly serious, especially when I recall some of the bangers of my youth, which needed a drink of oil with every other petrol fill-up. Nonetheless, there was every indication that Bluebird was getting tired, poor thing, and that her best years were behind her. Which was a shame, because I'd become very attached to her over the past eight years; undoubtedly the best car I'd ever owned.

So it was that thoughts turned to a replacement.  I have never liked large cars, which seemed to rule out EVs.  The range between recharges of the small ones is not great - especially on cold winter nights with headlights blazing and the heater running.  So how about a small hybrid?

On April 10th S-- had a follow-up hospital appointment in Cirencester. 'Why not make a day of it,' we reasoned, 'and look for a new car?' Two models appealed; the Renault Clio and the Toyota Yaris. 

According to Google, there was a Renault agent near Chippenham, about 40 minutes' drive from the hospital - only it was no longer selling Renaults! "We're a Hyundai garage now," explained a sales assistant who didn't even have the courtesy to stop prodding his smartphone." The Renault agency has moved to Trowbridge."  So on we drove for another 15 miles... but it was worth it, as the Trowbridge site had a Renault and a Toyota dealer (both actually division of the same company).

We test-drove the Clio first. It drove effortlessly and I loved the automatic transmission. However, the large casing above the rear view mirror felt intrusive, making me feel 'hemmed in'. I also felt somewhat intimidated by the large computerised information panel (too much information?), though I would doubtless have got used to it.

Photo courtesy of Autocar

Anyway, to further our exploration we discussed a deal with the salesman. Ooo... the necessary 3 year loan would take a big chunk of our monthly income, though it was affordable. We thanked the guy for his time, said that we would think about it, and departed to a nearby pub for lunch.

One hour later, filled with steak and chips, I sat in the driver's seat of a Toyota Yaris Hybrid. My immediate impression was that, despite being about the same size as the Clio, it felt more roomy. It's hard to know why as, like the Clio, there was still a casing of sorts behind the rear view mirror, though the information display was more modest.  It was every bit as easy to drive as the Clio and I thoroughly enjoyed my test drive, taking it rather further along the Westbury road than I had first intended. 

What really clinched the deal, though, was the lower cost all round; the same deposit, more for Bluebird and lower monthly repayments over the same period.  We had only come exploring (or so we kidded ourselves) but by 5-o'clock the deal was done.

We took delivery on May 1st, by which time I'd come up with a name for her - appropriate for a 'whiter than white' car, I felt.  Persil.

The basic instrument display is nice and simple but, as befits a so-called 'environmentally friendly' car, there's also a mass of Eco data available at the flick of a switch.  I think this one means that I'm rather better at starting than stopping!  

The view under the bonnet is daunting.  I recognise the windscreen washer bottle; the rest I'll happily leave to the experts when Persil has her 10,000 miles services. I wonder where the electric motor is?