I bought my first car yesterday - yaaaay!!!!

I've got an 11 year old Rover 216 Cabriolet (roof goes up - roof goes down!!).  Its a lovely little first car for me!!  Glazby has already been out for a jaunt in it (obviously with the roof very much up!!) and really enjoyed himself!!

Here we come open road - and doggy training classes now I'm mobile!!!  Yaaay!!!!  :o)

Good for you, the worlds your oyster now, there'll be no stopping you and Glazby.  Keeping my fingers crossed for some nice weather for you.

Michelle :)

I'm so jealous!  I've always wanted a convertible :)
Happy motoring  :D

my first car was a little red metro! i loved that car!!!!

I had a red metro as my first car too :) Loved it at the time
Although i would never have one now if given the choice :rolleyes:

i think they were a very popular 1st car!perfect for bombing around in & gaining confidence!! no i wouldnt have one again! where would all my dogs go!

I was intending on getting something a bit smaller for my first car but me and OH have decided that we're only planning on having this one for a few months and so we though why not?!?!  Lets enjoy the summer days with the roof down!!

Am a bit nervous it has to be said - not so much about driving but about parking at the end of my journey!!  My parking leaves a lot to be desired but then my instructor never really spent that much attention on it. 

Going to go out and practice at a local industrial estate tonight when its all quiet and clear!!

just drive around till you find a big space!!!thats what i do! if im anywhere near my period i dont even TRY to reverse park!!

lol - thanks for the tip michelle!!  ;o)

reverse park ..... oh it's not just me then I will drive an mile out my way to find a space i can drive into

Parking, what's parking? :D  22 years after passing my test I'm still hopeless at it!  Best thing is not to fret about trying to squash your car into an ickle place that only men and less spatially challenged women can get into, but to drive about until you find an easy one.  Plus, that way you get a bit of exercise too, walking back to where you want to be!

Congratulations on your first car Charanda, enjoy the freedom it brings you!

Lesley

PS, when I learned to drive they didn't even bother to teach parking because it wasn't in the test.  That's my excuse anyway ;)

Reverse or parallel parking is actually easier than driving into a parking space
You can also buy perspex attachments that you stick to the rear screen and allow you to see how much room is available beteen your car and the next
although not much good in a cabriolet eh ? :rolleyes: ;) :)

Reverse parking is also safer for the driver, the occupants and pedestrians; when my daughter took driving lessons she did the pass plus scheme and I specifically asked for her to be taught how to reverse park, negotiate a multi-story car park, check water, screenwash, oil and brake fluid, change a tyre, check the air pressure and fill up with petrol as well as take her on the motorway and how to get on/off motorway services.

You would be surprised at the number of new drivers who run out of fuel or who do not know how to open the bonnet, check air pressure etc.

I also specifically asked for a Grade 5 or 6 Driving Instructor.

Hi Charanda, nice car ! I hope the weather clears up so you can enjoy playing Grace Kelly with the roof down :)

Thank you again!!  I drove to halfords yesterday afterwork and parked about as far away from the store as possible in a nice quiet bit with not another car in sight!!  I explained to my OH that it wasn't because of my parking but because I wanted the exercise!!!

My driving instructor was pretty good at teaching you extra bits - he took me into a multi storey carpark, around a MacDonalds drive-thru, and to the petrol station to practise filling up.  Its now part of your test to have to show the examiner how to check and fill up your windscreen washer, oil, break fluid and radiator water.  We were told that its generally safer to call out an expert if you have a flat tyre rather than trying to do it yourself.

Looking forward to hopefully having a nice weekend so that the roof can go down and I can let the wind in my hair!!

By the way - does anyone know where you can buy doggy seatbelts?  I'd like to get one for Glazby so that I know he's strapped safely in the back when I start taking him to classes on my own.

Thanks!!
Hayley..xx

Congratulations on your 1st car  dont worry about the parking it gets easier with practice as do most things ,i think ive seen the doggy seatbelts in Pets at Home but dont know of anywhere else.

Happy Motoring

Ella.x.

http://www.companyofanimals.co.uk/roadie.php

The Company of Animals sells the Roadie, probably the best car harness in the country.

I've got a doggy seatbelt for sale if you're interested? See 'bring and buy'.
Emily
PS I would always call someone out if I had a flat tyre, after all isn't that why you pay the RAC every month?!!

Don't the RAC have a maximum number of call outs per year?  If you called them out for a flat tyre (obviously NO ONE would change a tyre on a motorway) you could leave yourself without a call out when you really broke down........................................

Thanks for that link Tohme - I'll go and have a look.

Emily Rose - I can't see your post in Bring and Buy - what size seatbelt is it?  I've got a bouncy 2 year old boxer and so will probably need a medium/large size.

Majority of callouts tend to be limited to about three per year i think before they start getting a bit "funny"

Doesn't it depend what the callouts are for? A recurrent problem might well be refused, but a different one each time fixed without a query.

Think if you read the small print on some, they may refuse to take you on at renewal time if you call them out after a certain amount of times. Remember reading about someone it happened to and for the previous years of cover thay hadnt called them out at all :(

Although having said that Im with the AA and they are supposed to cover the "policy holder" and not the vehicle as such so you could be calling them out to different vehicles

Green Flag refused to come out to me after I called them the 3rd time in a few months to tow me home because I had a flat and had left my locking wheel nut thingy at home :rolleyes:

This is what the RAC do with call outs:

Depending on your type of membership, during each membership year you have the right to call us out to give breakdown assistance a number of times. We call this your breakdown entitlement.
Remember - if you call out an RAC Patrol or contractor, and you are an RAC Solutions Member or a member with Standard cover, your No Call-Out Discount will be affected.
Your breakdown entitlement
   Five calls out per year if you have personal membership with or without one listed vehicle;
   Six call-outs per year if you have joint membership or personal membership with two or three listed vehicles;
   Seven call-outs per year if you have family membership for up to five people;
   If you are a member with five or more completed years your fair call entitlement will increase by an additional two call-outs.
   If you change your membership cover, your call-out entitlement will be adjusted if appropriate.
   Please note that when you have reached your entitlement under Fair Call, you may not change your membership cover within the current membership year and we reserve the right to renew your membership offering a lower breakdown entitlement the following year.

If you exceed your entitlement you will have to pay additional charges, set by us, which will be the cost we incur in attending such call-out, and such charge will be no less than £59 per call-out, payable prior to us providing the Roadside or At Home service only. We will let you know when you are approaching your maximum entitlement.

Fair Call was introduced in 1989 to protect the majority of members, ensuring that the highest level of service is always delivered. Only a small percentage of members are affected.

Basic Cover allows:
   One call-out if you are a single member;
   Two call-outs if you have joint membership;
   Three call-outs if you have family membership

You will have to pay an additional charge set by us for any call-outs in addition to those set out above. This additional charge will be the cost we incur in attending such call out, and such charge will be no less than £49. You will have to pay this additional charge by credit or debit card when you telephone us requesting assistance; but no other method of payment will be accepted. We accept American Express, Diners Club, Mastercard, Switch, Visa and Visa Delta cards.

You should also note that once you have reached your Basic Cover breakdown entitlement during your membership year, you cannot suspend your membership.

Except for the above differences, Basic Cover operates under the same terms of membership as Roadside and At Home.

If you do not exceed your entitlement, most call-outs will not involve you in any additional costs for our attendance. One exception is battery related breakdowns where your membership entitlement is as follows:

Battery related faults
Our initial attendance for a battery related fault is included in your membership entitlement. There is no charge for that attendance.
The fitting of any parts or batteries purchased by you prior to our attendance are not covered. That is to ensure that parts are fitted from reputable sources in order to avoid secondary call-outs.
Our patrol will test your battery at that initial breakdown attendance. If the battery is no longer serviceable and so fails the test you will be advised to replace it.
If you call us out again and we identify the same fault as a problem caused by the same battery, you will have to pay an additional charge set by us. This will be advised to you at the time of the call-out but will the cost we incur in attending such call-out and such charge will be no less than £49 for any such call-out.
You will be invoiced separately for any such additional charges.
If we do not receive the payment within 14 days of the invoice date your membership will be cancelled without refund.

This is the AA policy on call outs.

1. Further premiums during membership year:
We have placed limits on the number of call-outs that can be made in any one subscription year.

If the relevant annual call-out limit relating to your membership is approached, we will write and point this out so you have the opportunity to explain the high level of use of the service, before we take further action.

If the relevant call-out threshold, set out below, is reached the AA will be entitled to charge a further additional premium for each and every subsequent call-out. Whilst (and subject always to the terms and conditions of membership) your membership will continue until next renewal, we will, in these circumstances, also be entitled to restrict the level of breakdown service(s) available to you to Roadside Assistance and, if applicable to your level of membership, Home Start. Further we will have the right to cancel your membership if you reach or exceed the relevant threshold in two consecutive membership years (see General Terms of Contract, clause 20).

Service limits
Total membership service limits for all Options in relation to further premiums:

Single Membership

5 call-outs in membership ("subscription") year

Joint Cover

6 call-outs in subscription year

Family Cover

6 call-outs in subscription year


The above are the overall call-out limits which currently apply to a membership in a full subscription year.

Where applicable call-outs made by persons entitled to assistance under Joint or Family cover will be taken into account when calculating whether the service limit has been reached under a particular membership.

Within the overall service limits set out above, members will, where such cover is held and irrespective of whether their membership, is Single, Joint or Family membership, only be entitled to a total of three (3) requests for Relay Plus service in any one subscription year.

2. Service Premiums at Renewal:
If the relevant permitted maximum total of call-outs, as set out below, is reached or exceeded within the last subscription year or, if not reached or exceeded in the last year, over the last two years, we will be entitled to ask you for an increased subscription price for the following year.

Service limits for all Options in relation to Service Premiums (applicable only to members of less than 15 years continuous roadside assistance cover):

Single Membership

Total of 5 call-outs over the last one or two subscription year(s)

Joint Cover

Total of 5 call-outs over the last one or two subscription year(s)

Family Cover

Total of 6 call-outs over the last one or two subscription year(s)


Unless high use of the service continues, the increased price will only be applicable for one year. The revised subscription price will be reflected in your annual membership renewal documentation.