Ford Focus Estate year 2000

Sorry, have just read the comments on my car blog and you are all right of course, I did not tell you much about the car or how we came by it. I will try to put it right.

Yes it is a lovely car, and yes I have already mentioned to Dave about how much more we can pack in it and he has once again reminded me that it is not the quantity but the weight that worries him!.

It was definitely a God send to us, our car had the air conditioning broken and we had plenty of quotes (cheapest 600 Euro) We had been saving for months and months to get it done and was about to pay out the 600 Euro when I had to go to England, Dave had his accident a few days before it was due to be taken in for the air con.!

Not only did we not waste the 600 on a car that was about to go to heaven BUT we now had 600 towards the next car.

Ernie and Mary owned the car we brought (you know the ones that we had fallen out with) they had offered us the car when Ernie was passing and noticed that our car was missing, once Dave told him what happened he said they had finally sold their house and were about to sell their car as well. As they wanted a very quick last minute sale they offered it to us for 3,000 Euro. Dave knew it was a bargain as Ernie had never used it more then once a month to the hospital and chemist. The mileage was very, very low. It had been serviced every year and was up to date with its m.o.t. in short quite a bargain.

The deal was almost in the bag when the man buying their house phoned to say they would not complete until April/May of next year. Ernie phoned up to say how sorry he was but he could not sell the car now until April or May and as we needed one sooner the deal was now off. Dave was miffed to say the very least and tried to get me to phone back and say that if we brought it they could still use it until they go, I would not do it.

The phone rang about 9.30 that evening and it was Ernie who apologised for the late call but wanted to put a suggestion our way. How would we feel if they shared the car with us until April? for this they would knock 1,000 Euro off the price! Also we need not pay in one lump; we could spread it out until April. We said a quite “thank you God” and accepted his offer. Man oh Man, we had what we wanted with 1,000 bonus!!

The only difference was that as soon as the money came through from the Insurance we paid in full. Yes that was another thing, Dave spent the day going between the breakers yard and the Insurance Company arguing his case about only getting scrap price for it as he was fully comp. After about four visits a very exasperated lady promised to do what she could. Dave returned home without much hope of improving the quote much. The next day (two days after Ernie’s offer) a Spanish message had been left on our answering machine for Dave, Pillar happened to pop in and Dave asked her what it said. She said it is from an insurance company saying the money has been put into your bank. Once she had left Dave looked at the bank statement on the web…Nothing… The next day he looked again and 4,000 Euro less the 400 scrap price had been put in!!

We now had a car worth a lot more than 3,000 for 2,000 which left another 2,000 in the bank!

Dave is having his much needed treatment on his teeth done, he has already had root treatment and then the tooth repaired ( three visits) in all 150 Euro, he is about to have another the same on the other side and then a tooth removed and a replacement put onto his existing plate. We estimate that it may cost about anything up to 600 Euro. It is a private Dentist. Me? Well I had my computer done as you all know and the rest is not to be used unless it is very much needed.

The final piece of this story is that the man buying Ernie and Mary’s house phoned the other day to say he had sold and wanted to move in after Christmas! Ernie and Mary went to England and brought a lovely cottage in Devon, so the car is all ours from January.

Tina Spain