This is my original blog for all our non-caravanning trips since 2009 and more recently posts about coming to terms with being single again having been widowed in 2018. And anything else too really!

My caravanning blog is (Get Your) Legs Down and all our trips in the caravan are there. My grog blog is The Ale Archive where I list every beer I’ve ever tried.

Saturday 22 February 2014

Richard’s Wrecks – Number Three

Next cab off the rank – in more ways than one – a 1989 Nissan Bluebird Executive 2.0 i Auto.

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There was quite a gap between my last car – the Nova – and this. I’d left home, bought my own place – a park home about 11 miles way – and happily cycled the 10 miles too and from work everyday. I was lean, fit and the money saved from not running a car went in to holidays – mainly down under to New Zealand & Australia.

It was around 1999 when thoughts started turning to getting another motor and it was at this time that Trev – a cabbie at the time was thinking of changing his car. Step forward the Bluebird.

It had spent a significant portion of it’s life as a taxi, but seemed none the worse for it. Full leather and electric everything, air-con, the works. With a deal involving some duty free cigarettes and Australian dollars the car was mine, and I loved it. The auto box made driving a pleasure, although a little pricey, returning only 22-24 mpg around town. It started needing some work during my tenure as it’s owner, a new exhaust, radiator core, engine mount and it was staring to emit small puffs of smoke when pulling away – due – I was informed – to worn valve stem seals. Extra thick oil improved this a little.

It was easy to drive, and in it’s day quite fast too. Trev even used it for while doing parcels when he returned to work following his heart op.  All good things come to an end of course and it was eventually passed to Trev’s brother-in-law as payment for concreting our drive. Ray had the car a number of years and loved it too.

One of my favourites.

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