Gemma’s brother Shaun came to visit this weekend, arriving on the train, but going home in a new (used) car.
Gemma had found the car for him on the Auto-Trader website, and from the pictures looked in really good nick. It was an ‘M’-reg Fiat Punto. We contacted the garage on the Friday evening to see if it was still available, because at the price that it was on for I don’t think it would have been there much longer! We travelled up to Preston to take a look at the car.
When we got there we found the car and it looked in far better nick than the photos gave it credit for. It was immaculate, just a couple of minor paint scratches on the bodywork, not that you’d notice them, and a small chip in one of the rear light clusters. Talking to the salesman it had been owned previously by an old woman, who had unfortuately passed away, and her husband was unable to drive.
The salesman also said that he’d had alot of interest in the car, and that he’d put it on too cheaply - I tend to agree with him, and I’d maybe have paid a couple of hundred more for it. Anyway Shaun and I took the car for a little test drive to check it out, and it seemed like a good little car. Shaun only passed his test in October ‘06 and hadn’t driven a car since, so was a little bit nervous getting behind the wheel 
We got back from the test drive and went into the office to discuss things with the salesman and showing how popular the car was he received a phone call asking about the car. After saying the car had gone he went on to tell us that while we’d been test driving some other people who’d been looking at it had had a right go at him cos they were ready to pay him there and then for it. When the salesman said that there was someone ahead of him in the queue (us!) the bloke said that it was an “F-ing Joke” and stormed out.
The attitude of some people really gets me going, if he wanted the car so much, why didn’t he get there earlier?!!!!
We got all the paperwork sorted, and then Shaun armed with the keys to his new car set off home with me in the car to give him some support. It was his first time on the motorway, bless him, and he was pretty nervous. But he did ok.
Shaun’s got his Pass Plus driving course on Thursday, we’ll keep our fingers crossed that he does well in it.
