Happily Ever After
Life in The Rural Retreat with a beautiful wife, three cats, garden wildlife, a camera, a computer – and increasing amounts about running
Earlier posts can be found on Adventures of a Lone Bass Player, where this blog began life. Recent entries can be found here.
Farewell, Old Friend
by Russell Turner - 16:53 on 01 November 2025
A few days after returning from York, Grandson of Seat went to the car doctor to be cured of the mystery squeak that’s ailed him for several weeks, whenever my foot’s not on his accelerator. I’d looked forward to a quiet journey to Jedburgh after enduring his complaints on the way to and from York and Lincoln. (Dr Spanner had assured me he was safe to drive.)
Sadly, the good doctor was unable to diagnose his condition and recommended that I take him to a shiny Seat dealer who may have encountered the trouble before and might be able to fix it, doubtless at vast main dealer expense. Which meant that my trip to the Borders was no quieter than the other long-distance trips.
At 108,000 miles, and having been under the spanner several times in the last 18 months, I’d known for a while that it was time to seek out Grandson’s successor, much as I was reluctant to part with a faithful friend who’d served me well for nine years. To that end, I’d already set up a search on Arnold Clark’s website incorporating what I required: Seat Leon (I stick with what I know), petrol, manual, low mileage. Unsurprisingly, the hit rate was low.
With time to kill last Sunday morning before the Jedburgh 10k, I checked the site and discovered a new addition in the previous 12 hours: 1.5litre Seat Leon, petrol, manual, seven months old 1,973 miles on the clock, £4,500 cheaper than Mr Clark asked for a brand new steed and £6,000 cheaper than the list price. A bargain. I sent a refundable £99 deposit and the car disappeared from the listings.
The only drawback was that it was stabled at Linwood Seat near Paisley and delivery was offered no further than Stirling or Dundee. I opted to drive down yesterday, all the admin and payment being done online. How did we used to manage?
Grandson of Seat’s final journey (with me, anyway) was a trip of two halves: pleasant back roads most of the way concluding with 10mph bumper-to-bumper traffic on the M8 which seemed to have roadworks its entire length. A monsoon just added to the driving experience, which saw me arrive for my appointment 30mins late.
An hour later, having concluded business (which included an inspection of GOS to confirm I’d been honest about his meagre trade-in value) and after a brisk tour of the new car’s bells an whistles (Mr Clark’s assistant remembered at the last minute to tell me how the electronic handbrake worked – I’d not even noticed there wasn’t a manual one), I drove very cautiously off the forecourt and inched back on to the M8 in the direction of my chosen Premier Inn, near Falkirk.
Planning my day, I’d imagined a simple canter from A to B, during which I’d begin to get a feel for my new steed. Rain and roadworks put paid to that, although the snail’s pace meant that on the three occasions I stalled (nine years of knowing when to change gear isn’t shaken off quickly) I didn’t delay traffic long.
I was more comfortable with him today and didn’t stall once. The dashboard and plethora of controls, which appear to have come from the Starship Enterprise, are beginning to make sense and I now know where to turn off the more nannying driver aids such as lane assist (although I have to do it again every time the car’s switched off, unless there’s somehow to permanently disable annoying assistance).
It’s not been love at first sight, such as Matchgirl enjoyed with her Mini, but I’m sure we’ll get along fine when we get to know each other better. In the meantime, I have to find him a name. Great-grandson of Seat is accurate but a bit of a mouthful. Instead, to celebrate my first car that’s not black, silver or white, I’m leaning towards Big Blue. Or maybe he’ll tell me his name when he trusts me. Time will tell.
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