How My Car Has Changed - Writer's Blog

Once you get past the age of around 30 it is quite astonishing to look back at all the vehicles you’ve owned or driven to see how they change as you grow older. In many ways I still remember the day I bought my first car – which was a used Citroen C2 over ten years ago now – like it was yesterday, although when I look back at all the cars I’ve had since then it seems like another lifetime. The C2 was a brilliant little run around for me and I never had a single problem throughout the time that I owned it, but I couldn’t see myself driving one again – or any other supermini for that matter.

I drove the C2 for a couple of years until I moved out of the house and got a flat with my girlfriend. It was then that I decided something larger was needed, not only for work but for everyday life and weekends away. I am someone who puts driveability before comfort in most cases, but my girlfriend was the opposite – she is all about the interior, the equipment and how new it looks. We couldn’t afford a new car so consequently we began looking at lease deals and eventually settled on a contract hire Ford Focus.

The Focus is an excellent car and it’s a model I’d definitely be happy driving again, even now. What I like most about the Focus is that it’s an excellent all-rounder and delivers on all fronts. For me, it was a lot of fun to drive and probably the most reliable vehicle I’ve driven to date. For my girlfriend, the interior was excellent and we got a top spec model so that we had the full range of standard equipment.

The leasing agreement worked perfectly for us at the time, however at the end of the 36 months we were in much more financially stable position and decided on a used BMW 1 Series. At the time my wife (we got married shortly before the end of the Focus lease) wasn’t happy about going back to a driving a used vehicle, but in fairness it was only 8 months old and it saved us over £2,500 on what it would have cost us to buy a new BMW 1 Series.

The 1 Series is a superb car and for me it is probably the most exciting vehicle I’ve driven to date. We went with a petrol model so it used to cost a little more than it would have had it been a diesel to fill up, but in my opinion it was well worth it for the quality of the driving experience. Probably the one slight negative we had with the 1 Series, which is ultimately why we sold it after 18 months, was the limited amount of space both inside the cabin and the boot.

As a result we decided a crossover would suit us better and ended up going for a contract hire Audi Q5. The Q5 is an incredibly reliable four wheel drive and its versatility is second to none when it comes to crossovers. The interior is nothing short of exquisite and I must admit it’s a far more enjoyable drive than I ever could have expected. Even with a diesel engine it packs a decent punch and it has actually led to the motorway being my favourite place to drive now, down to the fact that the Q5 is an excellent cruiser.

I would have to consider myself lucky with regards to the cars I’ve owned and driven; I’ve never had any trouble with any of them and I think we’ve made smart decisions. My wife loves the height that you get with a 4x4 and she’s already been looking at Range Rover Sport leasing deals for our next motor! I’m going to have to find a way to deepen my pockets!