Anyway, 2018 was good. Settled in to retirement, stopped (nearly) pining for my old Honda NC750, and got to grips with life in the slow lane.
2019, and things got a little hectic. Son moved out, we covered ridiculous miles looking for a new home, them we moved out, and ran away to Devon.
So that was the short version. Continuing with a motoring theme, we found that the roads down here are not really suited to an SRi Astra. Wide, and low profile tyres, combined with low and slightly sporty suspension do not work well with potholes, mud, slurry, unidentifiable lumps, sheep, and random spring water.
The above, together with the prospect of new tyres, a service, and a new cam belt, made us look for something more appropriate.
High on my list was a Defender SWB, Range Rover, or Ford F150. Not surprisingly, Julie thought something a little more in the 'value' bracket was in order. We decided on a Dacia Duster.Don't laugh. We have a '17' Plate, 2x4 version, which is returning 55mpg, and copes with every thing the south west peninsular can throw at it - including stupid old gits who drive in to it in car parks.
Although it lacks off-road ability, being 2x4 and not something I plan on needing, it has 'proper' size tyres, softer suspension with longer travel, better ground clearance, and being a little narrower in the beam, means it is most suited to life in the lanes.
So if you want something practical, comfortable, economical, and priced right, you can't do much better than a Duster - Renault technology, Romanian pricing.
I still miss riding the bike :(
