It has given me 82000 miles of pleasant motoring. I looked after it extremely well. Until this year had cost me little in repairs, but in the last few months it was beginning to cost me money, so I decided that if there was something suitable, I would make the change.
And last week I found a car which ticked all the boxes. I am now the proud owner of a 7 seater Renault Grand Scenic TomTom Privilege people carrier.
It is a diesel engine, my first. So the annual road tax is half of that of the Mazda. The diesel engine is very frugal, and I am looking at 55mph, twice the Mazda range. it is a1.5 engine compared to the Mazda's 2 litre. It has a 6 speed gearbox.All in all outgoings will be considerably reduced.
The Renault does have a few quirks. It is a keyless system. the car unlocks as you approach and locks as you walk away. There is built in SatNav, but it only works when the radio is on. Not the best of design. And there is no spare wheel, rather a sealing system with an electric pump.
So on Monday as we had an errand to run, it was the first chance to try it out on the road to Dunblane.
Dunblane will for ever be remembered as a result of the massacre at the local primary school, where a deranged gunman entered the school on the 13th March 1996 and shot dead 16 five year old children and their teacher before killing himself.
I was teaching in Glasgow at the time and still remember the sense of horror and shock that spread throughout the country.
It changed forever the way schools were viewed, and brought an end to the open door policy which had existed till then.
Dunblane of course is also the home town of Andy Murray, the great tennis player.
It is a pretty little town, with a large cathedral and some interesting buildings. It lies just off the main road between Stirling and Perth.
Some photos I took today in Dunblane.
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