Drove to Central London from Petersfield, yesterday.
Sat in traffic for an hour on the A3/M25 fiasco that it's become.
Got pissed off with the amount of f'ing awful drivers that seem to be on the road these days.
Realised that Petersfield's petrol prices are higher than those in town.
Paid the ULEZ charge.
Paid 5 quid to park for 20 minutes
Ferried 4 adults and 3 kids to a pub in Dulwich for an overpriced, underwhelming pretentious meal.
After spending 20 years of driving HGV's, vans, bikes and cars all over the country for work, it killed driving for me. I thoroughly hate it. The knackered roads, shit driving standards and etiquette, the costs....police and speed cameras everywhere..... ROADWORKS!!!..... it's fairly unenjoyable on a day-to-day basis.
In amongst the negatives, the 22 year old bus took it all in her stride. She was good on fuel (I've noticed quite a difference since removing the secondary Cats), didn't mind the traffic, handled the battered roads and extra weight effortlessly and turned many heads through the streets of London
Since buying the bus (My 3 year old calls it the Russ-Bus on account that our surname is Russell which has made it even more endearing), I find excuses to go out in it. I don't mind working on it. I actually enjoy cleaning it and.... I'm honestly quite proud of it. Sure, she guzzles fuel like an Italian grandmother sinks bottles of wine, weighs the same as a 2 bed semi, speaks a language that nobody understands and has a few years under her expanded belt....but she's different.
She and her imported siblings all over the country are owned by people who think (and look) outside the very boring box of conventional vehicles. And much like myself, they all love theirs equally as much (Hence the OC Forum). Amongst the flaws of an Elgrand (and yes, there are quite a few), the pleasure outweighs the pain of owning and running one.
Enjoyable
Lively
Grand
Roomy
Adaptable
Nice
Different