New Discovery Driver... in two days
It is not often in life you get to feel the way I feel right now... I don't know how some of you guys who have waited months for your cars to arrive coped.
Last week, with the wife's hormones all screwed up due, in part, to the upcoming addition to our family,agreed that it would be easier for the 4 (nearly 5) of us if we had a seven seater. Eager to pounce, particularly before the hormones change again, I shopped around for a suitable vehicle.
My first choice was a MY10 D4 2.7. Then, for a couple of grand more (sounded like very little at the time) I figured I could get a MY10 3.0 - new base line. From there, all I had to do was convince myself I was only adding a tiny bit each time I saw a new cool gadget (we all pretend we don't, but I do love gadgets)...
In the course of the week, I was using a new babies milk bottle to justify the need for a centre console cool box! After all, it was only a little bit more...
Oh oh... Put it all together, it is more than just a little bit, actually considerably more than the 2.7 I first looked at. Thank god it is end of year, I made a very special offer to a dealer for a stock car, promising settlement before the end of financial year (hence 2 days) and he capitulated.
So, the feeling of utter excitement and pure indulgence continues for two more days. I cannot wait, but at the same time, I want to keep feeling like this. It has been over 30 years since I could not sleep on Christmas eve, now, as a much older kid, I am feeling that way again - I may start giggling.
What makes the deal even better is that the car is in Queensland and I live in Sydney. They say that the most gratifying drive of your new car is the first drive home - mine is a long drive!
So, I am proud to say (and the bank is very happy to have approved a massive loan) that on the last day of the year, I will be driving home in my new MY11 3.0 HSE with 20", premium leather, surround camera, RSE, Hybrid TV, cooler box (wife does like that idea) all the tricky headlights and tinted windows!
I will be sad to have to part with my beloved R36 but I am sure the pain will be short lived.
PS - sorry for gloating, but is that not what kids do at Christmas???
The Bad, The Good & The Ugly!
This is a bit involved so hang in there.
The Bad.
Recently got myself a new dog, Queensland Mastiff, a cross between a Bull Mastiff, Neo Mastiff & Rottweiler. 12 months old & 55kg, a big dog.
Have had the Grandson (4) for a couple of weeks, all going well, he likes our Foster kids & is having a good time. Last Saturday, the day before he was due to go home, he & our 4 boys are up in the play tower laying on the floor calling the new dog. Dog (Bronco) jumps up & grabs Grandson on the face. Lots of blood a bit of screaming & off to hospital we go.
Thought no big deal, couple of stitches & he'll be OK, have a bit of a scar to impress the girls with.
Doctor turns up, that top cut is just under his eye, have to have a surgeon stitch it to make sure there is no nerve or eye lid damage, great.
1 hour latter I & the Grandson are on the RFDS plane to Mt Isa, my daughter & son in law have left Townsville to drive to Mt Isa & I'm feeling pretty bad about the dog.:(
The Good.
That night I phone the missus to let her know how things are going, she says since Corvin's Mum & Dad will be there by morning no point in me hanging about so she will drive down Sunday morning (this all happened last week-end) & pick me up.
She arrives Mt Isa Sunday about 1pm, all good in the Discovery with 5 Foster kids. Gets out & says the trip was good & that the car saved their lives!
How? Well she was driving down the hills road doing about 90 as it was in good nick, comes up a rise to a grid, slows a little crosses the grid straight into a deep, wide & rough bull dust hole. Everything ends up terribly sideways & on a lean that feels like it's all going to POO! She tries to steer into the slide but it's still looking about as bad as it gets, "We're stuffed!" she thinks, "We're going over" when the car does it's thing & shes back on 4 wheels heading more or less in the correct direction & slowed right down.
So as far as she is concerned the car saved her & that is that. Loves it even more now.
Just to make things a bit better the surgeon does a great job on Corvin & we're all smiles.:D
The Ugly.
So at about 5:30pm we head for home up the hills road me driving & the kids watching DVDs. The hills road runs from about 100k West of Mt Isa up to Gregory Downs. It's not a bad road but is quite rocky & has some twist & turns. I'm cruising along at 95 when I see a blade of rock sticking out of the road so I head to the left, just hit the rocks with the drivers side tyres & hear that THUNK, THUNK of a flat tyre.
It's dark by now so first thing I do is reach for the torch in the glove box, the torch has a flat battery, great.
The Missus sets the kids up on blanket in the middle of the road to have some BBQ chicken for dinner & I start changing a tyre in the bitch black.
First problem, find the little hole in the rail that the jack has to go into, takes a while.
Second problem, get the holder on the end of the spare tyre winch through the wheel center hole that seems so small, takes a while.
Third problem, trying to line up the wheel studs without being able to see them. 1 crushed finger & cut hand latter the spare it on, the flat wound up & the jack etc stowed away, took a while.
We finally arrive home at about 11:30.:mad:
So, an interesting week-end. The decision has been made to buy a head lamp thing, 2 X LED torches & a second spare wheel & tyre. The flat tyre has been sent to Mt Isa for repair but most importantly my wife not only had the confidence to drive the car to Mt Isa she took the hills road & now has even more confidence in the D3. Not necessarily the tyres though.
Love the D3 & would happily shoot the bloke who designed the spare tyre system as well as the bloke who decided 19" tyres were a good idea.:twisted:
Jonesfam
PS The dog is still about & did not get poisoned. he was just playing & unfortunately got the young fella just wrong. Neither my Daughter or Corvin have any malice towards the dog.
