Prices up, MPG up

Just in time – I’m writing this a couple of hours after filling up the The Special’s most frugal fleet member – and with a tanker filling our local filling stations tanks yes, prices were going to go up again.

And those price spikes have seen the Nippa brought out of the garage and pressed into service.

It’s the car The Special’s had the longest and was bought to cut running costs. More than 15 years ago an automatic Volvo 244 combined with non-payment from a trade magazine (for features written) saw Mrs Special deciding something more economical was needed.

And that night when she was out, The Guv’nor found this little gem on a dealer forecourt on the outskirts of town. It’s been part of the fleet since. Others have come and gone yet the perky Nippa, which only ever needs servicing these days, just goes and goes.

Pressed back into service as petrol prices continue to rise, it’s time to reflect on how good the Nippa’s been. Starts first go, slots into any parking space, has plenty of room and being so basic there’s very little to go wrong. Central locking? From the driver’s seat you can unlock all the doors. Who needs electric windows? They’re a pain when they fail…. And no radio? We’ll survive.

OK, along the way it’s had a new floor and new rear inner arches but other than servicing plus batteries, clutch and two radiators, it just goes. Really, we should’ve worked out how much a mile it’s cost as we’ve kept all the paperwork since buying it but as it’s achieved ‘keeper’ status we’re not worrying..