Courtesy Car

Is it just me or does it seem that every time you take your car in for a service or repair the courtesy car you are given is in no way similar to the car you bring in? We all buy a car making sure it matches our needs. This may be the need to get a certain number of passengers on board (the kids), to transport a pushchair around town or on a more aesthetic level one that makes you look good.

So why is it that you end up with a replacement car the only benefit it has is that nobody will steal it. The last one I had felt like it was going to blow over in the wind, and any passengers on board had to spend their journey sniffing their knees. Not much use for me.

I think that this is a missed opportunity from car makers; they could use this time to get me test driving a new model. Showing me a car that I will fall in love with, one that I may purchase next time or at the very least will rave about to friends. A dealership in Bradford has started to offer bikes to customers instead of courtesy cars. You have to applaud their green credentials but wonder how someone with a partner and two kids manages - perhaps they offer a basket on the handle bars for your pushchair!

How a Catherine Tate character coped with the delivery of a hire car