Recently my 13 year old Fiat Punto needed some work doing on it. The bill was going to total around the £700 mark and having paid out a lot for it in the past I decided it was time to trade it in for something a little more reliable and new. I settled on a 58 plate Vauxhall Corsa, only 11k on the clock and the same 1.2 litre engine as my Punto.
When I picked the car up I was sad to see my little workhorse of a Fiat go, it was a great little car. Cheap on petrol (~380 miles on a 45 litre tank), cheap on insurance (£250 fully comp) and was a nippy little thing around town and on the motorway. But the time had come and I drove happily off the forecourt in my new pride and joy. Driving to work the next day up the long uphill drag out of Dover I suddenly changed my mind. It was struggling up the hill. I know it’s a bit heavier and I know different cars need different driving styles but this was ridiculous.
Asking around various people in the trade there was a general view that the 1.2 engine is simply not enough for the car, it needs high revs and lots of right boot to get it going. Fair enough, I can do that. So I do. I then watch the petrol guage sink towards empty faster than the speedo climbs up.
In short I’m very disappointed. How is I that by buying new I have actually gone several steps back. So much for modern cars being more economical and efficient. My insurance is £200 extra, road tax the same and fuel bill almost doubled!
Don’t get me wrong, the car is great around town without passengers but I thought being more modern would be better.
The same can be said for other tech as well. The iPhone 4 and it’s reception issues, countless product recalls of all sorts. Modern technology always seems to be one step behind the past.