Driving and owning a car

Disclaimer: Apologies for the god awful photo. I am the world's worst blogger and yes this was done in an absolute rush.

I have been a car mother for going three years now, it'll be that long since I started learning to drive in December and it's certainly been eye opening and I don't just mean learning to drive. Getting your actual shiny pink licence is only the beginning of your troubles and the whopping great big toll on your finances that occurs post getting a car really takes the biscuit. The biscuits you can't afford because her highness needs petrol.

And yes I name my cars and yes the delight you can see in the picture is my little princess and bane of my life Poppy (she just looked like a Poppy, ok?) but she is not my first car that was my beloved Max the Corsa (god rest his soul) who I hope is still in existence despite the fact he was bought by a girl with a history of writing off cars. I got him just after Christmas in December 2014 and the great thing about provisional insurance is it is less of a nightmare than real insurance, just. I managed to get a policy with Adrian Flux I believe for around £500, my Mam included and this set me aside enough time to pass my test come August 2015.

With the biggest thanks to Sue from Sue & Steve Driving (and apologies for being a nightmare with incredibly low self esteem) I passed my test with a single minor which in retrospect really wasn't anything much and even the examiner barely wanted to count it. So all in all I did good and then it all went to pot. See I was in a low paying job and could not afford insurance at all of any kind. I eventually made a deal with my parents to split the insurance down the middle and come October when I got an actual job (more on this later) I was paying £60 a month + tax + MOT + fuel for the freedom of going out when I like.

This was ok and then I lost my job. I cannot begin to express how bliddy hard it is to budget in order to make money last when you have a car and no job. Thankfully I had loving parents who helped me with all the important things and expected nothing from me however it still sucked. Come March however I got another job and not long after that said farewell to Max and hello to my gorgeous Vauxhall Agila Poppy.

Poppy was when I really started driving. I wasn't a nervous driver but I never really had the need to drive on roads that were unknown to me because I pretty much lived and survived on my test routes. With Poppy however events occurred that meant I had to travel more and this certainly opens you up to the wonders of the road. Nobody is perfect but there are plenty of arseholes out there that test their luck, you just have to ignore them and keep yourself safe. It certainly riles people when you aren't zooming down the duel carriageway at 90mph but there is no need. It used to stress me out getting overtaken constantly but now I don't care, I'm alive and that's what matters.

Poppy however is more expensive than Max was bar her road tax. Come the time my insurance needed renewing it didn't drop that much and to be fair I was really disappointed. Keep in mind that as a young driver it is so hard to get cheap insurance, some people like black boxes but I didn't find any policies at the time that were worth getting one. I'd definitely recommend shopping around on comparison sites and don't be disheartened when nearly every company refuses to insure you- it happens.

On the plus side owning a car is so liberating. Not having to rely on a tragic bus service to get you from A to B means more time for yourself and the important things in life like friends and family. You get to repay your lovely Mam and Dad for all the years they've ferried you about (even if they aren't always the best passengers.) You're the first person your friends call when they need a lift and the person with sole responsibility for the tunes that get played. Not to mention you do feel quite swaggy rolling up in the petrol station like the adult you are.

All in all it's been a weird and wild few years but I wouldn't have it any other way. While expensive the perks of having a car definitely out weigh the negatives and if anything it's an valuable life experience. And sunglasses holders, they're pretty rad too.