Motoring Resolutions for 2014
So it’s now 2014, and as this is my first post since we turned over the calendars, I guess I’d better do something new year-ish. As usual in the motoring world, 2014 will see heaps of new versions and things being launched onto the Aussie market and you should be able to keep up with all the new developments on Private Fleet’s car reviews page. On the more personal front, the only big event in my motoring life for this year will be my teenage son going for his licence – I won’t be on the lookout for a new set of wheels (assuming neither the Ford nor my husband’s Nissan Navara work ute blows up). But it probably is time to draw up a list of New Year resolutions for driving. Perhaps the rest of you might like to use this as a little inspiration. After all, all of us could do with some improvements in our driving lives and habits somewhere.
- Keep the car clean inside and out. OK, my Fairlaine isn’t as messy inside as my friend’s Toyota Starlet but it’s high time I gave the seats and the floor of the car a good vacuum. And I need to take out the mats and give them a good shaking, followed by putting them back straight. Maybe finding a rubbish bag to corral old chocolate bar wrappers, receipts and cider bottle caps would be a good idea.
- Use the car less. How many of us have decided (yet again) that we are going to lose weight this year? Ditching the car for short journeys is one simple way of adding a bit more exercise (and is cheaper than a gym membership).
- Keep up the fluids. Oil, brake fluid, the radiator, the window washing fluid…
- Upskill in some area of my driving and car-related activities. Everybody’s got something that they could improve when it comes to cars. Perhaps you/I/we could work on parallel parking without relying overly on the parking assist cameras (one day, you’ll have to drive a car without them, so knowing how to do it without electronic aids is a real must). Perhaps backing a trailer. Perhaps learning how to do a bit more DIY when it comes to car maintenance and repairs – not every job requires a mechanic, after all. Or becoming more comfortable with a manual transmission system if you mostly drive an automatic.
- Sort through the collection of CDs in the car and rotate them so I don’t always end up listening to the same thing every time I get in the car. I’ve got rather eclectic taste in music but even so, I’d like a different set of choices from the options I’ve had over the last month or seven (for those interested, they are a collection of Celtic music, an obscure German electronica/trance album, several CDs of classical music and a Chris Rea album). Better still, see about getting a new audio unit that has USB input so I can plug in an MP3 player.
That should keep me busy for a while, anyway. Happy New Year to all of you and happy driving in 2014.
Level 2, 9 Help Street