Having had the pleasure of driving a brand-new rental Renault Scénic 1.9TDI MPV during a two-week >3000km expedition through parts of Western Europe in May 2006, it became horribly evident that having to return to the old Clio was going to be… let’s just say painful.
Though hardly the kind of car I could see myself driving around in on a daily basis, the Scénic was perfectly suited for the purpose it was rented for and afforded ample space for three adults, one kid, a small dog, and two weeks worth of luggage and dirty laundry.
All things considered, it’s a fine family car. To make matters more interesting, it had a navigation system (which is absolutely essential in a little town like Paris) as well as an adequate sound system.
It should therefore come as no surprise when I say that having to go back to driving a rather humble old Clio on a daily basis was a less than pleasant experience. In fact, that car became a fucking embarrassment!
…which still had no sound to speak of.
Adding potential injury to the existing insult, the Clio was due for its service. The prospect of having to shell out more for the inspection and repairs than what the thing is actually worth is — needless to say — a rather unpleasant idea, too.
So the obvious and long overdue decision was to replace it.
Thus, all personal projects were put on hold for a while until, several days on the internet later, there was a certain VW that stood out and raised my interest: the price was reasonable and the requirements were met…
Everything just fit right in: the timing, the facts, the figures, the price — and the dealer was even prepared to accept the old Clio as a trade-in. Yeah!
