Lost in Guildford
Just what does Guildford have against proper road signing? I only ask because I found myself trapped in Guildford town centre for a while this afternoon, after coming off of the A3 at the wrong exit. It seems that if you want to go to London, Dorking, Leatherhead or Bagshot, the town is happy to show you the best way out to those destinations with plenty of signs. The trouble wa that I didn't want to go to any of these places: I was trying to get back on the A31 to Farnham (and from there back to Crapchester). Were there any signs telling me how to do this? No, there were not. There were signs for the station which, I eventually realised, was also the route for the A31 and Farnham. But not being a local, this wasn't automatically obvious to me. Quite why the local authority couldn't simply have put up signs for Farnham is beyond me. Still, if nothing else, I did get to see Guildford town centre, where a lot of people I know go shopping. I don't think I'll be doing any shopping there - after today's experience I don't think that I ever want to see the place again.
But why was I on the A3, let alone mistakenly in Guildford, I hear you cry. Well, I was on my way back from Surbiton, where I'd been looking at some second hand Saabs. (You have to travel these days to find the used car you want, particularly if it is a lower production marque like Saab). I didn't like any of them enough to make any offers. Of the two 9-3s and one 9-5 I saw, I wasn't terribly impressed. Mechanically sound, but tatty interiors and scruffy bodywork. The main one I was interested in, a 9-3 automatic, for example, had a badly worn dashboard, (with some of the button legends completely indecipherable), a faulty radio and externally had a bad scuff mark and visible dent on the driver's side rear quarter. Plus, it need a service and the washer reservoirs were low on fluid. I know the latter two things because the car told me - Saab's can be real blabbermouths, as their dashboards include a driver information screen which relays all manner of information about their current status. The bottom line was that, despite showing a mileage half that of my current car, it was actually in slightly worse physical condition.
So, my search for a replacement car goes on. This is the bit of buying a second hand car that I hate: all the traipsing around bleak car yards, looking at cars which turn out not to match their descriptions or pictures on Auto Trader or Exchange and Mart. It's particularly tedious when you have to travel any distance to see the bloody things. I know that part of the problem this time around is that I'm being such a cheapskate with regard to what I'm prepared to pay. It does limit the field, somewhat, and means that you end up looking at a fair number of clunkers. That said, having checked my bank account again today, I've decided that looks healthy enough for me to up my budget, which, in turn, means that I can look at some Saabs up for sale a bit closer to home. They are also higher spec, slightly newer and, hopefully, in better condition. Still, a day looking at Swedish cars in Surbiton and getting lost in Guildford beat being at work. Don't worry, I'm not going to go off on another tirade about my employment situation. Suffice to say that my escape plans are advancing.
But why was I on the A3, let alone mistakenly in Guildford, I hear you cry. Well, I was on my way back from Surbiton, where I'd been looking at some second hand Saabs. (You have to travel these days to find the used car you want, particularly if it is a lower production marque like Saab). I didn't like any of them enough to make any offers. Of the two 9-3s and one 9-5 I saw, I wasn't terribly impressed. Mechanically sound, but tatty interiors and scruffy bodywork. The main one I was interested in, a 9-3 automatic, for example, had a badly worn dashboard, (with some of the button legends completely indecipherable), a faulty radio and externally had a bad scuff mark and visible dent on the driver's side rear quarter. Plus, it need a service and the washer reservoirs were low on fluid. I know the latter two things because the car told me - Saab's can be real blabbermouths, as their dashboards include a driver information screen which relays all manner of information about their current status. The bottom line was that, despite showing a mileage half that of my current car, it was actually in slightly worse physical condition.
So, my search for a replacement car goes on. This is the bit of buying a second hand car that I hate: all the traipsing around bleak car yards, looking at cars which turn out not to match their descriptions or pictures on Auto Trader or Exchange and Mart. It's particularly tedious when you have to travel any distance to see the bloody things. I know that part of the problem this time around is that I'm being such a cheapskate with regard to what I'm prepared to pay. It does limit the field, somewhat, and means that you end up looking at a fair number of clunkers. That said, having checked my bank account again today, I've decided that looks healthy enough for me to up my budget, which, in turn, means that I can look at some Saabs up for sale a bit closer to home. They are also higher spec, slightly newer and, hopefully, in better condition. Still, a day looking at Swedish cars in Surbiton and getting lost in Guildford beat being at work. Don't worry, I'm not going to go off on another tirade about my employment situation. Suffice to say that my escape plans are advancing.
posted by Doc Sleaze at
10:18 pm
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