I grew up in Dagenham where the Ford Dagenham factory was located. Families and friends I mixed with growing up had a connection with Ford in some way. It was very easy to either know someone who worked for Ford or know of someone who did. Ford was the most popular make of car to buy in the area I lived in. Helped by the friends and family discount Ford offered its employees. This made it inevitable that I would start my driving journey with Ford.
Learning to Drive With Ford
I didn’t rush to start my driving lessons as soon as I turned seventeen years old. But I did start my driving lessons that year, passing my text after my eighteenth birthday. I learned to drive with The AA Driving School taking weekly lessons. The choice of car for the driving instructors was Ford Fiestas. I remember the Fiesta had a bit of a makeover at the time and I loved driving it. This meant that I took my driving lessons and passed my driving test in a Ford.
My First Car Was A Ford
Having learned to drive and passing my test in a Ford Fiesta this was the make of car I wanted to purchase for my very first car. I was already in a steady job by the time I passed my test. I was very lucky that this gave me the option to look at purchasing a new car. At that time Ford Motors were offering a year free insurance as well as roadside assistance for a year with every new car purchased. This solved the problem of the high insurance new driver premium for my first year of driving.
My first car was a silver Ford Fiesta and I have great memories of my little car. Being on a Ford finance agreement it did mean that I had the option to change my car after three years. This meant my second car was a Ford Ka. It was the year that they introduced the body coloured bumpers to this model and I remember it being a big deal for me. Body coloured bumpers where high up on my car wish list at the time!
Looking After Ford Cars
Not all of my friends purchased new cars when they passed their driving tests. Most of them purchased used Fords and the boys spent lots of their free time working on them and improving them. This could be because their cars needed new parts to run or they just wanted to upgrade their car in some way.
Things were different then, the online World Wide Web was only just starting. I don’t even know if online shopping was a thing! I remember sourcing some of the car parts the boys required took quite some time. Now you can purchase parts online from places like MOTOR-DOCTOR.co.uk. Taking the stress out of finding the parts you require. There are even dedicated youtube.com channels that can help answer your questions and show you how to install the required parts. Looking after your car has really changed over the years.
DISCLOSURE – This is a collaborative post.
