Sorry for the recent lack of posts. It’s all been a bit manic recently. Fleet instability continues and I’m not at all sure that the Bluebird is going to be a long term contender. Which hardly makes it unique…

However, I clocked up a good 300 or so miles in it yesterday, which gave me plenty of time to get used to the blue seats, blue carpets, blue dashboard and even blue headlining. It really is very, very blue.

It really is very, very blue this Bluebird.

It is very comfortable though, with lots of adjustment. There’s lumbar control and you can even use a knob on the side of the head restraint to move it forwards or backwards to suit. It’s certainly not a bad way to travel, though having been spoilt with Citroen ride comfort, it does jiggle somewhat. That can be annoying after a while.

With tall gearing though, it’s all rather peaceful. I was able to listen to the Invisible Touch album by Genesis (also dating from 1986, like the car) without undue disruption from wind or road noise. The only downside is the handling. I think I’m going to blame the tyres rather than the car itself, but it does not like going around bends in the wet. I don’t know why people fit cheap tyres. They’re often rubbish!

Another problem is the noise of the engine. It’s really unpleasant. Thankfully it has lots of torque, so going above 3000rpm is not really necessary. I turned up the Genesis.

Any higher than this and it gets mightily unpleasant. It sounds horrible!

Of course the biggest problem is that the Bluebird is not really quirky enough for my tastes. Even with a dashboard that looks like that. Bright orange dials. What were they thinking? Yes, I do like the wiper and the chime for the headlights-on warning that appears to be a tiny pair of bells, but I also like cars that can corner.

Is it already time to move it on?

Last in is usually first out, though not always. I do need to try and stabilise the fleet once more though. I’ll have to see what I make of my latest purchase when I pick it up on Sunday…