My daughter is two years old and has now had her first trip in the Chim. It started reasonably well, and then got progressively worse and ended up with a clear message that she didn't want to go in it again.
The car seat was the first puzzle. Getting it in the car under the roofline was tough but actually once it was in, it secured in very nicely. We have the maxi cosy thingy with the red bits and the ...oh, OK - so I have no idea what we have but it fits, it is secure and with the roll bar as well, no harm will come.
If getting the seat in the car was hard, getting the child in the car was harder. Beacuse the car seat is quite high, the apeture through which to place said child in said Tiv becomes very small. I eventually managed to get her in by offering her up horizontally through the gap like a sacrificial lamb. Once in, straps were easy enough to engage and she settled in nicely for the drive ahead.
I turned the key, the engine caught, and she nearly wet herself with fear. Big noises and two year old baby girls don't always mix well. Evetually the tears stopped and we drove off. She was rather silent throughout apart from when I asked her if she was OK to which the reply was always "No Daddy car". OK - so she hasn't fallen in love with it.
But the trip got worse. I took her with me to pick up some cash from a garage that owed me money on a car they had sold. I got there and left her sitting patiently in the car. Five minutes later, I got back into the car to find she had kicked the entire top of the dashboard off the car (NOTE: email seller about why the hell he replaced everything on the car except the dashboard reatining nut!!). It didn't take long to get back into position and keep it there with a new nut but it wasn't a great moment.
When we finally arrived home - she couldn't wait to get out. Since then she has refused to go anywhere near the car and I think we won't see her in it again for some time.
If I'm honest - this was a real disapointment. I had hoped she would love this car and we would enjoy hours fo father and daughter fun in it for years to come. Sadly - it's going to have to wait until she's a bit older.
In other news - some bloke came up to me in the street and offered me £17k for the car. I obviously attempted to bite his hand off but after we'd exchanged numbers he never called. Even worse, it made me think about the potential value of the car so I put it on Pistonheads for £15k to see what happens. What happened was a barrage of abuse from the forum and no enquiries. Anyway - it's still up there. If someone out there wants to spend £15k on a Chim, it might as well be mine!
The long weekend brings with it the chance to take the car out to a couple of shows. The Croxley Green 'Cars on the Green' on Sunday and the Royal Grammar School in High Wycombe Car show on Saturday. Anyone who wants to see the car in the flesh is welcome to have a poke around.
Photos and video of the weekend's antics to come next week.
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