All change

Decided to change the CDs in the car and note that I don't exactly have a boom box approach to music in the car.

I haven't changed them for a while and when doing so I am always reminded of when we bought the car, a Ford Mondeo, 11 years ago when it was two years old. I was trading in a fairly old car and was being offered a mere £200 for it. I wanted at least £350 as I had just spent money on the brakes and new tyres but the salesman was not able to go that far as the car wasn't worth it.

I got the, "What can I offer you to have you walking out as the owner of this Mondeo?" and, suggested that, if they fit a CD changer in the car, that would do the trick. That might seem bizarre but CD changers were a relatively rare item except for high end cars at the time and we had already been told that supply and fitting of a changer would cost around £500. I realised that the cost to the garage would be nowhere near that and so we would both benefit.

My suggestion was dismissed outright as too high and, after a consultation with his manager, the salesman offered me the £350 that I wanted and we duly did the deal.

Move forward two weeks, I was washing the car lovingly in advance of us going on holiday for a week and when I looked under the front passenger seat, what do I find but the very item that I was prepared to give away my car for; it had been there all the time and I don't think for a second that the salesman had any idea about it or would have no doubt exploited that situation.