Greetings

[Gryffindor]

Hello to all you old hands out there from a new recruit. I'm a mid 50s truck driver in Essex, have sat on the committee of my local historical society for 19 years and counting, and look a lot like my handle including his hairstyle, though the intention was to go to re-enactments as a Viking. The best nickname I ever had was Ayatoller. It was coined by my Geordie foreman when I was a screen-printer long ago, because I am 'ayer' and toller' than most people, at 6'6" high in my boots.

Just getting the feel of my 'new' Bee. It's a 53 reg 1.4i Forte in super condition, 55k miles and a flawless MOT history (not even a single advisory ever - but I will doubtless fix that next time!), and a full service history (even the cambelt's been done).

However whoever ordered it new had unusual preferences - it has the aircon option which I think is very unusual (?) (it even works!) but doesn't have heated rear window or mirrors (!). It also has a front passenger seat which turns through 90 degrees at the press of a button, installed for an earlier owner's very disabled mum. My mum is in better health, but having broken the same hip twice this will a welcome touch for her. When this car goes I'll keep the seat.

Not my first Bee - I had a 53 1.6 Desire from 2011 to 2017, adding 80k to its original 80k, but I kept rubbing the top shelf with my head which is why I went for a Forte this time. Would have preferred a First as the tailgate is also a bit low for me, and a bigger engine than a 1.4, but this one's condition won over and I can manage.

Had a Ford Transit Tourneo Connect in between; quite nice as I grew up as a kid with ordinary Transit vans which are second nature to me, but it didn't fit me properly (B pillar blind spots through having to have my seat so far back caused three near misses at T junctions) and it was a MAV which cast £800 to insure, so I just had to go back to a Bee. Another point - the Connect is 6'6" high which sounds great until you try to drive into your garage or a car park! Ford slipped up there - even just half an inch less would have made a big difference. As mine was MAV it came with lowerable rear suspension, so I used that to get it under some things.

I'll be going through old posts here to see if the subjects have already been covered, but my current wishes are to install heated mirrors (not bothered about the rear window) but not sure it the timeout feature requires a link via the ECU (the Haynes manual doesn't include the heated mirror circuit!); and though the suspension is fine for me I would like a softer one for mum. There seems no possibility out there, even Chevronics in Hitchin advised this, but I wonder whether shocks/springs from another car, maybe a 2CV, might work. Anyway we'll see what the forum has to say.

TTFN, Rasputin.