One year into ownership ...

I've had my current car for just over a year now and I have three years to go before I am able to get rid of it. Whilst it's still early days yet, driving this car has actually been an enjoyable experience, although sometimes I do think what else I could be doing with the money spent.

Last year I bit the bullet and decided to put a Ford Focus XR5 (ST for the non Aussies) on a novated lease, due to the amount of kilometres I am currently doing. Whilst not the most fuel efficient car, I can honestly say that I look forward to the drive to/from work (provided I'm not stuck in a traffic jam). A little bit of added fruit on the car makes it even better to drive.

In terms of sheer driving experience, I probably can't say this car is better than a Nissan Skyline that I used to have (it could be the nostalgia goggles though). The straight 6 engine was smooth, it loved to rev and the steering and chassis balance was spot on. The Focus with it's 5 cylinder engine has a nice warble to it but doesn't rev as hard. Whilst also a front wheel drive, the chassis is set up quite well, especially with a stiffer rear swaybar.

It's probably the reason why this car (and others like the Golf GTI) are popular in Europe. Long service intervals, decent fuel economy and handling, power when you need it and none of the impracticalities of a sports coupe. Need to carry people? There's 4 doors and decent rear leg room. Need to carry a load? Drop the back seats and load it up.

The average lifespan of my cars has been two years to date. This car already will double that. When it comes to the end of the lease, I'm not sure what I'm going to do. With the amount of kilometres on the odometer, it's not going to be worth much. Provided the cost of fuel hasn't skyrocketed, I might just keep it....