Self supporting; a young cancer charity

When a very special, vital and great fun Auntie died in Ireland recently after a very brief illness I was more affected by this than I cared to admit.  I couldn’t go to the funeral which might have helped me grieve but ever since I have felt I wanted to do something to celebrate her life in a meaningful way.

Coincidentally and without knowing this, Graham, who looks after my business website, mentioned another website he had built for a cancer charity called Cancer Buddies Network. I had a look and was so impressed with the support concept that could have helped me then that I have agreed to donate all my motoring club’s joining fees starting in April to this excellent cause in memory of my dear Aunt Alice.

Having done this I feel better myself.  I hope we get a lot of new members in April!

My business is called FOXY Lady Drivers Club by the way, hence the name of this weblog.

If any of this rings a bell with you, have a look at the Cancer Buddies Network and if you know anyone, their family or friends, going through this or who have recently gone through this, make sure they know about this special support on offer.

Feeling a bit sad tonight.

Foxy Steph

Always check before you buy

Last year used car sales prompted the highest level of complaints in 2007 according to the UK consumer body Consumer Direct.

Nearly 42,000 were about used cars sold by independent dealers and a further 13,000 were about nearly-new cars bought from franchised dealers, where you’d expect stringent quality controls to be in place.

Speaking to female motorists on a regular basis it’s clear that few of us realise that we have no legal redress when we buy a used car from a member of the public and it turns out to be a dud. Worse than that, remarkably few of us carry out any checks to see if the car is either genuine or fully paid for before we buy it.

I wouldn’t buy a used car without a pre-purchase check to be sure it is what it says it is - there’s a real risk that some have outstanding finance for example, so I recommend the HPI check or an RAC one if the car costs less than £5000.

Otherwise buy a used car that comes with approved checks like Network Q and Ford Direct. Then you’re more likely to have a good car deal, some peace of mind and a sympathetic hearing if it then does go pearshape.

From my experience I find that many dealers sell used cars with a very short ‘warranty’ of some 1 or 2 months, without explaining that if the car goes wrong during the first six months they (the dealer) are required to prove that they did everything reasonable to check that the car was fit for purpose. Just recently I’ve heard of several cars that appear to have had no pre-sale check; they’ve just been wiped over and put on the forecourt.

Check everything thoroughly before you buy!

Yours foxily

Steph

As April approaches…

Hi there - this is my first blog so I hope you like it.

I’m always interested in new and innovative websites that cover my particular business area of motoring services for women.

Here are a couple I love and that are definitely worth visiting for a different outlook on everyday motoring matters.

http://www.chelfing.com

http://www.petroldirect.com

Let me know what you think of them on Tuesday.

Yours foxily [as in shrewd, canny and smart ;-)]

Foxy Steph