Just a quick note on the Beamer

I mentioned we hired a Beamer.

I mentioned it was a diesel. 

I mentioned I am fundamentally allergic to diesel. 

Here’s something else.  Being diesel, I expected good mileage, and I think I did OK. I only topped up the gas when it got down to about 1/3 of a tank full. First time was £50 in Llandudno, then £52 in Oxford, then £62 in Truro, and finally £32 near Heathrow, where we dropped the car. Considering the tank will stretch to around 700 miles (not kilometres), and the fact we did 1740 miles on our drive, it looks good to me. This despite the fact that diesel is more expensive than petrol in the UK. It’s quite a bit cheaper than petrol in NZ. Still not bad at all. 

Now for some advice:

If you’re a deep end kind of thrill seeker, then hire whatever you want, and go hard. Pick a car that will add to your memories. 

If, like me, you’re a boring old fart who wants to stay well inside the comfort zone, then rent something like what you drive at home. If you drive a manual, then do that. If you’re used to an automatic, then get one. As I have said, in the UK you will pay a premium for automatic, but I promise you it’s worth it. I had three gps’s running in the Beamer, and it was great. While the roundabouts may have registered a 7.8 on the sphincter scale, everything else was made so much easier by having an automatic and an integrated GPS. The more you can keep inside your comfort zone, the less chance of disaster, and better chance of enjoying the experience.