UPDATE: Well, I did it. On Thursday, I caught a bus to Inverness just before 9.00. Got to Inverness shortly after 10. Went to the bank and got lots of cash, and then got the bus to the airport. (Interestingly enough, the bus to Inverness came to £11, the bus to the airport cost £5, and the flight to Heathrow cost £55.)
The flight ended up being delayed, and it was just before 6 pm that I got off the plane at Heathrow. I followed the seller's directions to the drop-off area, and saw an aquamarine Berlingo outside before I even got to the door. He was very friendly and talkative - he had a lever arch file full of old receipts and went through them all with me. He also showed me various items that he was leaving in the car - including jump leads, and a CD rom which apparently has the Haynes manual on it!
I had a test drive, and it seemed reasonable. The car interior wasn't bad. Compared to my last Berlingo, it was about the same to drive - the interior wasn't quite as good, and the exterior was better.
I didn't attempt any serious negotiating on price. I guess I should have offered £1500, but I offered £1600, and he agreed to take £1570.
So at 7 p.m. I headed for my sister's house, and spent the night there. It was the first time we had met since my Dad's funeral last year. Then on Friday, I had a long day's drive up to my mother's house in Perthshire. I've never seen so many traffic cones in my life - road closures and roadworks all over the place. And then home on Saturday.
So far, I've done about 760 miles - which is interesting because the previous owner averaged about 3000 miles per year. Seems to be running fine. Tomorrow I'll take it to the one man garage I've been going to for years, so that it can have a check up.
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