Father Paul gears up for wind of change
The priest
at The Immaculate Conception in The Causeway is the proud owner of a new
open-topped Peugeot 307 - an unusual car for a clergyman but one he praises.
The convertible, leased from specialist clergy supplier Newgate Motoring
Solutions, "has been a great success. It's a super car, stylish and
comfortable, and the road handling is excellent," Father Martin commented.
Nigel Williams, Managing Director of Newgate Motoring Solutions, said that
although it was rare for priests and ministers to order open-top cars,
cabriolets were becoming more popular. "It's delightful to see a priest with
such an exciting, modern image, overturning what many people would regard as a
stereotype," he added. "Open-tops are marvellous for taking advantage of fine
weather and combined with their other benefits provide excellent value."
Father Martin said he had considered a Peugeot 207 cabriolet "but this model
has more space which I need since I use the car a lot for work. I travel at
least 1,000 miles a month and the parish is the biggest in which I've ever
worked, covering not only the town of Bicester but also 15 outlying villages. In
addition I have to regularly visit hospitals in Oxford and Banbury. "
He added: "I very much enjoy driving - in an earlier post I covered 50,000
miles a year. Comfort counts for a lot. The 307 feels solid and safe on the
road.
"At the touch of a button I can have the wind in my hair within 25 seconds. The
Oxford countryside is beautiful but the
variable English weather means I can't take advantage of the cabriolet as often
as I would like.
"Newgate have been excellent to deal with - very efficient and helpful," Father
Martin said. "They took my previous car as part exchange so I didn't need to
put up a deposit. They were recommended by other priests in the diocese who had
acquired cars through them. I've encountered no problems at all. For the kind
of car this is, the financial arrangements are very reasonable."
The priest at The Immaculate Conception in The Causeway is the proud owner of a new open-topped Peugeot 307 - an unusual car for a clergyman but one he praises.
The convertible, leased from specialist clergy supplier Newgate Motoring Solutions, "has been a great success. It's a super car, stylish and comfortable, and the road handling is excellent," Father Martin commented.
Nigel Williams, Managing Director of Newgate Motoring Solutions, said that although it was rare for priests and ministers to order open-top cars, cabriolets were becoming more popular. "It's delightful to see a priest with such an exciting, modern image, overturning what many people would regard as a stereotype," he added. "Open-tops are marvellous for taking advantage of fine weather and combined with their other benefits provide excellent value."
Father Martin said he had considered a Peugeot 207 cabriolet "but this model has more space which I need since I use the car a lot for work. I travel at least 1,000 miles a month and the parish is the biggest in which I've ever worked, covering not only the town of Bicester but also 15 outlying villages. In addition I have to regularly visit hospitals in Oxford and Banbury. "
He added: "I very much enjoy driving - in an earlier post I covered 50,000 miles a year. Comfort counts for a lot. The 307 feels solid and safe on the road.
"At the touch of a button I can have the wind in my hair within 25 seconds. The Oxford countryside is beautiful but the variable English weather means I can't take advantage of the cabriolet as often as I would like.
"Newgate have been excellent to deal with - very efficient and helpful," Father Martin said. "They took my previous car as part exchange so I didn't need to put up a deposit. They were recommended by other priests in the diocese who had acquired cars through them. I've encountered no problems at all. For the kind of car this is, the financial arrangements are very reasonable."
