On 31/10/2011 15:39, Mortimer wrote:

[2] I had a very bad experience in an auto Ford Focus hire car on a trip
from work, which decided that it wouldn't go faster than 50 mph: I could
have 50 in any of 4th, 3rd or 2nd gear depending on how much throttle I
gave it, but it was very reluctant to stay in top gear and let me go any
faster.

You've mentioned this car several times. While I'm not as gung-ho about
autos as some on this group, and have never owned one, I've never had
problems driving them. I think it's about time you accepted that the car
was probably broken in some way. One broken car is not representative of
the whole population.