Customers notch up FIFTIETH car

But Tony and Anne Adkinson, who are in their 70s, are not surrounded by a fleet of cars in their driveway, giving their neighbours a headache.

Instead, each year the former civil servants update one of their Nissan cars for a new, younger model.

The couple have a vehicle each and have been behind the wheels of an array of the brand’s models including the Nissan Bluebird, the Bluebird ZX Turbo, the Laurel, the Micra, the Primera, the Almera Tino, the Note, and the Qashqai.

Tony said: “For a long time I was on the road everyday so I was putting in a lot of mileage on the car so to change a car on a regular basis worked for the civil service.

“My favourite was the Bluebird ZX Turbo. It was like a flying machine, it was a wonderful car. It was economical, had a large boot and it was roomy and sporty.

“I can remember all the models we have owned over the years but not how many of each one — we both drive and up until we retired we would replace one of our cars every year.

“Today, we have the Note for running round and small journeys, and the Qashqai for longer trips.”

Tony and Anne’s latest purchase is a Nissan Qashqai, a car celebrating it’s own milestone — its 10th anniversary.

And the duo could soon be making their 51st purchase as they’re attending Fred Coupe Nissan’s VIP event for the all-new Nissan Micra.

Tony said: “It looks a very nice car indeed from the pictures — we’re quite looking forward to seeing it in reality.”

The retired couple have now been dubbed Nissan’s most loyal customers.

They have been buying cars from the dealership on Chorley Road in Walton-le-Dale, since it opened as a Datsun dealership in 1974.

Starting with a Datsun 120Y, they have returned over the years time and time again to upgrade their vehicles.

As well as the 120Y, the couple have also owned the 100A, 140J, the Cherry, the Sunny and the Violet.

“I went for a Datsun car way back in the 1970s mainly because in those days cars didn’t have everything on them whereas Datsun was offering an overall price.

“My first car was a Ford.”

Seeing his cars very much as a way of getting from A to B Tony said he never bothered to take a photo of himself with any of them.

“I’ve never taken a picture of any of the cars, it was a tool.”

Director of the Fred Coupes dealership John Coupe conducted the handover of Tony and Anne’s 50th Nissan

He presented them with a bouquet of flowers in recognition of their loyalty.

He said: “Customers like Tony and Anne are more than just car buyers, they are our friends.

“We think they’re Nissan’s most loyal customers.

“We’re honoured they chose us all those years ago and delighted they’ve stuck with us for so many years.”

Tony and Anne picked up their brand new Qashqai on March 1.