So.
I bought a car.
*GRINS*
It’s the first real adult thing I’ve done here. I mean yeah, I got a job and yeah, I pay rent and stuff.
But a car.
It’s freedom.
I spent the last 3 months telling everyone I won’t buy a car because I don’t see the point in getting one when I’m only here for so long, blah blah blah… and I had HUGE plans for my red bicycle (which were thwarted pretty much when I was hit by the car). My knee is still sore when I rub it; I haven’t quite recovered from the ordeal mentally, either.
BUT I was still taking buses, trains and relying on the kindness of my friends (and worrying that it was wearing thin).
Then, the last big push in the car-buying direction. It was Sunday night. I was finishing at 10pm at the pizza place… and no one was available to give me a lift. I decided, screw it, I’ll bloody take the bus home from here for the first time ever. It should be fine, I told myself. (I worry I have too much of an ‘immortal’ complex). Ever since I arrive Jason has always told me NEVER take the bus and walk home after a certain hour (which I did during the first month I was here – I’d take the last 177 bus from the city at around 1025 pm and arrive home at around 11pm and walk 3-4 minutes home. Boy did Jason give me a look when he found out I was doing that.)
So on Sunday night, Rudolf (the manager) was asking me how I was getting home. I really, really didn’t want to ask Az (who was finishing at the same time as me), because Az hates women and thinks every single one of them is out to use him. Me asking him for a favour = using him big time. Once when he sent me home I offered to buy him a chocolate for his troubles and he couldn’t get his truck into the servo station fast enough (and I bought him a Milkybar to prove I wasn’t just using him).
I really did feel bad asking friends to drive me places or give me lifts. Even though back in Malaysia I used to drive my friends around a LOT. I was lucky to have a car at my disposal most of the time back there, and I had quite a few car-less friends that I was more than happy to help. The only thing that made me hesitate to help is the fact that I was driving a really crap car and I was kind of embarrassed by it. It did all kinds of stupid things like die at traffic lights/when I was idling and etc.
I guess what goes around really comes around because I was shown such kindness and generosity by my good friends here when it came to picking me up and dropping me off. However, on Sunday night it just didn’t seem possible that I was going to score a ride home (I didn’t want to beg everyone or be a pain about it – I’d asked Ivy who lives 5 mins from the shop whereas I live 20 mins away at least, and offered her money for the petrol, but when she hesitated I just couldn’t push on with it – I felt SO bad).
So when Rudolf asked me how I was going home I just told him I’d take the bus. Christo was standing there when I said it and he just flat out refused to let me take the bus. He had given me a lift to work (he lives not too far away from me) and he was finishing at 1am otherwise I’m sure he would have given me a lift home without batting an eyelid (that’s the kind of awesome person he is). But I had accepted the fact that yeah, I was going to have to grit my teeth and just take the bus.
Christo then did something so kind and so generous and so CRAZY (I’m not sure I myself would have done it), and offered to let me drive HIS car home. He would then get a lift from someone else at the shop to my place and drive it home.
How sweet! I can’t even find the words to describe his offer. It was just TOO nice of him. I hesitated and hemmed and hawed for a while, even more so when he mentioned actually it is his girlfriend’s car (she’s back in Malaysia for Chinese New Year). I mean, come on. I don’t have any ulterior motives with Christo at ALL but what girl would be happy that some other girl is driving her car in her absence, at the suggestion of her boyfriend? I mean, I wouldn’t be too excited about it if I was in her shoes.
After about a million times of “Are you sure?” “Yes of course, you can drive, can’t you?” I took the keys, thanked him profusely and went to the car. Naturally Rudolf only cared about the fact that his car was parked next to Christo’s (gf’s), and worried I’d scratch it. Az made some comment about women drivers (he would, the smart ass). But I know I am a capable driver. I have driven MANY different types of cars in various conditions. Continental, Japanese, Malaysian. A KIA, a Mercedes-Benz, a Peugeot, a Honda, a Perodua, several different Protons. An MPV, a wagon, a sedan, big car, small car. I’ve driven those. Okay, so they were always automatics so I can’t brag about being able to drive a stick. But if I could navigate a fucking huge KIA Carnival MPV through the narrow streets outside KDU college, I can basically do anything.
Driving that Honda home that night…something came over me. The voice in my head that refused to entertain the thought of buying a car went silent. Another voice took over.
“This is fucking great.”
When I got home, my mind was made up. I am buying a car, I repeated to myself over and over. Fuck this shit I am buying a car.
The next day I went through some cars for sale ads and jotted a few contact numbers down. Luckily Jason was home when I got home from work and he wasn’t working that night (Monday – yesterday! Geez…). He accompanied me to see the cars.
The first one was a lemon of a Charade. The tyres were balder than Prince William is getting. The freaking bonnet had to be secured in place with bits of cardboard squashed into the gaps where rubber should have been. It smelled like smoke when I drove it. Bumps and dents aplenty, no a/c. The REARVIEW mirror had come off! A laundry list of things even me with my low expectations didn’t think I could deal with. And the asking price was $1099 from an Arab-looking guy who barely touched my hand when I offered it to him upon introducing myself. A pet peeve of mine: people with horrible handshakes or those who touch you as if you’re diseased (could be an Arab/Muslim male thing). It’s just plain fucking rude. Someone offers you their hand, you shake it. Wash it with sand and water later if you must. But don’t be a rude son of a bitch.
Anyways. I told him I’d be in touch. Jason was mumbling “No, no, no, no…” under his breath. We climbed into his luxurious Subaru wagon with the leather seats and sunroof and I felt awful. Are these the kinds of cars I was going to be able to afford. We drove to the second place and didn’t even stop; Jason refused. It was a dodgy neighbourhood, and he informed me he would never stop the car there. That car out front looked crap, and was I planning on cycling there if he wasn’t around? I mumbled a yes and looked out the window to avoid meeting his eyes and disapproval.
“Now, let me show you the cars I saw,” he said with a flip of his hair. Apparently he spotted some decent-looking cars with for ’sale signs’ outside a house on his way to the pizza shop in Riverton and figured I should go look.
We went, I called the number and the dude came out. His name was Eugene and unlike the Arab from before, he had a firm handshake and easy smile. liked him already. The car was a white 1984 Toyota Corona (automatic, of course), which looked clean and well-kept. He was very upfront about the car, its condition, the mileage was kinda on the high side, etc. It seemed okay to me, but of course Jason’s word was the final one and I wanted to know what he thought of it. Squinting into the bonnet at the engine, he commented that it looked good for a car of its age. (A year younger than me! LOL). It had A/C, a radio, immobiliser, the tyres were in pretty good condition, it had been serviced recently, and was going for $1,200 (firm). Hmm, I thought. I guess I could afford that but….
We took it for a drive. As Eugene said, it wasn’t too smooth, takes a while to get going so it starts out rough. I’ve driven rougher cars, I think. I mean, okay it doesn’t have power steering, but to me that added to the charm. Jason declared it was a good deal and to try and bargain with him.
I managed to bargain it down to $1000. And he threw in one of those USB MP3 players that you plug into the cigarette lighter. The radio/speakers were really good, too. Overall, I was happy with it. Tested the brakes, fine. Reverse lights, brake lights, head lights, inside lights, everything good. It has a rearview mirror, too 
So I am now the proud owner of a white 1984 Toyota Corona sedan.
I am SO excited about this!!!!
My bank balance is slightly less thrilled.
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