First timer on the road

This is the first time I have ever owned a car. Up until this point in my life, I was the contented driver of one of my parents’ vehicles, averting the responsibility and cost of insurance, maintenance, and often gas, at every turn (literally!)(That bracket saying literally was unnecessary). And the added benefit of this was, of course, the ability to contribute to the cloud of smug that hangs above those who bike around discussing how no one really needs a car to get around, and how great it is to not own one of those climate changing monstrosities. Right. But there just so damned convenient!

And so Hana and I decided to get one of these “cars” that make travel life easier, and headed to the Auckland car market to do so. What we finally found (after sorting through a basket full of lemons) was a forest green vintage 1995 Subaru Legacy station wagon that called out to us from the roars and putters of the nearby VW vans. Before purchasing, I thought like a Tom Mitchell and did the following: Bargaining the price down (as I knew my father would disown me if I didn't; those garage sale lessons when I was five sure paid off), took all precautionary measures such as getting a mechanic to go over everything before buying, and got insurance and AA.

The whole process was definitely more complicated than I thought it would be, as I envisioned something similar to choosing a vegetable. Son, a car is a lot like an avocado. Squeeze it a little in the right places, shake it, make sure it’s the right colour and you’re good to go. Oh but there was so much more to it then that, and the owner of the car wants it back when were done with it in a year, which also doesn’t happen with vegetables. Either way, our lovely avocado is a beaut. She gets us from point A to point B, fits two tall people on bizarre angles in the trunk (yes we sleep in it), and makes an excellent picnic spot wherever we park her. She has also permitted some other firsts such as driving on the other side of the road! What. Watch out world! Here comes Sarah Mitchell, Southern Hemisphere automobilist extraordinaire.