The Bike Wife's New Ride!

When we arrived in New Zealand we had a massive to-do list. On day one, we got bank accounts, cell phones, and managed to stay awake until 9pm. I was pretty impressed. The first week was absolutely crazy, and we had limited funds for a car, but also very limited time with our rental. We made the decision to buy cheap at first, and replace later. So we bought the typical Kiwi car.

The typical Kiwi car must be at least 15 years old (ours is 22), must have extensive paint fade (check), is tiny (check) but has a tow hitch (check), and must have a ridiculous name (Subaru "Justy"... check)! Quirks and dents are a plus, and Justy has a lot of both. Who needs power steering? Not having power steering will save you on pesky gym fees. Who needs power anything actually? Windows? Seats? Not I! Who needs a functioning turn signal... which actually worked when we bought it but broke a week later? I don't need a working turn signal! Coincidentally, neither does my father. But moving on...

We actually became fond of Justy for awhile. Her quirks and squeaky tendencies were endearing... sort of. Once she got stuck on our steep driveway for a week and we thought we were gonna have to junk her. We were less fond of her then. But a mechanic and $75 turned her right again, and we kept her a month longer than expected.

Justy is actually 4WD, which Scott takes to mean despite her 22 year old suspension and lack of decent tires, she must be great at off-roading. He's taken some years off my life, and surely off Justy's too.

But the day finally came to replace little old Justy. I think I actually procrastinated a bit because I did end up sorta liking the old girl. She's slow, but reliable (except for that whole driveway incident). However, she is 22 years old. So something besides her turn signal has gotta go at some point. And frankly, I don't want to be around when it does. And she also doesn't have airbags. Even though I max her out at about 60km/hr (38mph), I still wish she was a little safer.

So after deliberating for weeks and weeks, I settled on the type of car that I wanted. But then all the newer (hah... new in NZ means newer than 1997) cars were more expensive. Well, patience pays off my friends. I found a car and got it for at least $1000 less than what it's worth. We bought it from a couple who are moving to Aussie in a weeks' time and had to let it go. I've been that person, not so long ago, so I didn't feel so bad about getting such a good price. Anyways, here she is, my new VW Golf!

Sorry about the crappy photo... our driveway is small

Ok, so obviously she's not new. She's 13 years old. But look at that paint! No fade! No dents! The interior isn't perfect, but it's darn nice. And I've never had a "colorful" car before. Black and grey have been my go to colors since I was 16. Look at this flashy gal!

So there you have it. I've upgraded and I'm not sorry. The stereo is amazing, the drive is so smooth, and the turn signal works! And... not only dual airbags, but side airbags! Now maybe I can go 100 kilometers per hour!! Doesn't that sound fast??!!!

It's 60mph.