Monday, September 13, 2010

The Great Car Hunt

So I need to stop going to TradeMe.  My plan at the moment is to save up my money for a big-ass OE adventure (hence my previous post), but in the meantime I’m saving up for a car in time for summer. 

Originally I was hoping to get about $6000, but thanks to my rather weak will power and other factors I don’t think I’ll hit that mark.  So in the meantime I’ve been eyeing up TradeMe to gauge what car I can get for, say, $4000-$5000. 

Introducing my problem:  I’ve begun seriously looking at cars within my current price range.  While this isn’t all bad, it’s shorter than I’d planned for – think midget playing basketball short.  The decent cars I find within my price range are usually out of reach in the auction’s last hour, where bidders (or is that bastards?) boost the price up another grand. 

But what would happen if the car I’m currently looking at stays within my price range and I (somehow) win the auction?  What else do I have to pay for?

Well there’s insurance ($60-odd a month I’ve worked out).


Petrol.


Registration (for the minty fresh Jap imports).

Okay, so maybe aside from rego I’d be all good with the initial cost.

But then I hear all these horror stories about people getting a seemingly mean car that turns into a total lemon.  Take my dad’s car for example.  He bought it about eight or so years ago and it worked great....for about 5 years.  In the last year the air suspension has seized up completely, the doors have decided to enter their rebellious teenage years and now refuse to close properly and then there’s the automatic transmission that just plain prematurely changes gear at the most inappropriate of times.  While the first of these isn’t exactly a necessity, the other two are just a complete pain that makes me not want to own a car.

However, my need for a car is constantly on the rise now.  A car would enable me to get to my friends' places at night without having to fork out the cash for a cab, or worry about having to pick up my parent’s car the morning after. 

It would also aid my health and safety.  Instead of dodging stressed out mums and BMW drivers on my usual running route round the neighbourhood, I could easily take myself to places where all I’d have to worry about are murderous speed-walkers.
Complete with bijon frise grenades.

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