in cars
for a long time i said it’s a waste of money as we could practically bungee jump to the train station….but, isseki couldn’t bungee jump with his music equipment. so, when he finally said that his company would compensate for everything except parking (which, mind you, isn’t cheap), how could i argue?
so he bought a car. on yahoo auction. now, when an american gal like me who has bought all her cars used but always after test driving them for a day and stopping by a mechanic to get a once over on it hears that he’s purchased a 10 year old car online….well, it’s not the reaction he was hoping. “but i got a great deal!” ugh.
he did seem to get an alright deal – shipped straight from sendai with the winter tires still on and a full set of spares in the trunk (pew – where are we gonna put those?) – but it runs nicely and the back space does come in handy times like today when i need to pick up some baby equipment someone is giving away!
unfortunately, i decided to be sweet & fill her up so isseki would have a full tank tomorrow and guess how much it set me back? $107!! no shit. now i remember why i was against this car stuff. 61L/16gallons for $107. i did use high octane (isseki swears that if i use regular in japan it will kill the car), mind you but still. jeez. remember the good ole days when you could fill a tank in the US for $20?
anyway, here she is – introducing our car (though obviously not “ours” but one that looks exactly the same…oh if the roads were so wide and surrounded by so many trees…):
OMG – if it was silver it would be our old car when we were kids!
Those days are over in the US as well, if that’s any consolation. Regular is around $3.88/gal here, and premium will set you back $4.18/gal. Still, it’s a lot less than what you are paying there! It would have cost you about $67.00 to fill up with premium.
Sheesh. Good thing you can still bungee to the train station! I think having a car will probably make life a lot easier when the little one comes though.
alright, it’s not that old! but yes, a volvo station just like the days of cruising from LA through the Amish country! isseki really wanted a volvo…
so car land central isn’t doing much better either – still almost 1/2 prce to here, eh? insanity all across the board….but that’s another discussion. guess we aren’t helping by not buying a hybrid, but doesn’t using recycled goods rather than buying new do something for the environment? let’s hope so.
you’re right that cars + babies = convenience but i’m hoping to be one of those moms toting my little one around on my back or on my bike…i need to get back in shape after what is happening to my body now! 🙂