It's with great pleasure that I introduce to you...
Pollie!
Yes, that's right! My new car! It's a 2nd-hand, 2005 Volkswagen Polo 1.4 Auto. I wouldn't dream of driving a brand new car 'cos my heart would ache too much when there are scratches on her. And with my wobbly driving skills, that's bound to happen sooner of later!
Plus it's financial suicide to buy a new car. Especially since the hub doesn't trust me with any other car-make except a continental one (read: German) which would easily cost above S$70K and I don't have that kind of money to blow.
We've been debating over buying a 2nd car for months, visited several car showrooms to check out the latest models, and the hub's been scouring the classifieds for good deals. All this time weighing the pros and cons of purchasing either a 1st or 2nd hand vehicle.
In fact, we'd merely taken a spin on Sunday to Turf City to view the resale cars, only with the intention of browsing - we hadn't intended to actually commit ourselves into buying a car! Up till then, the hub was still toying with the idea of buying a car for himself while I take Zafira. As mentioned in my earlier entries, I wasn't very keen on the plan because Zafy's a 2.2 MPV and psychologically I'm not prepared to drive a bigger car (even though it's much safer).
After making a few rounds visiting several dealers at Turf City, we were almost settled on a 3-year-old Mazda 2 which was asking for a slightly lower price. It was by sheer coincidence that we chanced upon Pollie as we'd initially stopped to look at a silver Volvo S60 (for the hub). We were about to walk away when the sales consultant Andrew asked if we were looking for anything in particular. The hub gestured to me and said that we were looking for a small car (for me).
That's when Andrew prattled on about the few small cars like the Honda Fit / Jazz, Mazda and a single Volkswagen Polo that were available. Pollie was inconspicuously parked right in the back row corner, behind a Mercedes Benz and several BMWs.
The hub gave Pollie a test-drive, with Wen, Wei and myself seated at the back. Although the car was intended for me, I didn't drive it I had to carry a sleeping baby. Besides, I trust the hub's judgement and assessment better than my own. After the test-drive, we walked back into the small sales office. I knew then that the hub was pretty convinced and he proceeded to discuss the price and other administrative matters.
After an hour or so, I handed over my driver's license, identity card and signed the papers. The hub made a S$2k deposit. Andrew promised we'd get the car by the middle of the week.
Pollie arrived home at 4pm. I wasn't home to receive her, but my ever-reliable hub took care of all the necessary paperwork, as usual. By the time I was back in the evening, the hub had pumped petrol, placed in parking coupons and tidied up everything else.
How can I NOT love the man?
I know the hub's disappointed as he wanted to buy a sedan car (Pollie's too much a ladies' car) but I was quite adamant that if he wanted me to drive, I'd much prefer a smaller vehicle so that I can practise and familiarise myself with the roads and brush up on my driving skills.
So I now officially own a car. My very own. A little hatchback for me to zip around from home to work and back, and to run mummy errands like chauffeur the girls around for their classes etc. Looks like I've got no more excuses not to drive anymore.
1 comment:
Hi YC, Pollie's a nice rarity in Singapore. Yes, trust the hub, he's definitely up there among the best!
Post a Comment