When I started looking for a new car I had three things in mind. The price, the age and heated seats. As much as I loved Karl to bits he did not have much to offer when it came down to instant heating in the winter.
But as my knowledge of the world of small cars got more extensive I realized that I also would prefer it to not look like a poodle on steroids. No offence to the newer Micras, but they are hardly attractive. In my opinion Karl looked better then. At least he had more of a classic look, although I was determined not to push my luck by going for another 10+ purchase.
I am not even going to try to pretend that I have the slightest competence when it comes to cars. Or particular interest. This is the girl who pays immigrant workers to change her tyres twice a year and bribes her friends into refilling oil and windscreen wash. Well, actually it was more like begging… I need a car for transport and that’s it. I am quite good when it comes to parallel parking but my car related skills end just there.
After looking around at some cars within my price range - including manhandling a 1997 Vauxhall in a test drive that lasted all of 7 minutes (“There is just no way I’m having it! I’d rather get a moped!”) - I was not wildly optimistic.
Then I went to see the KA. And it was love at first sight. Small, practical and even more importantly: Good looking. I was sold. If you add that it was reasonably priced and only from 2000 it was overall not a bad buy for someone with a car budget of NOK 3.067 (Broken down: 1.500 blood money for Karl, 1.500 refund on Karl’s annual road tax and 67 kroner worth of empty water bottles recovered from Karl’s backseat during the final clean out.) Suddenly I had forgotten all about the heated seats and a week later the KA was sold too. To me. Needless to say the budget was blown and generous family loans much appreciated.
So I now have a CD player, airbags and lovely paintwork (no funny looking rubber bumpers on mine), but unfortunately no heated seats for cold winter days. Although at the moment it so flipping hot here the seats are heated anyway – so I’ve instead started dreaming of having air con some day. The luxury. For now I am just very pleased to have a fairly new nice car in a country where any car is considered a luxury item and taxed extensively - and then some more.
The KA might be very small but with its “designer looks” it is much cooler than most other cars in the same size category. It is like the better looking little sister of the Corsa, the Punto and the Fiesta all in one. I would say it even beats the Polo on looks. Being the older sister myself I know all about being the sensible boring one. No offense, but out of most sisters that I know the younger one is always hotter looking and more fun –my own sister included. Then it is a small comfort that new research now indicates that the oldest child is normally more intelligent. Of course I knew that already anyway.
Well, at least now I am the one with the hottest looking car. The fact that my sister doesn’t actually even own a car doesn’t really matter. I still win.
But as my knowledge of the world of small cars got more extensive I realized that I also would prefer it to not look like a poodle on steroids. No offence to the newer Micras, but they are hardly attractive. In my opinion Karl looked better then. At least he had more of a classic look, although I was determined not to push my luck by going for another 10+ purchase.
I am not even going to try to pretend that I have the slightest competence when it comes to cars. Or particular interest. This is the girl who pays immigrant workers to change her tyres twice a year and bribes her friends into refilling oil and windscreen wash. Well, actually it was more like begging… I need a car for transport and that’s it. I am quite good when it comes to parallel parking but my car related skills end just there.
After looking around at some cars within my price range - including manhandling a 1997 Vauxhall in a test drive that lasted all of 7 minutes (“There is just no way I’m having it! I’d rather get a moped!”) - I was not wildly optimistic.
Then I went to see the KA. And it was love at first sight. Small, practical and even more importantly: Good looking. I was sold. If you add that it was reasonably priced and only from 2000 it was overall not a bad buy for someone with a car budget of NOK 3.067 (Broken down: 1.500 blood money for Karl, 1.500 refund on Karl’s annual road tax and 67 kroner worth of empty water bottles recovered from Karl’s backseat during the final clean out.) Suddenly I had forgotten all about the heated seats and a week later the KA was sold too. To me. Needless to say the budget was blown and generous family loans much appreciated.
So I now have a CD player, airbags and lovely paintwork (no funny looking rubber bumpers on mine), but unfortunately no heated seats for cold winter days. Although at the moment it so flipping hot here the seats are heated anyway – so I’ve instead started dreaming of having air con some day. The luxury. For now I am just very pleased to have a fairly new nice car in a country where any car is considered a luxury item and taxed extensively - and then some more.
The KA might be very small but with its “designer looks” it is much cooler than most other cars in the same size category. It is like the better looking little sister of the Corsa, the Punto and the Fiesta all in one. I would say it even beats the Polo on looks. Being the older sister myself I know all about being the sensible boring one. No offense, but out of most sisters that I know the younger one is always hotter looking and more fun –my own sister included. Then it is a small comfort that new research now indicates that the oldest child is normally more intelligent. Of course I knew that already anyway.
Well, at least now I am the one with the hottest looking car. The fact that my sister doesn’t actually even own a car doesn’t really matter. I still win.
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