Buying Something One Hasn't Even Seen

Finally bought a car. And I haven't even seen it before I bought it. I don't know if that means I don't have time, or it's just that I need one and as long as it fits my idea of what I wanted to buy, it's fine. Hihi! Am not really a car person; am clueless about them 60% of the time. I only know about their manufacturers but not the difference of one model from another. My dad took care of checking it out for me instead. And I asked a trusted colleague as well about it since they know more about cars than I do.

What does my idea of a car I want to buy include? Well, it means I'd like an Audi basically, or a Range Rover. hahaha! I wish! Although that would be "bugbog-sarado" in Manila. I might just feel bad about using it here 'cause rest assured, it would really suffer a lot from the wear and tear of Metro Manila roads-driving. No flashy Beemers or other cars for me then. But since that's quite a stretch, the real idea (outside of an Audi or an SUV), is a sedan that's big enough that you won't be a tad bit embarrassed to drive one on the highway or to formal occasions (Sigh.. the pressures of an urban life...). So no sub-compact cars for me. I think they'd be too small, especially on those occasions when you have guests from Western countries with a larger anthropometric scale than your average Southeast Asian. And none that would have me indebted to pay for it every month for the next 3 years at least. Not wise, methinks. I hate to have debts to pay for years on end unless it's a mortgage on property maybe.

Ended up with a U.S. car that belonged to my uncle and it's not so bad. They hardly seemed to use it it's like new, especially when they have several other vehicles and just bought another one. It's cool. So I quickly decided to snap it up without seeing it first after learning about it and how much they are selling it to me compared with if I bought another car from a dealer with my budget (which would limit me to an older model that isn't as nice as the one my uncle sold to me, from an owner I don't know). Better that I bought it from someone I know who used to own it, than a dealer I don't know ('cept maybe if it were an Audi. Freak. haha!). This one I got is still considered a new car, for the price of an old one. Hence me getting it fast without seeing it first (but having my dad check it out and my colleagues' feedback). It's a steal basically. Lucky me. Hihi!

I've finally had enough of commuting home from work in cramped environs with the rest of the rat race at the central business district. And in a city of about 12m, that's one formidable rat race, with a thin veneer of civility when it comes to lining up, paying the fare, and taking seats. And when I say thin, it's really thin enough to make you want to live in non-urban areas with kinder people after years of such environment, or maybe to another country that's less populated. And in cramped environs, one is forced to, like, slouch when seated along with the others. And I can already imagine what that's doing to my back for the long term especially when I already have a back problem from carrying a laptop for work, and being seated for more or less 8 hours each workday at work. It really sucks. Apart from feeling dead tired from work with a headache to boot, having to commute in such conditions adds to the stress. I have to get to the public transport terminal first after a bus or jeepney ride and some walking. It takes about an hour and a half to arrive home after I leave the office when I take public transport. And I haven't been able to hack it in the past few months that I've ended up having to have an additional day off from work on some weeks and wishing we're allowed to work from home once each week at most maybe. I guess the office location is one of the reasons as well, since it's not in a central location. It sucks.

I suppose this says a lot about quality of life in Manila. I mean, if there is any at all. hihi! I don't know how to drive yet. I grew up having a family driver/chauffeur to bring us to and back to school among other places until I started working, when I decided it would be easier to take public transport and free up the car use to other family members who drive or need the car/driver (am the only one among my siblings who doesn't drive). So while I have yet to learn to drive, my dad will be the one driving me to/from work. And I'll see if I'll bring it myself once I know how. I think I prefer that I'll be picked up from work instead of me driving home, 'cause I'll be tired and can't drive with a headache in the evening in the streets of Metro Manila and along EDSA or the highway. I'll probably just drive it to work for practice after the driving lessons, then hand it back to my dad to bring home and pick me up later after work. *Sigh*

Okay enough about these boring bits.. Maybe soon I'd be ranting over owning a car. hehe!

Updates

That's the pattern of the rug in my room (above). I love running my feet on it when entering my room upon arriving home from work. And it's sort of a stress relief seeing it too.

On a side note, I took out a senior consultant/boss/colleague/guest from our UK office last Saturday (we just started a UK project), and met up with Norwegian colleague/senior consultant and his family too. We went on a day trip with a teammate (who brought the car, Norwegians have their own) and his girlfriend. Saw the sights, and had dinner afterwards at a nice and quiet restaurant with a great view from above of a lake with a volcano while the afternoon turned into evening. Cool. =)

However,

it made me seriously think about getting my own car. For when there's a guest and for those times when I wanna go out of town anytime. Argh! Maybe it's about time. But would not be driving it to work except maybe for practice since I don't know how to drive though our family driver tried to teach me long ago. Prefer that I be picked up from work instead of me bringing the car. I'd be too tired to drive going home.

Been putting off buying a car for so long 'cause it seemed that taking public transport is easier than me having to drive. But in the end, it seems, it's better as long as I am picked up from work. Shortens the travel time. Plus I won't be so dead-tired each time I arrive home from work. And my cousin/uncle is selling one of their cars, of a U.S. brand. So maybe I'd get that instead of buying a brand new one. *Sigh* We'll see.