The search is finally over. We have finally found and bought our first family car. And it was definitely a good buy. When my husband passed his practical driving test in just one take last May, we already entertained the idea that in a month or two we will have to buy our own car. But it didn’t happen after two months because first I still didn’t pass my practical driving test and second there was really no immediate need to buy one that early. It wasn’t easy going around here in Sydney without a car of your own, especially if you have a 20-month old son, weighing 13 kilograms, in tow all the time. Oh, I forgot to mention the pram as well. So imagine riding some buses which were not pram friendly. I never realized I had that much strength! Kidding aside, I was glad that I was able to experience all these difficulties because I get to appreciate what I have now.
So on the 5th day of August, exactly the same date when our permanent migrant visas were granted, I passed my driving test. You can just imagine what I felt when finally, on my 4th try, I passed my driving test. A week after that my husband started to really look for our first car. We were weighing our reasons when we were ready to purchase a car already. Are we buying a cheaper car which can serve us for 6 months, maximum one year, so we can save on money? Or, are we buying a much expensive car that can serve us for 3 to 5 years already? Buying a brand new car is not among our options as our budget still didn’t allow it. At first we opted for the first option. Cheaper car, shorter time. But we had a hard time looking for that car. Since it was taking some time already to find the car for us, the budget we initially set for the car increased already. Now we changed our minds and opted to choose option 2, more expensive car but longer service time. It was not easy finding the car. There were a lot of other factors that we had to consider. Aside from the price was of course the year the car was manufactured, the total mileage of the car, the registration, the history, the accessories, the over-all package. I wasn’t the one who was painstakingly browsing through all the car websites and checking out all details, it was my husband, but I was getting tired as well. We didn’t stop looking for that car in the internet; we also went to places where most cars are being sold. But we were not lucky. It’s either it was too old, or too expensive, or the transmission was not automatic. Both of us knew how to drive cars with manual transmission back in Manila, but here in Australia, with their gazillion round-abouts, it will be difficult to drive a manual car. It was tiring already and it didn’t help that I started working. I really needed a car because most of the schools I applied to were not commuter friendly. I tried taking the cab on my first day but I spent almost 50 bucks on just one day! It was not practical.
And so the search continued. I prayed, we prayed so hard. In my prayers, I didn’t ask for any sign. I just couldn’t think of any. Will I ask for the plate number? the color? Well, I didn’t, I just knew that God will give us His Spirit and we’ll know if we have found the right car, our first car. Last Sunday, we did.
We tried out a new place this time. My brother, Alvin, Liam and myself went out checking the car garages. We spotted one. But we just told the dealer that we’ll get back after we look around for some more options. And then we saw it, a 2001 Mitsubishi Magna (I think the Magna model is uniquely designed and manufactured only in Australia). In Manila, the Mitsubishi Galant is it’s counterpart. Alvin and my brother took it for a test drive. Liam and I stayed at the office and then the signs just presented themselves one after the other. First, one of the dealer’s name is the name we will be giving for our future baby girl. Sorry, can’t tell you what the name is yet haha. Next, the previous owner is a Filipino. We are Filipinos. Third, the surname of the previous owner was the same as my maiden name. Fourth, the dealer agreed to pull down the price, now making it fit to our budget. When all was settled, the last thing that affirmed that we made the right decision was this: the colour of my rosary. When we were already on our way out of the car garage, I immediately put out my rosary so I can hang it on the rear view mirror. To my surprise, when I pulled out my rosary I saw that its colour exactly matched the colour of the car. It was bronze, a little touch of rusty orange. Not your ordinary colour. And by some twist of fate, our schedules allowed us to have it blessed by a priest also on the day we bought it. Everything went well. All was in place. This search taught me a new lesson. It somewhat affirmed me that like the experience we had to go through in search for the right car, the same will be true for our other concerns. All will fall into place. We will know. And we will be affirmed.
I am glad and thankful that our search is finally over.
