Good things come to those who waits

*Hand raised*

That's me. I waited two years... and that's exactly 24 months.

Without a car.

A person without a car is like a person without a pair of legs, no?

For the longest time, I suffered from embarrassment that I had to share a vehicle with my significant other. I miss the freedom I used to have but it was me who chose to do it for the frugality sake and keeping Hushby pressure-free. However, before I know it, two years had passed and my determination began to change.

With a mortgage just incurred into expenses, I was quite reluctant to the idea of a second car due to adding an auto-loan to our monthly payment. Last semester, my classes hours were from 9am to 4pm. So it was easy to fit with Hushby's 8 to 5 work schedule. But my classes this semester, three of those in a week, end at 10 at night. And they all start at weird hours like 10am or 4pm. Obviously, carpool is no longer an option. Bus route here can take hours. A second car is in dire need. After much calculation, consideration and more consideration, we decided one more used vehicle would be it.

After the reliable, rusty 1991 Honda Accord which I used in Minnesota, refuse to drive another Asian-made car. Nothing wrong with it, I just wanted something different this time. When that was crossed out, there's only one European car with good gas mileage ------- that is

the Mini Cooper.

And so we look around, only for a week. We found many of them online and fell in love every color there is available. However, many of those dealership are located at least an hour drive away from us and it wasn't until the very night before we prepare ourselves to spend hours on the road, we found a new listing from a auto dealership just 10 minutes drive from home!

Conveniently, we went to inquire, check it out and test drive. Except for the squeaky power window and the burned front bulb, which they can fix prior to purchase, everything else is perfect. What impressed me most is the auto-variable function. The gear can be switched to manual when auto is not in use. Amazing!

We got an Excel sheet with us of the list of cars of the same year and mileage, which we discreetly check when we have time alone. Price comparison is important, plus we were ready to haggle if there is a cheaper one. However, this one is already at its lowest for a 2004 year Mini. Then, we went out again and took a second test drive... and then third... and we couldn't deny the love we have for its steadiness and stability. We were already leaning towards a yes, but the salesman did not know. He was really nice though, gave us plenty of time to check and even gave us a big discount as we were lucky to do car shopping when times are bad.

Once he was set with the lowered price, my only thought is I'd love to get it.

The color is silver, the roof is black. It has a sunroof and the size is just perfect! I named it Cooper and before I know it, we signed! *screams*

Here Cooper!

Pooper Piper would love it too! :D