本文发表在 rolia.net 枫下论坛It is my first and only car. My wife drives an European car - according to her, hers is way better than mine - but I still feel much more comfortable driving my old car. It's like an old friend.
I bought it the first day I arrived in Toronto late April in 2000 and have been driving it ever since.
That ws a sunny afternoon. My wife and I were walking towards the Holiday Inn located at Woodbine/Steeles to check-in. And we walked past a big Toyota dealership. There were so many shiny new cars in the parking lot. My wife was expecting at the time - we needed a car no matter what even though I could take TTC to work.
I did not have many friends to ask around for better car opinions. All my friends were University graduate students. Most of them, if they were lucky, were driving a $2000-4000 cars. It was not like today - students have more $$$ than immigrants. In those old days, students were poor. So, the best advice I got from them were:
1) You gotta buy a Japanese car - never ever buy American cars. And they gave me so many sad stories about their previous Ford or GM which died on the winter road
2) You should buy a 2nd hand Corolla - maybe a Corolla 1992 or 1993. It was really good.
Well, based on that, we went directly into the dealership with our hopes high. We could not afford a used car. We only had $4000 left in our banking account. And we needed that money to find an apartment close to a hospital to live. But ironically, we could afford a new car. I had a job offer, I could pay monthly.
So, I found a Taiwanese sales and sat down with him. Within 20 minutes, a deal was made. He said: "You will start working in a week? Wow. You look so young, like high school student. And this was really your first day in Toronto? wow! You made a really good deal today. I would never sell at this price of $19K. You should buy ECP and rust protection, each for $1000 bucks, which is really worth it considering if you will sell the car for a Camry in 4 years".
Well, that was pretty much it. Without knowing anything about cars,I bought my Corolla 2000. Later I found out I may not need those extra protection. But I did not care. The car was lovely, and new. It WAS MY CAR - the best car among my students friends.
Till today, I have no intention to sell it. I have no luxary desire for cars. I see car the same way as I see Food Basics shopping cart - as long as it has wheeles and can run. This Corolla was a perfect match for me - very low maintenance, low profile, slow, easy going. I can park it anywhere without worrying. I never had an accident. Now the left turn signal light has some problem. I am wondering if this is a sign I should change a car? Or should I just get it fixed and keep it running for another 10 years?更多精彩文章及讨论，请光临枫下论坛 rolia.net
I bought it the first day I arrived in Toronto late April in 2000 and have been driving it ever since.
That ws a sunny afternoon. My wife and I were walking towards the Holiday Inn located at Woodbine/Steeles to check-in. And we walked past a big Toyota dealership. There were so many shiny new cars in the parking lot. My wife was expecting at the time - we needed a car no matter what even though I could take TTC to work.
I did not have many friends to ask around for better car opinions. All my friends were University graduate students. Most of them, if they were lucky, were driving a $2000-4000 cars. It was not like today - students have more $$$ than immigrants. In those old days, students were poor. So, the best advice I got from them were:
1) You gotta buy a Japanese car - never ever buy American cars. And they gave me so many sad stories about their previous Ford or GM which died on the winter road
2) You should buy a 2nd hand Corolla - maybe a Corolla 1992 or 1993. It was really good.
Well, based on that, we went directly into the dealership with our hopes high. We could not afford a used car. We only had $4000 left in our banking account. And we needed that money to find an apartment close to a hospital to live. But ironically, we could afford a new car. I had a job offer, I could pay monthly.
So, I found a Taiwanese sales and sat down with him. Within 20 minutes, a deal was made. He said: "You will start working in a week? Wow. You look so young, like high school student. And this was really your first day in Toronto? wow! You made a really good deal today. I would never sell at this price of $19K. You should buy ECP and rust protection, each for $1000 bucks, which is really worth it considering if you will sell the car for a Camry in 4 years".
Well, that was pretty much it. Without knowing anything about cars,I bought my Corolla 2000. Later I found out I may not need those extra protection. But I did not care. The car was lovely, and new. It WAS MY CAR - the best car among my students friends.
Till today, I have no intention to sell it. I have no luxary desire for cars. I see car the same way as I see Food Basics shopping cart - as long as it has wheeles and can run. This Corolla was a perfect match for me - very low maintenance, low profile, slow, easy going. I can park it anywhere without worrying. I never had an accident. Now the left turn signal light has some problem. I am wondering if this is a sign I should change a car? Or should I just get it fixed and keep it running for another 10 years?更多精彩文章及讨论，请光临枫下论坛 rolia.net