We did it! We bought a car yesterday about as GREEN as you can get...and we love it.
But back up a minute. Remember all those sheets of USA stamps I was selling on eBay last year...and the books on Amazon.com, the estate sale, etc., etc.? Little by little, it all started adding up and in the back of my mind, I knew it would be for a car. That, along with the sale of my Honda Civic Hybrid in January, thanks to the oversight of Amy and Dennis in Atlanta.
We could have bought the car a month ago but we decided to wait till my residence permit was approved...maybe months from now. It seemed prudent to wait. What if I couldn't stay?? So when the residence permit was approved so quickly (see my Blue Moon post), I said, "OK, now we can buy our car!"
Believe it or not, we had already done our extensive research last August and did not waver on our choice: a 2010 Daihatsu Cuore in very childlike lime-green. It seemed like an added "good omen" when the exact same car was showcased inside my bank a week ago, as the green way to go!
The short version (16 sec.):
The long version (2:16 min):
Talk about GREEN:
"The Cuore's 1000 cc, 3-cylinder, 12-valve, DOHC DVVT (Dynamic Variable Valve Timing) engine is highly efficient and achieves excellent fuel economy figures of 4.6 litres/100 km [50 mpg]. It also excels in terms of environmental performance by achieving a CO2 emission figure of 109 g/km (achieved by certain 3-door M/T models). The engine develops rich torque throughout its rev range, pulling the car from low-speed driving in the city to high-speed cruising on motorways without a hint of stress. This is an engine that combines ecology and high performance at a high level.... The Cuore clears the latest stringent European safety standards with ease."OK. For America, this is a small car. For Europe, it's PERFECT. On a scale of 1 - 10 for ecological "green," with 10 being the best, it rates a 9.
We don't have it yet. It takes a week to transport it to our city and put it through it's registration and prep hoops. But guess what: it's paid for! This is the first time I've ever paid for a new car outright and I feel like a little kid.
As Astrid says, we are going for our Joy each and every day. We are happy with so little. Can you imagine how happy we are with much!
Wanna help us name her? We just recently watched Fried Green Tomatoes and Towanda is at the top of our list thus far.
I was thinking Apple, like Gwyneth's daughter. But everyone would think of Steve Jobs. Towanda sounds great!
ReplyDeleteCongratulations, and now I'm wondering when your first excursion will be?
Fried Green Tomatoes is one of my favorite movies. Towanda is a great name :-)
ReplyDelete:) I am here sitting and smiling, 'we' bought a car.....
ReplyDeleteI am like a kid in the candy store, now we can make all the trips we like to do.
This is more than I ever expected to happen so soon.
I never wanted a car before you got your staying permit.
Last August I aready took the car for a test-drive, yesterday we both took it on a test-drive...it feels so good and I know for sure we will take good care of Towanda....
That movie really cracked me up, talking about eating evidence... :)
Dank je wel lieve schat voor dit mooie geschenk.
Ruth: Astrid and I were just talking about your apple and that reminded us of Granny Smith apples...and we both started laughing about calling the car "Granny" for short. We may even like that better than Towanda. Maybe Granny Towanda. :) We have so many day trips we want to make all over Holland, so I'm sure we'll start doing them right away. Photo hunting! It's what we're made for. :)
ReplyDeleteFrida: As I just told sister Ruth, we may do a combination of Granny Smith and Towanda and call her Granny Towanda, with Towanda OR Granny as her nickname. How fun.
Astrid: We will definitely get our money's worth out of her, God willing and the creek don't rise. We are so lucky.
I just love this post! Showing you are a happy couple enjoying the big and also the smaller things in life. Actually, it's not the "size" that matters, it's that you do it together and with joy and happiness!
ReplyDeleteI will of course suggest a name with Norwegian origin: Troll and for this reasons:
1: The was actually a car production in Norway in the 50s and it was called Troll
2: The Trolls can do everything (read on Wikipedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Troll), e.g. perform magic tricks!
Whatever you chose, you've made a great choice!
3: The meaning of the name Troll:
I too just love this post. It makes me so happy...
ReplyDeleteAnd yes you have accomplished a lot, paid for! YES!
I was watching the youtube videos just thinking, that is so perfect for the NL!
Now you will have to take weekend trips or day trips for sure! I'd love for you to see around the NL a bit! I love the area of Nijmegen. IT's full of rolling hills.
As for the name, no clue, but I'm sure there will be lots of help on this one!
:) I want a car! hehe
That little car looks great. I had not seen it. When I was in Paris I saw a very efficient little car in the Toyota showroom on the Champs Elysees but when I asked about it they said they would not sell it in the US – maybe it is too efficient for us here. I was also in awe that you sold your stuff on ebay and Amazon. I have so many things I could sell but always thought you had to be a company or something and it was quite intricate. I’ll go and read you post on Vision and Verb. I just wrote a long post (maybe too long… but I’ll keep it on for a week or more) and have not had time to visit all my friends blogs.
ReplyDeleteRenny: But of course. Troll. If it can perform everything, why not! :) This is gonna be fun.
ReplyDeleteET: The car IS perfect for the NL. Astrid has some friends who have one and have never had any service issues. They were the ones who recommended it, since they use it to go to France. Great gas mileage. We will definitely see as much of the NL as possible. Even Astrid wants that. Can you imagine?! From time to time we'll cross the border to Germany, Belgium, Luxemborg and beyond.... When it's time to get your car, I'll sure you'll be super excited, just as we are.
I think you should name her Grasshopper!
ReplyDeleteMy blue Mazda is called Bluebottle.
All cars should have names. It makes them work so much better.
My previous car (Black VW Golf) was names The General.
Hey, did you watch the Olympic closing ceremonies.... awesome! Makes me proud to be an (adopted) Canadian.
.... and the car before that was Erik the Red Volvo.....
ReplyDeleteSham: Grasshopper. I like that. So cute. Yes, cars need to have names, which is why we will name ours. I love that you can remmeber the names of all of yours. :D
ReplyDeleteTowanda is a great name! How about Kermit or Elpheba (from Wicked)?
ReplyDeleteI look forward to coming along on your "dagtochtjes".
I thought you already had a name when I started reading the post.
ReplyDeleteFGT was a funny movie.
That's a cute car. Love the color too.
DB: Ohhh, I never thought of Kermit or Elpheba (saw that play twice, once on Broadway). How fun. So glad you can see your country through my eyes, once we pick up our car. :) Just yesterday I trained to Rijswijk to pick up my residence-permit ID card, and decided to stop in Delft on the way back. You'll eventually see some of those pics. :)
ReplyDeletePC: It's a cute car that's also very good, Maria...good service record. We look forward to many wonderful trips in it. Thanks.
What an adorable car, Ginnie! It's so you (I don't know Astrid, yet, so... ;)) And... Yes, you must find a name for it! Why not make a separate post. You already have quite a few suggestions, but it would be fun to see what others come up with. Unless of course, you have bot already found a name for your new baby.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, I wish you both many happy kilometers with the new car. Hmmm. Mark just suggested "Greenpeace". I must admit that I really like that one. Ecological, green and peace (you).
CS: That Mark came up with a great name, Sandra! I love it. It does fit who I am, more than he knows. Astrid and I are on the same page about conserving energy, so if you know me, you know her. I love it! :) Thank you, dwar lady!
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