Perihal kereta

Our 2nd hand Hyundai Sonata (1995) has been good to us. However, due to its age it did accumulate a lot of problems and cost needed to repair them.

Problems:
1. The driver's automatic window can't be used. So to take tickets in parking lots, tolls; we have to open the door. And if someone inadvertently opens the automatic window (which have happened numerous times when other people who don't know about it drive the car); it can't be closed again until after a few hours. So it's not handy or safe. How to leave the car in the parking lot or in the rain? Nak ganti costs a lot of money so we lived with it.

2. The radio does not work and there's only a cassette player. Even that rosak because Layth went and put a penny in it one day and suddenly a burning smell wafted through the car. Haish.

3. The front passenger door's handle is broken. So it can't be opened from the inside. Someone has to open it from the outside or we open the window a bit and open it using the outside handle. Hahaha.

4. The right hand side back passenger window is still the plastic sheet it was 2 years ago when it was shattered by a drunk throwing a beer bottle through the window. We hadn't the money to replace that either. We only replaced the tapes that held the plastic board in the window sill when it melted or cracked due to the heat.

5. Despite replacing all our tyres (with second hand ones jugak la tapi), they are constantly flat and a few weeks ago, one of them burst while hubby was driving on the highway. Alhamdulillah takde apa2. Tapi nak ganti semua tayar would cost at least $800 (big tyres a bit more expensive).

So it was either spend a lot of money to repair all that, even so not getting a good price for the car if we decided to resell it; buy a second hand car or buy a new car.

Hubby thought it would be better to just buy a new car. A second hand car (a good one that doesn't require much maintenance costs more than $5000) would need us to spend some money in bulk. With a new car, we just pay a deposit then pay monthly installments which is affordable. And if we go back to Malaysia we can just sell the car again at a good price because it's new.

I didn't do anything to buy the car. The process is beyond me. Hubby arranged everything from the browsing for cars to the actual bringing the car home. I told him I'd accept anything he decides. For me; any new car is wonderful. I am not a car connoisseur. The only thing I said was I didn't want the colour black, white or silver. Hehehe.

Hubby said we're using the hire purchase method to avoid riba. And because we're members of Australian Medical Association, they have services for doctors to help us buy cars. We can arrange everything through their affliated companies.

So here it is:

Honda Civic VTI (2010)

P/S: I'm still cycling to work!
P/S 2: People in Malaysia might think this is an expensive car (it sure is in Malaysia because it is imported) but it is extremely affordable here in Australia. Figure-wise, even a Kelisa is more expensive than this car.