Driving me Crazy

Last week Barnadi and I took a Holden Barina for a test drive, it was the new 2012 model, a 1.6L 6 speed Automatic 5 door hatch.  This was the first time I have ever driven in Australia and it was quite a nerve wracking experience aside from getting used to the very sensitive pedals and forgetting which side of the wheel the indicators were on, there are several important differences to remember with roads in Australia.  They drive on the left side of the road, which is an instant advantage, but that is about where the similarity ends.  The roads are generally all much wider than UK roads and speed limits and distances are all in metric, which takes some getting used to.  There are additional hazards to be aware of when driving in Australia too, trams for one thing and traffic lights are a real hassle too.  In the UK when a pedestrian crossing shows the green man all lanes of traffic are stopped to allow them to cross in safety, however in Australia they continue to let traffic flow from the left so you have to be extra vigilant to give way to pedestrians even if you are given a green light.

Road safety seems to be a real issue here too, and not a day goes by without some fatalities being reported on the news, I would not be surprised if this was due to a high level of Australian drivers who seem to think it is OK to drink and drive, despite big government backed campaigns to raise awareness, this does not look set to change.  It is not just drunk drivers, there are also just a lot of very bad drivers on the road.  One day when I was walking from the Epping station to work I saw a white van slowing down ready to stop as the light turned amber, but the car behind was so infuriated that someone might actually be following the highway code accelerated right up to the back of the van with its horn blaring forcing it through the amber to red light.  I know a lot of people worry about me walking to Epping station on my own late at night, but when I see drivers like that I sometimes think I am safer on the pavement than on the road!

Garage before: No room for a car

We took the car up to Bundoora and back and both liked it so when we got back to the show room we decided we wanted to buy one.  We had to get the finance agreement in my name as Barnadi does not receive payslips and so cannot prove his income, but even this took a week to sort out as my pay has only recently increased due to my qualifying as a pharmacist.  In order to confirm this they first phoned my boss, then asked me to get them to fax a letter confirming this.  They then phoned my boss again to confirm they had written the letter which they had asked my boss to write to confirm the initial phone call.  Their lack of trust was not helped by the fact the ABN on my payslips was wrong, making the bank think I had forged them.  Still it is all sorted now and we are just waiting for the car to be registered so that we can pick it up. 

Garage now: Tidy and car ready

My next job was to get some insurance quotes, as we were getting a new car it made sense to go fully comp, the warranty will cover any faults with the car, but not damaged made by faults with us.  I tried several insurance companies, but the best quote I got was with aami, and so this is the one I think we will go with.  This morning I tidied  up the garage, which is still full of all the stuff we shipped from the UK but have no room to display, so we are now just waiting for the call to say our car is ready to pick up.  Our first plan is nearly complete.