I knew right away when I arrived that I would need to buy a car. This place is more into driving than Texas is. And the driving is crazy, so I knew I needed a big car and that I would want to go off-roading. After looking around, I finally decided that I would get a Jeep. That is when the adventure began! Unlike in the US, where you could walk into a car dealership and walk out later that day with a car, the process here takes time.
First, I went to the Jeep dealership and looked at the Jeep Wrangler. I asked about price, warranty, upgrades, etc. The first thing that surprised me was they just had one car out of each model they sell. I never actually saw the car I was buying until I picked it up after it had been paid for! I left and thought about it and decided I want to go for a test drive. I called and made an appointment to test drive the car. Again, you can’t just walk in and test drive a car here. I didn’t even test drive the model car I was buying! I test drove the Wrangler Rubicon not the Sport. After the test drive I told the salesman, I wanted to purchase the car. He looked on his list to see if they had the color and model I wanted. I was in luck and they had one left. I still didn’t leave with a car that day.
He made arrangements with the bank to come to the dealership, so I could apply for the loan. First, I had to get a letter from my company stating my salary and that I was allowed to buy a car! This is in part because there is no credit rating system here and because I am here under a sponsorship. I met the banker at the car dealership. All I did was fill out an application. He didn’t bring a computer or anything. I would have gone straight to the bank if I had known. The bank approval took two days. Then I had to go get a check book print. That was the easiest part though! They have a ATM like machine that prints the check books. I took the check to the car dealership and they said they had to wait for the check to clear. It cleared in one day, but I couldn’t go the next day. I went the day after and finally picked up the Jeep! I have named it the Lobster! The Lobster and I have done several off-roading trips and been to the beach. Here is a video of one off-roading trip from awhile back. Look for the Lobster. http://youtu.be/FQ9iq5JzwuM