Big Red

Even when we were still playing the waiting game over Emily's visa, Steve was looking online every day to see what was available for sale in the van department.  We knew that a van would be our best option (I haven't seen a single Suburban-sized SUV here).  We were spending over $100/day on our white rental van, which was really starting to add up!  New Zealand has an online auction website called "Trade Me" which is very popular for privately buying/selling items (we've actually ended up purchasing several items besides our van, including 3 bikes and a bed).  Steve noticed an awesome red van advertised, and we both thought it would be perfect for our family!  It was plenty big enough, seemed to be in great condition, and just happened to be painted my favorite color. :)

The minute we heard that Emily's visa was approved, we rang the owner to ask for a showing.  We liked the van even more after seeing it in person.  The owner wasn't allowed to accept our offer to buy it then since he had listed it for auction, so we would have to wait a week to see how the auction played out.  Meanwhile, I ran on over to the U.S. to collect a precious package that was waiting for me.

Shortly after Emily and I returned to New Zealand, the auction was scheduled to close.  Steve had kept a close eye on the bids, but nothing much happened until about an hour before closing, when the bids really picked up speed.  We were all on the edge of our seats until the auction closed, and let out a huge cheer when we realized that our final bid secured the top spot!!  We ended up paying $8600 NZ, which translates to about $6900 US.

The next morning, the purchase was finalized.  Big Red was officially ours!  It's 13 years old with 288k km (179k miles), manual transmission (left-handed shifting!), diesel engine (lower fuel costs), FM radio WITH cassette (but only one working speaker), and 11 seat belts.  No bells or whistles whatsoever .... but be still my heart, it's probably my favorite car I've ever had.  I honestly can't stop smiling every time I drive it.  It's surprisingly easy to operate, and maneuvers quite well for its age and size.  The kids love it, but are trying to get used to the fact that the windows aren't tinted like our last car...we are essentially driving around in a giant fish bowl (which makes it more cool, right?).

Needless to say, I'm in love, and we are already scheming about how we can get Big Red back to the States!

The day after buying Big Red was my birthday.  Aside from having our family back together again, I couldn't imagine a better gift.  

We took Big Red on a first "roadie" last weekend...smooth sailing.  Here we are loaded up and ready to go (we moved Emily to the back seat, but she wanted to sit up front for the picture):

We have a few extra seats for visitors.  :)  Three cheers for Big Red!