Hi ho Sylvia, away!

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Did I say how hard it is to say goodbye to old friends?

Next step Johannesburg. See ya then.

P.S. To anyone who sees me driving my '87 woody wagon come September: expressions of sympathy are welcome. (Sylvia goes to a good home tomorrow)

P.S.S. Thanks for the headline, David.

How to buy a convertible

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Just a little more about Sylvia, my new best friend.

Negotiating the purchase went a bit like this:

Me (to the private seller, in his driveway) : Hi. Wow. Love the car! I TOTALLY WANT IT! (which is apparently the wrong thing to say right off the bat)

Seller: Yes, this is an excellent car for the money.

Me: GREAT! How ’bout you show me how the top goes down now?!!

Doog (under his breath): Nancy, BE COOL.

Geoff (our Tasmanian friend who knows a bit about cars): Nancy, seriously, BE COOL.

Seller: It’s got blahblah under the hood (I’m not listening, mister!) and blahblah this and blahblah that.

Me: Yup, I hear ya! Mechanical shmanical! Fine, fine, fine! Low kilometres? Dandy! One owner? Most excellent! JUST SHOW ME HOW THE TOP GOES DOWN!

Geoff (to Doog) : Why did we bring her?

Sylvia, start your engines

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Meet Sylvia the convertible SAAB. Naysayers and assorted sceptics call her my midlife crisis purchase but I call her my NEW BEST FRIEND, and she makes me want to put exclamation points (!!!!!!!!!) At the end! Of! Every! Word!

Here’s my rationale for this slightly out-of-character, moderately luxurious buy:
* When one is 42 and has never had better wheels than an ’87 wood-panelled station wagon, who’s to say one shouldn’t splash out on a convertible for the summer Down Under?
* When the pricetag for said wheels is only $5000 and when it will easily sell when the time comes to leave, what does one have to lose? (Never mind that the buyer will have to pry the wheel from my cold dead hands)
* When it’s the first car spotted on the internet and the seller is just around the corner, could there be a better omen?
* When the buyer has secretly nursed a convertible-ownership-type fantasy for years, this totally makes sense. Right? Right!
* Is there a better country in the world to have a convertible in summer? I mean, C’MON!!