the daily snivel
More on the vroom vroom, honk honk, whaddya -- whaddya mean gas is $1.00 a litre?
So the first thing I did yesterday at my driving test, when the examiner told me to get started whenever I was ready, was hit the turn signal, check my left outside mirror, check my rearview mirror, check my right outside mirror, and finally my blind spot, before gently pressing the accelerator to begin the examination.
And then the motor roared and the car did nothing, and I realized that the car was still in park and the parking brake was still on.
Duhhhhh...
After apologizing profusely to the examiner, who mercifully didn't deduct any points, and remarked that it was just the usual nervousness of being tested, we set out on our way. The test is done partially on an enclosed course, and mostly on the roads around the centre on Walkley Road here in Ottawa, but they start you off on the enclosed portion where you drive around on some intersecting little roads and observe the traffic signs therein before doing a three point turn and then a parallel park behind a concrete block that represents another parked car. I'm pleased to be able to say that both of these manoeuvers were performed without any errors on the test (as I was able to discern from the corner of my eye whenever I had a free moment to casually glance at the examination form). After that, it was time to hit the road.
The rest of the test was fairly straightforward -- turn right, drive along, turn right again, proceed straight, turn left, proceed straight, take a right, approach a yield sign, yield, turn right, turn left at the traffic lights, and so on, and in the end I pulled into a space at the Ministry and shut down the car, whereupon I was asked what direction I would turn the wheels if I were parked on a hill facing downhill (I would turn them to the right, for reference, based on my dumb but helpful mnemonic, "down right, up left" -- downright and uplift, get it?), and with a satisfactory noise the examiner informed me that I passed.
For the record, I passed with a score of 86, according to my helpful Young Drivers driving instructor, who informs me that the cutoff for a pass is 70 (as the more mistakes you make, the lower your score out of 100 is). The major comment he had for me is that I'm a bit too cautious, such that I tend to want to stop and look around before making a turn or enter a parking space from time to time, when what I must learn to do is look well ahead and make judgment calls well in advace. Advice well taken, but I'm still immensely pleased right now.
I took care of the virginity thing at 18 and now at 29, I've got my driver's licence. I am truly a man today.
The next step is buying a car. I've still got my heart set on the Toyota Echo Hatchback (a red one, I should think), and even ordered a brochure so that I can pretend I know a thing or two when I go to look at the darn things ("So, of course it comes with standard anti-lock brakes, and naturally I'll be wanting the LE package with power steering and extra speakers... harumph!"). I'm just waiting for a confirmation of my salary and employment from the firm I'll be articling at so that I can sweet talk my way into getting a lease even after the good folks at the Toyota Dealership get a gander at my student debt.
Comments:And then the motor roared and the car did nothing, and I realized that the car was still in park and the parking brake was still on.
Duhhhhh...
After apologizing profusely to the examiner, who mercifully didn't deduct any points, and remarked that it was just the usual nervousness of being tested, we set out on our way. The test is done partially on an enclosed course, and mostly on the roads around the centre on Walkley Road here in Ottawa, but they start you off on the enclosed portion where you drive around on some intersecting little roads and observe the traffic signs therein before doing a three point turn and then a parallel park behind a concrete block that represents another parked car. I'm pleased to be able to say that both of these manoeuvers were performed without any errors on the test (as I was able to discern from the corner of my eye whenever I had a free moment to casually glance at the examination form). After that, it was time to hit the road.
The rest of the test was fairly straightforward -- turn right, drive along, turn right again, proceed straight, turn left, proceed straight, take a right, approach a yield sign, yield, turn right, turn left at the traffic lights, and so on, and in the end I pulled into a space at the Ministry and shut down the car, whereupon I was asked what direction I would turn the wheels if I were parked on a hill facing downhill (I would turn them to the right, for reference, based on my dumb but helpful mnemonic, "down right, up left" -- downright and uplift, get it?), and with a satisfactory noise the examiner informed me that I passed.
For the record, I passed with a score of 86, according to my helpful Young Drivers driving instructor, who informs me that the cutoff for a pass is 70 (as the more mistakes you make, the lower your score out of 100 is). The major comment he had for me is that I'm a bit too cautious, such that I tend to want to stop and look around before making a turn or enter a parking space from time to time, when what I must learn to do is look well ahead and make judgment calls well in advace. Advice well taken, but I'm still immensely pleased right now.
I took care of the virginity thing at 18 and now at 29, I've got my driver's licence. I am truly a man today.
The next step is buying a car. I've still got my heart set on the Toyota Echo Hatchback (a red one, I should think), and even ordered a brochure so that I can pretend I know a thing or two when I go to look at the darn things ("So, of course it comes with standard anti-lock brakes, and naturally I'll be wanting the LE package with power steering and extra speakers... harumph!"). I'm just waiting for a confirmation of my salary and employment from the firm I'll be articling at so that I can sweet talk my way into getting a lease even after the good folks at the Toyota Dealership get a gander at my student debt.
Don't forget Rob, the trick to getting a good price on a car is to make sure there's at least one other car you're willing to buy. It's OK to have a preference for a specific car (like the Echo) but you have to be willing to walk away if they start messing around.
Congrats on the driver's license. :-D
Congrats on the driver's license. :-D
SMART CAR! SMART CAR!
www.smart.com
YOU KNOW YOU WANT TO!
www.smart.com
YOU KNOW YOU WANT TO!
Alas, I don't believe I'll have the resources to invest in the lovely and adorable Smart Fortwo. Its pricing starts where my configuration for the Echo tops out. I think they're great, though, and if I had the money and was more of an urban commuter it's definitely a car I'd consider.
But won't you be an urban commuter? Won't you be driving around TO from courthouse to courthouse? More stop-and-go traffic makes the Smart a better idea as when you are stopped, it switches to electric.
Make sure you do the math on gas before you leap to purchase any vehicle - I know the echo is good on gas, but if it costs you an extra $100 a month [for example, I have no clue], perhaps it would be more viable to go with the Smart.
Also: sometimes there are different insurance rates for different cars, and how much you drive makes an impact in the insurance rate as well.
Make sure you do the math on gas before you leap to purchase any vehicle - I know the echo is good on gas, but if it costs you an extra $100 a month [for example, I have no clue], perhaps it would be more viable to go with the Smart.
Also: sometimes there are different insurance rates for different cars, and how much you drive makes an impact in the insurance rate as well.
You raise a lot of good points, Tara, and I cannot deny the Smart car is a tempting car, but I'm still not sure it is the right one for me. I'm actually going to be doing a lot of highway driving, as I'll be going to courthouses and jails outside Toronto on a daily basis, and I'm not confident about the Smart Fortwo's handling on a multilane highway. One reviewer noted he had to roll up the windows just to get the car to move to its top speed, though in fairness once the car was sealed it kept up with traffic on the 401 fairly well.
The fuel economy is great, to be sure. It gets a combined city/highway mileage of 4.2 litres per 100 kilometres. Assuming an average diesel price of $.92 per litre, and driving 500 kilometres per week, driving the Smart car would cost approximately $19.32 per week. Comparing it to the Echo hatchback, which has a combined city/highway mileage of 5.95 litres per 100 kilometres using a manual transmission. Assuming an average gasoline price of $.99 per litre, driving the Echo would cost approximately $29.95 per week.
This is a weekly difference of almost $10 in fuel per week. Averaging out over a month, one would save approximately $40 driving the Smart Fortwo.
I don't have enough information on the insurance costs or monthly payments for a Smart Fortwo, but if the car itself is more expensive it's not unreasonable to assume that insurance and payments will be somewhat higher than for the cheaper Echo.
There's also the fact that it will only seat two. I normally would only be carrying myself, but there are times when I'm going to want to go on trips back to Ottawa and maybe take a friend or relative out to see Mom in Smiths Falls, and it simply wouldn't be possible in a car that only seats two. And renting a car for those rare trips is one solution, but it would eat up those lofty fuel savings and require me to rent a larger car that would only be spewing more garbage into the environment in any case.
But when I'm in the market for a new car in 5 years or so, I'll definitely see what the Smart family is up to.
The fuel economy is great, to be sure. It gets a combined city/highway mileage of 4.2 litres per 100 kilometres. Assuming an average diesel price of $.92 per litre, and driving 500 kilometres per week, driving the Smart car would cost approximately $19.32 per week. Comparing it to the Echo hatchback, which has a combined city/highway mileage of 5.95 litres per 100 kilometres using a manual transmission. Assuming an average gasoline price of $.99 per litre, driving the Echo would cost approximately $29.95 per week.
This is a weekly difference of almost $10 in fuel per week. Averaging out over a month, one would save approximately $40 driving the Smart Fortwo.
I don't have enough information on the insurance costs or monthly payments for a Smart Fortwo, but if the car itself is more expensive it's not unreasonable to assume that insurance and payments will be somewhat higher than for the cheaper Echo.
There's also the fact that it will only seat two. I normally would only be carrying myself, but there are times when I'm going to want to go on trips back to Ottawa and maybe take a friend or relative out to see Mom in Smiths Falls, and it simply wouldn't be possible in a car that only seats two. And renting a car for those rare trips is one solution, but it would eat up those lofty fuel savings and require me to rent a larger car that would only be spewing more garbage into the environment in any case.
But when I'm in the market for a new car in 5 years or so, I'll definitely see what the Smart family is up to.
And the killer for me on the Smart Car: While Canadian residents *may* be permitted to take the car into the US on short term visits, US citizens aren't allowed to cross the border with one (for fear you might stay with your cute, wonderfully efficient car, I guess). And there are no licensed repair facilities in the US for them at all. (Which would Very Seriously Suck[TM] the next time I broke down somewhere along the New York turnpike, even if I wasn't turned away at the border.
'Course, if you don't plan to go to the US with it, hey, no problem :)
'Course, if you don't plan to go to the US with it, hey, no problem :)
