An important issue for settling in to a new place is transportation, how to get around to places. In Leeds there is a very extensive inner-urban bus network and a nice commuter train connection to the outer towns, but for going shopping or exploring the countryside, one needs a car. Since I had 4 suitcases + a box when I arrived at Leeds-Bradford airport (LBA), I already had reserved a rental car - no way that I would be able to deal with these luggage pieces on a regular bus.
But car rental is expensive, and although I planned on using the rental car for the first days, I intended quickly to get a car, so that I could return the rental car as soon as possible. Also, this rental car has a stick shift transmission - which is a bit of a problem for me. Not that I cannot use it - I learned to drive on a stick shift, and one can drive much more sporty with it. But here in the UK driving with a stick shift is one additional hazzle: driving on the left side, after I had driven the past 24 years on the right side, is a bit difficult. This also means that the gear shifter is on the left instead of on the right - and my have to swap my complete behavior pattern in terms of what each hand is doing while I stear the car. And third, I am not yet familiar with the Leeds traffic and road network - so I am constantly looking at traffic signs and directions. This all adds up to making driving quite difficult, and I could not wait to return the rental car and get a car with an automatic transmission, which made cruising so enjoyable while I was in the US.
Thanks to the global connection through the internet, I already had explored the possibilities of a car purchase on the web. The site Auto Trader offered a nice overview on used cars, from private owners and from dealers (trade). My price rance was not yet determined, but to save valuable cash which I would need before my first salary arrived, I intended to set a quite low limit.
I had a few criteria that I would like to be fulfilled:
- the car should be British. This is because I want to "dive in" and get the full experience of living in Britain. In the US, I had my monster US classics, and was very happy with them. I thought that I would be able to apply all my acquired mechanical knowledge in dealing with possible unreliabilities...
- the car should be a Diesel. Gas prices in Europe and the UK are more than double as what they are in the US, where now everyone is complaining about 3$ per gallon. In the UK, gas prices approach 1 British Pound per litre, which is about $6.50 per gallon at the current US conversion rate. Diesel engines have a very good mileage of usually around 50 mpg, so that would keep the operating cost down.
- it should be an automatic. Although I am able to drive stick, it bothers me to take constantly the hand of the wheel, take that stick, and move it forward or backward. And this with the left hand which never had to do anything before (when I was driving in cars with steering wheel at the left side).
- it should be a station wagon or hatchback (or estate, as they call them here), because I often carry a lot of stuff with me.
- it should have a sun roof. A convertible does not seem feasible because of the climate here.
- it should be cheap.
When looking on the web for cars that would fulfill these conditions, I realized that it would be hard to find one that satisfies all of them. Especially the combination Diesel-automatic was hard to find, so I decided that I would have to be a little less discriminative.
I finally found one that would satisfy 5 of these 6 conditions: a 1996 Rover 820 Fastback. Automatic, a hatchback, British, with sun roof and a few other luxury extras, and a reasonable price of 575 GDP. Yes, I really aimed at quite a low price.
When I called, I hardly understood the heavy Yorkshire dialect of the seller. But I managed to arrange for a meeting. Calling the next day, however, I learned that in this particular car the gear box had broken. What a shame. But the same dealer offered a few other cars, and so I decided to stop by. I test drove another Rover, but that was not a hatchback. Then they also had a 1993 Ford Granada stationwagon. I drove it, and it felt ok. 350 cash. I decided to take this, although this would not be the unique British car experience that I had sought. So on Sunday afternoon, 5 days after my arrival in the UK, I became proud owner of my first car in the UK.
A bit rust around the wheels, but the engine seemed ok. I immediately started cleaning the interior from the dust.
