WE FOUND A CAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

For months Steve and I have looked at smaller cars on the road as we drive and also sit in traffic and we have narrowed the car choice down to 2 vehicles.  The Nissan Note and the Toyota Vitz.  They both come in a new and old shape so it will come down to price on which one we actually get.  I like the look of both (new and old) so it is good to know now which car I want and we always said after I got back from Australia in January, our search would begin in earnest.  I asked Steve to start checking when I came back to Nairobi for the week in November, but he said there really isn’t much he could do until I returned as the deal is done in a pretty quick manner and if he found something while I was away there would be little chance it would be around when I got back to fund the payment.  I had a few musts/wants for the car which included:

A working radio

Tinted windows

Black in colour

Good condition

And fall within my budget of 450-500,000 KSH (5333-6666AUD)

I had only been back for 3 days and Steve had been on the scout for what was around and what the costs were.  It was good because it pretty much made up our mind that the newer models were going to be out of my price range and were coming in around the 600-650,000 KSH (8000-8666AUD) and there weren’t a lot of the old models around.  We had also decided to ditch the Nissan Note, as it seemed they weren’t as popular and the resale value would not be that great and it was also easier to get parts for the Toyota.  So we were now down to the one car, gotta love the process of elimination and we were now looking for the older model Vitz, which in other parts of the world is known as a Toyota Echo or a Toyota Yaris, and it would date pre-2005 before the change of the new shape.  One thing with Nairobi is that when you need something you speak to a few choice, connected people, they spread the word and before you know it something comes back via these contacts.  Steve got a lead for an old and new Toyota Vitz on the Wednesday and he went out to take a look at them and sent me photos of both cars.  They looked great and the new model was cheaper at 580,000 but it was still stretching my budget, the old one looked great and at 460,000 was within budget.  So we kept the older model, which was a 2000 model in mind as we wanted to check the Car Bazaar that they hold out at Ngong on a Sunday to make sure that we had checked all avenues before committing to this car.  The only down side for me was that it was a pale pink colour.  Pink is not my colour, I am not a pink fan but I was also not going to NOT buy a car because of the colour. 

The following day Steve found a newer ‘older’ model locally on our side of town.  He knew the guy, knew his dad and also knew where they lived and all that is a bonus when you are buying a car in Kenya as there are a lot of dodgy people seeling cars and to know the person that is selling is a massive relief and takes the stress out of copping what could be a bust of a deal.  It was also a pale blue colour, a later model, 2004 and knowing the source was all positive for us.  But, we still wanted to go to the Sunday Car Bazaar.  So we didn’t make any commitments to anyone, and for me if the cars sold before Sunday, then I figured that it was a sign that we weren’t supposed to have them.  The good thing about the car bazaar was that I was going to sit in the car while Steve did the laps and if he saw something he would negotiate as a local, to get a local price, and then he would return with me for the final sale agreement.  If I had of gone around with him then the prices would be 100,000+ more because I was a mzungu.  It is just the way Kenya works in anything that you buy that is not in a ‘proper’ shop.  It is a tiring process sometimes, but I am now lucky that I know my share of Kenyan friends now that can help me out rather than me trying to tackle bug ticket items, like a car, on my own.  The Sunday Car Bazaar on Ngong Road is basically a big, dirt parking lot where there are tons of used cars for sale. Like hundreds.  None of it was under shade, so if you are going to go and walk around then I would suggest that you wear a hat and be prepared for a hot afternoon.  I was spared this by sitting in the car, it was hot, but I was out of the sun while Steve left for just over an hour doing the walk around.  He reported back that there were no old model Vitz there at all, but the newer model pink one he had looked at the other day was there and upon another inspection there was oil around the motor that was not there a few days ago, so the credibility for the seller went down 10 points and made the Blue one look even that much more better.  We figured we had to come and see the bazaar, a great opportunity to see what was out there, we did and there was nothing there.  As we were leaving we made the call to the blue owner and asked if we could meet him to check out his car in the next hour.   

We decided to meet Blue Owner just down the road from my apartments.  If we had of parked out the front of my place, there would be a lot of eyes watching and it also reflects on Steve, as he is dealing with a mzungu and then people think that he is getting a cut (which he does get a fee) or there is something else ‘happening’ of you get my drift.  Either way it was nice to have some ‘personal’ time with the car.  Steve went straight to the hood of the car and checked the engine and me being a girl went straight for the interior.  I have been lucky enough in my car owning history to have had new cars, barr the very first car I bought which was only 4 years old when I bought it.  So I had to remember that the car I was looking at was 10 years old and would not be in pristine condition.  There were some scuff marks around the car and a small ding in the back where it ran into a small tree.  But as Steve pointed out it is what is under the hood that counts rather than the outside and I knew he was right.  So after checking the little beauty out, Steve and I had a quick chat and we decided there and then to make the offer.  He was originally asking for 470,000 but because he knew Steve he dropped it to 450,000 and I we shook on the end price of 440,000.  It was Sunday, so we told Blue Owner that we would need until Wednesday to get the checks done and the money together.  Steve made the guy promise not to sell the car out from under us, even if he was offered a better deal and he made the promise that he would not, but he also didn’t want to take a deposit from us which was a bonus (we didn’t have to part with money) but also worrying as he still just may well sell to someone else.   

I JUST BOUGHT A CAR!!!!!!!!!! 

It had the factory installed working stereo.

It had factory tinted windows.

It wasn’t black, but blue would be my second colour of choice.

It was within budget

And according to Steve it was in immaculate working condition.

It ticked all the boxes and I was a happy camper.

It felt great.  Even though I didn’t have the keys yet and it wasn’t officially mine-I had made the commitment and I could wait until Wednesday to have that little blue machine in my control.  I had bought a car today.  I can’t thank Steve enough for all of his help in getting me this far in such a short amount of time.  This is a guy that I have seen nearly every day for the last 12 months, not to blow my own horn, but one of his best clients, and he is helping me find my own wheels and lose one of his best clients.  That, people, is the sign of a pretty special person and I am glad that I have him helping me through this whole process.

I BOUGHT MY CAR TODAY AND I FEEL GREAT.