I bought a car

It is a 2016 Nissan Versa Note (the hatchback version). It is similar to many compact cars on the market. What I thought distinguished it from the others was that it had more legroom in the back seats. I have two children, and Veronica has two children (with a grandchild on the way) so room for additional passengers seemed like a good idea. The hatchback and folding rear seats also give more room for cargo than you would think. This particular model had most of the other things I had on my list: bluetooth, USB port, A/C, automatic transmission, and backup camera. It did miss having heated seats (maybe I just haven't found the switch yet) and being red. However, it is rare to find a car with the right shade of red, and white is easy to get right.

I got it at Budget Car Sales. It is a former rental car. The salesman I dealt with was Jason James. I recommend the dealership and Jason (unless you are Asian). Of course, they are trying to sell you a car and make the most money they can, but it all seemed reasonable to me. Jason explained to me that they make a lot of their profit from financing, so offering to "pay cash" is in fact the worst bargaining strategy. He also advised that the list price was fairly close to what they would accept: you can bargain a few hundred dollars but that is it. I am not a good bargainer (understatement) but I told Jason that I couldn't go home and tell Veronica I had paid full price, and ended up with a $300 reduction. 

I don't need a car, and it will cost me more than the car sharing service (ZipCar) I was using, and the rentals for longer trips. The main reason I was keen to get one was because of my ageing father (90 years old but still healthy and sharp) who lives in Kamloops. I have told him if he needs me to call and I would come up. It is easier now to just go to the garage in the basement of my building and head off than to fiddle with the details of a rental. In general, I have already enjoyed the convenience of shopping all over the city, although I had forgotten how bad traffic can be.  I suppose I also wanted to overcome the stigma of the lack of car ownership. It is certainly a North American thing from my generation and older to think of a car as a basic status symbol. I am glad that my urban children do not seem to feel this as strongly. 

Here is the cash outlay for the car. I paid no money down, it is all monthly payments for five years:

• $381 car and extended warranty payments 
• $158 insurance (the maximum coverage with the maximum safe driving discount) 
• $100 parking 
• $35 extra insurance 

The extra insurance covers the full sale price of the car for two years if it is written off by ICBC. I was upsold on this, but I do have two friends in Vancouver without cars that I would lend mine out to, and one of them I have never seen drive. My daughter has also expressed interest in using my automatic transmission for round two of trying to get a license. Maybe the extra insurance was a good thing. I want to take up cross country skiing and so roof racks and snow tires (also for the Kamloops trips) are next on my list.

Veronica said it was creepy to name your car, but it was too late. It was already christened "the Egg" in my head.