My Husband’s Sister Bought a New Car

My Husband’s Twitter briefly mentioned this before, but recently my husband’s sister purchased her very first car in her life. She bought a BMW Mini Cooper 3-door model (Cooper D).

I saw some photos, and it looked really stylish and cool.

However, she’s been a paper driver for nearly 20 years since getting her license, meaning she hasn’t driven at all. Even after delivery, she said, “I can’t drive alone yet, so I want someone to practice with me,” so recently my husband has been accompanying her for practice.

When my husband came home after helping her practice driving, he said,

I wonder if I was really that bad when I first got my license, haha. First of all, she can’t drive straight. She’s so tense that her steering is easily thrown off by what’s happening around her. When a truck passes by, she sways; when entering a tunnel, she almost scrapes the wall; her driving is all over the place. The Mini is small, so it’s okay, but if it were a bigger car, I’m sure she’d be scraping all over the place, haha. She’s also too scared to press the accelerator properly, and after a little while, she keeps saying, “I’m tired, I’m tired.”

He said this half in disbelief.

Listening to him, I couldn’t help but recall my own paper driver days and muttered, “I totally get it~”.

I was a paper driver for about 10 years, so when I was finally encouraged by my husband to drive again after a long break, I clenched my teeth so hard that my jaw hurt. After just 10 minutes of driving, I got exhausted and hit by a strong wave of sleepiness. I was swaying left and right every time the road had bumps. It was really tough.

And I scratched the car quite a few times…

At first, I was amazed thinking, “Are people really processing and judging so much information instantly while driving? That’s incredible…”

But now, I can at least manage to drive manual cars like the large SUV Cayenne and the Boxster, so I’m sure my husband’s sister will soon get used to driving and discover the joy of hitting the road.

Why She Decided to Buy a Car Now

Recently, I had a chance to talk with my sister-in-law and said, “Wow, you bought a brand-new Mini! That’s pretty expensive, amazing!” She replied,

Yeah… I guess if it weren’t for COVID, I probably would have never bought a car in my life. If something happens, I can’t rely on public transportation, and if I didn’t have a car, I might not be able to move or see my loved ones in an emergency. That scared me a lot. I’d wanted a car for a while, but it was expensive and I couldn’t make up my mind. But now I thought, “This is the only timing to buy,” so I decided to go for it. Even after buying it, I’m surprised at how much money goes into things besides the purchase price, but it also made me rethink my finances, so I’m glad I bought it.

I see… The current situation really pushed her forward. Some people decide things on their own timing and will, but sometimes a trigger is what makes a big difference.

When I bought my first car, I also had a trigger that pushed me to act quickly. Now I truly feel, “I’m so glad I bought it back then.”

I bought a manual transmission car, and that opened up a whole new world for me. If the timing had been a bit later, it would have overlapped with my third pregnancy, and I probably wouldn’t have bought it. Looking back, that timing was just perfect.

Readers Who Were Encouraged by This Blog

I’ve received many messages from readers saying, “Your blog gave me the push I needed to buy a Porsche,” along with reports of their orders and deliveries. But my husband and I don’t write this blog with the intention of “pushing readers to take action.” Instead, we run it with the hope that

our own car life stories will be enjoyable for everyone to read, and maybe even helpful in some small way.

Still, it’s genuinely heartwarming to hear people say they were “encouraged or given a push” by our blog.

Cars cost money and, honestly, aren’t absolutely necessary. I used to be in the “public transportation is enough” camp. But having a car means being able to go wherever and whenever with family, creating memories, adding excitement and thrills to daily life, and meeting fellow car enthusiasts. For me, it has definitely enriched my life.

I hope to continue, even in a small way, creating moments through this blog that encourage readers to take that step.