The search (pt. 2)

We have been looking at the new ads every day and were waiting for the perfect Fiesta.  

There were a lot of cars on sale. After a few weeks we already knew a lot of suitable car ads on the internet. And although we were searching for something not that often seen on the Mongol Rally, one needs to make certain sacrifices from time to time. Mateja found a suitable car. Small, cheap, small engine and with not much creature comforts. Do you see where this is going? 

The first one

It was a Nissan Micra K11. One of the more popular cars on the rally. And one of the more reliable ones. But as there are certainly worse cars one can buy, we decided to go take a look. It all sounded good when we talked to the seller. It’s supposed to be well looked after and serviced regularly. It still had paint on the bodywork and it did run well.  

We were looking around the meeting point, waiting for the imminent arrival of an old car. We soon layed our eyes upon the Nissan’s masterpiece. Well… A small one. It looked perfect from quite a distance. But once we got closer we soon saw some minor imperfections. The biggest issue was the light. There was some where there should be none. That’s not the biggest problem on earth, although it did indicate some noticeable rust holes. But… There should be none?  

There were quite a number of other faults. Mechanical mainly. They would cost us money. A lot of it, probably. Also, the test drive around the parking lot was slightly underwhelming. Almost full year before the official start the rust was a major deal breaker. We decided not to buy the Micra.  

I’m not saying it wasn’t a car. But it wasn’t one I’d buy without hesitation. It wasn’t the one.  

The days turned to weeks and it looked like we’d never find our Fiesta. We even missed out on one because we didn’t have the time to look at the ads every single second of the day. Our suspicion about the good cheap cars being sold almost immediately was therefore confirmed. 

Maruti

There, however, was one exception. The ad was active for an absolute age. The price was set at 180€. It was small, economical and quite rear. It also had the much desired AC. But even Mateja wanted nothing to do with it, funny enough. 

I think she had a problem with the vehicle’s crumple zones. They were mainly replaced with the legs of the front seat occupants. And it had the potential of looking like a real life clown car, provided enough people would be in it. It just had to be painted yellow. It was the Maruti 800. 

I was sort of agreeing with Mateja and her space considerations. But I also fancied having a go at the Mongol Rally in this show box. 

The temptation was great, but Mateja’s sound of reason was strong enough. We ended up not buying it. 

While we were searching for our unicorn of a car another thing leaped to mind. MOT. Older cars tend to demand more care for our MOT stations to approve them for another year. Well, old cars being sold especially. I added another requirement to the list. A valid MOT until after the rally finishes.  

This turned out to be the least of our problems. We still had no car. We didn’t even find a car we really liked. The car we’d buy in a heartbeat.  

It looked like it’d virtually impossible to find and buy a car for us. Mostly due to the limited budget. 

But there’s no Mongol Rally for us without a car.