Five Things I Didn't Expect to Be Different - Car Edition
It’s time for another round of “5 Things I Didn’t Expect to be Different” because, well, because there are so many little things I didn’t expect to be different. And some are bizarrely small and impactful. This edition is all about cars because we just bought a second car. The hubs is ecstatic because he was about to go insane feeling trapped and reliant on Uber. I’m ecstatic because I got a car that I don’t think is infected with lying gremlins like the first car we got. So here we go we five things that are different:
Cars don’t have a button built in to open garage doors and gates. I don’t get why this is a missing feature, but the only way you’re getting homelink is if you build a new car to spec. This applies to high end cars, too.
Cars come with license plates. In Texas, it takes a month to six weeks to get your final plates. When you pick up your car in New Zealand, it comes with the registration and plates all sorted out so there’s no need to pick them up in a month.
On road costs are included in the purchase price. At least most of the time. If on road costs aren't included, they range from $400 at the low end to a couple thousand dollars, not the thousands upon thousands of dollars they are in the United States.
Each region has its own app. Newer cars now come with apps that help control things from a distance, like sending directions to the navigation system, locating the car, or turning on fans to start cooling down the car before getting in. As it turns out, I’m not able to download the new car’s app because I’m temporarily stuck in the US iTunes store as I’m in the middle of a season pass for the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. Honestly, I feel like keeping up on #puppygate is a totally reasonable excuse for not having the New Zealand App store, though I will switch over once this season of RHOBH is over. (Confession: After downloading the New Zealand version of the car’s app, I will then switch back to the US store so I can keep up with other Real Housewives franchises, but only those west of the Mississippi. Everything in moderation.)
Buying and selling cars is much simpler in New Zealand. Instead of needing a paper title, and potentially supporting documentation, buyers and sellers simply visit the NZTA website and fill out an online form. It is so easy, and there’s no need to visit a tax office. In this case, technology really helps streamline the process.
On a somewhat related note, I had a great experience with Dawn at Auckland City BMW. She was very patient as we worked through our buying process and put up with A LOT of silly, repetitive questions. Plus, we ended up getting a sweet deal on the car, so definitely negotiate, folks!
