When Even an Old Kancil Will Do

After having to make do with just one car for nearly three months, I now know exactly how valuable a second car is. It's so valuable that without it, you can literally go insane.

Imagine having to lug your two kids to school in the morning, along with two dogs in the back seat, with a tired and bothered wife (or husband if you're female) sitting next to you. Imagine doing that five days a week for nearly three months.

Drive you and everyone else in your family (including the dogs) nuts, yes? Well, that was pretty much the case with my family. Having sold off my Focus in anticipation of getting my new car, which turned out to be very late in arriving, my family had to endure the hardship of getting around in just one car.

It got so bad that, on some days, I wish I could fly instead. And when I looked at people with very old cars, I considered them to be very lucky indeed.

So much so, I seriously contemplated spending RM5,000 to buy an old Kancil. That would have been preferable to having to go through the motions of dragging the family about in just one car, five days a week, for nearly three months.

But what would be the point? As soon as my new car gets delivered, the old Kancil would just rot away by the roadside, to be used only when absolutely necessary.

Still, there were days when I thought, "What the hell? Let's just do it."

My motivations? Seeing my wife's behaviour changing from calm and happy, to nervous wreck bordering on abusive; seeing my kids coming home lethargic and unmotivated to study and even play; and seeing my dogs growling and barking aggressively in the car because they get squashed between my kids.

Thank God, my new car arrived just before all hell broke loose. Now that it's here, our lives are slowing getting back to normal or becoming tolerable and even enjoyable - even the dogs appear happier.

Still, this experience has taught me the importance of having a reserve car. As soon as I'm able to, I'm going to get a third car. And it doesn't matter if it spends most of the time parked by the roadside or under the tree outside my house. At least, it'll be there when my car becomes unavailable for whatever reason.