Our transportation (Part II)

We got our car this week. While trying not to dwell on the trivial (material possessions), I thought that it might be fun to compare it to a typical vehicle in North America. Below are some pictures of this vehicle along with explanations (sometimes obvious) how it differs from cars we are used to:

Funky brand name and license- the logo is Daihatsu and the thing below is the license plate.



Speedometer is only in Kilometers per hour Km/h.

The Steering wheel is on the right hand side (because we drive on the left side of the road). More difficult than that: shifting with your left hand and blinking with your right. Fortunately the gas, brake and clutch are normal.

Our car has a small 3rd seat, which has no seatbelts. Other safety features missing: Airbags. Fortunately, between the 1.5 liter engine and the traffic here, we will never go faster than 95 Km/h (55 MPH).

This picture highlights differences from Steve and Janet vehicles in the states. It is not a minivan (its sort of a SUV looking thing) and it is black (a color which wouldn't have worked in New Mexico or Florida- the only states we have lived in as a family). While Jakarta is hot, it is not particularly sunny (thanks to a blanket of smog), therefore black works. Truth be told: we were given two options for colors (black and silver).

Getting the hang of it? Your turn. What's different with this picture from what you would see in North America? Post answers in the comments section of the blog or email it to me. Answer will be posted next week.


Other unique things about car purchasing here:

• Some cars actually appreciate in value. Because of high tariffs (which lead to 2-6 month waits for new cars), unscroupulous used car dealers, and strong demand for used cars at all prices, some new cars actually appreciate in value and all new cars hold their value quite well. After hearing horror stories about bad used car deals, we bought a new one. It will be the first (and last) time I will buy a car as an investment.


• Gas is 6000 Rupiah a liter ($2.75 a gallon). It is subsidized by the government.