Getting a car for yourself in the US is not a big deal but it sure is when I get it, considering all the tantrums that went into deciding and searching for it. That should not surprise you if you know me; if not, read on. It might even help you if you are new to this country and happen to be in the same category as mine.
To begin with, I have no prior driving experience and don't have driving license from India (which is another interesting story, but some other time). Having one would entitle you to drive here (NH) for two months without getting US driving license (varies depending on states); enough time to practice and acquaint with rules of the roads here. So having kicked out of that possibility, as per NH state law, I would go through a 6 to 8-week Driver's Education Certificate course, where I would attend 15 two-and-a-half hour theory classes, 10 one hour driving classes, and 6 one hour observation classes. Ultimately a 13 hour busy day including office. Adding to the fun, my wallet would get lighter by $600. That's one part. Now once you start the course you have to arrange for transportation to and from the driving school since public transport is not always handy here. But thanks to all my friends-having-car here, I was saved from that worry. All the troubles apart, getting again into the classroom was no less fun than original school days, the change being this time my classmates were American kids.
You got the Driver's Ed certificate. You are eligible to apply for US driving license. A great relief. But hello, where is the car? OK I would start searching for one now. Although used cars is a big market here, and all the searching you can do online, getting a right one is not always easy. Particularly when you are too specific about what you want. Indians on H1-B here generally go for Honda/Toyota owing to its good re-saleability. I was no different. I just had few criteria: black color, automatic transmission, power options, 2000s make, around 90K miles and within $7K budget. I was flexible on everything but one - color (you guessed right). So there started the fun - search online everyday, visit dealers, consult friends, contact the sellers, test drive, negotiate the price. But the biggets roadblock, as it turned out, was my color-criterion.
Internet was full of deals offering better features than what I wanted but black color; "No cars found matching your criteria". Dealers were delighted to fetch me a moon(roof) which was not even in my wanted list until I enlightened them with my black obsession; "You are a pain in the ass (smile-n-grunt)". Friends were all there with info on good deals except black cars; "What's in color?". It took everybody a while to understand that no black, no car. Once the belief established, all efforts were diverted to making it happen. Two months later I would write this to thank everybody who endured my tantrums on car search with smiling face and joined me to believe I would get one. Moral? Patience.
So here is my black beauty - 99 Honda Accord Coupe. After savoring it for hours, felt like writing something, mid-night blogging took over me, and what you just read is a story of my sweet struggle. Almost.
