Bumpy Roads

A few months ago I started talking to trusted Romanian friends about my desire to purchase a vehicle. I wanted to find a trusted individual to help me out in this process. Once I started mentioning the idea, many people spouted: "Oh, I know a guy" or "My _______(fill in: brother/uncle/cousin/neighbor/dad/best friend's boyfriend) helps people find cars!"  

Other responses include: "Why are you buying a car, aren't you going home (read: America) soon?" To which I would explain that I had moved to Romania with the intent to live here until God tells me to live anyplace else. This was something I thought I had communicated to most people, but I guess it was lost in translation at some point. 

After a couple months I was still no closer to purchasing a vehicle than when I began. My desire to have independent access to the Roma villages continued to be a dream. THEN, (bum, bum, buuum) I went to Brasov and met my wonderful friends Elvis & Katie. Elvis, (yes, that's his real name and he's Romanian) heard of my desire for a vehicle and mentioned that he knew a reliable, Christian guy who helped people purchase used cars from Germany. The idea here is that the used cars in Germany are in better condition than used cars in Romania. I feel confident in the accuracy of this concept given my experiences on both German and Romanian roads. I know that my own body was in better condition after German roads. 

This creative complaint could be executed on most Romanian roads
and has occasionally resulted in repair of such roads. 

I was perked a bit by Elvis' good recommendation. I trusted his advice and I knew that he wouldn't send me to someone he didn't trust himself. After a week or so, we started talking more about what I wanted in a vehicle. Then I started receiving e-mails from the car guy. We've been looking at models and trying to narrow things down and find a good balance of the aspects I find important and necessary with a reasonable price and tax. It's all been a bit dizzying, but I'm starting to figure this system out. I've mastered searching the online database, in Romanian none-the-less. You can change the page to English, but I find the Romanian version to have more specific search criteria. So, in the process I'm learning some Romanian vehicle vocabulary. 

At the same time I'm figuring things out, I continue to be a bit overwhelmed. There are so many options and so many aspects to consider. I also find it a bit staggering to spend so much money on any one object. My last car was $900 and lasted over 6 years and 80,000 miles! I know that would never repeat even in America. 

So, I keep searching, praying for wisdom, and asking trusted friends and family for advice. There are times I get overwhelmed with the advice and have to take a step back. Everyone seems to have solid opinions, but they are all different opinions! I am so very thankful for my friend Elvis and his consistent help through this whole process. I probably would have just given up if it weren't for him.

All this to say: I hope to find myself the owner of a vehicle in the next month. I hope to make a smart and wise decision. I hope for God's peace in the purchase of a vehicle. I'm praying against buyer's remorse (I'm just not sure I can handle that!) Maybe one day soon I'll make it through this bumpy road of car purchasing decisions and be posting about my new set of wheels. Then will come the stories of my trips to the villages and places I couldn't freely access before!