One of the things we’ve discussed since moving to Sweden, is the need for a bigger, left-hand drive, car. This has principally come about because of the flood of visitors we’ve had and how being squished into the back of Max is not a pleasant experience. This is a particular problem when you include luggage. It was one of the reasons why I didn’t accompany Mirinda, Sharon and Jud to Gotland last year.
There is also the fact that every time I load Max, the entire packing is based around Mirinda’s guitar.
Mirinda was keen on getting a Tiguan, mainly because her dad had one which she drove when we were in Oz a number of years ago. Mirinda, being Mirinda, then studied up on cars, coming to the conclusion that the Tig was the way to go. She then found one at Kamux in Nyköping.
We drove there today.
It was a beautiful day for a drive. We went via the E4 and returned via the more scenic, 219. This, more or less, makes a circle, something I prefer, which is odd when I think about it because I dislike symmetry. Still, it makes for a pleasant drive when you drive through different scenery.
At Kamux (possibly the biggest second hand car dealership in Scandinavia) we met up with Henrik who introduced us to a black, 2018 Tiguan. He pointed out all the important details before handing Mirinda the key so she could take it for a test drive.
My first impression was one of supreme comfort. Okay, the Mini is a lovely car which we’ve enjoyed from day one but, the ducking down to get in, frequently knocking my head, is a bit annoying. And the cramped legroom, especially when my legs are surrounded by Mirinda’s various necessities, is not always comfortable.
My second impression was how smoothly it ran along the roads.
I was a bit concerned that Mirinda would be worried about the size of the Tig versus the Mini but she adapted really quickly. In fact, it was a shame to hand the keys back on our return to the showroom.
So then we sat down to discuss financial issues. This was all fine until it came time to check out insurance. Apparently, in Sweden, there’s a driver registry. This is just another of those little hurdles we didn’t know about. It seems, and Henrik had never come across this before, if you’re not on the registry, you can’t get insurance. And if you can’t get insurance, you can’t get a car.
These little, convoluted blips are something we’re getting used to and plans were made to find out how to get Mirinda on this registry. By the time we returned home, Henrik had written to say that his boss said they could add people to the registry. Mirinda is going to call him tomorrow.
So, next week, this could be parked in our driveway.
Hopefully, Max won’t get too jealous.
