David found it online at an Auto Trader-type site, and the seller was a really nice guy right in central Oxford, who I believe was only the second owner. David went to look at it Saturday night, and then picked it up after work on Monday night! Both times were in the dark, so he was relieved to see today that it looked okay in the daylight! He paid cash for it, and it cost about the same as our trip to Germany. David says that if it lasts for a year without a major problem, it will have been well worth the price.
It was such a big moment when David drove the car home last night. I met him out front of the college, and even remembered to go around to the "wrong" side to get in! It was great and weird to see him in the driver's seat. Strange how we've only been dependent on public transportation for a few months (and we haven't generally minded, either), but it seems like such a wondrous privilege to be able to drive ourselves around! We were like gleeful 16-year-olds taking our first solo drive, drunk with the freedom of it!
Despite the fact that it was almost 9pm, we immediately took her north out of town to go to the big suburban grocery store. It was so heavenly to be able to buy a bag of potatoes and a poinsettia (our first Christmas decoration - pathetic!) without worrying about the long walk to and from bus stops! And it was such a fun time - a big, beautiful moon was out, there were Christmas trees in the windows of very British houses, and we had lots of yummy food in the trunk. It was wonderful to think that we could now drive to Stonehenge or the Cotwalds or wherever on a whim some weekend without having to deal with trains that don't go where we want them to.
David drove the car to work today, making his commute only 45 minutes instead of over 2 hours! (One of us really will post about the job soon, honestly.) His first time out on the motorway was an adventure, but a happy one. The speed limit is 70, but he said most people were whizzing by at 90. He took it easy in the left lane (strange that that's the slow lane) and all went just fine. The trickiest part was two giant roundabouts, but he's mostly gotten the hang of those now. I keep picturing Chevy Chase going round and around in the European Vacation movie! It's also very strange for him to shift with his left hand, but he does a great job and looks like a pro to me.
David says he probably won't drive to work all the time, especially in bad weather, but it's nice to have the option when he just can't face the buses and trains. He's dropped many hints about how wonderful it would be if I would pick him up at the train station - thank heavens I can't drive stick! :)
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