A dream is realised

Over the past year have become intimately acquainted with all of the big online car sites. I could just about use them blindfolded. I could spot a new listing a mile away, and tell you the pricing history of any long term listings. Why? Because I was searching for a new car. Not just any car, mind you - I needed a 7 seater that could take my kids, my dogs, all the bikes, all our holiday luggage as well as all our camping gear without bulging at the seams, falling over or apart, or simply giving up the ghost.

Once I found the make and model that I liked AND we could afford (there is a difference between the two!) I then started searching in earnest. I wouldn't exactly call this the car of my dreams, because that doesn't involve needing to transport children, bikes or luggage, but it comes as close as is practically possible. (My dream car would do 0-100 in less than a second and have a maximum speed of at least 250km/h, would be red, and have all kinds of really cool on-board technology.)

Nearly a year after beginning the process, I found THE car. Right year, right engine size, right colour, right city, and (most importantly) right price. I was ecstatic! I immediately sent an email to the dealer. Being late on a Saturday, I figured I wouldn't hear anything until Monday, but by Monday morning I was so wound up I figured I wouldn't wait to hear, and so we took a drive out to the dealer to go and test drive the car.

We arrived, only to discover that someone else had beaten us to it! The car I had been hunting for so long had been stolen, from right under my nose. We left, but only after the sales rep had promised she would call me within 24hrs to let me know whether the other person's finance offer had been accepted.

Less than 24hrs later, I couldn't bear the wait any longer, so I called. Had the car, in fact, been sold? And then came the words I had dreamed I would hear - 'No, the finance had not been approved'. Less than an hour later we were back at the dealer, test drive completed, with paperwork filled out and signed. That car would be mine, by hook or by persistence (not by crook... I'm not that kind of person after all... but it doesn't rhyme as nicely, I know.)

After a quick stop at the shops, I was home and the money was EFT'd into the dealer's account. I BOUGHT MY CAR! I still can't believe that this beautiful, wonderful car will soon be delivered to me... It's taken a year, but in just a few days, I will finally see my dream realised: a car that meets our needs as a family, with all the add-on's that I was looking for.

How will I sleep tonight???? The excitement is just overwhelming.