New Car

When we left Joao Pessoa last November we sold everything that we had (minus personal items) in order to move back down to Curitiba. That meant that our sofas, refrigerator, stove, washing machine, mattress, table, chairs and everything else we had for our apartment had to go. The price to ship things back down south far exceeded the value of the items, so it made no sense to keep anything.

The biggest item we had purchased was our car. We had bought a 2000 Chevy Corsa hatchback in JP and it served us really well while we were there. We never had any mechanical problems with the car, only problems with the tires and rims, that took a beating on the broken and dirt roads of the Northeast! Overall the car was a huge blessing. But when it came time to sell it, we found that the value of the car had significantly dropped from the price we purchased it for. We ended up using the car for about a year and a half and lost $3000 Brazilian Reais on the buying and selling of the car. But we were at least able to sell it and had that money to put in the bank to buy a car in Curitiba.

When we finally moved back to Curitiba in February, we knew we needed a car badly. We live a ways outside the city and to get back and forth to the church, it would be necessary, especially at night. But we had a few things that we felt were necessary in a car in order for us to consider buying it. For example, we really wanted 4 doors to make it easier on our backs to get Sarah in and out of the car. We also wanted hot air and a rear defrost for the cold winters here in Curitiba. Now, that might sound strange, but in Brazil, when you buy a car that is basic, you really get nothing in the car except emergency lights and a fan, to go along with the necessary items like a steering wheel and parking brake. It doesn't even come with a dial so you can adjust the temperature of air that is entering your car! So we felt that having hot air and a rear defrost were necessary for us.

Well we looked around for weeks and saw all sorts of cars that had certain positive qualities, but were lacking others. We asked for help from Luciana's cousin Freddy who is a mechanic here in Curitiba. Freddy could always find what was wrong with the car to save us from buying a lemon. Finally, after several weeks of searching and looking at cars we found in the newspaper, we found a 2003 Chevy Celta with 4 doors, hot air, rear defrost, a rear window wiper, automatic locks and windows. So, Freddy and I went to meet the lady who was selling the car and to give it a good look over.

The car looked fantastic! The exterior looked relatively new and the interior was amazingly well preserved. The odometer said that the car only had 46,000 kilometers. I thought it had to be wrong since the car was a 2003. But when Freddy looked over the engine he said the mileage was legitimate. He said that the car was amazing and that we should buy it. So we did!

So far the car is awesome and it makes such a difference in our lives here in Curitiba. I can get to and from the church much quicker than on the bus which makes life more efficient. Before it would take me over an hour to get to the church(sometimes more), and now in the car it is only 20 minutes. We are really excited and thankful for our car and about the opportunities it opens up for us. The Lord is good!