Giddy Tigers

When we found out that we were to move to the States for seven months, hubby and I collectively decided that the right thing to do would be to sell my car off.  The price would only further depreciate in our absence, and furthermore, we definitely needed a higher-seating-capacity car when Baby No. 3 comes along when we get back to Malaysia, so we would be selling it off then anyway.

The problem was we didn’t know how or where to begin.  I contemplated listing my car in used car sites, but it might take a while to find a buyer and close the deal.  Given that we only had very little time to work with, this was not a very viable option.

Then we found out from a friend that his wife just sold her car to a used car dealer, and that the process took only a few days.  So about a week before we were scheduled to leave Malaysia, we paid a visit to the used car dealer’s shop and requested for a price.  He took my car for a test drive and requested for the car to be left at his shop for a few hours, because he had apparently found a potential buyer!

I was dumbstruck.

But anyway, that was a Saturday, and he told me to bring the car back on Monday because the buyer’s wife wanted to take a look too.  Come Monday, I had a short discussion with the potential buyer, and struck a deal within minutes.  It was a couple of thousand ringgit lower than my asking price, but I was willing to overlook that, given the fact that the buyer would need to fix the dents and paintjob on my car too.

I was then paid the deposit and the following business day, the used car dealer took my car to Puspakom for the inspection test.  I then went to the Road Transport Department (JPJ) to sign off on the form to state I was selling my car off.  When the Puspakom results were out, I collected my cheque for the remainder of the selling price and that was it.  All done in 2-3 business days.

I’m still blinking in amazement; amazed that the entire process was so much simpler than I thought, and simply relieved that we managed to close the deal right before we left for the States.

For what it’s worth, it made selling my car off that much easier.  Seven years is a long time, and we had a lot of memories together.  I hope the new owner takes good care of my car, for it has served me well.  It’s a bittersweet feeling, and I know it’s just an inanimate object, but it has definitely been there for me in good times and bad.

Goodbye, my dear friend…I’ll see you on the roads someday.