Just got an email from my friend Cathy who went back to New Zealand the other year. Apparently she was involved in a car crash. The car's a write-off but she has only minor injurys (one hopes)! Coming after yesterday this has been a bit of a shock. I hope to visit Cathy one day (it' less expensive to fly return to NZ than it is to Perth) again.
I do not want more of my friends dying off in a hurry!
When I was a kid, I used to watch a puppet show called Supercar:
The big gimmick about Supercar was that it could fly. I was reading Where's my Jetpack and apparently there are flying cars in production now! Namely the
Moller M400 SkyCar:
How economical it is, and how long it'll be in production for, I don't know. Here's a video of it :
Whatever next? Maybe a consumer jet pack, personal helicopter (gee that reminds me of the Whirlibats from the Batman comic), a real hoverboard, or walking machine.
They came...
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...and took it away!
Turns out they were friends of the people at the end of the street and saw it on the way home. It obviously pays to take a chance, and I am so so so so so so relieved that it's gone (might mow the front lawn later today)! 
Um, this is weird. Someone came along and just bought my car for $50.
I had some idea of selling it via eBay for $500, or maybe putting it in the classifieds, but all of that was complicated, would require an initial investment and be uncertain of success. Now maybe they're going to sell it for $500 (or whatever) to someone else but...
...I don't care. I just want it gone. And it will be soon (as soon as he comes back with a car float). 
I need to sell my car and have no real idea how to do it - can you help me?
The car is a Nissan Pintara Station Wagon, 1988 model.
There's no point in keeping it any more. It's unregistered, has engine troubles and a flat battery. It'd cost me too much to fix and get re-registered and besides which, one of the worries I've been having of late is that my epilepsy may be returning (I woke up last Tuesday morning feeling like I'd had seizure in my sleep, which is why I got drunk that night on Port) and if that's the case I may not have a license with which to drive anyway (hence the electric bike which doesn't need a rego or a license).
But it still has value. Someone else might be able to fix it and get it running, or use it for spare parts. It has an LPG gas tank in the back, and the engine got a new air filter that works fine.
What's the best way to advertise my car? How much should I ask for it? I don't want to ask too much, but I also don't want to under-price it either.
Suggestions please.
Had a call from a policeman today about my car. He assumed that it'd been stolen and abandoned at the Henny Penny car park in Wallsend and removed the rego plates.
I explained what had happened, and that I was intending to get a temporary permit to drive it home tomorrow (true). He understood, and said that he'd reattach the plates to the car so that I could do that (yes, please!).
So, I'd better go and do this tomorrow. I have a 1pm appointment with my dietician, but the morning can be spent at the RTA and maybe the local Court. At the RTA I can get an Unregistered Vehicle Permit so that I can drive the car home (and maybe fill it up with food shopping first, if I'm allowed). At the magistrate's court I might be able to talk to someone about payments. It's confusing - the step by step guide to paying fines seems to imply that either I pay in full, request a review of the penalty, or apply for time to pay in instalments after I get an "enforcement notice"!
Legal aid needed here I think.
When I got home today there was a letter from the Police.
Inside were two infringement notices - one for "Use of uninsured motor vehicle" and the other for "use of unregistered motor vehicle" - each was a fine of $461, meaning that I got fined a total of $922.
There are two ways listed (for each fine) that I can deal with the matter: a) choose a payment option (part payment not accepted); and b) by the individual named (me) having the matter heard at court. Well, I just don't have the money to pay both fines, and no realistic expectation of raising it either. I could get an advance from Centrelink for $500 in April (last years paid for panel beating from an accident I can't remember) but that's not nearly enough for both.
![[profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
miss_judith gave me some advice (thanks! 
), which is to choose option B and arrange weekly payments and/or community service. Sounds like good advice to me.
So it goes, and it's all my own fault. Can I get any stupider?
It finally happened - I drove my unregistered car out on the streets, and got pulled over by the police.
Bottom line is, I took a risk and got caught out, and now (they're sending out infringement notices) I will pay the price (probably literally).
Well, I knew that if I kept using the car one of three things would happen (accident / breakdown / police), and it did. I guess the temptation to use it "just one more time" was too much. Either way, now I bear the consequences of my actions, and though I'm not very happy about it (and nobody better dare saying "I told you so") I have to accept that. No one forced me to drive the car - I did so because it was an easy option to do so, rather than let it go and/or save up for repairs.
The least I'll get will be a fine - I guess there goes this years "advance" from Centrelink (last year's went on paying panel beating costs on an accident I don't remember). However, now I have an additional problem, of having the car stuck in Wallsend at in the Henny Penny car park. Don't know what to do about that. Kevin suggested that I just call a wreckers and give her to them. Not keen on that, and as I don't know of anyone who'd tow the car for me (and am uncertain about paying someone to tow it) I don't know what to do.
Suggestions anyone?
I bumped the passenger side's rear view mirror on the car this morning, while talking out the garbage bin. I bumped it again on the way in, and it snapped off, only connected by the power cable (you could adjust it by using a motor). 
Urk! I was tempted to drive the car tonight to Teralba Station and then catch a train to the Cambridge to meet up with ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif){kind=small}
_blubloo_, and watch Arse Clown from 8:30pm. I can stick the mirror back on with the right glue, but that'd take a day to set. 
Maybe, however, this is a sign not to drive my (unregistered) car. Hmmm, looks like a night at home tonight after all.
I went with Kevin to the Dental Clinic at Toronto yesterday. It was only an assessment, though later last night he had two teeth removed! After the dental clinic we went to Spears Point library, and rather than drive home via Glendale (it was wet and lots of cars on the road) I drove back via the Teralba-Barnsley road.
There at the 2nd hand car dealership right next to the railway line, was a virtual clone of my car, the Kushti Rauni. The Rauni is a 1988 Nissan Pintara GTL Station wagon. The one in the yard was a 1988-90 "Executive". Saw the dealer and had a look at it. It's in better condition than mine. The engine runs with a strange sound which is apparently a loose fan belt.
The dealer wanted $1200 - $1500 for it (the later with 3 months rego). It's very very tempting to get something almost identical to what I have (no gas on board). I could then use parts from my existing car where possible.
I've already thought of a name for it if I bought it - the re-rauni Kenshin (or Kenshin for short) - which is a pun on the animé series Rurouni Kenshin. Guess I must be keen if I'm already naming it! However - $1200 - where would I get that from?
Same problem with the Rauni today - she wouldn't start.
Well, almost. I drove her on Wednesday when taking Peggy for a bush walk, but didn't drive her yesterday (Thursday). When I tried to start, the engine turned over and fired... ...only once. had I pressed the accelerator at that moment, she might have started, but I missed the cue. Tried charging it for 30 minutes but that made no difference at all.
It was just about 3pm, and I could have phoned the NMRA, but instead I phoned for a taxi. I needed to go to uni to pick up my veggie box, and to get the reprints and prints from Wednesday before the uni shut down for two weeks. In the event I got 3/4 of that done but at a cost of $36.40 in taxi fares. Sounds like a waste doesn't it, but I was determined that this Friday I wasn't going to be beaten by my invalid car - wouldn't get a taxi every day
Got the veggies. Got the reprints, but Fibre-Art (where my folder with the rest of the prints) was already shut so I only grabbed the two reprints (The "Cybele" and "Community" cards) and posted them in tube to the Maetreum in Palenville. Then I caught a bus home (and it was definitely a "chips night").
Anyway, seems to me that if I'm staying home for a day and not using the car, I'm going to have to put the recharger on it, to be ready the day after. Sigh - she's on the way out!
There was a Four Corners segment last night about how supposedly, we've reached the 50% mark on oil reserves, and that from here on it's going to get progressively more and more expensive, which I almost watched (OK - I fell asleep off and on all night).
Not bloody surprising, considering the rate at which it gets used, and the stuff it gets used on. One more reason to sell my car some time later this year. There will be difficulties after it's gone, but for the most part I should be able to manage with a $2.50 bus pass.
Just hope that doesn't go up.
...and stops my mind from wandering.
The good news is that my keys turned up.
I phoned the bus company and after an initial denial of anything being found, they said that some keys had been handed in. When I described the yellow cord I had attached to it (from a sports whistle, so I can hang them around my neck) it was confirmed that they were mine. Walked to Edgeworth (3km) and picked them up. I was called the "yellow cord lady" which sounds like some sort of serial killer, or a card game or something.
Decided to walk the rest of the way to Stocklands at Glendale (another 3km) and did a little bit of window shopping before I got to my car (I was hunting for a cheap travel clock). Bought a bottle of distilled water and then went to the car. There was nothing wrong with the battery, but the car wouldn't start. I was about to call the NRMA, when I remembered that I'd switched it from LPG to petrol (which it doesn't run on any more) before I'd gone (to help prevent it from being stolen).
She ran, so I drove her back home. Stopped at Edgeworth Coles on the way for some food shopping, and put $5 LPG in her, and that was it.
The other thing is that I spent a bit too much over the weekend. Normally when I go down to Wake the Dead, I spend about $20-$25 all told. This time around I spent (over the whole weekend) $40, but I did get drunk. Hmmm.
When Salli and I came back from Sydney tonight, I got her to drive me to my car, which is parked behind Bunnings at Glendale.
I had my spare keys with me, and tried to start her. No go. The motor turned but she wouldn't start. I think the battery is losing it's charge too quickly. It may be that there isn't enough water in it. But it was already dark and I couldn't tell for sure. Salli drove me back home where I fed my pets.
Tomorrow, I'll phone the bus company and see if my original keys were handed in (they were shut over the w/e). If they have been I'll walk to Edgeworth and collect them. Either way, I'll catch a bus to Glendale and see what can be done in daylight. It may be that all it needs is some distilled water in the battery (please, Goddess, please!) and I can drive it home. Otherwise I'll phone the NMRA (again) and try and get it going.
If it starts, I'll driver her home. If not, I'll get her towed home (which should be free of charge for the distance). I think maybe, either way, I should take the bus in to the uni on Tuesday morning for my counselling appointment, because maybe I'll actually get there on time.
not coping - not coping - not coping - not coping - not coping - not coping. please make this end.
zvi and krja
