Yesterday we got a new car. Only new to us since it’s second-hand. But its a very clean, low-mileage car that we got on the cheap. We got a 2001 Hyundai Avante XD. It has only 60,000km (about 37K miles) which is quite low for a seven year old car. Engine size is the same, but newer technology and thus better kpd. I wanted to get something really small and fuel efficient like a Matiz, but they are so underpowered I couldn’t imagine getting a car load of friends and climbing gear *and* my big ass up a mountain. Plus it’s standard transmission.

The old car, a ’94 Elantra, still ran well, but was getting old and making occasional embarrassing noises. It was also a 5-speed and MyeongHee wants to learn how to drive. I tried teaching her, and she did very well, but switching gears was just a distraction she didn’t need. The big learning curve is learning how to avoid an accident in Korean traffic.

However, defensive driving skills alone aren’t the only methods of accident prevention in Korea. Last night I learned of a new one. I have no idea if it works, but I guess that will come in time. Many Koreans hold a new car ceremony when a new vehicle is purchased. They toast with makoli, a milky rice-wine, some fresh fruit and then bow deeply to their new vehicle in the hopes that their show of respect translates into the car avoiding accidents. We didn’t do that. We’re far to cosmopolitan and intelligent to think that bowing to an inanimate object will prevent accidents. Instead, we went out to a 4-way intersection and stopped in the middle. Then MyeongHee placed one raw egg behind each of the four tires. We backed up over the eggs making a nice mess. This is done, I’m guessing, to offer the breaking of eggs rather than any breaking of the car. I went along with it, in part, to learn Korean customs but also to make the missus happy. For the record, she thinks its a little silly, too, but customs are customs.

This is the new car:

This is the old, retired car:

And it’s already sold. I placed ads yesterday and went to one of the local foreigner bars. The first guy who saw the ought bought it.

One other thing…you might wonder why both cars are white. I’d estimate that 90% of the cars here are either white, black or gray. They aren’t for flashy cars here much. You don’t see many bright colors on the road. Asian culture does not emphasize individuality. Group or team togetherness is more important. So, a color that most will agree on is best.