I’m actually car-hunting at the moment. I’m not entirely sure what I want - just how much I (don’t) want to pay. :P Cars over here just seem so ridiculously big. And there never seems to be more than one person in a car at a time! I swear, I’ve stood at bus stops for 20 minutes, and been able to count on one hand the number of cars that have 2 or more people.

I just want something small, preferably a manual, reliable, easy to park (like my old car) and cute. I’m definitely excited to be able to drive places, it’ll make getting around so much easier and quicker (this country seems to be made for drivers - which, of course, it is). And hey, there’s always that feeling of loyalty and alliance to whatever make/model of car you go for (everything from keyrings to online resources and forums/social networking sites like ItsMyNissan.com).

I miss just the simple procedure of driving. Thate state-of-mind you get into, when you’re not concentrating on anything but driving. The utter procedural motions you go through - the way you can switch off to everything else.

I actually found driving an automatic scarier than a manual, because I think not having control over the gears, and not having the possibility of having to change gear at any moment, lets you switch off in a way that’s not safe. That’s my new theory on why drivers in America are so notorious. Also, the automatic I drove was very strange on any kind of an incline… and it felt exactly like a manual would if you were in a gear too high(/not powerful enough) for the situation. Very strange!

I’ll stick to my good ol’ clutch and handbrake, I think!