Life in a new country is full of new sights, sounds and experiences. But sometimes it's the everyday that is the most interesting.
Let’s get the car thing off the table to begin with. The El Camino and the Ranchero are alive and well in Australia. In high school, my friend Chris Fong had an orange Ranchero/El Camino. I hope he’s moved on to greater things but ‘utes’, as they are called, are the vehicle of choice for trades people and I will assume young blokes who need the cargo bed for surf boards. The highlight of this craze was my sighting today of a ’59 Chevy El Camino. (Before anyone asks, the license plate was ’59 Chevy’ and the El Camino silver lettering was on the body – nuff said).
They also have plenty of debate over the use of the terms SUV and 4WD. I read an article on the West Australian saying Americans (and I assume they meant Canadians too) are stupid to call crossover’s an SUV and that every 4WD car should be called a 4WD. Little do they know that most SUV’s in Canada are driven by Yummy Mummy’s who will never take it off pavement. I guess they assumed we would use 4WD’s off road – what and ruin a manicure?
Want to get an oil change for your car? Need to take it to the dealership or a mechanic and for $150 and 2 hours of your time they will change your oil, do a 100 point inspection, check your brakes and wash/vacuum your car (If you’re lucky they will shuttle you to the mall while you wait). If you just want the oil changed, $99 and the same 2 hours. If you are looking to build a successful franchise here in Perth, might I suggest a Mr. Lube? The guy thought I was crazy when I told him you could drive in, stay in your car, get a coffee and paper, and be out in 20 minutes for about $50 in Canada (okay, so Steve still paid about $100 every time at Mr. Lube in Canada because he always accepted the other recommended items). He said that $50 wouldn’t even cover the cost of the oil and filter.
