THE story in today's Straits Times, about the 26-year-old who became a millionaire overnight, reminded me of the girl who sold me the metallic brown Suzuki 800. She had placed an ad in the Classifieds.
Think I paid $10,000 for it and that was in the late 90s. I remember she told me that she wanted to make her first million before she reached 30. She was also 26 then and if I remember rightly, and in the marketing line. She told me that she was getting a new car and that it probably would be a BMW.
I wonder if she managed to fulfil her dream?
Anyway, back to the car. It was as good as a 3rd-hand car could be. It stalled silently one day along Holland Road near Botanic Gardens. Luckily, I was still able to steer it and rolled to the side without the engine on. I called for my favourite car-tow person who also gave me a ride home in the truck. (I don't really remember, but it probably wasn't as simple as this as I must have walked for miles looking for a public telephone... as I didn't own a handphone then.)
I knew a number of nice car tow drivers in those days. Once it was in the wee hours of the morning when my car had a flat -- and I was going to be late for work (those days, I started work at 4am) and he would arrive in the gloom of the early dawn, deftly stuffed the hole in the tyre with some kind of filling shot from a gun-like device, pumped up the tyre and got me on my way. (I had a handphone by then.)
Then another day, also along Holland Road but nearer Ulu Pandan, a van shot into my lane and crashed onto the side of poor Suzuki 800. It dragged the left door almost out of its hinges. The van driver, to his credit, was extremely apologetic (and more in a shock than me). In a daze, he whisked out a broom from his van to sweep away the glass bits, and tried to get the door to hang less precariously. Then we both drove to the police station at Clementi.
It was a rather strange drive as a bit of the left front door had fallen off and I could see a lot of scenery outside as I drove.
There was no worry about the left rear mirror as it had fallen off a long time ago (and I still remember, along Dunearn Road). It just decided to fall off one day with no warning. I didn't think it was worth the trouble of stopping the car to look for it. It wouldn't fit back in for sure.
5 comments:
My reservist friend of mine had one too and the few of us used to go for seafood dinners and many a midnight shows in his Susuki 800. We did not experience any dramatic baptism such as those you did, thank God :)
It was a niffy little car, certainly got us from point A to B. However, even L Hamilton with his driving skill will not be able to win any Grand Prix in one Ha Ha..
Sorry for typo...should be The reservist
I have tried putting three passengers inthe back,and it still moved! Was your friend's a metallic brown too? Many of the Suzuki 800 were this colour. Maybehis car was the one I could open with my key but couldn't start the engine. At least it had that safety catch.
I believe it was, trying to recall the color, that was a long time ago. Your story reminded me when I was staying in Toa Payoh of the day I took the elevator up to my unit. Inserted the key and was puzzled why I could not open the main door. Looked and re-looked it was the correct key, about to knock but took a peep through the grills. Horrors, it wss the wrong unit on the wrong floor. What a boo-boo.
Hahaha. That was funny.
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