You only turn fifty once, right? So, at the end of last year, I surprised my wife with a brand-new car, one she really wanted. However, there was one problem: it was temporarily unavailable. Apparently, she wasn't the only one who liked it. Luckily, the new shipment was already waiting at the port, so we felt sure it would be delivered before mid-December. Let’s make it a Christmas present then!
Buying a new car here is quite an adventure. After the purchase, new owners must go through various procedures before they can take delivery of their new acquisition: registering for road tax, applying for a vehicle inspection exemption, getting a registration number and, above all, obtaining the accompanying number plates. The latter two are not included when the car changes hands. It can take up to six months to collect your number plates, and you must screw them on yourself! Fortunately, you can already drive the car in the meantime; a temporary A4 sheet behind the windscreen will do.
The absence of number plates is not the only way to recognise new cars. Often, they also still carry the assembly stickers on the left side window. These barcodes are often still there years later! Other owners leave the seat covers in their original plastic, holes and all. I have seen the same phenomenon with televisions: when watching a football match, the “Sony” sticker will still be stuck to the screen, top left corner, right where the clock and the score are!
