Fiat!!!

Absolutely awesome, right?!

I (Austin) blog to you sleepy and, well, sleepy in the kitchen of our hosts.  We just bought a 2001 Fiat Multipla today!

After lots of anxst and research on buying (and insuring) a used car in Ireland, our host Mark found a killer deal on the Multipla, which had been slowing molding in a church parking lot because the tax ran out (it costs 800 euro a year to register a car in Ireland, a monstrous amount, so many people let their cars collect dust off the road if they don't want to pay it).  It was literally molding actually, inside.  But it's engine worked (mostly, minus some exhaust work, but Mark is an awesome mechanic), so Kindra and Mark and I went to check it out.  The guy selling it didn't speak a lick of English (he was from Germany), except when it came to numbers.  I test drove the Fiat around the parking lot, got the Mark the mechanic opinion stamp of approval, and threw out an offer (it was originally 280 euro, which is amazingly cheap, but being a cheap bastard I tried low balling him).  "Two hundred?" I said.  His expression of dismay immediately revealed that his English at least extended to numbers.  Mark and I tried 250 euro, and after some straining our German friend said yes.  Wooohooo, 250 euro for a stinking Multipla!  Of course, you in America are going, what the bloody hell is a Multipla?!  (well, minus the bloody hell, that's pure British).  It's a Honda Element style car, with back seats that remove for our "on the road hostel" option.  It is right up our alley, and gets at least 32 mpg as well (though factor in $7+ a gallon, and that doesn't feel right so good). 

Sooo...our adventures continue!  Our hosts haven't evicted us yet, but we may be on the street by the weekend, and our newly acquired Fiat Multipla will be sure to an important part of the road ahead.  :)