This is the story of a man who lived for cars, repaired them since his youth as a small sponge. Back in the saddle so to speak - hopefully soon.
Everybody I talk to tells me that I should not be driving an electric unicycle. They tell me I'm too old for me driving something so risky. I have been riding my wheel for over 10 years and I never really wanted to drive on the streets in Argentina because people drive crazy here. They don't drive crazy like a crazy driver would in the United States, speeding, drifting, etc.. They drive crazy in that they only follow the laws that are enforced. I'm talking about swinging out across three or four lanes onto the main avenue, or the reverse, coming to an intersection in the right lane and then turning left across all lanes of traffic when the light turns green.
After over 10 years years of driving an electric unicycle, one that beats most cars and motorcycles off the line, I have become used to the way they drive here and I thought it was time to put a little bit of metal between me and the road. thus today's title.
I can't afford to buy a car, but I ran across one that was affordable to rent, long term that is. Let's call it a "lease" but mine is on a hand shake. This would not be my ideal choice for a vehicle because it's likely very expensive to repair, but it's the one that was offered, so I grabbed it.
I do not have a driver's license yet because my United States driver's license is expired as of 2004, but that never stopped me before. I do get a little nervous driving without one because I know the insurance wouldn't cover any damages or injuries sustained by someone if I were to get an accident. The car itself is insured if someone were to break in or steal it while it's parked but not if I were to get in an accident driving it.
I only drove the car home and put it in the garage at first but it's difficult to resist the temptation of driving around, something that I had missed for all the years that I've lived here in Argentina. Now I only drive it very late at night, very early in the morning, or on Sunday (like a little old lady from Pasadena)
The kids are very excited to see their dad drive, because they've never seen that before. Well, I take that back because My youngest saw me drive when I went to teach him how to drive stick shift about a year and a half ago. But that was a friend's car and the driving was in the grass where it is 100% legal for him to drive.
Last weekend I had a generous offer from my son. He wanted to wash the car. I am not sure how many of those I will get in the future so I let him do it. So we went to an industrial park where, normally, there are semi trucks picking up and dropping off containers. There's a hose there that anyone can use The water actually flows 24/7. We brought our own soap, sponge and rags and he went to town on it. That was the first time he ever had the opportunity to touch a car with permission, more so he got to wash it. He was thrilled!
Today I'm signing up to get a license. Since I'm a foreigner, I'm not sure how long that will take. I only have one frame of reference which was the time that I got my ID in Argentina, which took 6 years. Everyone here is telling me that it's a very easy thing to do, but I am skeptical.
I studied some of the laws already and they are pretty much the same as the laws in the United States as far as passing and speed limits go. There are some strange things about it, one being that you need to know the speed limits of certain roads. I believe there are five different roads that are special and new drivers aren't allowed to drive on them. The use of hazards is key to parking or even stopping here in the city.
One good thing about driving without a license here is that they never stop you, so no worries there. Since I have been here I have never seen a policeman turn on his siren and pull someone over. All of that kind of thing is done when the car is stopped. If you're going down the road and you see police up ahead on the side of the road then they will likely flag you in to check all your paperwork, your driver's license and your insurance.
Some people have told me that the police do stop people here. But I've never seen it and I'm on the streets a lot.I had an electric motorcycle and I drove it for over 2 years. It was fully insured even though there was no license plate on it and it. It was a full size bike with one difference - that it did not take gasoline. I could beat all cars and some motorcycles off the line but I was not required to do all the normal government idiocies. Then one day they made a law saying that all (two wheel motorized) vehicles needed have license plates and registration. I stopped driving it at that point. My son now has it.
When I was driving that bike, I would pull up next to policeman on motorcycles it happened on many occasions. They would ask a lot of questions about the motorcycle like where I bought it, how many cylinders it has (none) and what kind of range I get on the batteries. Never once did they even think about stopping me from driving it or asking me for paperwork related to it. I realize a gas powered car is a completely different thing, and I'm being careful.
I would love to see what this thing can do. It's a V8 twin turbo so I am anxious to take it out on the highway, but I have to control myself. The only racing I'll be doing from now on into the near future is racing to our equivalent of the DMV!