We flew to Hobart this morning! My boyfriend’s dad’s long-awaited 60th birthday was yesterday, and to celebrate we have all flown to Hobart for the weekend. It’s a pretty cool way to celebrate a birthday, especially because we’re going to go exploring.

Tasmania is a stunning, and if I may be so bold, underestimated state. Driving through it and exploring is going to be an awesome experience and one that not many people have done before. My boyfriend’s parents have hired cars for all of us to go 4WD. They even had the cars serviced and ensure they all had quality 4×4 tyres. In the Hobart CBD, quality 4×4 tyres probably aren’t needed, but as soon as we get to the outskirts of the city, we’re going to need them. The whole of Tasmania is pretty much a 4WD haven, and I can promise you, my whole boyfriend’s family, myself included, will be out there living our best lives on the tracks. 

I wonder how many in-laws would be willing to hire cars for their kids and partners. I think my boyfriend’s parents may be two of the most generous people in the world. I love my own parents, obviously, but I don’t think they’d do what my boyfriend’s parents are doing… which is completely fair enough. It would cost a bomb to hire five cars, and even more to have every car checked over by an auto electrician close to Hobart. I always knew my boyfriend’s family was well off, but this is the next level.

I can’t wait until we jump in the car and go off on our adventure. We’re about to pick them up from Hobart’s local mechanic and then we will be on our way to the great unknown. Once we’ve had a full day of exploring, we’re going to this famous Korean restaurant which is going to be awesome.

I drive luxury cars for a living. I’m a chauffeur and I take my job very seriously, which means keeping my car well maintained every single day of the year. I drive Raceview’s elite around. The richest people in Raceview never bothered to get their licenses because driving themselves around is ‘for peasants’, as I’ve heard many times during transit. I’ve also seen things that would make most people’s hair curl, but I can never share this information as I must respect the privacy of Raceview’s elite.

One of my job’s main responsibilities is to get a yearly logbook service in the Raceview area. There’s a standard that I must uphold on every trip with every client. By getting an annual logbook service, I help ensure that the quality my clients expect is upheld and that I remain the number one driver of Raceview’s elite. It’s a title that I am very proud of.

I won’t lie to anyone – I’m currently living my dream, but just in a smaller sense. I love driving around Raceview’s richest people, but I want to do more than that. One day I want to move to California and be the chauffeur for the rich and famous. I would learn so much about what it’s like to be famous from them, and it would be extremely cool to know the most powerful people in the country.

To achieve my dream, I’m going to have to prove how good a driver I am and my willingness to do whatever is needed, such as visit an expert mechanic. Close to Raceview, it’s easy for me to visit a mechanic that I trust as I’ve lived in the area my whole life. It’ll be harder for me once I live in California, and I’ll have to get to know all the mechanics in the area to choose the best one. I hope my dream becomes a reality.

I swear sometimes my car feels like it is my lifeline. I use it for absolutely everything. I use it to get to and from work. I use it to take the kids to school. I use it to drive my parents around. I use it to do the grocery shopping. I use it to visit friends. I used to be such a nervous driver, particularly when it came to parking. Now that I’ve had about fifteen years of experience driving every day, driving now feels like a task that is second nature to me. I hardly even have to think while doing it. Well, until the other day. The other day I was driving on a busy main road and noticed my car was stalling. It was odd. Things started getting really slow. I had no idea what was happening so I decided to do my best to pull over on the side of the road. I really didn’t want my car breaking down in the middle of the road and causing an accident. I called up my husband to ask him what he thought might be happening. He predicted that the battery had died and I’d need it replaced. I had no idea where I could get a car battery replacement near me. Luckily I have a membership that covers roadside assistance and they were able to come by and help me.

It did take a little while for the roadside people to come by but when they did turn up they informed me that they couldn’t simply replace the battery on the side of the road. In the end, it was decided that my car would need to be towed to a mechanic near Underwood. I’m hoping the battery replacement is something that can be done in one day, but I know sometimes it’s hard to be so sure. All I’m happy about is that I managed to pull the car over safely without getting into an accident or getting myself stuck in the middle of a busy road.

I absolutely adore vintage cars. There’s something about them that just screams ‘unique’. Back in the 70s, you’d be able to recognise your friends just by their car. The sounds they made and how the car looked were some key defining features. Nowadays cars look like a dime a dozen. There’s no defining quality. My dad had an old vintage car that used to roar! He had this car for decades longer than he should have but I won’t complain, it was a cool looking and sounding car. The engine could be heard from miles away. I remember when I was a kid and he’d pick me up from school. I’d always know when he was nearby as the engine would rev as soon as he turned the corner. I’ll never forget the look of shock and disgust on the other parents’ faces. It was absolutely priceless. I wish my car had some sort of character like that. Instead, if my car is roaring or making loud noises it’s simply one of many signs my car needs a transmission service. These vintage cars were made like tanks too unlike the cars from today. If my dad’s car hit something, his car would leave unscathed. My car reversed gently into a parked car the other day and now my whole tail-end needs looking at.

In saying all this, of course, there are some luxury cars that I absolutely love. I saw one the other day that had a leather interior and gloss wood panel interiors and it was beautiful. If I ever get to a point where I have some extra money to throw around I think I’d look into modding my car up to have leather interiors and wood panelling. I think that would be a job for a mechanic. Morayfield won’t know what hit them when they see me driving around in my loud car with my pimped up interiors. My car will look like one of those ones that you see on those custom car shows on TV. It’s amazing seeing how they transform cars.

I have really mixed feelings about hybrid cars. There are quite a few disadvantages to them. First, they have less power. If you’re someone who loves being able to get a bit of a responsible rush when driving, a hybrid car is not for you. Hybrid cars operate with a twin-powered engine which means the gasoline engine which is responsible for power is much smaller than that which is in a normal car. My second issue with the hybrid car is how expensive it can get. They’re expensive to buy and then they can be expensive to maintain. I suppose a big part of this is because there is a shortage of hybrid car mechanics near me. Another big issue with hybrid cars is that in the case of an accident, the high voltage battery within the car can become increasingly dangerous and then there’s a whole different issue surrounding how to dispose of these high voltage batteries.

I really hope my above thoughts don’t put people off from hybrid cars as they do have a lot of positive qualities. They’re very environmentally friendly as they run cleaner and have better gas mileage. While these cars are costly, they do come with a lot of government incentives and tax benefits. I assume it’s because the government wants to encourage people to purchase cars that are better for the environment. To make things more affordable, you need to find a cost-effective mechanic. Lockleys has one if you live in the area. Hybrid cars are also built from lighter materials which means it takes less energy to run these cars. Actually, as the years go on I actually think cars are being made out of lighter and lighter materials. I was in my friend’s 1970s Ford the other day and it was made out of metal panels! That’s another thing about hybrid cars, they’ve got a very futuristic look. I’m still not sure if I’ll buy one just yet but I won’t rule out the idea.