We've enjoyed our little Suki for a long time, our faithful little Suzuki Alto. A brave city slicker, always a faithful starter, always frugal, and small enough to park in a postage stamp. But honestly... we'd been pushing the limits of its size for a while.
Just try fitting a few hefty planks of wood into an Alto. Or boxes full of stuff. Or, let's be honest, our big four-legged friend, Skipper, weighing over 50 kilos. Yes, he fit in. Yes, he always looked cheerfully out the window. But turning his ass on the backseat of the car? Forget it. Lying down, fully stretched out? Only after he'd done yoga. And the trunk? It could only fit a tool bag at most—and then it was almost full.
We got creative. Stacking things like a Tetris champion, squeezing things into awkward corners, convincing Skipper that "cozy" can also be great! And it worked... to a point. Because driving cheaply, for Dutch standards at least, is fun, but sometimes you just want your stuff and your dog to be able to come along without training your dog to be an acrobat.
The breaking point came when we thought, "We'll just put a tow bar on it, problem solved." But then came the verdict: our Suki can't tow more than 100 kilos unbraked. So that's… a bicycle. Without a cyclist. My partner heard this and was instantly done with our little Suki.
And so the search began. Not for a shiny, brand-new showroom model, we don't need that. And honestly, we can't even afford that either. But for something more spacious, more practical, and above all: Skipper-proof.
Today is the day. We have the keys to our new purchase: a Peugeot Bipper. Compact on the outside, but a ballroom inside compared to the Alto. Skipper can now lie down, turn over, and probably even take a nap without his paws hanging in the gears. Wood, boxes, tools—we can carry them all without fifteen minutes of puzzling.
It feels a bit like we've moved from a cozy apartment to a family home. The Alto has given us a lot, but the Bipper will help us further grow what we're starting.
And the best part? From now on, Skipper can drive the Bipper. And I predict that'll be a great Combo. Oh no, that would be Opel, we didn't buy that one.
