Saturday 26 November 2016

Daihatsu Coure 2003: Pencil Sharpener

Daihatsu Cuore White
Economy was tough, and the acquisition of a second vehicle at our home was a move to be done carefully. Gas price increases were a sure thing in Central America every week, but my wife was in dire need of her "first car" experience.
Meet the kei car, a Japanese small city car category. Trust me, the first time I saw the vehicle, I said to myself: "you gotta be kidding". At least the windows were tinted so nobody would see me in my compression misery. I think the battery could have been taken out of a motorcycle.
Meet Daihatsu, a Toyota cousin who makes smaller, more frugal vehicles back in their homeland Japan. Some of their vehicles came to North America under the late Scion badge.
Meet Spartansburg: so-so paint quality (no clearcoat?), no tachometer, armrest or rear window wiper. AC was present as the big dealbreaker here. It did have factory seatbelts and steering wheel.
Meet kei car driving #dynamics: where crosswinds, and full size trucks are a real nightmare at freeway speeds.
City driving, however, was a different story. Gurgly, strong three cylinder (1000cc), was unbelievably fast and agile, even with 12 inch steel wheels. Tires were so slim that you wouldn't need power steering assist.
Previous owner had thrown in a Blaupunkt stereo, and to be honest, interior plastics felt high quality. An in-dash cupholder eased things a little.
We live and die by the sword (numbers), and to be honest, even with the compressed dimensions of the vehicle, we never saw dramatic savings on fuel. After some months we sold him, again, as someone's "first time" car. Don't ever think this won't happen to you :).


Daihatsu Cuore Engine
Daihatsu Cuore Interior

Nissan Frontier 2003: Discovery

Nissan Frontier 2003


#Bachelor years were coming to an end, and once on the long term journey people call marriage, house and children would dissolve any hopes I had of buying a brand new car. The job at that time also had some benefits that eased the financial maneuver a little. The acquisition process was rough, and reflected my inexperience in buying a car. Let alone the projection of operating costs: first time new car buyers ignore all the expenses such as maintenance, taxes and insurance. This inexperience empowered the dealer to explode the illusion of “the warranty”. The price for my trade in was a scam.
Why white? Thermal efficiency, in those tropical climates, light colors help cool the vehicle when we need full ac power. White also has that aura of purity, and in my opinion, protected me from envious looks fron other people. The sound of a new, factory tuned diesel engine is highly addictive, different engine revs brought beautiful chords out of the truck exhaust. Fine upholstery and the famous new car smell were features of the AX Frontier version (AX versions were a big deal in those days). Reinforced battery and alternator, heavy duty chassis and skid plates (additional engine protection, gear box and fuel tank). 19-gallon tank (almost 1000 km without refueling). Presence and macho image. A cargo bed that proved useful in building our first house and that also served during leisure and tailgate time.

But my inexperience took its toll, and money was wasted on vanities such as:
• unsuccessful replacement of speakers, noisy cars will always be noisy, no matter what.
• seat linings
• Purchase of oil to the dealer (7 quarts in each appointment)
• Annual taxes
• Interests

"Discovery", as I called him proved to be a loyal ally, did we not have to change battery or shocks in the nearly seven years of active service.

Dents and collisions are a reality of car ownership

Crash Chronology:
• The priest (he hit my door, not the other way around)
• The volvo (front bumper, boy are volvo's tough)
• Unwary coworker who crashed it while parking her car

Learnings? The biggest one: my auto expense calculator sheet, and with it, the critical questions before worth considering the purchase of any vehicle:
• will you save on fuel? How much?
• have you forecasted annual taxes? insurance?
• do you know a trusted parts supplier? repair shop?
• does it have the same reliability of what you currently drive?
• are all papers in order?
• will we pay interest for a depreciating asset?

We finished the construction of our house, but the security situation of the country was changing and we found no sense to have such a high investment at the mercy of common criminals. I was stolen hub caps, spare tires and even the antenna, which I had to replace with a wire coat hanger to cover it. Discovery was eventually acquired by a member of a shady political party in Honduras, and was one of the many sacrifices we had to do to get to Canada.
Nissan TD27 Diesel Engine

Nissan Frontier 2003 Interior

Sunday 13 November 2016

Toyota Corolla 2004: Rusty, the Unloved

Toyota Corolla 2003 Black

Who has not had a #Corolla? Who has not participated in the massacre of a Corolla?

The closing of the trunk seals one of the most colorful automotive episodes of my existense. The silence of the garage highlighted a series of automotive emotions that I never thought I would feel. The small car always had its "humility with dignity": never presumptuous, only work and reliability for the owners. The sentimental value, is based on a critical mission developed by a vehicle that earned the respect of the whole family.
We knew that the first few months in Canada would be difficult, and that we would need a reliable, efficient and low-cost acquisition machine. We bought it there for November 2012, in a used car dealer with not very good reputation. 

The winning formula should have:
• 4 cylinders
• "timing chain" instead of belt
• Front-wheel drive
• Regular gasoline (cheapest gas possible, almost water)

The car was never too comfortable, but in spite of its almost 10 years of age, it saw an intense life, full of extremes, with extensive trips, even international, extreme temperatures, budgetary restrictions, etc.
However, a coup d'etat had been brewing for some time. "Better one automatic". "We don't fit here." "He's had a rash on the roof." "Look, here the previous owner smoke and burned the upholstery." "too many visits to the shop"."too much rust." "Have you added all your repair bills?"
The small little car behaved with honor until its last day, and it is impossible to hide some of the critical missions that developed:
• Visit to all government agencies in Ottawa of a newly arrived immigrant family.
• Participate successfully in the owner license management tests. One of them repeated 3 times the first exam (we will not say who).
• House-to-house routing in the first sales job.
• It endured the worst snowfalls ever conceived.
• In its moments of glamor, it spent a Christmas in Long Island, NY.

Thank you "Rusty the Unloved", we will see you soon
Someone else will take your place, and I hope your next owner loves you as much as I do.
Freezing RainToyota Corolla 2003 InteriorToyota Corolla Snow