Thursday, February 29, 2024

Project Rondo


For some time now, I've been looking for a Kia Rondo with low kilometers.

Last week I found one; a 2017 model, with 34000 on the clock, and the best part of one year's warranty left. 

The low kilometers is a product of Covid, as the car was used by a local health service for outpatient transport. It sat in the depot for the duration, and averaged only about 5000 kms annually.

The only downside was that it was located in Nowra, so a 2000 km round trip was necessary. 

After much swapping of photographs and negotiation over the phone, the deal was done. The CX-3 was my trade, and in the end, no actual transfer of funds (except for the deposit) was necessary. The transaction cost me only travel and accommodation expenses. 

The reason for swapping a perfectly good Mazda CX-3 for a base specification Kia Rondo, is very simple. You can't sleep in a CX-3, but you can in a Kia Rondo.

The project will involve a very minimalistic conversion. 

Here are the details - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E3cfH39yPIg

Wish me luck....

Sunday, December 11, 2022

A Blast from the Past

My rego was PDS 332

I came across this piece of motorised nostalgia whilst visiting a local museum. 

It's nostalgic for me because I owned an almost identical vehicle from 1971 until 1974. My dad sold it to me after he bought it new in 1967. We arrived at a price by getting two trade-in valuations from a couple of Holden dealers. They were a dime a dozen (Holden dealers) back then.

They have now disappeared.

I write "almost" identical, because although it was the same colour and year, and had the same red upholstery it differed in engine and transmission. My car had the smaller 161 cubic inch engine. (That's 2.6 litres). This one was a 186 (3.04 litres).

This museum piece also had the optional disc brakes, and an Opel 4 speed floor shift from the GM parts bin. My car had drum brakes and a three on the tree shift. PDS 332 was very reliable in the three years I owned it, but those drum brakes were a problem once when they went out of round causing grabbing, and a pull to the right if applied vigorously. That was exciting.

Some detail on this car

In every other respect it was completely satisfactory and surprisingly economical on a long trip, although with fuel at 30 something cents a litre at the time, that wasn't really an issue.I undertook some remarkable trips in it, including Brisbane -Townsville - Mount Isa - Darwin - Alice Springs and return. It performed faultlessly and rescued my mate's near-new Toyota Corolla when it chewed up a fan belt between Katherine and Darwin.

Rescuing the Corolla

I'd love to drive this one. Not possible....

Wednesday, October 19, 2022

A Superior Household Appliance?

Appearance is pleasing


On a recent tour of FNQ* I had the opportunity to spend a week driving a hired Toyota Corolla. 

It was the barebones hire car version, but nevertheless was equipped with just about every conceivable feature, some more useful than others. Apple Carplay was extremely useful, especially as I have become used to what you can do with it based on experience with the CX-3.

Toyota interior finish is solid

We are in the habit of watching the ABC's Insiders on Sunday, and we were able to do this on the iView App playing on the audio. Sound is all you need on a panel show, and I was surprised how well the signal held despite negotiating at the time the convoluted and relatively remote Palmerston highway.

One feature I did not appreciate was the lane keep assist. It seemed to kick in over 60 kph as we headed North from Townsville, and nearly drove me bonkers as we proceeded along the Bruce Highway. It is supposed to prevent the car wandering out of its lane, but seemed to cantankerously want to take over the steering at the most inconvenient times. My guess is that it is engineered for your well-designed dual carriageway, and there aren't too many of these in FNQ. 

Plenty of space here

I pulled over, grabbed the driver's handbook and figured out how to turn it off. this transformed the car, and made it almost enjoyable to drive. Even the CVT (which I did not appreciate at first) managed to be in the right gear most of the time, and actually provided quite respectable engine braking in the mountains.

Full size alloy spare is a bonus

The seats were comfortable, the road noise less intrusive than in the Toyo Kogyo competition, and it was very economical. We saw 6 lit/100km cruising. It seemed to handle a lot better than Corollas I have previously driven, and is a little bit further along a continuum with household appliances at one end, and fun driving machines at the other.

I don't know that I could ever own one, but it was a very pleasant little thing, and served our purposes well across a wide variety of roads and conditions.

Eight out of ten I reckon....

*Far North Queensland - generally North of Cardwell. 

 

Monday, August 22, 2022

Trusting the Tech

 

Pic courtesy Mazda.com

In my most recent post about the CX-3, I made reference to the I-Stop feature.

This is just one example of the digital technology that came with this car, and is typical of many vehicles produced during the last five years.

For a boomer who was first licensed to drive in 1964, old driving habits die hard.

So when the I-Stop feature stops the engine, I feel very uneasy. But once you get used to it, it works very well. Whether it actually saves any fuel of consequence is another matter, but it is indeed a reliable piece of tech that functions as intended.

Then there's the "Auto Hold" gismo.

P for handbrake

This is a button the is located below the hand brake actuator (more about that later) on the centre console. When you're waiting at the lights on a slope in neutral, pressing this prevents the car from rolling back. It is a very useful feature, although it comes with a brief delay before it locks on, which is a little disconcerting.

But there's more....

The handbrake (mentioned above) is not one of those sturdy mechanical things typical of Mazdas of old, which made a welcome ratcheting sound when you pulled them on. Instead there is another (not exactly a button) device which you activate by lifting it slightly, and release by pushing it down. It does work very well, and even makes a slight clunking noise when you set it to "on". I find the mechanical noise reassuring.

Mirror folding switch

One piece of tech that caused me some alarm is the tyre pressure warning system. This is makes a buzzing noise when one or more tyres has lost pressure. Not long after I bought the car, I adjusted the tyre pressures. I always do this, as experience has taught me that some dealers have a very eccentric idea of what constitutes correct tyre pressures.

To my alarm, when I drove away after setting the pressures to slightly above Mazda's recommendation, the buzzer sounded and the warning light stubbornly stayed on. A check with the War and Peace sized instruction manual was not useful, as it simply acknowledged the presence of the feature, so I went to Google.

This showed that after tyre pressures were adjusted, the thing had to be reset. This was a very simple exercise (holding the button down for two seconds until the warning light flashed twice) and it has been happy since. Replacing the tyres elicited the same behaviour, but I was now wise to this particular quirk.

The blind spot warning system and the reversing warning buzzer that kicks in if any vehicle is within cooee when you're backing out of a parking spot is a very useful thing, although it tends to over compensate more than somewhat. But that's OK. 

Lastly, I accidentally discovered that the rear vision mirrors fold. Because they didn't automatically do that when the car is locked, I had no idea the feature was present until I had a quiet read of the driver's manual. It simply isn't automatic (or maybe it is and I haven't set it properly).

Tyre warning reset button

This model of the CX-3 doesn't have a lane-keeping feature or radar cruise control. The latter is probably useful, but experience I've had test driving vehicles with the former confirm my belief that they're an abomination. 

If you're too dozy to keep the car in the lane, you shouldn't be driving.

Friday, July 15, 2022

Mazda the Fifth

 


These things (Mazdas) are becoming an addiction.

This CX-3 is the fifth example of the marque that I've owned. It replaces the Mazda 3 that I hocked to pay for renovations in our new home. 

I've never been good at sharing cars. My bride would tell you that if you asked her.

The list of machines in our family emanating from the Togyo Kogyo plant at Hiroshima in the land of the rising sun include three MX-5s (all NBs, and one of them an SE) and my daughters 323, and my recently sold Mazda 3.  

To be completely truthful (and regular readers will know that I always am) this latest member of the Zoom Zoom family wasn't actually made in Japan. Mazda is now outsourcing manufacturing to an Auto Alliance factory in Thailand (Rayong province) and that is where the CX-3 was built.


Following my practice of avoiding new cars, as they depreciate as soon as you drive out of the showroom, I sourced this local 2019 example with 30000 kms on the clock locally. It's the cliche; with one local lady owner. It's a manual, and I was lucky to find it. Manuals are like hens teeth these days, as fewer and fewer millennials (and whatever the generation after them is called) can drive them.


It really does remind me of my MX-5s, but it has the actual advantage of being accessible. My 75 year-old back is these days incompatible with sports cars. The higher hip point of the SUV body style is a real boon. There is very little adult room in the back seat, but generally I sit in the front to drive it, so am not bothered by that.

The drive train has some strong similarities to the MX-5, and both road feel and steering feedback are similar. The higher driving position gets you away from reading the sidewalls of B-double tyres whilst waiting beside them at the lights.

There is lots of whiz-bang tech which I'm getting my head around, including a feature called i-stop which cuts the engine when you're waiting at the lights. I can disable it, but it sparks up again every time you start the car. 


Is this my last Mazda? Most likely - so I'll do my best to enjoy it.

Thursday, February 17, 2022

Groundhog Day - Scamwatch Mk 2

      This is the actual car. It would be a good buy.

Regular readers may remember this post back in 2012 when I was selling a car on line.

I'm at it again (selling a car, that is) and so are the scammers.

Not much has changed. The 2022 pitch is similar. The narrative involves a prospective buyer working remotely who can't make phone or text contact because he's working in an area lacking mobile coverage.

It makes you wonder how the men and women in FIFO situations stay in touch with their families.  I'll have to let these people know that they can actually use Facetime. I'd be doing them a favour.

Here are the two emails I received via the Carsales website -

First one (Monday 14th February) -

    Glen Young <gleenyoung3@gmail.com> wrote:

Subject:Re: Mazda 3


        Thanks for your response, confirm the asking price again, where is it located at       the moment? Why are you selling it? Does it need anything to be replaced or              repaired? I'm cool with the condition as described on the advert. I work on a             remote mine site in  WA presently. and the reception is terrible. We do not have         access to a phone at the moment, which is why I contacted you with an internet          messaging facility.


       Regarding the payment,I can pay you through direct bank deposit (EFT), using           PayPal instant bank wire transfer service. I will need your Account name, BSB,        and Account number. If you are not comfortable with that, you can set up a               PayPal account properly at 
www.PayPal.com.au and I will make the payment           through PayPal, this way, all I will need is your PayPal email address.

       I have also contacted my courier who will come to pick up and deliver it to my           place in Darwin after the whole fund has been cleared into your account. As               regards the papers, all I will need is a receipt, the rego will have to be done in          NT Darwin at my place of residence, so there will be no use for the existing Reg          and RWC and i can buy it Unregistered


      Cheers

       Glenn

Second one - (Thursday 17th February) -

           Joanne Boughton <joanneboughton01@gmail.com> wrote:
Subject:Re: Mazda 3

        Thanks for your response,I am okay with the price, where is it located                        at the moment? Why are you selling it? Does it need anything to be replaced or         repaired? I'm cool with the condition as described on the advert. I work for Fly          In Fly Out (FIFO)Mining, Oil and Gas and we are presently in a remote area.           We do not have access to a phone at the moment and that's why I contacted you          with an internet messaging facility.

         Regarding the payment,I can pay you through direct bank deposit (EFT), using         PayPal instant bank wire transfer service. I will need your Account name, BSB,         and Account number. If you are not comfortable with that, you can set up a                PayPal account properly at www.PayPal.com.au and I will make the payment            through PayPal, this way, all I will need is your PayPal email address.

        I have also contacted my courier who will come to pick up and deliver it to my            place in Darwin after the whole fund has been cleared into your account.                   With the issue of my details, transferring the name of ownership and signing of           all paperwork will be done by the pickup agent. If you are not comfortable with        that, you can cancel the registration and I will buy unregistered because I am           taking it interstate.

        I have limited time on the computer, your quick response will be appreciated.

        Cheers

        Joanne

The scammers probably use bots, so replying to vent your spleen probably is a waste of time, but reporting them isn't. I did both. 

Feel free gentle reader, to use those email addresses to hassle them a little. It will waste their time. They're thieves, so should be wasting time in jail.

These scams have persisted (in my experience) for at least ten years, so they must work occasionally, and the scammers don't get caught.

Saturday, October 23, 2021

Another Mazda

 


The MX5 is gone, but not forgotten.

The replacement is a pleasant machine. It drives well, is extremely comfortable, and some of its characteristics (gearshift and road manners) remind me of the MX5. 

It's a whole lot easier for a septuagenarian to access, and I don't have to make agonising decisions about preserving its value by not driving it in the rain, and keeping the kilometres low

I thought I knew a bit about Mazdas, but this car has provided a few surprises. Despite the smaller Mazdas having a bad reputation for road noise, I haven't found it a problem. Perhaps the tyres (almost new Michelins) help.

Whilst the seats feel hard and basic, I can drive long distances without developing the dreaded numb bum syndrome.  


Seats folded, it can shift a surprising amount of kit, as I discovered when helping my daughter shift her gear after her return from the UK. It also will accomodate a road bike, as my son discovered.

Existing audio. Works well, but way too many buttons.

These things come equipped with a good amount of tech, (GPS, bluetooth, voice activated calls) but I am replacing the stock audio setup with a touch screen with all the bells and whistles. The new audio won't do anything the old one wouldn't do by pairing it with a phone, but it's less fiddly and Apple Carplay is a good thing.

And with this car, I no longer am a worshipper on the "keep it original" altar. It's quite liberating.

It's mechanically very sound, although one problem with buying sight unseen is that unbeknownst to me prior to purchase, the paint had a few nasty surprises. Previous owner must have owned a cat which had fun climbing all over it and leaving minute scratches in the clearcoat.

I've removed some of them, but others are still noticeable under some light conditions. 

Next post I'll review the new audio kit.