Motoring Nostalgia

This popped up in my Youtube feed.

It was posted by kiapenna1 who was selling it. 

In that he/she was successful.

I'm posting it because it is almost identical to the first car I owned. Back in 1966 I bought a 1956 Volkswagen 1200 from a used car dealer in Caloundra. I had saved my earnings from holiday jobs such as tobacco picking and delivering mail.

From memory, it set me back two hundred pounds. I have no idea whether that was good value or not, but it was unmarked, rust free, and it was just what I was looking for as a student teacher needing basic transport.

Looking back on it, I had no strong preference for make or model at age 19. I had learned to drive on a Morris 850 which belonged to my cousin, and passed my (rudimentary) licence test in my father's EJ Holden.

On the whole, it was a reliable car, although it chewed up a differential bearing not long after I acquired it, which drained my meagre savings.

I used it initially to drive daily to teachers' college, and weekly to drive the 70kms home to Landsborough most weekends. Post graduation, it took me home to Texas (Queensland - not USA) and to teaching appointments, first at Inglewood, and then Goondiwindi.

It came to grief halfway through my first year at Goondiwindi when it put a valve through a piston, as a consequence of the cooling fins on one of the cylinder heads being clogged with dried mud after an adventure in a flooded creek.

The only surviving photo. Note the indicators on the door pillars.

I put a long motor (out of a Kombi) in it, and drove it until I traded it on another Volkswagen, a 62 model, after a month or two.

The second beetle was OK, but it somehow lacked the mystique of the first one. They are a remarkable piece of engineering.

This US model differs in the positioning of the steering wheel, the presence of bumper overriders, and the parking lights and indicator setup. My car had pop-out trafficators, which I replaced with indicators mounted in the door pillars. where the trafficators had been.

They worked OK.

Beetles continue to have a special place in my heart.

All the Dozens

This set of digits has an intriguing pattern, although that's not why I posted it.

The clicking over of 120000 kms is significant.

It marks a couple of milestones, one being that I've put 10000 kms on the odometer since purchase of the SE in September 2018.

Hardtop and wing resprayed

The other is that I've actually spent some dollars on cosmetic restoration - $1500, in fact. This paid for a respray of the front bumper and the hardtop. The bumper was showing all kinds of gravel rash, typical for an MX5 of this vintage, and I had the hardtop sprayed maroon, a darker shade than the original cherry red.

Choice of colour is always a matter of taste, I suppose, but I chose this over respraying the top the same colour as the rest of the vehicle. which was my original intention.

I also had the rear wing resprayed, as it had deteriorated from (I think) sun damage. The finished job is excellent, and together with a windscreen replacement (which cost me nothing via insurance) has lifted the appearance. It's not concours, but is pleasing.

Gravel rash is gone.

The car is now pristine, paint wise, and exhibits a striking interior which matches the hardtop. The upholstery wear (call it patina) doesn't bother me, and I feed the leather regularly.

I've also taken to using the hardtop only when parking in unsecured areas, which given my pattern of use, is not often. I've never been entirely happy with its fit, and it is noisy. At low speed, it creaks and groans no matter how it is adjusted, and at high speed, the wind noise is a problem.

Interior looks OK.

Driving with the top down is the way to go, especially early in the morning, but my dermatologist, after observing my comprehensive skin damage from a misspent youth, demands that I put it up when in bright sunshine.

Top down is the way to go.

The only other improvement I'm considering at this stage is cruise control. The US Miata came with it equipped, but when I made enquiries about importing a kit, I discovered that they are incompatible with RHD, because of complications with the brake pedal fitted to the Oz version.

This means I'll be looking for an after market version, something discrete that doesn't compromise the originality of the vehicle.

Not an SUV

The background is very dry

The Cerato is sold, and now this is the "family" car.

It's a Kia Rondo (called "Carens" in most other markets, and they're no longer sold in Oz.
That cessation of sales should not be an issue, as the vehicle, like all Kias these days,  comes with a seven year warranty.

These things have the same running gear (motor, transmission, steering, brakes etc. as the Cerato, but have a different body.

Dimensionally, they're the same length and width as the Cerato, but much taller. In that respect, the Rondo resembles an SUV, with an elevated seat height and much easier passenger access.

That's why we bought it. We're both at the age where entry and egress is an issue, and in this car it's a doddle, compared with most small hatches. There are other advantages, such as increased luggage capacity, and a better driver's view because of the elevated seating position.

This particular specification (The "S" - although it's sporty in name only) has a third row of seats, although they're really only suitable for children. We have folded them down, and put a dog-liner in the rear. We can harness the dogs to the rear most seat belts, and they can travel in comfort and safety back there.

The car was a demonstrator with 10000 kms on the clock, and finding it was a hassle. There was nothing local, so we had to use a Kia dealer in Brisbane.

It drives very much like the Cerato, but is quieter, roomier, and has slightly later tech.

Kias are always well-equipped, and they are also well put together. I guess if you're going to warranty your product for seven years, that's a given.

But the best thing is that it's not an SUV.

Why pay to cart around a lot of extra metal?

Buy My Kia

This Dec 2015 Kia Cerato is for sale.

It's done 25000k and has been well looked after.

It comes with a couple of accessories, namely a reversing camera installed in the rear vision mirror, and a tow bar which has never been used.

It has the balance of Kia's 7 year warranty.

We're looking at $12000 ONO.

Check the photos and email me on 1735099@gmail.com if you're interested.

Car has a tow bar - never used.

Seats have always had covers on.

One trim curbed

Mercury silver

Dec 2015 build

Small windscreen chip

Service book, keys and owner's manual.

Small stone chip

Update - It's sold.

Travelling North

An early start was the go.

I've been a bit slack with postings of late, gentle reader.

the major distraction has been enrolling at Uni after a gap of 39 years.

The tertiary institutions that I earned RPL* from have had problems with their archives, caused, I understand by the most recent Brisbane floods.

Anyway, they have resurrected sufficient of my academic record to mollify the campus I'm dealing with, so it's all good.

Roadworks were a pain.

To fill in the time whilst waiting to get started at the beginning of semester 2, I took a long road trip north - to Mackay, to be exact, where my 90-year-old aunt was celebrating her birthday.

There were many cousins, most whom I haven't seen for 30+ years, so it was interesting (and revelatory). I seem to have worn better than most of them.

It's all that clean living.

Travel stained at Bororen.

Anyway, I pointed the nose of the MX5 north, and set out early.

An MX5 SE is not designed for long distance cruising, but this little machine acquitted itself well.

It has an excellent driving position, and cruises at about 3000rpm. An overdrive would be nice, but it doesn’t feel (or sound) stressed at this rev range.

Safely in Mackay.

The only problem I had was in 110km/hr zones, because the turbo kicks in at about 105km/hr in top gear, and holding it below the limit required lots of concentration.

It used 7.5lit/100kms of 98 octane, which is pretty good. Prices were surprisingly consistent except for Mackay city.

Despite wet weather and loads of caravans, the trip north ws enjoyable, and the journey back, in fine weather, was great fun.

Agnes Water

EV chargers at Marlborough.

Fords - My Chequered History

Cranky Car

We've disposed of our last Ford.

Over the years, we've owned (in sequence) two Falcon SRs, and two Focuses (Foci???).

All except for the Focus Trend illustrated have been reliable and good cars to drive. Not so this one, and this is the reason for unloading it. We've also signed up for the class action.

It has been off the road four times as a consequence of the completely unsatisfactory dual clutch auto. Ford calls it "Powershift". Others have coined a different moniker.

The last episode was a broken half shaft, no doubt as a consequence of the juddering that was a characteristic of the transmission during most of our ownership. This last episode, occurring as it did simultaneously with my bride's discharge from hospital after breast surgery was the last straw.

The local Ford dealer (no doubt as tired of these recurring episodes as the owners) was brilliant. They loaned us a Ford Escape for the duration of the repair, which took over a week. The repair didn't cost us, as I'd taken out an extended (5 year) warranty when we purchased the car in 2014. That turned out to be a very good decision.

We traded two vehicles (our Commodore ute and the cranky Focus) on a 2016 Kia Cerato hatch. It has the benefit of a seven year warranty, and because it's a hatch is both dog and bike friendly. If I need to shift stuff, I'll revert to ute hire.

The replacement

Kia has come a long way in a short time on the Australian market, and they make very good cars as demonstrated by their rapidly improving market share.

Ford, on the other hand, are going backwards. It's a shame, as the small Fords were always fun cars to drive.

 

Photo Essay - SE

Before I bought it.

I have a number of pics of the SE, so I've decided with this post to create a photographic essay showing the car.

Some show it before purchase, and some with the hardtop fitted.

It needs cosmetic work, and I'm slowly building up to cleaning up the front bumper (damaged by contact with the number plate frame) and the rear wing which seems to be sun damaged.

I've had quotes for the work from a professional, so if I stuff it up (entirely possible) I can fall back to that.

Silver trim

There's a thing that looks like a hair dryer in there.....

Soft top is mohair - not vinyl.

Bumper damage. (Old number plate)

Half the Kms of the last one I owned.

UK blurb about the interior.

With the hardtop.

Tyres are lower profile (45) than the regular MX5, and wheels 1" larger.

Boot is fully lined.

And so is the glovebox.....

Jasper Conran interior

I'll keep you posted.