Swapped

The day I viewed the third Toyota Altezza was a Thursday. At first, I thought I could not proceed with the swap the next day because there are things to prepare beforehand. The soonest I could swap would be another day later but the land authority office would be closed on a Saturday. I told my buddy of the dilemma and he told me I could do it at night and on Saturdays because, in Malaysia, we have special centers where several government offices operate until night time. I wonder how I could forget about the centers and that was why, I thought I must do it on a weekday. I should not delay anymore as the owner might back out of the deal. So, I quickly contacted the Altezza's owner and told him my plan to do it that same night. Both of us made arrangements for our respective cars to send for inspection and I applied for car insurance. The whole day I was excited and could not concentrate on work. It was finally happening and although it is not a faster car, I was looking forward to the experience with the Altezza. When I had my Toyota Celica, I wanted to have an Altezza. That way I could have a sports coupe and a sports sedan for every occasion. It is kind of a dream come true to experience how an Altezza would drive.

Everything was in a rush. I had to arrange for a runner to send my Nissan Fairlady Z for an inspection and then purchase new insurance coverage for the Toyota Altezza. Both these tasks had to be completed before the end of the day's working hours, in order to make it in time for transfer of ownership to take place on the same night. It was a relieve when both tasks were done before 6 pm and I was able to go to the special center, straight after work. Aside from the queue, the whole process only took around 15 minutes. After the transfer, I renewed the road tax for the Altezza but the new owner did not renew for the 350Z. It was understandable because the cost of 350Z's road tax could renew more than 10 years for the Altezza. The next thing to do was to bid my 350Z goodbye and transferred all my items to the Altezza. I briefed the new owner certain quirks about the 350Z and he left. I had to meet my friends and this would be a good test drive for me. The first issue I had with the car was the headlights because one was green and one was not working well. The second thing happened when I turn the steering wheel fully left and tried to drive. There was a scraping sound and I remembered that this car was lowered and maybe the tire is scratching the fender. I also had to pump petrol for the first time.

Overall the drive requires some getting used to. I noticed several issues but I was not sure whether if it is a characteristic of the Altezza or something is not right with the car. There's only one way to find out and that is to drive more and bring the Altezza to a workshop for a full check.

3rd Time was the charm

After a disappointing end with the previous viewing of the turbocharged Toyota Altezza, I had one appointment left. I was getting desperate and depressed. Nevertheless, I went ahead to make an appointment with the owner to meet up. I asked to meet at a local Tesco to view the car and this time, I bought my friend as well. I told my friend that if this 3rd viewing does not go well, I would need another plan. The Altezza owner was late to our meetup but when he arrived, he came with his crew of 3 more persons. His friends arrived in a first-generation Lexus LS460 and it was modded. As soon as he arrived, all 4 of them looked at my Nissan Fairlady Z. One was looking at the boot, another at the interior and another 2 at my engine bay. I was surprised because each of them was asking me a lot of questions regarding my 350Z and the questions were very professional. I knew these guys were either mechanics or real enthusiasts. I made sure to inform them that my car was in good condition and comes with a lot of goodies. The only fault was the fading paint. I could tell the Altezza owner was very interested and in his mind, he might think that I was such a fool to want to swap with his sedan. After around 45 minutes (longest view ever), it was my turn to look at his Altezza.

The owner started the engine and the first thing I noticed was the loud exhaust. The engine bay was clean and stock with no modification. The idling was stable and there was no weird sound. I looked around the exterior and, to be honest, it looks so much better than my 350Z. The paint must be either newly painted or well taken care of as I could tell it was polished. I found out later the owner works in a paint shop. The Altezza had the Neo Sports body kit from the factory and that is exactly what I was looking for. If I had to pick a fault, it would be the white, Advan RGII rims that were not my preferred design and its color is too much of a contrast to the black paint. Inside, everything was stock and very well preserved. The only thing out of the ordinary was the re-wrapped steering wheel and carpets. Both these were red and black colors, bringing some contrast and sporty feel to the interior. The car as a whole is a beauty to me because of its pristine condition. It is not in perfect condition but this is close. Next, I drove this Altezza around the carpark of Tesco with one of his friend in the passenger seat and vice versa. I was glad I asked my friend along.

When we were done with the test drive, we exchanged feedback. The clutch was a bit weird as it was hard to balance but the drive was pleasant. I did notice sometimes the pedal would not bounce back after being depressed. I was ready to make a deal with him to swap my 350Z with his Altezza. The condition of the Altezza was in good shape to me and I was willing to swap without the need for a top-up from him. I could just swap, drive with no issue and not need to spend a large sum to restore like I did with my 350Z. However, I did mention about the pedal should be checked. It could be a lack of clutch oil or the clutch pump was dying. The night ended with me shaking the owner's hand and agreeing to the swap. I told him that he needed to check the clutch and I could only proceed with the change of ownership next week. So, we shall wait for that but I am excited that I will be changing a new car.

Old Lady to Young Lady Part 13

Seeing that I am about to sell my Nissan Fairlady Z, I figured I should do a final restore that has been annoying me for some time. At the beginning of my ownership, I noticed the plastic cover on the driver's side of the rear bonnet that was always hanging. Once I thought it was loose, I just gave it a hit and it was ok. After a while, it was hanging again but the previous trick does not cut it anymore. One day while I was walking from the rear, I realized that it was not just the cover but my third brake light was also hanging. Another thing to restore was the dampers that support the boot while it is opened. I tried to find a replacement in the past but due to the high price, I did not proceed. The price for a pair of new boot dampers usually goes for around RM 400 but after 2 years, I found someone selling a pair of used dampers for only almost half the price. I decided to go ahead at the same because both are from the same section of the car, the rear. I went to buy the used dampers and I was excited that the dampers still has some strength to it. I need the boot to stay open in order to check and repair the hanging third brake light and plastic cover. So, the first step was to replace the boot dampers.

Pic Left: Using Wood to Hold, Pic Right: Used vs Original (spoilt)

The steps are easy and only simple tools were needed as I have removed the dampers before. I only had a problem attaching on the boot side because it was not easy to get the right height. The wood I used to hold up the boot was not long enough and so, I had to get help. When it was done, I thought the damper could hold the boot on its own but I was wrong. It was at that moment, I realized why it only cost almost half of a new pair. The answer was because the strength it had was only half of what it should have. I guess it could have supported the boot but the extra weight of the spoiler made it difficult. I did feel a difference with this used dampers though. It only requires half the energy to open the boot now. I still need the wood to hold the boot in place though to move to my next restore. I started to remove the plastic cover and saw that the third brake light was attached to another cover with screws. I opened the second cover and found out my third brake light was broken and that was why it was hanging.

Second Cover with light hanging. 

I checked the first plastic cover and was relieved that although some of the plastic was broken, all the clips were still there. This meant I can attached the cover properly. The second cover was also removed to access the third brake light. There is a part that was tightened onto the boot that broke off from the body. I removed the body of the light and the broken bit. Then, I found some super glue and stuck them together. I thought I saved a lot by DIY-ing but when I attached the repaired third brake light, it could not hold well. The second cover had to be attached to the light, while the light has to be screwed onto the boot. So, the heavy second cover was pulling the light down and the glue could not hold properly. It was a failure but I put everything together and covered with the first cover. The first cover supported both the second cover and light, relieving the stress on the light. I was able to cover everything nicely and I need to test my work. I drove around a couple of days and the cover never fell again. I might not have fixed the third brake light properly but the whole thing turned out well. I am happy.

After Glue

After Glue

Attached without cover flawlessly