Passing the Torch

After driving the Vios for 3 years and my brother reaching the age of 17, it came the time to look for another successor. This is due to the fact that all P license driver in my house have to drive an old car before getting a new car as I did in the past and so the Vios would be passed on to my brother. It was sad as I had a lot of fun and memories with the Vios but even when I do pass the Vios to my brother, I could still drive it when he is not using it.

However, by passing down my Vios to my brother, I would become car-less and that would impose a difficulty to me as I need to drive to university. The good news is that I could get a new ride. Hehe. So, long before I have to pass the car to my brother (because his birthday is in May), I did a lot of research through the Motor Trader magazine to search for a replacement car. I was excited and can't wait to discuss with my dad to get which car.

The effect

After all the modification, people would ask is it worth the trouble ? I would say yes although not many have realize it. My front bumper now has more vents or holes with large holed net which reduces air resistance and allows car to make up speed easier. Meanwhile my spoiler which is higher than the usual duck-lip kind like those on Toyota Camry keeps my car stable at high speed. However many people asked why must it be that high ? One of my friend asked me is it for drying cloths when parked at home. Haha.

On the other hand, my new larger rims is heavier than the original rim which contributes to higher fuel consumption but it makes de car more stable during cornering and with thinner low profile sports tires, it grips de floor better but during rainy days I get hydroplaning easily. It also helps the car roll and uses less effort to maintain the speed at high speed.

In conclusion, the advantages are more stable, faster and looks good. The disadvantages are the front bumper is low and cant go underground parking and hydroplaning. So, overall I think it's pretty worth it and most importantly, it looks good. 

Aerodynamics and Bodykit 

*results may vary for other cars

Make over

Ever since I started driving the Vios, I've seen many Vios that has been modified exteriorly from the addition of skirting and spoilers to the exchange of bumpers. I grew fond of the special design and decided I too would like to modify my Vios one day. If only I could have the money to do it.

Then one day, I met with my second accident in my life. I was near the Cheras Leisure Mall roundabout and miss a turn so I had to stopped at a traffic light. All of the sudden, I was hit from the behind and my rear bumper was totaled. Although it was my lost, I thought of it as my chance to modify my Vios because I need a replacement rear bumper. 

I told my dad regarding the mod that I would like to make but he told me that everything should be original and ordered an original rear bumper to replace the damaged one. I was devastated but it was during the middle of my year studying in Japanese Language School where my constant nagging of my dad finally worked and he agree to let me modify my Vios. I was over the moon. :)

I went to look around for possible designs and he brought to a place where he knew would get good services on my car. I took a look at the designs and chose the ings+1 front and rear bumper coupled with TRD side skirts and a Mugen spoiler. The wait was long for my car to be fitted with the kit and painted but the wait was worth it when I saw the end product. Finally, it's sporty. Haha.

However, one thing was missing. Everything looks great but the rim looks small and original. It stood out like a sore thumb and it had to go. The bodykit was expensive. So I couldn't ask my dad to fork out another amount of money for rims but I gotta have it. I went around to look for rim designs and inquired about the cost. Soon I got my budget and it was time to discuss with my dad. Again, he knows a tyre shop for some years and asked me to change it there. I agreed and got my rims changed. Now its perfect and special to me. I've got it all.

The successor

After that faithful accident on the day before my 18th Birthday, I was left without a car to use and was hoping that the Corolla could be well soon. However, my dad told me he had plans for me and I shouldn't worry about transport. I, of course was excited and asked what was that plan. He told me that his friend, a Nissan salesman hooked me up with a temporary ride until the Corolla is well again. I had a bitter sweet moment. I didn't like Nissan car but I could have a car to use. So, I just waited for what my replacement would be.

Few days after the accident my dad told me to go out with him to get my replacement ride. I was so excited but hoping it would not be worst than the Corolla. I asked him where are we going and soon enough I arrived at a Toyota showroom. He told me my ride was inside waiting. I immediately knew what my next ride is because previously he brought me to a Toyota showroom and looked at cars. The paperwork was done and I met face-to-face with my new ride, a 2006 Toyota Vios 1.5G.

My dad told me he lied about getting a temporary car from Nissan, which was a relieved. I took the keys and drove home on it for the first time. I was grinning as I am a proud new driver of a Toyota Vios. This marked the beginning of a new chapter in my driving life.

First impression of the car ? The new car smell and the plastic wrapped around the seats. What can I say ? For once everything is new and nothing is coming out of its place and the audio systems works perfectly. I have good vision and its comfortable. As a 18 years old kid like I was couldn't complain more but it's a big transformation from the Corolla to the Vios because the Vios is much higher and has a shorter front and rear. Just some minor readjustment I had to do. No biggie. Happy with the Vios.

My First Ride

As posted on my previous post, my first daily drive was a 1993 Toyota Corolla 1.6 SEG. I don't know the year of the car as it was my dad's company's car. When I was 17 and driving that Corolla I didn't know much about cars and was just thankful I have a car to use. My first impression of the car was it is very old. The exterior and interior is old due to it being an old car and the interior is coming off bit by bit. Most importantly, the radio is not working and does not play CDs. The windows and glasses are all blurry. It may sound like a lousy car but as my dad says, Toyotas are very reliable.

As i drove the car, I started to appreciate the Corolla, especially its low height, which makes the car stable even in stock. The 2nd gear from the auto gearbox does help me a lot driving on steep areas. As it is in a bad shape, it really trained me to be an alert driver as it is hard to see from it and there were no reverse sensors. Overall, it really made my life easier with my own transport.

I drove the Corolla from September 2006 to February 2007, where I became a sandwich in a car accident in my housing area. The car had bumper damages and shocked me slightly as it was my first accident. 2 things I learned from the accident, no.1, a car without ABS is dangerous and no.2, accidents suck. HAHA. Furthermore, it was the day before my birthday when the accident took placed. So much for Happy Birthday, huh ?

After that faithful day, I bid farewell to the Toyota Corolla. Now the car is still with my dad's company and I see it once in a while when I stop by the company. I had a lot of memories with that car and although it's junk at first but it proved its reliability to me. No wonder many enthusiasts still love the Corolla. I posted some photo of the car from the internet. I didn't take photos of the car I drove cause it's in the office and I don't go there often. So, this will do. Enjoy.

Welcome to Toyota World

This is a new blog created by me to express my interest in cars and share about my own car history.

The title of the blog or link is Toyota. Many people might be mistaken that this will be a blog only about
Toyota cars but truth be told, I'm not a fanatic supporter of Toyota as I love Honda's Type R very much.

Toyota has a long history of car manufacturing and is one of the best brand in Japan and all around the globe. Although in the recent years, Toyota and Lexus have had recalling issues but its brand is still very much strong. I myself have a deep link with Toyota.

My dad use to tell me a story about him when he was young and driving a Toyota. The story goes where he was driving his Toyota (I dunno which model) and was running out of petrol and after some time, the car just broke down. When he send the car for inspection, the mechanic told him the car was out of "black oil" and should have broken down way much earlier than it did. My dad was surprise that the car did not felt anything wrong up to the point it broke down.

From that day on, he somehow believes that Toyota cars are super reliable and durable. So his only choice in car is either Toyota or Mercedes Benz, which is another story. If you ask me, there are some truth in what my dad thinks about Toyota. It's reliable, durable, easy to maintain and get parts as most parts are shared. However, I feel Toyota is very conservative and old fashioned especially after 2006 because their production cars does not have a state of the art design and not high tech at all.
For example, Honda's Civic has a space rocket cockpit with digital speedometer and cool design 3 spoke steering wheel coupled with 5 speed auto transmission with paddle shift but Toyota's Altis before the 2.0V launch has none of those and has old man interior with wood panels.

Finally, my link with Toyota. My first daily drive was a Toyota Corolla 1.6 SEG (AE101) until i met with an accident where I changed to a 2007 Toyota Vios 1.5G and when my brother got his license, I finally changed to my current daily drive, a 2005 Toyota Celica 1.8 vvtl-i. My driving career is filled with Toyota cars and that's why I dedicated the name of this blog to Toyota. Enjoy.