The Way I (ab)use my BengMobiles
My First car was the Proton Satria 1.6 (4th Gen Mitsubishi Mirage/ Colt), a Manual which I got it in 1997, with the help of my Parents. It lasted me about close to 15 years with a 650K Km mileage. I got this car trough a late Colleague whose sister was the Manager of Jalan Ipoh's USPD. When the subject of the car colour came up, the I chose Blue instead of Green. But alas, on the day of collecting the I had to take the Red instead of Green, despite my Mom's persistence that red cars causes more accident. I was OK with Green but that shade was so bad that I had to take the Red which was more of a dark ruby. Anyway, this was the very car which, to me (at that time) had enough power and well, fun factor. I was yearnin for the 1.8 variant and possibly a Turbo but I realised, I am not going to use those extra power except to show-foo, which I hated. Still, I learned what not to do with the car, from ICE Systems to Alarms to Undercarriage modifications, ECU bypass and so on, except for the Engine, with the exception of tappet tuning and stuff like that. I literally traveled the whole of Malaysia due to my Job as a PBX Service Engineer amongst other Positions. And I would like to keep the car for longer. But fun things does not last. It has already suffered a lot since my early accidents, where is there is a crack near the Firewall. And the car will never straighten even if you did tyre alignment multiple times.
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BengMobile I (1997-2011) |
BengMobile II (aka VeeChai)
My Second BengMobile was the Perodua MyVi 1.3 EZi (Daihatsu Boon), and this time, it is a Automatic. If I am not mistaken, I got it in 2011, and the main reason was that the Home Minister did not consider the car to be safe enough for my two Kids who are school-ready. I did not believe her until I did (an almost emergency) brake one day and reaslised it was close to about 50 metres before coming to a stop. So, I did a quick stop to Proton for a Manual 1.8 Inspira (aka Mitsubishi Lancer) but the Sales Guy told me there is a 6-months wait for a Manual. On the way back, I decided to stop by a Perodua Showroon. And as luck would have it, they have a Manual MyVI. However the stick felt stiff and unpredictably off during the test drive. On the way back to the showroom, I saw the White SE (Special Edition) variant and asked for the possibility of a test drive. As soon as I drove less than 100metres, I told the guy, "I want this", which the Home Minister also agreed. I mean, the car already has side skirts, a rood spoiler ad a very nice front bumper. Furthermore, the seats, steering wheel and gear knobs are covered in leather. I have no excuse to modify the BengMobile II. The Sales Guy was eager to complete the Sale but I told him to chill first. We settled everything and because its so close to the Chinese New Year, I told him not to rush it but to deliver after the Festivities.
And now, its already 15 years and VeeChai, which I so fondly call instead of the Bengmobile II, is getting on. It has done a top overhaul, a radiator change and just last week, had the A/C compressor and cooling coil replaced. The Drive shafts and steering racks are next but I was told, it is best not to go ahead and leave it as it is. Even the plastic headlamps have cataracts. You won't notice it since the lamps are bright but then you'll start to wonder why your lights have a short throwing distance...
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| BengMobile II (2011 - Present) |
BengMobile III?
It is time for another car. But, it is also the time for me retire. Except I cannot since my savings can only last me for a few years. Without a car, I cannot travel to my Job. And without a Job, I cannot maintain VeeChai. There is a solution which is to get an (updated) used car. I had set my eyes on a Nissan Almera 1.0 VLT (Turbo). Yeah, it is a 1 litre 3-cylinder engine which depends on the Turbo to give a equivalent power of a 1.5 litre. I have reflected back on my past two cars, which had an average service lifespan of about 13 years. So, maybe, this Nissan will be good.
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| Nissan Almera VLT 1.0L I like it for the Front fascia design and yeah, the huge rear boot, plus it has a decent Audio Unit with Android Auto plus 360 PVM camera. |
There are stories about this 3-cylinder engines not being as 'powerful' for such a long-ish car. And yeah, there are stories about all Nissan cars using cheap parts as well. Blah blah blah...
Alternatively, the 2019 Kia Piancanto Red Line does look good except for the fact that its Warranty is long over. Its does look nice but its a 1/2L car. And Korean cars are a b!tch to maintain/repair after some years. Blah Blah Blah...
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2020 KIA Picanto GT Line 1.2L
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Soon.
Maybe.
OK, next month, then.
No, maybe July...
