Five weeks ago today, I bade a fond farewell to my first car, a local Proton Iswara, which I owned for 10 of its 12 years of existence thus far. I had taken leave to collect my new car, a Toyota Vios J 1.5A. The morning was spent cleaning out all the accumulated junk of the last 10 years out of my old car -- there was a LOT. After a quick lunch, I drove up to the dealership. I parked, said a last goodbye to the old gal, and waited to get my new means of conveyance. As I waited, I saw it through the glass walls -- a gleaming white car, fresh from the factory (I had to wait three weeks for them to add all the accessories I wanted). I could scarcely believe I would soon be driving a pretty new car for the first time.
Tweets and Whatsapp messages made their way to close friends and family through the Internets as I waited for the paperwork and formalities to be done. After the salesman gave the 'orientation' spiel and handed over the keys, documents, and a little Toyota umbrella (whoopiee), I was driving my new car home. The throttle took some getting use to and the brakes were super responsive (by my standards at least) but I made it home without incident and spent the next half hour ogling the car, exploring the very cool Bluetooth-enabled GPS/DVD touchscreen system, taking pictures, and removing the plastic covers. It was a little surreal to finally own a new foreign car instead of an old local one.
Over the weeks, I've gotten used to the different handling and response curves though parking was quite a challenge in the beginning. Last weekend, I took the car for its one-month mandatory service at the same showroom I bought it from. The service was excellent and speedy. There was a nice lounge and all for waiting and they even washed the car for free (which it really needed... the curse of having a white car).
It's so cool that I have this car now and I love it to bits. No more violent vibrations when idling in gear with the air-conditioner on. No more strange creaks. No more shuddering at high(ish) speeds. It's nice to be moving forward as the tagline says :)
Also... my new car is so pretty! :):):)
Congratulations on the new car! The Toyota Vios surely is a wonderful ride! Did you know that the J grade Vios like yours is branded as the most cost-effective and the cheapest version of its entire grade? Anyway, I hope you will treat your new car like the old one, so that it would also last many years.
ReplyDeleteWhy did you replace your first car ever? Is it because the 12 years it had spent working were finally catching up to it? To tell you the truth, though, I think it is impressive that it lasted for 10 years under you. It’s a clear indication that you are a very carefully car owner. Maybe you can do the same thing with the new Toyota Vios – you know, make it last 12 years or more!
ReplyDeleteIvo Beutler
Yeah, the old car was really showing its age. I had to replace the engine a year ago because a piston broke (my own fault really for not servicing regularly). That wasn't fun, so I decided to change. I hope this one lasts as long or better :)
DeleteI think your new car is pretty too, but I believe its offerings don’t stop there. The Toyota Vios 1.5A actually received a lot of praise from some car experts, particularly because of its improved overall design and its practical features. I do hope you’ll be able to use this for years, so you can get your money’s worth!
ReplyDeleteI hope so too! I chose this model for the affordable price and high reliability. The prettiness is a nice bonus :)
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