[quote=“Chicken”][quote=“sulavaca”]An introduction to the Yaris:
the Yaris is the most ecconomical, non hybrid car on the market in Taiwan at the moment. (Nice!)
keyless entry. (For me only? 
)
ISOFIX technology for rear baby seats (Sold!)
My advice? Go and try them both out![/quote]
Thank you! 
:bravo: [/quote]
You are very welcome.
That’s interesting - Got exactly the same feeling, but it does not apply in the “driving” context. Or to be more precise, not in the city or mountain (ie relatively low speed) driving situation.
I experienced some nasty kind of panic attack in extreme situations (mountaining, deep diving, high speed riding) AFTER the birth of my kid, never before - Even in “more extreme” situations.
I’ve never been a speed maniac in a car - high speed slalom on the highway looks completely pointless and stupid to me - but I love the beautifull lines, drift, fine braking in the mountain roads. And I’m pretty good at that 
- But it’s always at relatively low speed, I do not have any feeling of “danger” then. Same in the city - Another “biking” stuff, I never use a safety belt, I feel oppressed with this.
Stupid? Yup, you bet… No seat belt, head crash at 40km/h could be really nasty, I know…
Lev
[quote=“Leviathan22”]
Stupid? Yup, you bet… No seat belt, head crash at 40km/h could be really nasty, I know…
Lev[/quote]
Correction: Will be really, really nasty! Think of your kid man!
i dont have a kid and i am probably the same age as you guys, but i still think much more safely now… slower, safer, etc. it’s probably got more to do with seeing too many friends (and myself) get seriously fukt up in accidents that has done it.
wisdom comes with age, from your kids, you just inherit insanity.
maybe that should be my new sig.
Yup - As I did put it: A rider’s stuff, I think. I feel really uncomfortable and oppressed with the seat belt. I guess I’d need to see a psychotherapist to solve that 
Or maybe a minor incident, after which you make some sort of realization! Is it really that tough to wear a seatbelt? What seems ironic to me is that some people will actually go out and fit a roll cage with full body harness to a car and then drive like a bat out of hell on a main road. I don’t get it! If safety is the goal, then driving slower would be more sensible wouldn’t it? Of course racing is one thing, but seriously…a role cage in a Solio…a role cage in an old minivan 
Really! I would love to see them go on a race day. Imagine the laughing crouds!
That’s like putting 19 inch magnesium alloys on a go cart, carbon fibre brakes on a trabant, or a Taiwanese driver in an F1 car! What’s the point?
And riders stuff?! Isn’t the fact that you don’t wear a safety belt on a bike to do with the fact that there hasn’t been one invented yet, and there wouldn’t be much point to one? A car is a bit of a stretched comparison I think. I mean, in a ca,r it’s not exactly like you are feeling the wind in your hair with a chick wrapped around your hips, and flies zipping down your windpipe, being compressed through the gaps in your teeth.
People drive a car for a reason right? I mean, you don’t get wet in a car unless its an old British Leyland or an Alfa in which the windscreen would rot out in 6 months and then fall to the ground. Cars are supposed to be safer too, with things like crumple zones and airbags. Not too many bikes have crumple zones do they? And seriously how many golden retrievers can a man fit on a bike for goodness sakes…Urmmm…on second thoughts, scratch that last question as I think I already know the answer! 
Roll cage in a Solio with the Taiwan-made simili-Recaro and 5 points harness… Seen a few, I LOVE that. Specially considering that the brain half-dead guy who soldered the whole stuff had probably no clue about what he was doing, my guess is that it end up much more dangerous than the original factory setting…
Lev
Yes, I can imagine a crash scenario. A recaro looking like an ejector seat flying through the front windscreen due to faulty welds. Or perhaps the driver without his face after the airbag has taken it off and now looks like one of those T-shirts with you know who transferred onto the front!
What goes through one’s mind when purchasing a car anyway?
If one wants a sporty car that looks good, then should one go out and purchase a Solio? I think not.
If one wants a rally car look a like, then does an old mini van suffice as long as it has sufficient stickers on the side and alloys on each corner? I think not! If one dreams of a sports bike, then should one go out and purchase a 125cc scooter and then fit big headed superheros to the rear, flashing lights to the number plate, wire all the indicators up to each other, and then invest in some dodgy looking aluminium spoiler for the back? I THINK NOT!
I should be a vehicle consultant for the young, I think, pointing them in an appropriate direction and helping them out with important selections to fit their requirements.
Before, long ago, when I was young and innocent, I was absolutely convinced that these mods were some kind of self-derision, 2nd degree, ironical humor.
It’s not. That’s just an expression of lack of taste and stupidity at their best.
Cool.
Anyway, to go back to the topic, if not a 3, why not a Jeep Wrangler?? I did consider that for a while, too. Reliability is there. Peace of mind too - scratches, dents, etc… Economy, too - I mean, on purchase. After, err…
It’s kind of spacious, easy to drive, safe 'cos you can’t go fast and it’s built like a panzer - and above all people tend not to cut your way. It looks a bit original and fun, if not good.
Not bad, not bad…
Lev
Reliability??? In a Jeep!!! It’s American for goodness sake! Compaired to what exactly? A drunk best man at a wedding perhaps?
Issues with a Wrangled Wrangler
My favorite quote [quote]Oil leak: The rear main seals on 2.5- and 4.0-liter engines are prone to leakage if the vehicle is operated in dirty conditions. (1991-95)[/quote]
So don’t get it dirty by doing any of that foolhardy off road stuff O.K.!
[quote]1997 Wrangler: Airbag could deploy inadvertently when ignition is shut off.
1997 Wrangler: Airbag-control module on some vehicles contains an error that can delay deployment in certain crash situations.[/quote]
Hmmm, not a great thing to happen!
Right. Reliability is not the right word. Solidity?
It looks and feels solid and massive, though. I’d have loved to have that this morning, for education purpose to the asshole who burnt a traffic light in front of me… I did not brake, just ignored him. He was pretty pissed, that’s the really funny part!
Agreed! I was pushed along the road here once by a wanker in a wrangler. There was a traffic jam and I was in line on my scooter. He was behind and started that creep forward towards the rear of me. There was nowhere for me to go to however and I began to feel the crush from behind, slow it was but almost as if there were some intent. I simply turned my head and stared at the guy through his open sided Jeep, and he looked back at me, obviously noticing the scrape he was putting down the side of my bike. He kept going on for a short time longer before I started yelling at him something like “what the F%*k are you doing?”, to which he replied the usual “Pi-say” without meaning it in the slightest. I think I probably mumbled a few words under my breath and then carried on. What can one do against a two ton piece of deadwood in such a curcumstance?
Did the guy actually touched you?
I know you don’t need that to make the thing scary when you have a brainless binlang chewer at the wheel of a panzer, though
IMHO? Scooters should be baned, and one shouldn’t be allowed on a 2 wheels motored stuff without a Shoei, Arai, Shark or (to be discussed) Suomy or Nolan full face helmet, and racing boots, back protection and gloves.
Alternatively, you could allow the scooters on the roads, and let people half naked on them - But in case of problem, they fucking pay for their stupidity!
Lev
Have we misunderstood, and this is the “adiabatic wind machine” mentioned in another thread? (which search doesn’t find?)
I understand your professional disgust, but …er…it WOULD be a bit of a laugh. Plus you could use it to encourage people sitting on your tail to BACK OFF a bit, especially with a blunderbuss venturi exhaust fitting.
Vigilante thread?
Ok. We is all moved in here in ChiaYi, now time to shop. We looked at all the cars I think I can afford and many just to drool at (the Cadillac’s SUV is nice for only 2.5 mill! and the reasonably priced at 1.2 mill Oldsmobile looks like a nice old man car). The short list is looking like this:
Focus: middle trim model or the decked out and too expensive Titanium.
Yaris: out of the running. Nice inside but no boot. Needs to fit baby and dive gear.
Toyota Preus: Wow. More than I want to spend but its big, cool and efficient. Worth it?
Tida: Wife likes it and her brother bought one. Bit boring for me but bigger inside. What you all think?
Is it worth looking at an Audi A3, BMW 1(something) or Volvo (not gas)? (used?)
What’s your budget?..if below a mil, I doubt you could get A3, bimmer 1 or volvo, well at least not the 1-2 years old one…
for 500-600k, tiida “might” be a good choice…lots of space inside
[quote=“Ducked”]Have we misunderstood, and this is the “adiabatic wind machine” mentioned in another thread? (which search doesn’t find?)
[/quote]
i thought ‘a diabetic wind machine’ was my grandmother, many years ago before she died. and the worst thing was, she never ever admitted or even noticed that her farts smelt pretty ripe. must have been all that fibre in her no-sugar diet.
i have been to lithgow many times but never saw an ed there. are you SURE it’s not meant to be edith glow? that’s so much more fun as a web handle.
sorry mate! 
chicken: don’t touch a high milage bmw 3 series: they pretty much need every part replacing above 100,000 km. rubbers wear, suspension gets knotty, engine loses compression, gear box gets sloppy. 5 series is better lasting.
get an older subaru WRX for the money. or a honda accord: built strong. make it a manual if
you can too.
All right, check this car out. We are going to look at it again today after being put off too much by the Honda Civic’s puke coloured interior and the Yaris price tag. The Golf is far too expensive and the depreciation would be too great, the new price is too high at a whopping minimum 800,000 plus for a 1.6 which is underpowered for the great weight of the Golf.
The Suzuki SX4
I know some will not know what to say when they see an SX4 as it is a new concept design that has first been released by Suzuki and has only been in the market for about 3 to 4 months now. To briefly describe the body of the SX4 I could say that in terms of styling it is almost in between the looks of a Suzuki Swift and a Honda CRV. It has a body which is larger than a Golf Plus, but smaller than an SUV. Almost a small Subaru Forester in proportion. Here’s a couple of pictures to make things simpler to understand what I’m dribbling about.
This is the European Version
This is the future Rally model
O.K. I’m going to ream off a few things that make the SX4 a very, very tantalising package.
It has six airbags, which only foreign imports have and a four star NCAP safety rating. It is the same build as the one used in the safety testing too, which is more than can be said for the Yaris with 2 airbags in Taiwan as opposed to the 9 airbags it can come with abroad, and the Civic with up to 4 airbags here as opposed to the six which it has in the test in which it got 5 stars in it’s crash testing.
So the one version only(in Taiwan) SX4 comes standard with climate control, alloy wheels, ISOFIX child saftey seat fittings (as mentioned in other posts), electric mirrors, power doors, keyless entry, keyfob ignition (where you plug in a plastic remote to start the car(keyless)) power windows, ABS, additional ABS maximum braking assistance control, 6 airbags, seatbelt pre tensioners, automatic gearbox, power steering, black cloth seats and black with grey interior,an eight speaker, single CD (upgradable to six disk) stereo with MP3 capabilityfront driving lamps, steering wheel stereo controls, roof bars, two wheel drive, a DOHC 1.6 litre petrol engine with variable valve timing and 107ps/5,600RPM.
And…It’s ALL built in Japan. It’s an import! In fact the plastics in this car may not quite up to the feel and look of some of the nicer touch plastics in some more expensive model cars out there, but the overal build and design of this car is very nice indeed, and I haven’t got to the price yet.
In fact, after I took a look at this car, I was expecting it to set someone out of pocket by about 750,000nt, and that’s because I was compairing its specifications listing with some of the other better buy cars in Taiwan, such as the Yaris, which is smaller and lower spec, even with its top of the range edition at 620,000nt, the Civic which is similar in spec, but lacks 4 airbags, keyless entry, ISOFIX and a less usefull trunk instead of a hatch, but makes up for it with tiptronic gearbox (on top model) and six disk CD player at 720,000nt; and finally the SX4’s nearest rival sized car which is the VW Golf Plus at over 900,000nt, but which has the addition of rear disk brakes, an extra star in NCAP rating, but which looses out in rear hatch space.
So finally how much is a Suzuki SX4? You might be very suprised to know that it costs a maximum (without haggling) 620,000nt, which puts it at the same price as a Yaris, but which has about as many atributes as only a VW Golf Plus at nearly the magic million mark, and I still haven’t finished…
It has a raised suspension, which is designed not only for the Taiwan version, but for the European 4 wheel drive market and 16 inch wheels with high profile tyres, which means that is easily soaks up all of the potholes from the worst of the roads in Taiwan and without the need to worry about bending precious alloy wheels and suspension arms. It is fairly quiet too, in fact much quieter than the Civic and Yaris at average speeds around city. It also seats the rear passengers slightly above the driver’s eyeline, which gives people in the back a much better view than normal. For those which like to think of their car as a designer’s car, it comes from a Fiat designers sketch pad, incorporating Fiat design with Suzuki technology. This is because the SX4 in Europe is a collaboration between the two companies to incorporate Fiat Deisel engines into the slightly more powerful 4 wheel drive models. All in all this is a car which very well suits the Taiwan market, with safety in mind, with the addition of high spec extras and a ride that will cope very well with all road surfaces on the island all at a very low price.
That’s not quite the all wonderful story though, the SX4 does come at a price. It’s certainly not the most ecconomical car on the market, even with it’s advanced variable valve timed engine and it has a hump in the middle of the rear floor, unlike a Yaris or Civic and just like the Golf, as the Golf and SX4 are both designed with 4 wheel drive in mind and that hump allows for the underfloor prop shaft to the rear rear drive assembly in foreign models. This hump is perhaps the car’s greatest and perhaps only serious consideration though, limiting the rear seats to an uncomfortable three people or comfortable two.
And I like to end on that down note. Not because I don’t like the car, no, no, not at all, I love it; but because if anyone looks at a car, one of the most important things to consider is the car’s greatest put off points. If you only love a car, your not looking at it with all truths in mind. No car is perfect in every way, and even though the Japanese (in my mind) are the best at harmonising cars in the most practical of ways, even they cannot build the perfect car. When purchasing a car, only a complete fool will walk into a showroom and shout about how they love the car so much. These fools are a salesman’s dream come true, as he simply doesn’t have to sell the car, it will sell itself and any subsequent bargaining will be much less rewarding for the customer than if one can pick out flaws and compair to another competitor’s model. Comparing cars is the art of purchase, but also the art of haggling. If one can refer a to competitor’s model with the salesman and tell him how one prefer’s such and such a design and price with the one you are also considering in the showroom, then the salesman will feel more obliged to make the best offer he can and at the end of the day, the customer makes a more satisfying and a more rewarding deal.
O.K. I hope you enjoyed this review on the SX4, and perhaps I may even go back and edit it or add to it after today’s viewing.
Is it possible to change the topic heading to “Which Car?” Like the magazine, instead of “If not Mazda 3…”?
I got a look at the SX4 while I was in Switzerland over Xmas. They are selling them as fast as they can make the things. Very impressive little car, and seemingly a worthy replacement to the Swifts of old. For the uninitiated, the older Swifts were very successful in <1.4 liter saloon car racing and rally events, a very popular clubman’s race car with good handling and a very strong engine.