A Walk in the Showrooms - VW and Mini

It is always at the end of the year or the beginning that one can look for good deals, especially during the economic downturn. So it is not important if we are in the market or not, we will always do a tour of the showroom whenever it is the 'right' time. The showroom excitement and fascination are a fine entertainment in itself and bring sparkles to the holiday season. This year we do not plan to get a new car but nevertheless I always want to find some car that will blow me away, or a price deal (bang-for-the-buck kind of deal) that I cannot resist. Just like any other hobbies, I prefer (but not always do that) to actively seek out 'targets' and checking/updating my favorite lists. I fully know that it is also fun if I accidentally or unexpectedly run into something I absolutely like or fall in love with. For me I think a mix of both is nice.

VW EOS was nice. The discounted price was nice but it was 50% over our 'stretched' budget. EOS will make Optimus Prime pale in comparison if you watch its whole mechanical transformation from the hardtop with glass sunroof to the totally roofless configuration. The presentation is totally awesome if it takes a bit long in my view. VW has engineered all the features and basic luxury you would ever practically need and think of in the EOS. I think it is borderlining excessive. It comes in silver and red, both attractive and viable. The look of EOS is a bit off with a solid and elegant style that unfortunately says not much about what it is.

The other good deal was the Bumble Bee - the VW Beetle Convertible. It is exactly the same car in same color that we have spent full four days with. I am impressed with the car inside-out both in design and engineering. Its mechanical is sound and the level of refinement is superb. Don't be cheated by its cheeky look. What really negatively impressed me is its 2.0L engine that powered the Beetle and the Golf FSi. While smooth as a V6 and effortless in cruising, it feels like it is torque-less and gutless. The top-grade 6-speed auto gearbox really saves the whole power-train from being a total loser. You can call me critical but I tell you it is really the smoothest and lamest 2.0L I have driven in the last 20 odd years. 50-80kph takes 3 gear shifts (4th to 5th to 6th) and leisurely ages to accomplish if you are not generous with the throttle. To have a reasonable and practical performance it should not power any car more than 1'000kg. And the Beetle Convertible is around 1400kg plus.

The next best deal in my eyes is the Golf GTI Pirelli version. It is a special sports tune-up package (230ps, up from the standard 200ps) before the model gets an update in 2009. Price is right but still 20% over my 'stretched' budget. Take a look at the leather seat and I want to die. The tire thread pattern seat cover really isn't my cup of tea. Just typical good quality leather seat offered in the FSi will do the job, please. And there is no sunroof because of the weight saving and price concern. Alright. And next there is only 2-door version. Ouch. I want a 4-door Golf. And then only it comes in silver, black and deep blue. Well, I want white color even though silver is acceptable. But silver Golf looks like a bit flat and off-tone for the kind of car it is. So forget it.

The showroom is at an odd place in Causeway Bay and hard to find. Good because I think it saves cost for the VW customers, potentially or existing.

Then after a heavy Japanese lunch we walked into the Mini Showroom to look for the best deal. We saw the new Minis. They are bloated, grown, and more aggressive. The Cooper S version looks to me like a mad dog. The price was shockingly expensive. It was a sweet surprise (and it answered my question) that the Mini convertible we spent four days with is the current version. The updated version will come in mid 2009. Great, we will wait. And we missed by a couple weeks the 1.6 M/T version of Mini (standard) selling at a price that is within our budget. Great, again. It is because I don't need to concern about it anymore. I will wait for the new 2009 convertible Mini.

The showroom experience ends for the day but the showroom tour will continue. Of course web-browsing for second hand candidates is also on.

Mini Cooper vs. VW Beetle Convertibles (Part 1)

To save money we didn't plan to go elsewhere during the Christmas week, plus the fact I had a Philosophy paper due on the Christmas Eve. I called AVIS HK on Monday (21st) to ask about the Christmas special discount package on convertible rental. We had planned on a special week in HK with two new convertibles in our ownership. It was the Mini that we wanted for the whole week but AVIS needed the car back for a wedding need from another customer. AVIS counter-offered a almost brand new (2 months old) yellow 2008 VW Beetle Convertible and a slight further discount on the weekly rate. The deal was on! We had planned a lot of places, both places to go and places to eat during the whole week. The weather has been nice in Hong Kong during the time of the year ranging from 15C to 22C, with sunny sky and easy breeze.

When we picked up the Mini, it was an exciting as it were like receiving an ownership of a brand new car. I haven't had this refreshing feeling for many years. And two pseudo-ownership takeover experiences within one week are pretty damned good. The 10-month old 2008 red color Mini was in excellent condition, especially the body work. Quickly we dropped the top and drove away after signing off some papers. We put the Mini (and the Beetle) into good use, we not only drove them into both new places and our favorite places, but also invited our friends and relatives to enjoy the ride and to drive. Utilization level has been extremely high and both convertibles were not spending much time in our parking. Our Max also enjoyed the breeze in the air, sticking its head out of the car to catch the fast moving air with its full light blond hair blowing back.

The Beetle is a mechanically more refined convertible of the two. With the roof up the Beetle is refined and quiet while the Mini reminds you that it is still a convertible with the roof up. In terms of power the 1.6L (120ps) of Mini has more pep than the quiet and restrained 2.0L (115ps) of the Beetle. Mini has the CVT gearbox with 5 "preset" speed ratios while the Beetle has the 6-speed Steptronic. In terms of steering and cornering response the Beetle is always opposite of the Mini. The Beetle has fine damping and ride quality where the 4-wheel-at-the-4-corner Mini has stubborn and overly heavy steering at the slow speed and the damping of the Mini was quite poor in my view. Mini will bottom out if the driver is not being careful. It will crash its front with dips. I am a bit surprised this could happen to one of the best selling hip cars BMW builds.

The Beetle shares over 70% of the touch and feel of a Golf. The chassis is stiff, steering accurate, with moderated steering feel and weight. I think the steering of the Mini was done excessively to show the go-kart feel. Once the Mini is on the move, it will hub the curves at the right speed and very responsive and fun to drive. The 100kg heavier Beetle feels obviously like a bigger and heavier car in comparison, but with its exception refined ride its handling does not pale compared to the Mini.

C36 Update

Nothing beats a good lube. What a feeling on a 14-year old! Finally on the second day of my return from Vietnam to Hong Kong I brought the C36 for a regular service checkup and fluid change. Last checkup was back in March so it is long overdue. However since the car ran smoothly so I kept postponing. There were only a little over 6000 kms between the two fluid changes.

In Septemeber there was a sidewall puncture on the left front tire resulting probably from a not-so-careful curbing. Wheel alignment was also knocked skewed. After a new tire and a thorough four-wheel alignment (with front camber calibrated) the car glided and flowed effortless the best it could. Before the wheel alignment it were like dragging a full bag of garbage behind everywhere I drove.

With both wheel alignment and fluid change the C36 seemed to be back in the game now, with rear tires often skiding and spun from standing start if I was too generous with the throttle. I am not sure it was the cooler weather now, or it was the lack of dragging the a/c pump, that made the engine more responsive and friction-free. It is indeed one of the best moments I have had with the C36. It had ocurred a couple times before with the C36, as well as with other cars that I once owned. I remember how I feel like trying to do everything to get the car to this kind of perceived state of perfection.

What is wrong with being in a perceived perfect state is that things may go wrong or deviate rather than improving by themselves. So one would stay tensioned worrying about losing it, and any effort retaining the state of perfection or its perception shall become an attachment or a drag in itself. A perceived perfect state therefore should be treated as an celebrated event, and should be enjoyed while it lasts. Its coming and going are related to one's own effort and intervention but not absolutely or entirely so. It may not last as external conditions may intervene. It is not a sure thing. In human terms attending state of perfection contains a lot of meanings in itself, and hence has a lot of going for it. At least for some of us at times.

Fancy about the AMG C36 companion or replacement

Right now I really have zero complaints about the AMG C36. It has served its purpose faithfully and quietly for the past 4 - 6 weeks since the last time when the air conditioning was overhauled. As all of you know the fuel cost nowadays are quite frightening. And as a result some oldies are becoming available today. Of course it is always logical either to keep what I already have due to the higher switching cost, or going to some smaller econonbox. The added fuel expense can be offset by lowering daily running cost or fuel cost, or by taking public transportation. As a matter of fact I have been seeking ways to reduce the running costs, and treat it as a hobby.

Since I have sold my DC2 in July I have no more race car that I can do street or track racing. My motoring experience has been reduced to strictly common level communting among familiar places. I still can feel some sort of fire buring inside but not great enough to motivate me to do anything crazy. I consider this a benefit of getting old, and an opportunty to save money that I have already wasted too much in my long youthful years.

AMG C36 Update - Chassis Stiffening

After much consideration, mostly an inner debate of getting a new replacement or continuing the ownership, I decided to give the C36 a better reason to own whenever I can until it is not feasible or no longer meaningful to do so. My wife likes the idea of an indefinite C36 ownership because it is a car I least complain. An indefinite C36 ownership means that I will keep the car as long as possible with no end date in mind.

I gave it a race car treatment to address one of my concerns - a softer chassis compared to other fellow C36s and the later year W202s (1998 and onwards). In a nutshell it is a chassis stiffening to the passenger compartment. PU components are poured into the hollow side sills and beam sections left and right just underneath the 4 doors. I am happy to report a positive result overall. The PU will expand rapidly and eagerly to any hollowness it can find, it will then hardern and expand a little more, providing pressure to its exoskeleton against the inner surface of the steel sections.

The ride does change for the overall good. The car will wiggle a bit more in most road surface other than the ultra smooth one. It does not constitute a nervous ride by all means and reduce comfort or refinement. However that's how modern BMW and Mercedes sports cars behave as well. Bump thumps are slightly more damped and yet shift in frequency and change in the way they are felt. I found the improvement acceptable if not completely satisfied. It is indeed a better balanced ride I was looking for, even though it was not exactly what I had anticipated.

The steering effort has increased for no obvious reason, especially in slow speed maneuvers. In a few hundred kms when the tires are starting to get used to the new contact patches and I will report again. The car does feel lighter and more responsive. It will turn in cleaner and hold cornering load and track cornering line in a more steady and flatter manner. It does not change what C36 originally is, nor redefine for what it is. I like that because I only want it to have a incremental and yet controlled improvement for what is good for me originally.

For those who wonder what the treatment is, see the link below.

http://www.junauto.co.jp/products/reinforcement/polyurethane-foam-kit/index.html?en

A Brief Test Drive in Mercedes ML430 and Lexus IS200

ML430. It was a year 2002 model and well kept by its former owners. It did have the V8 power and the will to pull its two-ton dead weight off from a stand-still. Surprisingly after much strong low-end pull from 0 to 50kph, there was not enough puff left between 60kph to 100kph. Ride was nice and smooth but no one could disguise the fact it was indeed truck-like and had clumsy handling. Initially it did not give me any me any sense of confidence but I still deemed it reasonable for what its worth. However due to high fuel price nowadays, a V8 is not a popular choice.

IS200. After a 2-hour drive in a 1999 IS200 I was sweetly surprised by its excellent everydayness. It was as small as the C36. It was quiet, stationary or on the move. It is refined, vibration free. It was actually feeling more nimble and stiffer than the C36. The 2.0L in-line 6 is very similar to the straight six in the C36, barring the engine capacity, power and the low-end torque. The interior was simply over-decorated, busy and over-designed. We didn't like it a bit. Space-wise it could not compete with the C36 in the front, but not differed by a great deal. I have two thoughts after the short drive with my wife. First it confirmed that my C36 was a bit soft in the chassis and body shell structure despite C36 felt a lot more substantial and heavy duty. Aside from the busy and tight interior, I think the IS300 could make a better car for me. However the look of the first generation IS series had started to age. Honestly it did not age as well as the W202 C-class.

How much is to spend on your next car?

Often it was an long-awaited answer for poor souls or car nuts who have spent too much on cars. I think I sought a good answer the other day from a book called "Living Rich by Spending Smart" by Gregory Karp. So what is all about?

First of all we have already spent way too much on cars that we pay monthly car loan for. The book is written for Americans but I think it has all the sense to apply the same in Hong Kong. Anyway one shall not spend more than 7% (10% for some special reason of yours) of one's disposable household income (that means after-tax monthly salary) on a monthly installment of the car one owns. If one needs to stretch the period of installment from 3 to 4 year or more to lower the amount of monthly installment to meet the 7% or even 10% ceiling, obviously one cannot readily afford and has already overspent.

What happens if one has already paying installments on a car one shouldn't have owned, meaning too expensive based on the above rule? Well, then keep with the installments until they are all paid for, if it is already a dream car and one can keep up with the monthly payment without much financial strain. After the car is paid off, one can either keep the car or sell the car and get one with a price tag that meets the above 7% rule.

What happens if one just pays of all the installments? Well, one should continue to pay the installments, no more than 7% or 10% of the disposable income (after-tax), not to the car loan, but to a one's saving account towards the next car. Do this for three years. Use the money in the car fund and trade in the existing car for a better ride. In principle, one should be able to get a much better new car than the one you have owned for 6 years. And one doesn't need a car loan this time or any other time. And if one keeps doing that, one can trade in to another yet much better car, not in six years, but in three!

I think, one should be allow to use a 3-year car loan, to get one's dream car. However there are two conditions. Do it only once or twice at most in one's lifetime, and do it when one is young and passionate. For me I have done it too often myself when I was younger. Lesson learned.

Based on the rule of 7% (or 10%), I can afford, without trading in my existing car, a brand new Honda Civic, Toyota Corolla, or something similar, by a 36-month car loan. Anything above that would be a stretch. I felt horrible initially about the fact but slowly settled on that idea. Anyway my 13-year old C36 isn't all bad, and the price of it well fits within the 7% rule, as there is no car loan on it.

AMG C36 Update - Jun 2008

I did a follow-up trip to Pak Lok on the Island side to have the fuel-air ratio check on a Black Rain Saturday. Initial check by hooking up the Diagnosis Handheld showed a poor connection to the air-mass flow sensor. However it did read the data correctly. Anyway I had a new Bosch one, plus a new fuel filter, put in. I also had a squeaky engine belt replaced, which has been bothering us since early this year.

It was a quick job done in less than 2 hours on a Saturday (June 7th) afternoon. The C36 was back on the road again. Initially, throttle response was reduced but the bags of low-down torque had returned. I could feel the engine was remapping itself and slowly adapting to the new components. For what it was it felt slightly different to drive. Tiki felt the engine's eagerness to rev was gone, replaced by a more sluggish low-down pulling power, which was not impressive in her opinion. All I care here and now is the fuel consumption. And it did work magic to my fuel consumption, at least by 20%. Now I can do over 450km in the summer with air conditioner on with a full tank. Just like the old days.

AMG C36 Update - My License is back!

After 6 months without driving I got my driver's license back on May 14th.

I expect the driving again will be a renewal experience but in fact it has been not. It seemed like I have only been hibernating for over 6 months and wake up to find only the same thing over again.

I only drove to work once. Today I took public bus to work.

On last Saturday I took the C36 to Pak Lok to replace the front springs (to the original flat top springs that came with the C36). The front is now lowered by around 5mm but it makes all the right move and balance now. The front is sitting comfortably lower and matches well with the rear. Damping has improved, too. Ride is about the same or better. Damping is better but still not the best I could expect. I replaced the worn PS2 with new PS2 again and did wheel alignment for all 4 wheels. Finally all the minor issues and complaints I have were completed sorted out. At least it is what it seems to me.

I had been thinking about other tires like Bridgstone RE001 Adrenalin and Dunlop Direzza Z1. Finally I settled for the 40% more expensive Michelin because I worried about ride quality. I have been struggling for a long time and decided that Michelin PS2 is a natural match to my aging C36. I reckon that it is a 12-year old car and hard suspension and hard sidewall tires will only make the C36 to feel worse and loose. Comfort and ease of driving are still ranking high on my list. And really I want to do my best to keep what I own, since a real replacement is still quite far away from a financial standpoint. I want to keep the car as long as I possibly could, at least up to a point of diminishing return. Yet if you ask me how I define the point of diminishing return, I would say I have no idea and will think of an answer to that.

The fuel/air ration is wrong as I think it is too rich. The engine feels sluggish and the sometimes hiccups and coughs. I think it has too much fuel being injected. The fuel consumption is a bit unusually high, too. So I think it is due for another checkup, which I should have dealt with it when I replaced the springs.

Cayenne

A friend Eddie asked me to put random thoughts about cars in the blog. One day he asked why there were so many Porsche Cayennes on the streets of Hong Kong. I was wondering why and two ideas popped into my mind almost instantly. First many or a large percentage of Cayenne owners are the first-time Porsche owners. Second many people want Porsche cars but cannot buy Boxsters or 911s because they have a family to lurk around. Porsche Cayenne is not cheap but it would be most people's best excuse to get themself a Porsche. Of course let's not forget the edge on performance, engineering and image associated with Porsche. It is a runaway success. A business owner in Hangzhou, China, told me over dinner he was the first owner in China to have the Cayenne Turbo S just two to three weeks ago. Next time I hope I could get a ride in his new Cayenne.

Mercedes CLK55 (Year 2000) - A brief ride

Finally got a chance to get close and a 15-min ride in a mint condition CLK55. It is in silver with sunroof. I did not drive because my license is still frozen until mid May. Steven let the salesman drove us around the block and got fuel for it. It was not me after the CLK55. What impressed me most was the power delivery and the firm ride, which left me not much to complain about. The interior and the trimming were not as nice in terms of luxury and quality as the previous E55 we saw over one month ago. Nevertheless it is very nice and really beyond what we ever need for luxury. With a 5.5L V8 upfront the whole car did not feel front heavy or even heavy as a whole. It really hides and distributes its weight quite well. Engine is smooth and highly tractable, making it perfect for daily driving even under heavy and slow traffic. The engine torque of course is next to perfect, similar to C32AMG, and yet with loads of refinement and excellent throttle modulation. I could easily feel that even from the passenger seat.

We did not test the power because it was rainy and the road surface was wet. indeed the whole test drive experience was a pleasant one. Uufortunately I did not took photo.