Switching Car Brands

I've been driving for quite a while, legally, and a bit before I was legally able to drive.  My first experience in the driver's seat was in Sunnyvale, California on El Camino Real, a road I use occasionally.  I must have been 3 the first time and I broke the turn signal lever as I moved it wildly.

I got my first car Christmas Day 1976, a 1967 Pontiac Firebird with a lot of little problems.  In those times, we had a lot of huge cars.  My mother had a 1970 Lincoln Continental 4 door with 7.7 liter engine.  It wasn't as pillow-y soft as other huge cars on the road, but it wasn't a race car either.  My driving instructor was surprised to see it.  We needed to inform my mum that I was driving that day, so we stopped next to her and told her.  As we pulled away, my instructor said "You're going to drive that?"  Of course, I already had driven it.

I've owned the following cars:

1967 Pontiac Firebird, 3.8 litre I-6, 3 speed manual
1974 Mazda RX-3, 1.1 litre 2 rotor, 4 speed manual
1980 Ford Mustang, 2.3 litre turbo I-4, 4 speed manual
1985 Volkswagen GTI, 1.8 litre I-4, 5 speed manual
1986 Volkswagen GTI, 1.8 litre I-4, 5 speed manual
1990 Volkswagen Corrado, 1.8 litre supercharger I-4, 5 speed manual
1985 Mazda RX-7, 1.1 litre 2 rotor, 5 speed manual
1999 Volkswagen Golf GLS, 2.0 litre I-4, 5 speed manual
2012 Volkswagen Golf TDI, 2.0 litre diesel I-4, 6 speed automatic

The two American cars were not exactly ready for the road.  I remember my 1967 Firebird being passed by a Volkswagen Beetle back around 1979.  The Mustang had a Pinto engine with what seemed a 10 minute add-on turbocharger rigging.  It would go to 130 mph but it took (almost) all day to get there, and when I got rid of it, it had 5 cracks in the cylinder head.

Since the Golf TDI has been returned to Volkswagen, I've been looking for a suitable car.  The most likely brand would be Mazda, but the previous Mazda 3 hatchback is what I like and they're difficult to find, and other than the Mazda 2, they don't really fit me.  Subaru would be interesting, but they're too expensive, as I'm trying to get as close to US$10,000 as I can.  (Sadly, I'm coming from a US$27,000+ car, so nothing will really compare.)

I narrowed the list to cars available from the current dealership or those from the same company, since I know what to expect from their service departments.  Since I'm not willing to get another Volkswagen, it came down to Nissan and Hyundai.

The Nissan Versa Note, which sounds like a collaboration with Panasonic on a notebook computer, is a good size for me, and not horribly expensive.

The other choice is a Hyundai Accent hatchback.  It's about the same size outside but with a compact car rating, not subcompact because the interior is a bit more roomy.  I considered an Elantra, which is bigger, and a few with the boot/trunk are less expensive, but the model seems bigger than I want to go.

There is one of each that is a bit about US$12,000.  I would have preferred the least I could spend but getting a car with a warranty is important.  Getting something I like seems somewhat important also.

These cars are about the same size as my 1999 Volkswagen Golf on the outside but not so much on the inside.  When I drove the Elantra, it seemed wider, but it may be that you sit down and the windows are short.  It's sort of Dodge-like, especially with the slit for a rear window.

The driving experience was very Toyota-like.  Look at that list of cars.  Do you see a Toyota, Nissan, or Honda?  In my view, Toyota is like General Motors and Nissan is like Ford.  Honda isn't so dissimilar to Chrysler, except in reliability.  I'm not saying that everyone should have a car that wants to go fast around curves.  Some people might not be able to handle that.  When I first took my 1990 VW Corrado on my usual 10 hour trip to visit my parents, it only took 8.5 hours.  I didn't have to slow down much.

This Hyundai Accent has 14 inch wheels.  This will be a first.  The last time I contemplated 14 inch wheels would have been in the 1970s or maybe, the 1980 Ford Mustang.  I ended up with the TRX package with the 390mm wheels and tires.  I'm not sure but I feel as though I should change to 16 inch alloy wheels with H-rated tires.  It might not help, though.  The car also has rear drum brakes, something I have not had since the 1980 Mustang.

It could keep me out of trouble, though.  No more 90-100 mph, unless I'm on the back of a transport going that fast.  The Active Eco contraption has a switch, so it might be interesting to see how much the personality of the car changes.  However, it's still not going to have 230 lb-ft of torque as the Golf TDI did.  Of course, if they fix the emissions control on those vehicles, the TDI might come down more than a few.

Having a more passive car should be frustrating, but maybe, it will bring peace.  Then again, I might spend some of the money on enhancements.

Update 2016.12.20: I've got the 2015 Hyundai Accent GS.  It's not awful but it's not great.  I'll learn to like it once I get my phone charger in there and set my radio stations and find some way to play the music from my phone.

I'm a little uncomfortable that the rear windows don't have extra tint.  When I drive with bags of photographic equipment in the bag seat, it's better I don't let people know.  Most of what I have, they probably wouldn't recognize anyway, and would have trouble selling, but they might break into the car anyway.

Tax, of course, wasn't cheap, and the dealer wasn't flexible on the price.  They do a search around the area and try to find a good price.  They saved me going to the DMV and that was practically worth any price.

The stereo isn't very good and Best Buy had a number of capable Kenwood models for under US$200, but fitting them properly may add a lot to the cost.  $200+ for parts and installation?  It's odd that all of the Kenwood, JVC, and Pioneer models they have support Chinese but not Japanese.  My Volkswagen was similar.  iOS and Android-compatible models start at about US$500.

The car, having the narrow tires on steel wheels, feels like an SUV ready to tip over during a turn.  I may come to a calmer experience with it but for now, I will be too reactive to avoid disaster.

Update 2016.12.22: I filled up the Accent for the first time yesterday.  It was an odd feeling because the filler door is on the driver's side and there is a release next to the driver's seat and I haven't pumped gasoline for almost four years.  The fill up only took something like 4.4 gallons--it was around half on the gauge.  I think the tank has something like 11.2 gallon capacity.  I drove a bit and it moved away from full rather quickly.  I saw the instantaneous mpg rating at 37 mpg for a moment or two, but it wasn't like I could hold that in normal traffic.  It seems 30 is about all it will do, even though the Active Eco system is engaged.

Update 2016.12.23: Driving in the rain was less dangerous than I thought it would be.  It wasn't confidence inspiring, either.

175/70-14 tires aren't exactly great in the rain when they're geared for low rolling resistance.  However, the traction control wasn't activated on slick roads.  It was activated last night on dry roads when I accelerated too quickly.  I'm looking for a better solution to the tires and wheels but it won't be easy to find a strong and low cost solution.  At 75 mph, it feels nervous.  Well, if I must, it feels nervous at 55 mph.  The engine screams like something from Suzuki, but the tires definitely don't feel a good match.

When I updated my insurance, I was surprised.  My payments went from roughly $112 to $125 each month.  I'd think a South Korean car would be much cheaper to repair than a German car that was made in Germany.  Is Volkswagen so much better that a ~$27,000 2012 car would be cheaper than a ~$15,000 2015 car?

Update 2016.12.24: I went for fuel again.  Filling up took a bit longer but not long.  31 something mpg was all I got so far.  I turned off the Active Eco technology.  I'm not noticing much of a difference in performance or economy, although it waits for less pressure on the pedal to shift to the final gear.  Using the pseudo-manual Shiftronic mode could make things even better with some control of the process.  Unfortunately, this car doesn't have the shift paddles behind the steering wheel, as the TDI did.

Got my rear half of the car windows tinted.  It was relatively inexpensive at $179 something.   They did great work on my TDI.  However, I notice that the previous 20% and the current 20% seem quite different.  I suspect that they used 5% on the TDI.

Update 2016.12.29: Filling up lasted a bit longer.  I went for a drive to San Jose, which is about an hour's drive in itself, and then, all the side trips took a bit out.  During the trip up the foothills, I didn't push it quite as much as the TDI, which I usually let go at 90 mph.  I'm still not sure about the skinny tires on the Accent, but it handled 75-80 mph fairly well and 85 mph here and there elsewhere.

With Active Eco off and the extra trip, I got 32.91 mpg versus 31.20 mpg with it enabled.  It's by no means conclusive, but it is interesting.  I'm probably acclimating myself to the quirks of the engine and gearing.  They really should have put a Continuously Variable Transmission on the car to get the most out of it, but at least, they put a 6 speed automatic in there instead of 4 or 5 gears.

I don't believe I saw a quick 37.x mpg as I did with the Active Eco, but it didn't seem to make a noticeable difference anyway.  I've enabled the technology again to see if it actually helps.

It's odd that the trip computer button has no light on it.  I suppose you might only want to find it in the daylight but I suspect that on a trip, you might want to find it at night.  Still, having a trip computer at all is surprising at the price point of this car.

The Web Browser Wars continue

I remember using Spyglass Mosaic as my first web browser.  It was possibly the worst software product I'd ever seen, and as a software developer, I thought that the developers had no pride in their work.  How else could they have released it?

A while later, there was this Netscape Navigator, which was about 150% of Mosaic, but somewhat based on it.

Up until that time, my telecommunications experience had to do with 300/1200 bps modems and the various Bulletin Board Systems (BBS) that occupied someone's floppy drive, plus being able to communicate over 2400/4800 bps modems with large systems, all using text.

In those days, things were a lot more technical, and I did a lot of human interface work, to let anyone use a computer easily.  I'm not responsible for your being able to use a computer easily, most likely, though.

When Apple made an agreement with the KHTML folks (don't get started on this, please!), a lot of things changed.  After WebKit and Safari, along came Google Chrome, another offshoot.  Various mobile browsers have been switched to use the WebKit bits, and more recently, Opera because of Google's somewhat proprietary work.

Thinking back, I've used:

Mosaic
Netscape Navigator/Communicator
Cyberdog
Internet Explorer
OmniWeb
Chimera/Camino
Phoenix/Firebird/Firefox
Opera/Opera Mini
Apple Safari
Stainless
Google Chrome
TenFourFox (PowerPC-based adaptation of the latest Firefox versions)

I also used some browser on BeOS and the various crap browsers on feature phones running Brew and whatever browser Android 2.2/2.3 had available.

I'd probably be using Camino now, if it had gone multi-platform.  It didn't, but it inspired Firefox, which did, and I've been using Firefox regularly since version 0.76 or some such.  I remember trying version 0.40 and it wasn't ready, even though Camino 0.5.0 was quite good.

Lately, it seems that the browser wars are back, mostly between Chrome and Firefox.  For all the hoopla about Chrome being so fast, I still find Firefox to be faster and better for me.  Even on Android 4.4.2, I find it better.

It seems odd that it took until version 29 for the desktop version of Firefox to become touch-friendly.  There are many machines which support touch, and there have been hardware add-ons to enable touch on a flat panel iMac for quite a long time.  Visually, Firefox version 29 seems to pick up a lot from Thunderbird, the e-mail application started by Mozilla as an offshoot of Communicator/Sea Monkey.  (My list of e-mail applications is similarly long.)

My real question is: why do people have such strong viewpoints about the way a browser looks?  I find that a browser should display web pages brilliantly, and stay out of the way.  If the browser application displays a lot of information that is irrelevant, I don't need it to do that and there had better be a way to turn that off--a way that is simple.

I really just want to use the browser to view a few pages--I don't keep 20-30 pages open all week long, as I've seen some people do.  If I want news from that many sources, I have Twitter.  Just now, I have the browser window open to this blog editing session and that's it.  I can concentrate on it, and if I need resources, I can open more tabs and then, close them when I'm finished.  I'm obviously doing it incorrectly because Firefox works very well for me, and Chrome doesn't.

Is the flat look taking hold?  When I first installed Mac OS X Public Beta in 2000, the loads of blue overwhelmed me.  The liquid effects, of course, were blue, but the browsers tended to be blue also.  Since iOS 7, everything seems to be flattened, as though a steam roller is smashing everything.  It's not hideous or beautiful--it's just the current state of things.  I liked when things were more colorful, but gray and flat they are now.  Happy browsing!

(I would say something really amazing about Opera, but it's in a huge state of flux, and I'm still tied to version 12.x)

Sad to see the Camino browser ended

Camino, the Mac-only web browser has been around since the early days of Mac OS X, when it began as Chimera.

It was the inspiration for Phoenix, which became Firebird, which became Firefox.

For those who don't remember, Netscape Navigator became Communicator with much more than just a web browser, and is now Sea Monkey.  It became bloated with version 6, as they tried to create a better way to handle the web and its changes.

Camino came along just in time for many early users on Mac OS X.  We had the laughable Internet Explorer 5.x, based on Spyglass' Mosaic, that wasn't really compatible with Internet Explorer-focused sites even.  The OmniGroup brought us OmniWeb, which had been on NeXTStep for quite a while.  That platform being where the web started.

Camino gave us Mozilla/Netscape compatibility in a very responsive browser.  It was everything a Mac application should have been and showed the potential for the platform in ways that Apple's development never has.  Of course, as the years have passed, there are very good releases of Firefox, Safari, Opera, and Chrome to supplant Camino.

I often tried Camino but as of Firefox 2.0, there was no further need for me.  Yes, it was incredibly responsive in comparison to all of the other available browsers I tried, but stability was a major issue for me.  As the team integrated changes from Firefox, Camino tended to crash more.  Firefox wasn't incredibly stable at 2.x but it was better overall.

I tend to keep Firefox, Safari, Opera, and Chrome on my system and updated because there will be incompatibilities, even though they're minimal now.  Firefox to me is as good as they come, but Chrome works well and Opera is no longer weird, and Safari is a browser you need to keep but may not ever use, except to change preferences for the browser.

In any case, I salute the developers and various testers of Camino.  They made Mac OS X life so much easier way back when.  May they find something even more interesting to keep them busy.

Cars can be such a nightmare

In my early years, when I could stand, my adoptive dad had me in the driver's seat, so I seem to be pre-disposed to driving a car.  My parents owned several, including a few new vehicles.  I've mostly had new vehicles.  I'm not one to buy appliance cars--like Honda and Toyota make, although they've made some interesting cars from time to time.  However, the interesting cars always seem to go wrong, and require more maintenance.

Here is a list of the cars I've had, in order:

• 1967 Pontiac Firebird, 3.8litre engine 1 barrel carb.
• 1974 Mazda RX-3, 1.1 litre rotary engine, 4 barrel carb. (new for Dad)
• 1980 Ford Mustang, 2.3 litre turbocharged engine with 2 barrel carb. (new)
• 1985 VW (Golf) GTI, 1.8 litre with mechanical fuel injection (new)
• 1986 VW (Golf) GTI, 1.8 litre with mechanical fuel injection, missing weld (new)
• 1990 VW Corrado, 1.8 litre with supercharger and fuel injection (new)
• 1985 Mazda RX-7 GS, 1.1 litre rotary engine with 4 barrel carb.
• 1999 VW Golf GLS, 2.0 litre with fuel injection (new)
• 2012 VW Golf TDI with DSG automatic Tiptronic

Four VWs, 2 Mazdas, 1 Ford, and 1 Pontiac.  The only reason I would consider another U.S. vehicle is because I like Chrysler/Dodge minivans, as my parents' Plymouth Voyager proved reliable--like an appliance.

Volkswagen is on my negative list, for various reasons.  I've replaced a number of their alloy wheels because they bent easily.  Their fuel systems weren't modified for U.S. fuel and had major problems with vapor lock.  Their brakes didn't last very long.  In other words, they were high maintenance.  I can say that the 1999 has proven that a lot of things have changed for the positive.  In exchange, I had 30 or so visits for the power window regulator clips, where the window would go down but would not go up.  The interior has had wardrobe malfunctions where the fabric pulled away and the centre arm rest came apart.  If these things had happened on a 13 year old car, I'd not have a problem with it.  That they happened on a 3 year old car--that's the problem.  The car now has 132,000+ miles on it and is enduring, though it doesn't seem happy at the moment.  U.S. cars just seem to go whether they have maintenance or not.  VWs don't do that very well.

Equally, the 1974 RX-3 had a problem with the rear main oil seal leaking and the car was dead but under warranty.  The engine was replaced at some point in time, but it took the proverbial forever.  On the other hand, I bought the 1985 RX-7 with 102,000+ miles on it and ran it until 156,000+ miles with almost no trouble.  I have little doubt that the engine is working quite smoothly still.  It was also a source of amusement at the Mobil Oil change place, as the salesperson told me how their product would lubricate the valves, the crankshaft, the camshaft, the lifters, etc.--all parts a Wankel rotary engine does not have.

I'm looking again for a new vehicle and I'm not sure what is good for me.  In the long term, I'm not sure where I'll be and I think I should be buying in California to make sure I don't have to switch cars, if I move there.  I thought to buy a Subaru Outback because of the all-wheel drive, if I stay in a snowy area.  I considered a Suzuki SX Crossover/station wagon for the same reason.  I don't want a bigger vehicle, so a Mazda 2 with 4 wheel disc brakes would be convenient, but they don't make such a car and the bigger Mazda 3 might have to do.  A Dodge minivan has been on the list occasionally, but the new Alfa Romeo (inspired) Dodge Dart seems more like my kind of vehicle.

If you haven't guessed, I'm slow to cross the US$20,000 barrier.  That mainly puts VWs and South Korean cars in my sights, both of which are not high on my list.  Kia and Hyundai produce a car or two that seem okay, but driving a long distance, where are the dealerships?  I drove my VW Golf GLS across the country and I asked myself the same question then.  It was rare to see a VW, KIA, or Hyundai dealership.  Dodge, Mazda, and Subaru seem to be everywhere, and Suzuki is many places.  Being that Suzuki is a GM affiliate, Chevrolet dealerships might be able to help.

In any case, I'm due to have the oil dipstick holder replaced today.  Yes, it fell apart.  132,000+ miles and it fell apart.  That was a first for me but the clutch is still original and I only just replaced the front struts, so touch wood/knock on wood, it will continue to function well.  Oh, and there was that ignition switch failure where the car was on but not on--all night.  They removed the steering wheel, and the air bag warning lamp is still lit, just to get to some tiny parts.  That was major money that could have been put toward a tune up.  Then, there were the three under-body air management plastic pieces that fell apart and were dragging.  What do you bet they will be $1000 to replace?  I almost wish I was back in Philly and able to take public transportation.

Update: At the dealership, I requested a diagnostic.  They found a hydraulic hose needed to be changed, as well as an evaporation valve.  I agreed that the hydraulic hose should be ordered and they would call me when they got it.  I took a trip further east of there, along the Ohio River.  Part way through the day, that hydraulic hose, and another, split, taking away all the hydraulic pressure in the braking system.  Somehow, it happened when I was stopped and it had been sitting in the parking lot rather than out on the road going 70 mph.  There happened to be a tire place in the same lot and they took generic brake hose and replaced both split sections and the car is going again.  That's a bad coincidence that it was noticed one day and failed the next.  Also, the dealership noticed that the radio antenna was gone, but they didn't notice the side marker light just hanging.  I'm giving them a positive rating for now, but that could change in an instant, especially, if they knew how bad the hose was.

Update 2: Back at the dealership, they replaced the sections of hose that failed with the specific VW part.  They didn't mention a thing, as if there was no problem, but I was already suspicious.  They did a smoke test and found no leaks.  As well, they replaced the serpentine belt without incident.  As they were backing out to do a road test, the gear would not engage.  The service advisor comes to me and gives me the spiel that it's about $150 extra, but the car isn't going anywhere.

After the door closed, I asked aloud "Did they just break it?" and someone in the waiting room replied "I was just thinking the same thing."  I didn't want to start something but it felt too coincidental.  Two visits, two rather major problems.  The service advisor talked to me later and said that they pared down the prices so it cost me about the same as the original estimate, which was also stretching me a bit from what they told me the previous visit.

The car runs better and more powerfully than I remember but no more VWs.

Update 3: I had other issues with the car since July, including a broken ignition switch, which left the car completely disabled and required a disassembly of the steering column at quite a cost, plus a coolant distribution point broke on one of the coldest days possible, disabling the car.  After several thousand dollars, I bought a new (demonstrator) 2012 VW Golf TDI.  It was around US$27,000 new but there were discounts because it was last year's model and had some 5000+ miles on it.  I broke above the US$20,000 mark.  It's better at 10,000 miles than the 1999 was at any mileage.