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.

Volkswagen, who knew what?

I am directly affected by the diesel emissions controversy.  I am disappointed, not upset.

Many people have pointed out that the cars are pouring out 40 times the legal limit of emissions but I often pass cars and trucks from the 1960s, which are probably worse.  There are also boats, which don't seem to be restricted at all, and trucks have been given a virtual pass for years.  Even trucks in the 1990s pollute quite heavily, as I recall.

What is important to me is who knew that this software was in place.  Was the engineering team as far as the involvement went, or did it go from there all the way up to the CEO?

I know that the CEO wanted some incredible goals reached.  They were possible but at the cost, where they achievable?  I don't believe so.  If that was the case, wouldn't Mercedes-Benz be using the cheaper controls over Bluetec?

So, now, there are something like 11 million cars that are affected, including some that use gasoline.

Another question I have is how many other companies have cheated?  Considering how many companies tried to cheat safety goals, should we consider any company beyond suspicion?  I don't believe so.

I was sadly amused that former General Motors boss Bob Lutz made some nasty comments about Volkswagen on CNBC.  What got me most was that he said that GM never meant to kill people with their ignition switch design cheapening.  His tone told me that all those deaths were not even important to him.  That's just so CEO-like.

I would not be surprised if GM, Ford, Chrysler, Fiat, Toyota, Nissan, Mitsubishi, Honda, and others will be found to have cheated on emissions and fuel economy tests.  We only know from Volkswagen that their cheating was real.

Hopefully, this will push regulatory agencies to develop better ways to deal with everything.  Laziness is unacceptable.

As far as VW is being pushed, they have developed a Customer Goodwill Package to calm their customers:

Update 2015.12.01: Carbon Dioxide emissions are also being investigated.  As well, the fuel economy in Europe is supposedly 18% lower than stated.  I haven't seen exactly which vehicles, but that is somewhat more difficult to gauge, from my experience.

I believe my 1999 Golf GLS was supposed to get 30 at highway speeds and I was getting 35 mpg without air conditioning and 25 mpg with air conditioning.  This 2012 Golf TDI is rated at 42 and I've gotten a high of 48.8 mpg on a trip through the mountains.   However, when I'm aggressive, I usually get around 35.5 mpg--driving 80 to 90 mph does hurt fuel economy but California traffic rarely goes slowly--unless it's in the passing lane on state road 99.

I see plenty of news on the company and not that they're making progress on figuring out what to do, but more of it is petty--clickbait, if you will.

Oh, and supposedly CEO Martin Winterkorn knew a year before the situation became public--disappointing.

Update 2016.10.31: It's almost over.  In the next few weeks, they're supposed to start paying for the cars they're buying back.  In addition, the money that would go for fixing the emissions problem is added to the buy back price total.

I'm skeptical, as I never received the Goodwill package after two registrations.  It's time to put all this behind me.

Update 2016.11.18: I uploaded my documents to the Volkswagen diesel web site, and supposedly, they're in the process of determining my eligibility.  I'm wondering what more I need to prove.  I could swear that they should be kissing my behind for being patient with them.

I need this to end soon.  My life is ending but I still have to pay bills until I die.  Even though it says that they'll contact me within 10 days, it all feels quite uncertain.  That added to my not receiving the Goodwill package (plus my horrid health and lack of money) leaves me uncomfortable.

New Jersey to California in many, many instants

So, I sold my house, and I'm moving to California.

The main thing about this switch is that I'm giving up the east coast for the west coast.  I love Philly and New Jersey, and even when I'm not there, I'm within driving distance, but all that is changing.

I've done Orlando to Los Angeles in three 15 hour days.  It's possible, although crossing Texas itself was a 15 hour day.  I don't want to do that again, not really.  I don't really like to fly because you can't pull the plane over to take photos or eat somewhere special.

So, this time, I'm trying to take everything into consideration.

Actually, the closing on my house was the 6th of June, two Fridays ago.  I immediately drove to Manasquan, New Jersey where I rented a motel room for 6 days.  When I arrived on Saturday, the beach was packed.  I couldn't even park.  Sunday, the parking machines weren't accepting cards.  Monday, it stormed like crazy and it drizzled the rest of the week until I left on Friday.

I went to Orlando for Saturday and Sunday.  Sure, it's 1100 miles but that's not a big deal (except for Washington, DC traffic) if you'll never see it again.  I have a family of dear friends there.  They're probably the last people on earth I really want to see.  They were close when times were bad and they helped when I couldn't help myself.

After a really good weekend there, I went back to New Jersey for a couple of days.  I had something in the mail.  Then, I headed out, back to Pennsylvania, and I took a detour to Cumberland, Maryland, thinking that a Madonna of the Trail statue was there.  I was wrong.  It was at Bethesda, near DC, and I wasn't going there for anything.  However, the marker for the origin of the National Road was there.

I've traveled the National Road in all of the states where it exists, both as US Highway 40 and US Highway 66/I-40.  Plus, this gave me a bit of history to pass on to my followers on Instagram, who live along U.S. 40.

I took I-68 from Cumberland into West Virginia, and met I-79 from Western Pennsylvania, and that led me to I-64, which took me all over the place, but finally into Illinois to meet I-57, apparently US Highway 66's successor.

That took me to I-55, and then, I-40 into Arkansas, which is where I am at the moment.  I'm photographing a newly-married couple in Oklahoma City, as a friendly, casual kind of photoshoot.  Hopefully, it will be good and not stressful and demanding.  (It worked relatively fine.)

After Oklahoma City, I just need to set the auto pilot controls and head to California.

It's somewhat amusing that I've had my 2012 VW Golf TDI about 1.5 years and put 32,000+ miles on it already.  It had 5000+ on it when I bought it as a demonstrator.  The computer is telling me that I have about 3000 miles until the next service is due, and I only had the previous one a couple of months ago.

Oh, and if you go 90 mph, you only get about 25 mpg, even though it's diesel-powered.

There are a couple of things on the way.  I'd like to stop at Plaza Cafe in Gallup, New Mexico (it may be 10 hours from Oklahoma City, an easy drive) for a nice breakfast, and there is place with a motel, restaurant, and filling station somewhere in the California desert--Roy's Motel or something like that.  It looks halfway abandoned but it should be interesting to photograph.  Apparently, the people who created Asphalt 8 used the design for something in their Nevada track.

I'm supposed to tell my singer/songwriter friend from Burbank, California when I've returned.  My buddy from San Jose knows that I'm going to be about 50 miles away, but I haven't heard from him lately.  The weird thing is that I don't know how to feel about starting fresh--really fresh.

Obviously, my time zone will change.  Work will change.  Food will change.  I need to have my car windows tinted to avoid the desert sun's effects.  I won't be close enough to San Jose to just pop over there, but it won't be an extreme drive.  Traffic will be heavy but there are trains during the week.  There is an alternative route with a bus to San Francisco that also uses BART trains.

I had to throw/give away a lot of things.  I'll probably be looking for them because something else will depend on them.  I will have done something wrong, and I really won't have time to care.  It will be a new life.

I look forward to the ability to attain and sustain...again.  I look forward to attacking goals and challenges with intellect and efficiency.  Most of all, I look forward to a peaceful life for the first time since I was a small child, for however long or little it will last.

Update 2014.06.27: Well, this is interesting.  I checked Twitter today, and my singer/songwriter friend is in New York City to perform as part of a group on various TV talk shows.  I'm guessing that he has been rather focused on that.  The buddy from the SF Bay Area is likely in the Galapagos Islands at the moment on a photographic adventure.

I made it from Barstow to Lathrop, along state roads 58 and 99, in about 5 hours, which is good, especially since traffic was a bit crazy at times with lane closures and stupidity.

Starting fresh will be interesting.  I'm close to 42,000 miles so I'll need to have my 40,000 service performed soon, even though it's not quite 10,000 miles since the 30,000 mile service, although that was only about 2 months ago.  I must have driven quite a lot.

Traffic in all states is interesting.  I'm always amazed at how many people like to inhabit the passing lane, no matter what.  It's interesting to see how few people use their mirrors.  When I first moved to Philly, the people sponsoring the aid trucks on the highway reminded people to use their mirrors.  I thought that this was ridiculous, but people did not look, which is shocking.  How do you determine where things are, if you're not looking?  (Of course, that reminds me of a co-worker who was parked in the parking garage, next to a post.  She slammed into the post 3 times when leaving work, if I remember correctly, and needed major work on the passenger-side door by the time she had finished.)

Driving along California's state roads is pretty good.  I suppose it all depends on how developed the state is.  Some states even have bad federally-funded roads.  Of course, dealing with mountains and canyons presents all sorts of interesting issues with proper road design and physics.  Good tires help a lot.  I didn't drive Pacheco Pass Highway today, but SR 99 presented some fun.

Update 2014.06.28: It's a pleasure to be able to not travel.  It's not as though I'm not going anywhere, but I'm limiting travel in order to look for houses.  Having a place to live is certainly more important than taking frivolous trips at this point.

Update 2014.06.30: Got some information today.  Even if you can pay a whole year of rent and the deposit, people don't want to rent to you, if you don't have a job.  That seems odd.  You'd think that they would be pleased to not have to think about where the next year's income would be.  Apparently, it is difficult to boot someone out in California, so the realtor's argument was "What do they do when you don't have money for the second year?"  I'm not even sure I would want to rent the same place for two years, regardless of money.  This is definitely a kink in the hose--there is nothing flowing.

I'd also like to say that it has been an amazing opportunity to see so much of the U.S.A., even if much of it was done at 70 mph.  As a child, I had been across the country several times, in a 1960 VW Beetle, imported from Germany to Japan, then taken with us to the U.S.A.  My adoptive dad drove us from San Jose, California to Richmond, Indiana across many different roads, prior to the Interstate Highway System that exists today.   Obviously, we didn't take that Beetle 70 mph, but it made it through the snow when vehicles from Buick and Mercury were on the side of the road, spinning their tires.

I only wish that I had a GoPro or other such camera to record a lot of where I went.  It might have even made an interesting time lapse recording.

I've noticed one thing being here in Northern California, especially with the temperature being quite high, and rather excessive stop-and-go traffic flow, my miles per gallon have often dropped just below 30 around town.  I never had that experience in the past, even in summer.  Then again, it was 106 degrees F today and I've had the air conditioning on almost all the time the car is running.  I don't sit at stop lights all that long, but it seems as though I sit at more stop lights--there is no extended flow.  They are very efficient at moving cars from any direction.

Why do Apple and Google and Microsoft want to be in the car?

Do I want to integrate my phone or tablet more closely everywhere I go?

When I switched from my 1999 VW Golf GLS to the 2012 VW Golf TDI, the car wanted to know about my phone.  My mobile sound system can route calls and play my music.  In fact, it's not just the music on the phone, but iHeartRadio, Pandora, and Spotify that can be used.

Apple announced today, for the Geneva, Switzerland auto show that they were pairing with several car makers to extend their reach past simple integration for playing music.

http://www.macrumors.com/2014/03/03/apple-announces-carplay/

http://www.macrumors.com/2014/03/03/carplay-video-wi-fi-soon/

Chevrolet had already announced Siri in the car, and Google and Audi recently announced Android in the car.  Ford had Windows in use for a while, but they seem to be moving away from that.  Were software crashes causing traffic accidents?  No, of course not but people made jokes.

Using my car's touch screen for various controls isn't very efficient.  If I don't remember something, I can go back and forth too many times trying to find some setting.  I wish the car makers and sound system makers such as Alpine, Kenwood, and Pioneer would come up with a unified graphical interface and let everyone plug into the back end.  That way, if you're in your car, a rental car, your friend's car, you know how things work.

I had a terrible time when I changed phones and it's not really resolved as much as I'm using a workaround.  I went from an iPhone 4s to an iPhone 5c.  iTunes let me use the previous configuration and name.  The car didn't like that but it wouldn't let me delete the name, either, so that I could re-use it.  So, after 10-15 attempts, I deleted a few characters and it works--most of the time.

Of course, the cable (30-pin still, but the new phone has the Lightning connector now) is a problem but that was a problem last year anyway since the tiny space for the phone is cold as ice in the winter, and  that's not good for the phone.

In any case, I think it'll be more than five years before the dust has settled.  It took a couple of years to get the iPhone connected to cars but many companies have the option now.  Getting an Android option shouldn't be difficult but it probably is at this point.  Collaboration--the world needs more of it.

One year with diesel

No, I'm not talking about Vin Diesel.  I'm talking about Volkswagen Golf TDI Clean Diesel.

This time last year, I'd been having all sorts of issues with a 13 year old VW Golf GLS that I bought with fewer than 50 miles.  It wasn't a paragon of reliability at any time, but spending US$500-$1000 nearly every month was difficult.

I searched for several cars and the dealership which serviced my car had two 2012 Golf TDIs in stock at a discount since the 2013 models had been available for months.

Switching to diesel wasn't a huge problem.  I knew enough that I wouldn't put gasoline in the tank.  Apparently, some TDI owners aren't that aware and VW had a couple of safety precautions that they used to help remind people.  My only issue was finding the diesel pump, as it wasn't always out in the open.  At one station, it was in the back, in the dark.  Their price was lower, I guess, because it wasn't for the faint of heart to fill up.  Many times, I've had to search for the diesel pump but a few stations mark it nicely.  It's always amusing how many customers will pass the gasoline-only pump to use the combined gasoline-diesel pump to get gasoline.  I love waiting.  I love sarcasm more.

Finding stations with diesel has been an issue.  While I was traveling, I would have loved to use Waze to help me there, but it doesn't allow me to customize it for the type of fuel, but then, neither does Scout.  If I'm in unfamiliar territory, it's easier to have GasBuddy at the ready and switch to that, and it already knows that I'm looking for diesel fuel.

The price of gasoline has swung madly through the year, while diesel fuel has stayed within 40 cents, never being very cheap at US$3.899, though US$4.299 seems rather expensive.  In my world, when I'm getting over 40 miles per gallon, I suppose it doesn't matter, but during the winter months, I may have trouble reaching 30 mpg because of warming up and moving slowly, staying in lower gears.  I've seen just higher than 50 mpg, which is rather a bit higher than the 42 mpg stated.  On my trip to Philly, I had 48.8 mpg, if I recall correctly, giving me a range of 664 miles.

Since I got the car just past 5500 miles, the first free maintenance had been finished.  I took it for the 10,000 mile maintenance at the same dealer where I bought it.  However, for 20,000 miles, I was between California and Ohio, so when I stopped in Arkansas, I had the service there.  The mechanic botched the service, pinching the fuel filter.  I had a huge leak.  The next day, they took care of it, but the mechanic refused to reimburse me the fuel, even though he was given a voucher to do so.  My next service will certainly not be there, especially since it's 12 dry hours from home.

The car really hasn't given me a cause for concern.  If I look back at the first 30,000 miles of other VWs, I had a vapor lock problem with the 1985 GTI, plus a bent wheel.  The 1986 GTI had a missing weld and a bent wheel and both front brake rotors had to be replaced.  The 1990 Corrado had a bent wheel but it was quite a bit more reliable.  The 1999 Golf GLS had 30 or so trips to the dealer for the power window regulator clips, plus an appetite for daytime running lights, and various electrical problems including the central locking system.

The only serious problem I've had with it is that it's all grown up.  I found myself driving 90 mph when it felt like 65 mph with the 1999.  It is very stable, though not flawless.  The electrically-powered steering took some acclimation, but it's quite reasonable, and I don't have Asphalt 8 (video game) moments with it.

You might ask why I'm already over 20,000 miles.  I took a trip from here to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and New Jersey, plus a trip to San Jose, California.  Those totaled 1884 and 5702 miles respectively.  Obviously, that's not a lot of the travel.  The rest is rather local within the tri-state area.  In fact, January 31st and February 1st, I was in southern Ohio photographing three basketball games.  The trip is about 4 hours each way.  I'm getting an average of about 10 mpg better than the 1999 Golf GLS, which is a good improvement.  If I could drive more slowly on the highway and avoid little towns on the state roads, I'd do better.  (I'm just past a total of 30,000 miles, meaning that I've added nearly 25,000.  The MFI shows that I have another 2000 miles until the final free service.)

This was also my first car with an automatic gearbox.  Yes, they had a manual available but between white and red, I chose red--and the better discount on the demonstrator.  I might do it differently given the choice again.  For some reason, I was completely uncomfortable with the transmission during the test drive.  I suppose that shouldn't be surprising.  Every Volkswagen I've had, the gear change was radically different in feel and it took a while to acclimate myself.  Not only that, but the clutch was usually different also.  I didn't want to be troubled with gearbox and/or clutch problems.

One thing is still certain.  The car was certified as meeting ULEV II standards, so I can move to California without giving up the car, and that's a plus.  It also means that it's not polluting as much as the old car, nor does it have a load of batteries to be recycled as a hybrid or fully electrically-driven vehicle would have.  I can be concerned about the environment without being an activist.

Am I in love with my car on Valentine's Day?  Not exactly, but I am satisfied.  It's all dressed in red--maybe I should take it for a car wash.

Update 2014.05.06: I took my car for its 30,000 mile service a week ago Monday.  I made an appointment, but they were so quick with it that I'd almost think that they didn't do anything.  Supposedly, the change the oil and filter, rotate the tires, and other maintenance-type things.  I suspect that they changed the fuel filter again, since the disaster at the previous VW dealer in Arkansas and my 20,000 mile service.

I'm heading toward California once the sale of my house is complete.  While I was uncertain at the time I bought the car, I'm glad I settled on this certain model because it is a 50-states certified model.  It's just too bad it's not much bigger in the back.  I'm still not sure how I got to Florida in my 1985 Mazda RX-7 with my Japanese futon in the back and various things crammed in the front.  I know that I had many things crammed into my 1999 Golf GLS when I moved up here.  That Jetta Sportwagen looked like a winner but I bet it doesn't have all that much extra room.

Update 2015.11.24: At just over 80,000 miles, I've been busy.

When I sold my house in June 2014, I took a trip to New Jersey, to stay at the shore several days.  It rained most of those days.  As I wouldn't be on the east coast again, most likely, I took a weekend trip to Orlando to visit friends.  That was 1100 miles each way.  Returning to New Jersey, I had a nice day, picked up my things and started for California.

How did I put on 40,000 miles in just over a year, especially when I drove a lot of short trips?  I really don't know.  I'm about 70 miles from San Jose, California and I go there often.  I've been to San Diego once, on one tank with some to spare.  I've been to Orange County a couple of times.  It is a big state.  I haven't got as much fuel economy as I might have.  90 miles per hour is too easily achieved.  Still, 35 miles per gallon and change is good.  If I told it down to 60 mph, I'd see 42 mpg, probably, but traffic doesn't work that way in general.

The car has been good.  Despite the emissions scandal, I still like the car.  I'm disappointed in the company, but I suspect that they're not the only company to cheat.  Apparently, Renault is being investigated at the moment, but it's difficult to believe that any company has not cheated.

 I haven't had any major repairs, though the windshield had to be replaced once.  About two weeks after having tint installed on the rear windows and colorless film on the front windows and windshield, a pebble propelled at the windshield started a crack that took over half of the glass.  It couldn't have happened before the extra cost film, could it have?

As the year is ending soon, I'm wondering about so many things.  Hopefully, the car will continue to be good, even after VW makes their modifications to the emissions control hardware and software.  I don't need a car that coughs and sputters.

5702 miles

That's a long drive.

You can see from my iPhone photos how far I've been

Of course, it wasn't coast-to-coast, as I'd be in the ocean but even round trip, that sounds like a lot.  I remember 2800 miles from the Orlando, Florida area to Los Angeles, California in 2005/2006.  My car (2012 VW Golf TDI) averaged just under 40 mpg with air conditioning, compared to the 1999 VW Golf 2.0, which likely averaged 28-29 mpg with some use of air conditioning.

My latest drive took me on:

I-70
I-57
I-55
I-40
U.S. 64
U.S. 71
U.S. 66
U.S. 60
California SR 99
California SR 58
California SR 46
California SR 152
U.S. Hwy 101
I-5

I believe that was the order.  I started on the edge of Ohio/Indiana, traveled into Illinois, through Missouri, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and finally into California.

A lot of I-40 crosses/replaced U.S. Highway 66 but not in the hearts and minds of those who were young at the time.  There seemed to be a lot of nostalgia from Arizona to Oklahoma--diners, casinos, museums, and gift shops.

I seem to remember my parents going this way (on U.S. 66, calling it the southern route, compared to taking U.S. 40 through Denver) when I was a small child, and we spent some time on I-40 in 1977 on a trip to/from Mexico.  I was surprised to see how Tucumcari, New Mexico had grown from a restaurant on one side of the road and filling station on the other side to something like 30 restaurants, including all the chains you'd expect.

It wasn't a bad drive, although rain and other situations caused my trip to be lengthened.  e.g., I stopped in Conway, Arkansas due to massive thunderstorms, when I wanted to be on the western edge of the state.  I had planned to stop in Albuquerque but the motel ratings were so low that I stopped in poor, little Moriarty, NM instead.

I had somehow planned that I could go from Albuquerque, NM to San Jose, CA in one 13 hour drive.  However, I wanted to photograph two Madonna of the Trail statues (one in Albuquerque, NM and another in Springerville, AZ).  I stopped in Gallup, NM at Plaza Cafe for breakfast since it was so highly rated and it was worth the trip, but photographing the statue in Arizona was a huge detour (100 miles each way, maybe), and I lost time, especially with construction, more rain, and bad roads.  Had there been flooding along those U.S. highways to Springerville, I'd been in real trouble.  So, I ended up in Barstow, California for the night.  That meant I'd have a 6 hour drive to San Jose.

Getting to Barstow was interesting because it meant crossing the Mojave Desert.  It wasn't a problem, but in fact, a delight to view the sunset behind the small mountains and other geological formations.  Of course, you could claim that I had been in the desert from about Oklahoma, so it shouldn't have been a big deal.

When people think of California, they think of Marina del Rey or the beach at Santa Monica or the palm trees somewhere in Los Angeles.  They don't think of farm country or desert.  For the next 6 hours of my drive, I saw practically nothing but farm country or desert.

My parents never drove from San Jose to Los Angeles, so I didn't know which way to go.  I used Google Maps to print a some directions for different portions.  I used a combination of Apple's Maps app plus Waze to get me where I was going.

North of Tehachapi, it became interesting as the mountains and canyons showed themselves.  Along SR 152/Pacheco Pass Highway, things moved very quickly and it was apparently a typical business route for big rigs, as well as people trying to take their boats and RVs to a state recreational area.  I'm not sure how they got across the traffic as it seemed no one slowed below 65 mph at any time, and some were probably going 90 mph in the occasional Audi or Mercedes-Benz or Porsche.

By the time things were flattened, I'd reached Gilroy and Hollister.  Despite the clothes company's marketing, Hollister, California is not near the beach.  It's a farming community, which may not be as glamorous but it pays the bills.  While traveling through the area, I was treated to many fruit stands offering apricots, pistachios, etc.  Unfortunately, I didn't stop.  It would have been a good way to get fresh pistachios, rather than those things in stores that could be a year old.

San Jose wasn't far.  It was just a trip up U.S. 101.  When I was young, that was the highway.  There was no I-80, I-280, I-680, I-880--or any other 80.  According to my parents, that was El Camino Real--the royal road, and we used it a lot apparently.  It was my first experience in the driver's seat.  I'm fairly sure it was re-shaped, as there was a Bayshore Freeway and Old Bayshore Freeway on this trip.

Finding my way to a motel on North First Street wasn't difficult but neither was amusing myself with the notion of staying in a bad area that didn't seem particularly bad.  The motel was particularly convenient as there was a Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) light rail stop just across from the motel.

It was a cheap motel using Booking.com through Trivago.com (how many travel aggregators are there now?) which saved about $9.99 per day.  I hardly needed luxury since I wouldn't be in the motel most of the time.  As long as the air conditioning and plumbing worked, and I wouldn't be fighting with multiple-legged visitors, I'd be fine.  As with cheaper motels and smaller chains, internet access was an extra expense, but I have a mobile hotspot.

That first evening, I found my way back to the old neighborhood, and it was somewhat disturbing and reassuring.  I didn't expect to be welcomed.  I was too small and it was too long ago.  If anyone remembered me, that would have been shocking.  Even people from high school don't often remember me.  However, I stopped at a certain point, remembering where we were when Overfelt High School was being built.  It's odd to remember such things from a very young age.  There was a many washing his driveway and he was curious as to what I was doing, as I was curious about the house.

I finally walked across the street and walked over to the house, trying to find some fragment of familiarity.  I told him what I was doing to alleviate any concerns he might have.  He was friendly about it.  I couldn't remember the house number.  I'm not sure if I even saw it as an adult.  I commented about the palm trees on the other street.  He mentioned that the yards didn't go back that far, and I mentioned Darwin Way, which was the next street.  He didn't seem to know.  I walked around the block and paused at the intersection at Bermuda Way.  I remember sitting there in a stroller with my mum talking to a Japanese woman named Taka but it was opposite the end of the street, facing the opposite direction, than where I expected to have the feeling.  I never found the palm tree my dad helped plant that was in someone's back yard.  The trees on Darwin Way were out front of the houses.  Maybe, my parents told me differently, or I just didn't remember correctly.

I've had an online acquaintance in the area and he gave me some restaurants to try.  I also made an acquaintance on Yelp and she told me an up-and-coming area, San Pedro Square Market.  I tried my buddy's suggestion for tacos before going to the old neighborhood and it was okay, but such trouble getting there and there was barely any parking.  The next morning, I called VTA and had a little session on how to use their services.  30 minutes later, I was in downtown San Jose looking for San Pedro Square Market.  On the way, I could see multiple Bail Bonds offices.  Uh Oh!  I've been in those areas in other cities and they're not all that great...or safe.

Expectations are everything and expecting San Pedro Square Market to be like Reading Terminal Market in Philadelphia was a huge mistake.  There wasn't really anything integrated.  I went into an entrance under the big sign and found a coffee place and a closed bar.  I talked to someone at the coffee place and he was genuinely friendly and interested and then, I got a reasonably-priced, mediocre coffee.  I guess I'm just not a hipster, as the coffee was supposedly really good.

The rest of the area was made up of bars and over-priced restaurants, so I think it's all about perception, and perhaps, how much alcohol you've had.  Of course, friends make the experience more entertaining.  If you don't know how to cook, I'm sure the food tastes better.

I found the whole area to be great, reassuring, and chill.  People were friendly beyond belief.  Los Angeles can be confrontational and to be certain New York City/Philly/New Jersey can be.  During my day in San Francisco, I didn't feel that people were close to friendly, except for a female store owner in Chinatown.

My day in San Fran was spent hoofing it here, hoofing it there, up, up, up, down, down, down and asking "where the hell am I?" far too much.  I ate Italian food in one of the apparently more impoverished neighbourhoods (Tenderloin), and the trick was that it was run by Chinese people.  I was saddened to see another baby formula scandal on the Chinese TV channel while I was there.  The food wasn't bad, especially for the price and the quantity, and every time I looked over at the TV, someone came to fill my iced tea, which was amusing.

I never found Ghiardelli or Apple or Fisherman's Wharf or Cliff House or those things that really make San Francisco.  Apparently, I missed Union Square when I was busy taking photos of a cable car across the street.  Had I turned right, instead of heading toward Tenderloin, I would have found Union Square.  I spend some time on the loading dock (Embarcadero), which was somewhat entertaining but by that time, my feet didn't work well (purple toe?!) and I got all the way to Pier 39 and headed back to the Caltrain station.

Caltrain went from San Jose Diridon station to 4th Street in San Fran for $9.00 each way.  That's a huge bargain.  Parking is more expensive.  Is it a wonder one of the world's larger economies (California) is in such trouble.  They take care of people.  Public transport is a wonderful thing and making it inexpensive is a wonderful but disastrous thing.  Until fuel becomes free, it's expensive to run.  Reading the reviews, I expected that Caltrain was horrible and smelly and it didn't turn out that way at all, but that was one day.

The highlight of San Jose came in two steps: meeting my online buddy, and finding a late night taco place in the old neighborhood that made tacos similar to what my mum learned to make in San Jose.  I only took a few photos and three of those were of the house and the high school and foothills in the old neighborhood.

After that, it was a road trip again.  I returned to the motel at Barstow to collect the pillow I left there.  That was quite reassuring that the motel cleaning staff were so helpful.  I then stopped at the craziest, busiest In-N-Out store to eat, and headed toward Indiana on I-40, once again, across the Mojave Desert.

I stopped at Flagstaff, AZ for the night, ate lunch the next morning at Plaza Cafe in Gallup, NM again, and stopped in Amarillo, TX.  The next night, I stopped early in Alma, Arkansas.  Since I photograph high school sports, a couple of athletes had asked me to consider photographing them during the school year.  Since it was along I-40, it was no big deal to stop to see the town.  It's about 13 hours' drive from home, which isn't terrible.

I used to think that Arkansas was the most backward state.  That's just not true--Indiana is more backward than Arkansas.  It was surprising in a town of 4700+ that they had 2 Mexican restaurants, 4 pizza places, Sonic, and much more.  Plus, they were close to the cities of Fort Smith, Fayetteville, and Bentonville--it was Walmart territory, for sure.

I made an appointment with a Volkswagen dealer for my free 20,000 mile service, thankfully, on Wednesday.  There was a defective part and they resolved it the next day at some loss of fuel for me, and loss of time for both of us.  It gave me time to see the town.  Their bad Walmart was better than any other I've seen.  The local Target store was not nearly as wonderful.  Fort Smith wasn't nearly as friendly as Alma, but overall, the area was quite friendly, neat, and clean--way ahead of Indiana.

I seriously thought about living there but it's not an Asian life, and it's too far from either coast.  I don't hunt or fish, unless you include "shooting" animals with my camera.  Taking two days to get to either ocean wouldn't be my preference.  I have a Yelp friend in Oklahoma City and I've learned a lot about that area and it seems to be full of fake Asian places.  i.e., Japanese places run by Koreans or Chinese, Chinese places run by VietNamese, etc.

I headed home on Friday without trouble.  The car did really well and now has over 22,000 miles on it.  That's about 17,000 considering that I got it around the first of February but it hasn't been nearly as much fuel as the gasoline-powered car, thankfully.  I congratulate Volkswagen on making a diesel engine as easy as a gasoline engine.  I still remember the days when you had to heat the glow plugs and wait (20-30 minutes?) and wait and wait.  Of course, at that time, the price of fuel was much cheaper than gasoline, but at least now, it fuels 50 state, Clean Diesel cars.

The trip averaged 38.67 mpg with a total of $565.50 on fuel.  It could have been $25-$30 less but for the fuel leak.  Considering that the gasoline-powered 1999 Golf GLS averaged a little over 30 mpg on road trips, there was significant savings with 8 mpg more.  It was certainly better mentally to have more range, as certain areas tended to have less of everything available--no restaurants, truck stops, fuel of any kind.

Update: 2013.09.06:  I took the car to the local dealer after the problem with the 20,000 mile service.  They said that they didn't find anything wrong but it still has an odd stuttering.  The service adviser and I were talking about the car.  I bought it around the first of February with over 5500 miles on it--it was a demonstrator.  The day I called for the appointment, I mentioned 23232 miles, as that had just happened and was memorable.  At roughly 18,000 miles extra in 7 months, that's a lot, about 10,000 of which were driven in Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, and Illinois.

Three Months with diesel

It's been about three months since I got my 2012 Volkswagen Golf TDI, after abandoning my 1999 Golf GLS.  The change has been huge, and yet, not so much.

I'm getting about 10 miles per gallon more
The car is faster and more powerful
The suspension is more sophisticated and the 17 inch tires add to that
No more sunroof/moonroof/whatever
The automatic transmission is annoying/no it's not
The radio, touchscreen or not, isn't that great

I'm averaging almost 38 mpg, which is about 10 more than the 1999 Golf could do in its 13 year old state.  I've seen a maximum 47.6 mpg (more recently a very quick 49.2 and 49.8) indicated by the trip computer.  I've started on a 50 mile trip and found that I gain range by the halfway point.  That is offset by the problem of finding the diesel fuel pump at the filling station, as I might burn fuel looking for it.

Road Trip is awesome software

I've actually seen 49.2 mpg momentarily

My dear 1999 Golf GLS had a maximum horsepower of 115, I believe.  The TDI has 140 hp, if I remember correctly, and 236 pound-feet of torque, so it's much more powerful.  It seems to me that my 1990 Corrado had 158 HP and just more than that number (164?) in torque in a 1.8 litre engine.  This engine feels as though it could pull stumps or the space shuttle.  When I first start it and it's cold, it reminds me a little that it's a diesel-powered engine with a little more clank than the usual four cylinder.  In almost any situation, you'd never know.

The least fun I have is finding the diesel pump.  At one filling station, it was around the back in the dark.  At another, there was the diesel pump for cars and the diesel pump for trucks and the nozzle size was very different.  I know because I spent about three times longer filling the tank.  Many times, the station has diesel fuel but they don't have the pump marked.  It's been about 30 years since VW brought their first diesel-powered vehicle to the U.S.A. to join Mercedes-Benz.  Isn't it time filling stations took things more seriously?  One company sells E-85 and that is prominently displayed while you have to search for the diesel pump.

The rear suspension is finally independent.  I can understand that VW cannot put their most sophisticated equipment on the cheaper cars.  The 1985 and 1986 (Golf) GTIs felt as though they were going off the road at all times.  They just weren't all that secure.  The 1990 Corrado felt as though the planet could explode and it would still have sure footing.  The 1999 Golf GLS was about 70% of the Corrado.  This Golf TDI is 120% of the Corrado.

I have on numerous occasions found myself 20-30 miles per hour higher than expected--on smaller roads.  The car can't change the laws of physics but it certainly understands them really, really well.  Between the suspension improvements and the quiet power, it feels like a university athlete--powerful, yet sophisticated.

As it's become warmer in spring, I've wanted to open the sunroof to vent some of the hot air, and of course, I can't because this car doesn't have a sunroof.  I should be glad since the last one had a problem with the drains not draining correctly.  That only happened after I got a notice of a court case and received some changed maintenance documents from VW.  It was interesting to see water coming out of the ceiling trim.  Still, I liked having an opening.

If the automatic transmission doesn't have multiple personality disorder, I don't know what else it could be.  It seems to enjoy making the engine growl at 1100 rpm, but on heading down a hill with the brakes, it wants to downshift, so that the engine speed is over 3000 rpm suddenly.  Sport mode waits much longer to shift up and seems more consistent.  The Tiptronic control seems to lag in contrast to the paddles behind the steering wheel but DSG doesn't seem so direct as they would lead you to believe.  Planning is required.  (This is my first automatic transmission-burdened car, so I wasn't sure what to expect even though I've driven many cars with automatic transmissions.)

The first thing I want to replace in any car is the radio.  They can put all the premium electronics in there and they still make it a pain to use.  I still regret giving up my Nakamichi cassette deck/FM stereo when I traded my 1986 VW (Golf) GTI.  Today's electronics are better but the rather expensive amplifier was buttery smooth.

VW's latest effort has a touchscreen.  This one has Sirius XM satellite radio, but no navigation system.  I've listened to the satellite radio about 30 minutes total.  It seemed okay, but there was nothing compelling that I found.  When I got an iPod, I imported my music as 256 Kbps mp3 files.  It seemed a reasonable compromise between clarity and space.  My previous Alpine car stereo had an mp3 decoder, so I could take those files with me on disc.  That unit also had a dynamic range enhancer/restorer, which made the music sound better than the rather flat way it sometimes sounds on CD.

This factory-installed radio has nothing like that.  It reads the discs and plays them but they sound as flat as the Bluetooth-transmitted music.  It's not that the sound isn't accurate, but it's not exciting.  Yes, the stereo has an iPod interface but because my iPod is an iPhone, the cable and Bluetooth interfaces collide.  It must communicate with the phone for hands-free communications.  However, if I select the iPod cable, I don't seem to have much control over the music and it plays it alphabetically.  So, I use a car charger, wait for Bluetooth, and select my music on the iPhone.  It's not hidden but it gives me what I want.

What's more is that I have a good supply of Japanese, Chinese, and Korean music.  Both the trip computer and the stereo have Chinese, for whatever reason, but it's so limited that it shows very few characters.  Why they selected some of the available languages for either interface is beyond me, especially considering that the car was being sent to the U.S.A. where people barely know English.  I'd be thrilled if it worked in Japanese, but I don't know of people who use Čeština for instance, a Slavic language for Czechia.

What's particularly scary is that the car I bought it 1999 lasted me into 2013.  If this car is still with me that long, it will be about late 2027 then.  I suspect that the hybrid vehicles will be quite different, as the batteries will have to be made of ecologically-sensitive materials by then.  Will gasoline and diesel-powered vehicles exist?

I don't mean to sound like an advertisement but I can't imagine being happier with another car.  The price was high enough that I finally jumped the US$20,000 hurdle that's been holding me back.  VW has helped in the regard.  They still produce some of the least expensive cars that don't ask you to add tires or doors.  Of course, since the 2012 Golf TDI was a last year's model and it was a demonstrator, it came with a healthy discount.  I still can't imagine driving something for US$30,000 or more and I've seen a couple Ferrari models lately, along with a Bentley somethingorother, which were slightly more than US$30,000.

Cameras, cars, and a load of snow

Last Friday, I was passing through a tiny village when a truck typical to farming was slowly approaching my position on the road, hazard lights running.  I couldn't imagine what was so important on the farm that they were hauling something in the dark.  As I felt as though my seat had passed the end of the truck--WHAM!!  In a few seconds, I realized that my driver's side mirror was gone.  In a few seconds more, I thought that, being where I was, some high school football players were bored and had baseball bats.  Trust me, it happens a lot.  They usually beat mailboxes--except for a certain uncle's mailbox which was specially made and fortified and probably bends or breaks baseball bats.

About a month and my car is damaged.  The truth is that a simple scratch probably would have caused as much emotional damage.  I'm never okay with it when the car is new.  I need to gather estimates but the weather has been terrible and 24 hours ago, we were working on 8 inches of snow.  I've since cleared the half of my driveway where my car sits.  I hope that it's just a typical big storm and not one of many to come.  I pity those on the east coast, especially those in Virginia where the electricity seems to go out with a strong wind and a couple of rain drops.

That's a sad thing.  Whether I was living in Philadelphia or Florida, the hurricane news was always that North Carolina and Virginia were without power.  Of course, Florida had surges multiple times a day and the system always seemed on the edge of disaster.  Hurricane Charley, Frances, and Jeanne tested those systems even further in 2004.  My development was next to a Florida Power/Progress Energy repair depot but the crews drove under a problematic cable that needed repair for more than 6 days.  Even the phone company had to put a generator on their box and the sewers didn't have power to work.  I could only imagine living in Virginia because, as I mentioned, a couple of drops of rain and some wind seemed to knock out the power all over the state.  Of course, there, many historical sites were in low-lying areas and prone to flooding.

I was going to go out after the snow had fallen and take some photos with the new camera but I felt ill after shoveling snow and enjoying (sarcasm) the temperature.  Lingering frostbite takes the pleasure out of winter.  I don't really mind the shoveling so much and I'm better at it now.  It's interesting to have enough snow to shovel it from the windshield.

I've been learning more about the Panasonic GH3.  Once I learned that the camera was set up too much like a consumer camera, I disabled the "auto review" setting and the viewfinder barely freezes at all.  I'm hoping that any lag is caused by the SD cards I'm using.  You'd think 45 MB/sec. would be enough speed but 94 MB/sec. should help, if the camera can keep up.

Besides, I needed higher capacity cards.  My 1092 12 MP photos (16 GB card capacity) came down to 812 16 MP photos and that's below my typical number for basketball games.  Unfortunately, the GH3 doesn't have two card slots that I can find, and the door/cover opens far too easily, especially since the body is weatherproofed.  However, I ordered two 32 GB cards for double the capacity and then, I can use the 16 GB cards back in the E-5.

I also ordered the weatherproofed Four-Thirds to micro Four-Thirds adapter Olympus makes.  I'm not sure how good the combination will be but the GH3 is a larger body than most micro Four-Thirds bodies and nearly as big as the E-1, so it should work reasonably well with several lenses like the Panasonic/Leica 25mm, ZD 14-54mm, ZD 50mm macro, and ZD 50-200mm.  I'm still disappointed in the lack of good zoom lenses for micro Four-Thirds and the rather expensive pricing for the Olympus fixed focal (prime) lenses.  Are the 12mm f/2.0 and 75mm f/1.8 worth close to $1000?  I'm still not sure the Panasonic 35-100mm f/2.8 was worth US$1399.99, although that's inexpensive for such a lens in that category.  The equivalent Canon and Nikon (70-200mm f/2.8) lenses are a bit less than double that.

Of course, pity the poor Sony lover who has a slim selection of mediocre lenses, and apparently 1 great lens.  They're either mounting old Minolta lenses that were mediocre or the re-vamped Sony versions via an adapter.  Who knew I'd ever be talking about electronics companies' cameras or that I'd have one.  Sure, in the broadcast and movie industry, they're giants but in still photography, not so much.  Even Minolta, which Sony bought, was not known to make equipment that was more than mediocre.  Sony has actually improved them and that's difficult to believe since Sony has become the brand name for adequacy.  Over the past 10 years, they've become more boring than Panasonic.

It should be interesting to see where it all goes.  Olympus is prepared to announce their E-P3 replacement in a few weeks and they have a professional model in the autumn.  Panasonic is about to replace their GX1 model.  Both have new lenses to be revealed, as do Sigma (Artisan line?), and Schneider(-Kreuznach) should be releasing their high end primes very slowly but with full electronic connection compared to the various others.  Considering the price of Olympus lenses for micro Four-Thirds, Schneider isn't looking much more expensive.

Update: so far, I've tried the Panasonic/Leica 25mm f/1.4, which is rather huge.  It seems to work quite well and even focuses reasonably quickly.  I'm not sure whether it supports contrast detection auto focus by default.  I also tried my ZD 50-200mm f/2.8-3.5 and it worked quite well, possibly focusing more quickly than it does on the E-1.  Okay, okay, so that's not saying much.  I always thought that the E-1's auto focus was defective but it wasn't.  I can't really tell whether the new cards help or not but they'll be put to the test this weekend.

Diesel up, gasoline down--diesel down, gasoline up

As I'm adjusting to using diesel fuel instead of gasoline, I noted that diesel fuel was up 40 cents per gallon since I got my car a few weeks ago.  Gasoline was driven down until recently when certain refineries went offline.

While I understand that except for light trucks and a few Mercedes-Benz, and Volkswagen models, there aren't many consumer diesel-driven vehicles and the price will fluctuate, I'm sure there is more to the price of gasoline being prodded in a certain direction.

If there isn't much demand, you can't really get people to pay what you want, unless they need a refill at that time.  At 29 mpg, I could generally wait weeks to see what happened.  Now, at 35-40 mpg, I can hope that diesel fuel changes to what I want.

It all feels like we're being herded to slaughter by the oil companies and/or refiners.  May their party funds go empty waiting for us to pay.  I don't mind any company making a reasonable profit, but when regular people have to choose between getting to a job and eating, should there be that sort of a choice?

Oh, and just for fun, I went to a filling station that had a single diesel pump around the back, in the dark.  I wasn't about to be mugged but it's interesting when the gasoline pumps under the canopy are well lit.

A car with bun warmers!

Winter here is a mess.  Along this stretch of U.S. 40 in Indiana, winter thaws in the day time and freezes in the night time.  So, between midnight and noon, we can fall on our ice.

The wondrous thing about having a car from Germany or Sweden is that they think about those things.

Saab and Volvo probably had bun warmers (heated seats) in the early 1970s in the 99 and the 240 series of cars, respectively.  Perhaps, the high end Mercedes-Benz cars had them also.  The BMW 2800 and Audi 100 of the time seemed more utilitarian.

I've made use of the bun warmers a few times already.  I also have heated mirrors, and I suspect I have the heated windscreen washer nozzles, also.  That's a lot of bad weather fighting technology.  Friday night, I had plenty of ice all over the car, as it had been raining before a good (is it really good, or hard?  it's just a) freeze.

In any case, I've been glad to have a German car that is set to handle harsh weather.  Japanese cars rarely do that well, probably because Japanese people are generally not driving in miserable weather.  Subaru would be the notable exception here with all-wheel drive, etc. but before that, they weren't all that great, either.  It used to be that German air conditioning was horrible, of course.

I was somewhat surprised when I first used the bun warmers.  It was something like 12 degrees F outside and I'm unhappy with anything less than 50 degrees F, due to frostbite, and my general nature, I suppose.  I didn't realise that it had 3 levels of toastiness and it selects the highest level at first.  You must push the button more to decrease the heat.  Suddenly, down the road it was becoming uncomfortably warm.  It didn't melt my cards or anything but it was toasty.

As I tried the defroster/deicer, I noticed that it turns on the air conditioning, which is something I'd been doing during Florida's summer afternoon rains because of the humidity.  I was glad to see similar thinking went into the process, as having water dripping inside the cabin is not a good idea.  I still remember in the 1960s how my parents would retrieve a handkerchief to wipe the inside of the windscreen to handle the moisture.

I still haven't seen the light indicating that the mirror heaters are working, so I wonder what extremes they need to operate.  As a random though, I wonder what ever happened to the headlight washers and wipers.

The skid (electronic stability) control is a great addition and seemed a minor extension of ABS that wasn't implemented soon enough.  I haven't seen it work on this car yet but I was using a Toyota Corolla rental car and it activated on some ice and it helped.  I think the Golf TDI is so stable that it hasn't been useful quite yet.

As it's only been about 3 weeks, I haven't tried the limits on snow or ice, but somehow, I figure it will fail just as easily as any other car in those conditions.  It might be fun to try a few things in a deserted parking lot, though.

Update 2013.11.09: It's about that time again.  The temperature has dropped below freezing a few times already.  Yesterday when I started the car, I needed to scrape the ice from the windows and had the heat going.  I suspect this will be a better car to survive winter, but ice is still ice, and this area has a terrible snow-thaw-freeze cycle that consistently puts ice on the road day after day.

Performance, thy name is...diesel?

On Friday, I was missing some local high school basketball to photograph, so I decided to look at games further away that were interesting.  I picked one near the southern point of Ohio, near the Ohio River.  It was three to four hours' drive from home.

Being that I no longer use gasoline, diesel fuel drives a lot more thinking.  Where is the nearest fuel?  Do they have the correct fuel?  Will I arrive before I run out?  Considering that the estimated distance for a tank is nearly 600 miles and I've made it a bit over 400 miles on my gasoline-powered car, I don't really have to worry.  The smaller towns will have diesel fuel but the pumps are sometimes hidden.  I remember when the Mercedes 300D and the VW Rabbit Diesel were available and a few filling stations added a diesel fuel pump to the side, so it wouldn't be in the way.

The other day, I was looking for fuel and every pump I wanted to use only had gasoline.  I finally gave up on the town and returned home on the half tank I had, even though I was really wanting to gauge the fuel economy.  On the way home, I found that the Golf TDI was much more capable than most any car I had driven on that hilly, curvy road I had been using for years.  What was 55 mph in one car had become 65 mph in another and 80 mph seemed very possible in this one because 70 felt like nothing.

So, when Friday came, I filled the tank and went for a long drive across the state of Ohio, seeing the U.S. 35 expansion that had been done a while back to provide truckers a more direct route from coal country in Ohio, Kentucky, and West Virginia to Dayton, Columbus, Cleveland, Ohio, and to cities in Indiana.  It was much as you would expect an interstate highway to provide without the fancy name and new road.

As I moved closer to my destination, I took various state roads which were not quite so straight or wide but serviced the situation well enough.  I was nervous about the weather--when you live in an area prone to ice, the freezing point becomes a huge issue in driving.  The high school was on the edge of a national and a state forest.  I was somewhat amused to find that my phone lost reception as soon as I turned off the road.  Of course, do students need mobile phone reception at school?  No.

In any case, I was early, wasted some time, and returned to the school, still a bit early.  I photographed two games, talked to a couple of people, and hopefully, left people with a good impression.  Since I was leaving at 9 p.m., my best hope for an arrival time was midnight and the worst would probably be 1 in the morning.

Since the temperature had dropped a bit, I went south to U.S. 52, which more-or-less follows the Ohio River.  There are a lot of small towns.  I travelled it about 1.5 times, since I had turned to use U.S. 68 or some other on my previous return north.  This time, I found myself on this two lane road driving 75 mph easily--it felt like 50 mph.  I panicked a few times after seeing the number, even though the car didn't.  Of course, it was a long drive home.  What's worse, it wasn't so easy to go north of Cincinnati because it said I-275 east and west.  I-275 west went into Kentucky after the Cincinnati Corp. Limit sign.  Weird!  It was a few miles to I-71/I-75 so that wasn't a problem and I got to see the Cincinnati skyline (no chili, just skyline!) from the Kentucky hills.  If you ever saw the tv show "WKRP in Cincinnati", they showed a similar view with the Central Trust sign and all.

I arrived home about 1 a.m., not so tired, and with about 100 miles' worth of fuel remaining.  According to my Road Trip app, I only got 40.85 mpg but that's almost the estimated 42 mpg that VW and the government state.  That figure probably does not account for fun.

Also, this evening, I was driving from my friends' Chinese restaurant to Target and there is a small expressway in-between the two.  I happened upon one of those NOISY Honda Civics with the performance muffler that generates an extra 1 HP and loads of noise.  I ended up right next to him at a stop light just before the expressway began.  He decided to show me how wonderful his car was.  So, with not much in front of me, I put my foot halfway down and he disappeared.  I let off the pedal and he came back after a while and they looked over at me, as I was laughing about it.  "Dude, you just got smoked by a diesel."  :-D  Apparently, there were four of them travelling together.  I had already noticed an older VW Jetta with the VR6 engine ahead of me at some point.  I suspect that they have a bit more respect for diesel-powered cars now.  I do.

Returning home: thought I was doing 65 mph, but I was doing 90 mph!  This car feels so stable and assured, similar but different to my 1990 VW Corrado.

Update 2014.05.15: The car has over 32,000 miles now.  I took it for the 30,000 mile service about two weeks ago.  It still does quite well, and much better than I would have expected, but may I just drive more than most.   People told me how the engine would practically not run, if I didn't drive it long distances as though it was a semi-truck/tractor without the trailer.  I'm not sure it's as happy as it was, but then, I've become accustomed to it.

I drove it back to photograph basketball January 31 and February 1 in that same area.  The weather was warmer on Saturday--around 60 degrees F, but by the time I arrived home, it was only 34.  The car performed well, but I was antsy and slowed down this time.

Since I've had the car, I've been surprised over and over how well it accelerates and handles the real world overall.  I was surprised to see over 50 mpg but that only happened briefly, with 47-48 mpg a regular occurrence.  I could see many more people buying these and maybe, I'd have to wait behind diesel users for the diesel pump, instead of the gasoline users.

The fifth Volkswagen -- Golf TDI

It was with a bit of trepidation that I chose a new VW.

I've had four previously:

1985 (Golf) GTI
1986 (Golf) GTI
1990 Corrado
1999 Golf GLS

Each have had a wide array of entertaining problems.

The 1985 had vapour lock every summer, as though it was not ready for the gasoline/petrol sold in the U.S.A.  Then, there was the clutch problem, and the pathetic Goodyear tires.  One of the allow wheels was bent by a pothole.

The 1986 seemed to be unfinished as apparently someone working in the Pennsylvania assembly plant forgot to weld something, which ruined one of my cameras with water damage.  All 4 disc rotors wore out in 30,000 miles.  Another allow wheel bent on this one.

The 1990 had problems with the clutch, but overall, it was consistently good, until someone ran into it and made it impossible to use again.  Within the first few weeks of owning it, a pothole bent one of the extremely light allow wheels, and I ended up switching to something more durable but detrimental to the light and lithe feeling of the car.

The 1999 was a much more conservative choice--no sport anything.  I spent 30+ visits to the dealership while waiting for the window regulator clips to be replaced.  The windows would not return to the closed position in the darker (black, dark blue, dark green) cars.  The door trip loosened early and the electricals were faulty all along.  The security system would suddenly decide with the door open that the car was locked and secured and the alarm would be activated.  Of course, since it couldn't tell whether the door was open or closed, interior lights did not work properly.  In order to see on arrival, I sometimes, turned on a light and forgot to turn it off, leaving the battery in trouble.  The alarm for the headlights didn't work, and of course, the daytime running lights needed to be replaced frequently but only one side was easily accessible.  Later in life, all sorts of problems arose, but it's not unusual at that point.

So, as a fifth VW was (barely) on my list of cars to buy, I had major doubts about another.  In fact, the Subaru Impreza Sport had the top spot.  What changed everything for me was the emissions control compliance and the ability to register the car in California.  I was holding the 1999 Golf too long for that same reason.  Who cares if I lose a US$500 car but who could trade a US$22,000 car so easily?  What is the environmental impact?  Is a clean diesel the best alternative?  I believe it is.  The ULEV II compliance means a lot to me.  You'd think that hybrid vehicles would be a better match for the environment, but the environmental impact of the batteries is a huge drawback.  Had it been a diesel hybrid with 75 mpg tops, instead of 42, I think it wouldn't be a difficult decision at all.

After the first 2.5 days, I feel that I made a good choice, thankfully.  I'm still not quite at home with it, but it's still a bit foreign.  I've never bought a vehicle with an automatic transmission, though I've driven one occasionally.  This one incorporates their ecological idealism (Think Blue) and the feeling at 1500 rpm isn't 100 % comfortable, even though the engine has plenty of power.  Given the winter weather, I'm not likely to push the car much.

I'm surprised at how much wider the car feels and overall, it feels more grown up.  I would say that it feels like the Corrado but it doesn't have that light feeling to it and it's probably because of the electrically-powered steering and the extra 300 pounds.  You can also thank the winter weather for somewhat dampening my desire to try the car's capabilities.  The salesperson mentioned that it shares the platform with certain Audi vehicles, and it's not surprising and that's nothing new.  It feels more upscale than the Golf GLS I had, even though the equipment would probably be similar with a similar age.

Of course, the look is completely the same while being almost completely different in the details.  e.g., the bonnet/hood is almost difficult to see at all.  Looking through the side mirrors, the back seems much taller and the contours more angular, like the Corrado.  I believe the amber turn signals are gone from the rear of the car and the mirrors now have integrated turn signal lamps now.

Is it better?  I hope so, but a couple of days won't reveal much.  I don't even know the fuel consumption yet.  The car started with over 5000 miles, so it is past the break-in period, yet they want me back in 45 days.

Update: It's not been a week yet, and I took a short trip for some shopping--about 90 miles round trip--and the car seems amazing.  I suppose it's just that I'm becoming accustomed to it and getting things set for me.  I'm amused at the instant fuel economy display.  I'll take my foot off the pedal and it will read "---" but the slightest pressure will show 200 mpg.  Travelling down I-70 into a valley, it was displaying about 75 mpg but on the way back up, it was only displaying around 25 mpg.  It's a bit amusing that I played VW's Think Blue game where you try to drive smoothly and make the most of your fuel.  Now, that game seems to be reality with this car.

The electrically-operated steering is growing on me but the all-season tires are not so handy with snow and slush on the ground, compared to the snow tires on my previous car.  I don't really care for Continental brand tires, anyway.  I prefer Dunlop brand.  Last weekend, I was photographing a couple of basketball games and the bun warmers (heated seats) were great, given that it was around 11 degrees F outside.  I only dislike the placement on the switches, as it's difficult to see the position of the heat/air conditioning distribution dial since the little icons are hidden.  Acclimation will help.  The sound system seems okay, but unintuitive.  In fact, a lot of things seem less Volkswagen than in the past.  They're trying to sell to Americans, I suppose, and just like the Chinese restaurant owner told me "we have to make it that way or they won't accept it".

Update 2017.01.06: For over a year, the company has been in court over cheating on their diesel emissions output.  Apparently, the real life results are much higher.  My car went back to the company December 17, 2016, and several days later, I got money for it, and bought a Hyundai made for California.  So endeth my time with Volkswagen.

Buying a new car

2012 was a lousy year for my 1999 VW Golf GLS.  A lot of things went wrong and needed repair and replacement.  I've probably spent near $5000 with all the things that had to be handled.  Since my mum's house sold, I have the money to do something all at once.

The latest problem happened in the last week where a plastic coolant junction broke.  This reminds me of the stinking news that a Mr./Hr./Sr. Lopez was at VW for cost-cutting reasons.  There was a huge clamour about it.  It showed up in so many ways on my car, including the 30+ visits for the window regulator clips.  It showed up in the armrest fabric that pulled away or the door sensor that doesn't know whether the driver's door is open or closed and when the security alarm decides to activate while the door is open.  I was told that Lucas Electrics were used in the car, which is ridiculous since most cars built in the UK went to Bosch to get away from being stranded on the side of the road.

I've been considering cars from Suzuki, Mazda, Subaru, and mostly avoiding the thought of another Volkswagen.  I have plenty of reasons to avoid VW but the worst was the person on the toll-free hotline who told me that there was no problem with the power window regulators.  I was there for maybe the 14th time already and there were three other customers in the waiting room for the same problem, that apparently didn't exist.

The Suzuki SX4 Crossover AWD is quite nice.  It's more of a wagon than an SUV/Crossover and the price is right.  Unfortunately, Suzuki is to stop selling cars (but not SUVs) in the U.S.A.

The Mazda 3 has been on my list, more-or-less since I first had a Mazda RX-3 and drove my co-workers Mazda GLC/323.  I liked the joy that seemed to come with the cars and the 3 is much sharper than either of those were.  I only wish for a rotary engine getting 30 mpg in city driving, as well as one having low emissions.

Subaru's Legacy was on my list but the price continues to escalate.  The Impreza seems more in my preferred range but it's big on the outside, small on the inside, like most Japanese cars.

Given my druthers, I'd prefer a Mazda 2/Toyota Yaris/Nissan Versa/Honda Fit-sized vehicle like my 1999 Golf GLS with 4-wheel disc brakes.  They're not to be had, and from my experience driving in Florida's storms, I'd never again suffer drum brakes.  Besides that, the cars really don't have that Volkswagen space efficiency and upscale feel.

Enter the VW Golf mk. VI (isn't it the 6th generation?), which is larger than the one I have, as two generations have passed, and it's about 300 pounds heavier which seems reasonable and fat.  I hope they used more sound insulation.  Despite what people say about the price of the Golf, it's a huge bargain.  You get a lot for your money, especially in the upper models.  Of course, the diesel version, TDI, has a substantial price premium, which you should be able to recover more quickly than with a hybrid.

Locally, the Mazda dealers seem to be jerks or clowns, playing games with the prices.  I don't see anyone I feel I could trust.  Obviously, when they have a lot of money for television-based advertising, it's coming out of your pocket.  When they won't tell you their price, you're in for games, and you'd better play your part well or they will walk all over you.

The Subaru dealers seem to change their inventory very, very, very frequently.  Given that it's winter and we just had a minor but not really minor snow, I suspect All-Wheel Drive is in demand, especially when you can get it in the low $20s.  I suspect you can't order extras unless you order them through the parts department to be installed after your receive your new car.

I checked the web site for the VW dealer I already use and they had 2 Golf TDI models from 2012.  Since they're last year's models, they're discounted.  The manual is more expensive than the DSG Automatic.  There should be an equipment difference but the web site is not properly informed.  White cars with dirty snow (the manual) on them look horrible but I would think that red cars (the DSG Auto) would look almost equally bad, and be police bait.

After reading the review from a former Mazdaspeed 3 owner, I think there is no huge question but to buy one of the TDI models.  My concerns about reliability seem to be unjustified, as this generation, introduced in 2010, seems to be better than my four generation model.  Of course, the Subaru Impreza Sport Premium still looks a good option, but reviews call it rather utilitarian, instead of inspired.  Plus, the ULEV II-compliance of the Golf TDI looks better than the PZEV-compliance of the Impreza.

I punted and drove both of the Golf TDI models.  I've never owned a car with an automatic transmission and which car gave me the trouble--the manual.  I killed it twice during the test drive.  I couldn't get the seat in a great position.  The automatic had over 5000 demonstrator miles but was sold as new with full warranty.  I like refurbished electronics so it was perfect for me.  I was so nervous, but I think it worked out well, and my bank was directly across the street--even the driveways met.  I just hope people will leave it alone.  I already had a few close calls.

Volkswagen service

I'm on my fourth VW, a 1999 Golf GLS with just over 140,000 miles.  It's been through the wringer, so to speak.  I spent over 30 visits because the power window regulator clips failed and the window would not close.  I have a new hatch in the back because of someone's carelessness when she ran into my car at a stop light.  Inside, things just fell apart.  Recently, the sunroof drains clogged and water was exiting through the door trim.  The center armrest door fell apart.  It continues.

On the 12th of November, I had the car serviced.  I was late for a major service, which was at 120,000 miles.  Many things needed to be handled.  When I made the appointment, I had requested that the forward side marker light be repaired, as it had been hanging.  King's VW of Loveland, Ohio missed the hanging light in their several walk-around inspections, but they noticed the missing radio antenna--a huge safety risk.

When the survey arrived and I completed it, the manager replied at how that side marker light had been repaired--as if they'd done exactly as they should have.  If they had, it would have been repaired on my initial visit, instead of focusing on the missing radio antenna.  I actually travel past another VW dealer to go there because the closer one is not as highly rated.  If haphazard care is what you get, why not go to the closer one, unless they really don't care about anything?

On the 17th of November, I was with friends in the Orlando, Florida area.  As I was leaving their house, the low beam headlight on the driver's side was out.  One of those had died about the same time four years earlier.  Unfortunately, there is one that is easy to replace and the other requires removing things to get to it.  (Volkswagen must think like GM or Ford.)

I really didn't want to mess too much, and I went to an Advance Auto Parts, thinking that their people might know immediately or be able to help me.  "We don't do that!" I was told in a most rude tone.  They replace wiper blades and batteries but not headlight bulbs.  Okay, fine, but rudeness, really?

I went down the road to David Maus VW.  They were new in 2008 when I was leaving the area.  I had been dealing with Aristocrat VW from buying the car through service for it.  At one point, they replaced their entire service department and they were no longer trustworthy.  However, David Maus dealerships were an unknown.  He was on tv telling people "whatever it takes" and I thought that he was just another one who couldn't be trusted.

So, I walked into the service department a few minutes early on Sunday morning.  The service advisor was quite pleasant, and patient as I explained things.  He quoted $59.95 for the bulb and labor.  If it was on the easy side, that was overpriced.  I also mentioned that my radio antenna was falling apart and I needed a replacement.  He would ask parts about that.

Quite a while later, he told me that they were close to finishing and the radio antenna would be $79.95 (I expected $39.99 - $49.99)  and they didn't have it in stock.  He suggested eBay.  That sounded better.  I had bought a universal kit for $9.99 and I couldn't fit the pieces together.  I am able to do IKEA or other do-it-yourself furniture but I'm not mechanically-inclined.

On checkout, he said that he went "to the back" and found "old antennas" and replaced mine for free.  I'm sure I thanked him, but my cynicism kicked in and I thought that it was some sort of gimmick to get my trust.  It was certainly better than Jimmy Bryan Mazda breaking something on my car so I'd have to return.

In the end, it worked out quite nicely because the radio antenna balanced the bulb being on the easy side.  If it wasn't, then, I really do owe the dealership some loyalty but they'd have that already for not being rude, and doing a good job.

Strangely, I got a call the next morning from a salesperson.  I say strangely because I was about 1000 miles from home.  Do people keep their car titles with them?  If I was buying a car locally, it would make sense.  I would go home, retrieve it and make progress in the sale.  I suppose I could just abandon my car 1000 miles from home, or give it to strangers.  In any case, I thought that it was amusing that they would attempt a sale from someone visiting the state.

Thinking back to my first two VWs, I used to get a lot of smart ass remarks from the dealerships.  Al Holbert, who raced Audi cars, had a Porsche/Audi/VW dealership in Warrington, PA.  I took my 1986 VW GTI there at around 30,000 miles for brake work.  It needed the two front brake rotors replaced.  I asked politely "What makes that happen?" and the service advisor answered "your foot".  He had a long day?  I had a long day!  If VW was doing surveys at that point, he'd get the opposite of a "Truly Exceptional".  I'd never had a car that needed rotors replaced at 30,000 miles.  That was exceptional.

You'd think if you were paying exceptionally high prices for service--the rates were often the same no matter the manufacturer--that you'd be getting people working between you and the mechanics who knew how to not infuritate customers.  Sure, Porsche hourly rates were nothing compared to Rolls-Royce but my car was about 25 % the price of the nearest Porsche model.

I'm guessing I'll be at a Subaru or Mazda dealer once I decide where I'm going to live next.  I can't just buy a car any longer.  There are no 50 state cars now, unless diesel cars fit that.

Update 2013.01.27: So, I just had the strangest experience this week.  The car was overheating in 17 degrees Fahrenheit weather.  I drove the car too far trying to get it home.  I was going to put water in it, but the water bottles I kept in the car were frozen solid.  The next morning, I had the car towed to Expert Tire, since 60 miles to a VW dealership was inconvenient.  They pulled things apart and found a distribution point that had cracked.  Why it was plastic is beyond me.  Given the state of extremes in weather and coolant temperatures, I thought the parts would be made of metal. They received a replacement part, which wasn't correct, and later that day received the correct part since they could send it back and match it.  The pressure test revealed no other issues.  I had the oil changed due to the extraordinary heat--all those adverts about engine heat breaking down oil got to me.

I ended up with a rental car from Hertz--not recommended too much--and have definitely decided against a Toyota Corolla.  My arms aren't long but the door was designed for someone with excessively short arms, as the controls and door handle were several inches back of what seemed natural.  What's more, I'm half-Japanese, so the car should fit me fairly well.

I've been considering a new car more and more, especially since my mum's house sold and I have the cash.  A reasonably local, highly-rated Subaru dealer has some Impreza Sport models at a reasonable price.  I also found a couple of 2012 VW Golf TDI leftovers at the dealership that does my service.  The discounts put them at almost acceptable prices.  They're all over $20,000--a line I'd never crossed in the past.  I also wanted to look at Mazda 3, but given the dealerships wanting to charge extra or play games, I'm not likely to bother.  Plus, I want a car I can keep in California and the diesels are ULEV II-compliant, and that's huge.  Will they last 14 years as my current Golf is approaching that age?  Will they be as shabby?  I'm concerned.  The Subaru Impreza is a more reliable choice, but will it have an emotional resonance?

Update 2013.07.17: I bought the VW Golf TDI and I've even been through the 10,000 mile service.  Since there wasn't anything really wrong with the car, it went smoothly and it was inexpensive for them and at no cost to me.  There is another service at 20,000 miles and I'm only about 4000 miles from that now.  I might have to have that done while I'm on a trip somewhere else.

Update 2014.11.14: I'm over 40,000 miles now, and it's been relatively fine, except for a botched 20,000 mile service (pinched the fuel filter--didn't reimburse me for the fuel) when I was on the road back in August 2013.

Now that I'm living in Northern California, I'm happy to have found a great service department within 15 miles or so.  There are three VW dealers within that distance, but only one is great.  They mentioned that they have customers from the San Francisco Bay Area.  That seems impressive.  You would think that they'd have great dealerships in a large metropolitan area but this one is in a small city of 200,000 people.