Memoirs Of My Jalopies

Which is best:

A) Repair an 80's Ford Laser 1.3. The repair costs more than the car itself.
B) Buy a 2nd hand 1984 Honda Accord for RM4500.
C) Buy a 2nd hand 2003 Proton Iswara 1.5 for RM15,000.
D) Buy a brand new Proton Iswara 1.3 for RM26,999.

My Ford Laser overheated. Steam blew out from the bonnet. Fumes leak into the car ever since. Shortening my life span with each long drive I take in my car. Engine overheats whenever there is a traffic jam. It starts smoking when it stops for too long. Mechanic told me there is no band-aid solution. Repairing it requires an overhaul.

My mechanic landlord recommended me a 1984 Honda Accord. Meticulously polished, shiny, black body. Never left overnight under the sky. Sports rim. Brand new tyres. Carefully maintained interior. Everything in the interior works. Including central locking and power windows. Got power steering. Legs also can feel air cond. Got sun roof. Opens at the push of a button. Engine, steady and good. Can reach 80 km/hr on a 4th gear without straining the rpm. 2-digit number plate. Rarely used. Owner's wife asked to sell it. Because she is the one who has to clean it.

Tried to bargain for RM4000. Before I could put in a deposit, it was sold to another person that very same night. Some guy came along, wanted it, and paid RM4,500 cash on the spot. I only found out the next morning. How can that be? That car was mine! I feel robbed.

My friend is changing to a company car by the end of next month. He's selling his 4-year old Proton Iswara 1.5, with sports rim, for RM15,000. If compared to the current price of a Proton Iswara 1.3, it's a drop of RM12,000 in 4 years.

A brand new Proton Iswara 1.3 will cost a minimum downpayment of RM2,800. The longest period for installments is RM306 for 9 years. Is it worth to invest in a new car, when my pay hasn't kicked in for more than 2 months already? What about my rental, water bill, electric bill, Digi bill, internet bill, makan bill? Not counting the little luxuries of life yet, like catching a movie in the cinema. Or eating something else rather than home-made sandwiches or economy rice. Or driving anywhere further than Selayang to Kepong. Or Selayang to Sri Gombak.

Well, if I do get a brand new car, there will be things that I won't be used to:

1) A car that starts up when I want to go somewhere in my car (Wah, good morning, car!)
2) Seeing all the doors unlock when I open the driver's door (Oui, why together open wan?)
3) Seeing all the doors lock by itself when I lock my side of the door (Like that also can?)
4) A signal light that works without manually handling it with my right hand (Can blink by itself wan... And can turn off by itself after I turn!)
5) A back door that can open from the inside (no more child safety feature).
6) A steering wheel that is properly aligned (Wah... Straight...)
7) Not having to pour in water and buy engine oil frequently (No more oily hands).
8) Not being able to park it anywhere I like for days (How to travel outstation now?)
9) Having to lock the security lock whenever I park the car (Slow la...)
10) Having to unlock it again when I wanna go off (But if rushing, then?)
11)Having to wash it with something else rather than rain water and natural sulphuric acid cleaner (No time la...)
12) Hearing a beeping sound when I back up the car (Hahh? Not yet bang also got sound??)

Man, I miss my good ol' Datsun 120Y. The one I drove before my Ford Laser. I miss:

1) Driving without a right side mirror (Best training)
2) A hanger attached below the air-cond vent, to hang stuff like teh peng or hokkien mee (Easy to tapao).
3) A cluster of McDonald's straws, taped together and shoved into the air cond vent, to keep the shaft from closing (When hot, just put your face at the straw)
4) A left window that cannot close properly if you wind it up too fast. Once, it dropped all the way to the bottom, and cannot get back up (The one who did it, you know who)
5) Flicking the signal lights up and down to create a blinking light (Multi tasking, man...)
6) Hearing a F1 engine rev up underneath a Datsun casing (Can see the envy in their eyes)
7) How light the car feels, steering it with only one thumb (Country roooads... Take me hooome..)
8) How the brakes feel like it isn't there, and having to brake very early for a gradual and safe stop (Look before you leap, brake before it's late)

And, of course...

9) How things went slow motion, as the right tyre came off, drifted like a Jackie Chan movie, and flew over the divider one fateful night. And trying to see if I can see my body in the driver's seat from outside the car (Good thing I couldn't)

I guess I was brought up to believe that one doesn't need a new car to get through life. I always thought it best to drive old cars, and invest the money somewhere else. "We don't serve the car. The car serves us," my father would always say. I've never dreamt about cars. Hence, my lack of knowledge and interest on automobiles. The thought of buying a new car never really crossed my mind.

Until recent happenings...




You've served me well. A few more months is all I ask...