Cars Ought To Be More Respected

Hello everyone. Believe it or not, it's been 2 years since I've created this blog of mine with my new lifestyle I'm currently in and with my great intention to work on my future project car, I hadn't gone that far with the long hard process I'm currently in. Although I've been gaining momentum with my art which I can and currently do, I have started working on my new hobby working on cars back when I rented a unit in Pakenham and I had a 2006 Holden Astra hatchback as my second car.

From washing and cleaning the interior, then replacing its very old rocker cover gasket, a couple of services, replacing the old coolant with fresh new coolant and a radiator flush and finally came the biggest repair job I've ever done. I've replaced the radiator along with some to get out of the way.

Anyway, I'll provide the links below.

Fixing my Astra - Part 1 (tristanthroup.blogspot.com)

Fixing my Astra - Part 2 (tristanthroup.blogspot.com)

Fixing my Astra - Part 3 (tristanthroup.blogspot.com)

Fixing my Astra - Part 4 (tristanthroup.blogspot.com)

And after all this, I was stoked to get the car running and driving again. I hoped to sell the car but unfortunately, its ABS module failed and was too expensive to fix so I sold it to a wreckers yard.

But then, I've done other things in line with working on cars. Another intention for working on cars is an extra financial booster. I had a go flipping lawn mowers as an exercise so I go on the Facebook Marketplace to buy cheap lawn mowers to fix and sell for a profit. And that's been a success.

Here's the link below.

So far (tristanthroup.blogspot.com)

And finally, I had a go using body filler on an art project I've partly shelved but thankfully, my dad hadn't thrown it out.

A Body Filling Exercise (tristanthroup.blogspot.com)

There had been some things that hadn't gone well but what's better is all of it is a learning experience.

But enough of all this. I really like to dedicate this post of some other cars that may like to be respected with some to ignite some nostalgia and in the modern time of utes, SUVs and some cars that are alright but not groundbreaking, why not?

Mazda 323 Astina (Lantis)

I want to start off with this series of the Mazda 323 Astina with both the sleek hatchback and hardtop sedan (also called the 323F in Europe). In a competitive small car market dominant by Japanese branded cars, there are many to choose from aside from Toyota Corollas and Nissan Pulsars with some more pizzazz. There were choices between 2 engines with the 1.8 litre BP engine and a 2 litre KF-DE V6 engine producing 104 kw (140 bhp) and 179 Nm (132 lb-ft) of torque at 5000 rpm with either a 5 speed manual or a 4 speed automatic gearbox option.

And aside with the option of dual airbags, it was one of my considerations of my first car. And later, a gradual movement of European model cars came along. It's worth mentioning from this series 323, the new millennium has been a high time for Mazda with the new medium sized car the Mazda 6, the Mazda 3 in a hot small car market along with the smaller class Mazda 2 demonstrating that there are these cars on offer that are more than just appliances on wheels that get anyone from A to B.

Mitsubishi Magna (TE to TJ, second generation Diamante)

Next up is this series Mitsubishi Magna which is a decent big car but rather overlooked. It started in the 1980s in Australia with imports gradually fragmenting the local cars from Ford and Holden and Mitsubishi's Australian division at the time started to take on the Ford Falcon and the Holden Commodore with their new modern front wheel drive Magna in 1985 replacing their ageing Sigma. If anyone still isn't convinced on whether it's a good car, I'll give you the gist.

The entry 3 litre 6G72 V6 engine offers comparative performance in terms of power and torque with the Falcon and Commodore but with big engine differences especially with both engines have only 12 valves, this engine has 24 valves. There was also an option for a bigger 3.5 litre V6 engine for more oomph.

There were 3 transmission choices with the no fuss 4 speed and a tiptronic style 5 speed automatics but there's also a 5 speed manual gearbox as well. And there was also an all wheel drive option launched from the series 2 TJ series and KJ series Verada which is the luxury version of the Magna.

So Mitsubishi pioneered the all wheel drive in Australia as opposed with the 2 Aussie cars being rear wheel drive. But then, Ford released their Territory SUV along with Holden's Cross Trac all wheel drive system for their Adventra, Crewman which is their 4 door ute and even the HSV Coupe 4 featured this system.

It's worth mentioning with other car brands that dedicate their use of all wheel drive such as Subaru and even Audi with their renowned Quattro system from their roots in Group B rallying.

My grandfather used to own a 1999 Mitsubishi Magna and I had to say it was an impressive car although it was a base model and front wheel drive.

Mazda 121 DB sedan (Autozam Review)

This is the biggest standout Mazda model from when I was growing up in the 1990s. No one should be fooled on how small this car is because this bubble shaped sedan offers an abundance of cabin room. Much more and more accessible than an old mini which pioneered small front wheel drive cars until its gradual demise with small hatchbacks along with most of the British car industry.

Other than that, it would be an easy car to work on for any new driver who'd like something different and to stand out.

And for anyone who thinks small cars are too boring, I felt like showing you this.

This is a NISMO Note. Originally a Nissan Note, this small family oriented hatchback gets the job done transporting families whilst offering low fuel economy. This particular model is an e-Power hybrid model and also a NISMO trim level and it's great in a way to show off in this cars and coffee meet. But anyway, here comes a couple load of some performance family cars.

Renault Megane GT220 wagon

This is a car although a wagon that to me is hot property especially when SUVs are more of a thing on Australian roads. With its 2 litre turbocharged F4RM874 engine combined with its 6 speed manual gearbox, it produces 162 kw (217 bhp) of power and 340 Nm (251 lb-ft) of torque whilst offering fuel consumption of 7.3 litres per 100 kilometres (32.2 mpg). In Australia, it does require 98 RON petrol though.

And one piece of fascinating trivia, Renault have engineered their previous sports model Megane to reduce understeer. For anyone who has a manual license and looking for a high performance and practical car aside from the Subaru Impreza WRX wagons, here's a pick according to myself.

Skoda Octavia RS Wagon

And here's another sports wagon if owning a French car would be too daunting for you. Under Volkswagen ownership, the Czech car brand Skoda wasn't much before until in 1990 when Volkswagen bought the brand and took it up to the world's toughest car market which is in native Europe.

This car sports a 2 litre turbocharged BWA engine producing 147 kw (197 bhp) of power and 280 Nm (207 lb-ft) of torque with either a 6 speed manual or a DSG automatic gearbox. The model would be a good idea to annoy old Holden Commodores owned by P platers who want to show off but wouldn't be recommended.

I like the wagon model better than the other liftback sedan. In the end, it never hurts to be more deceptive.

Peugeot 406 Coupe

Just another French car but not seem much. This particular model designed by Pinafarina is a more panache option along with the sedan and wagon models and the engine to go for is its V6 engine producing 157 kw (211 bhp) of power and 285 Nm (210 lb-ft) of torque. Although not outrageously sporty, it makes a good grand touring car.

And Peugeot wasn't the only car brand that sold sedan, wagon and coupe variants as Mitsubishi offered the same styles with their Lancer, more-cheaper, reliable and easier to live with.

Holden Commodore SV6 (VF series)

I hadn't entirely left Holden out as you can see with this model Commodore. Since the VE series and not excluding the Falcon, both had stepped up their game with their more world class offerings. I'm particularly emphasising this SV6 Commodore which is at the last series before Holden ended car production but it didn't mean it's out classed in any way.

Trim levels consist of Black, Collingwood Edition, Lightning, Sandman and Storm. The biggest appeal to me is its 3.6 litre SIDI direct injected V6 engine producing but not forget 210 kw (282 bhp) of power and 350 Nm (258 lb-ft) of torque. And as you can see, this car being a Holden can give some Japanese sedans particularly Toyota and Nissan their run for their money with the equivalent engine capacity.

Although I've never gone into the Ford versus Holden debate, this has to be a big standout and more in line with other big family cars offered globally. Not just Japanese sedans but some European models as well with Audi, BMW, Jaguar and even, Alfa Romeo.

If I wanted to buy a Holden to add to my imaginary car collection, that'll be a worthy choice and a decent choice as opposed to the smaller 3 litre offering that's completely outclassed in regards to torque with 290 Nm (214 lb-ft). But if that's bad, Mazda's decision to fit their rotary engine into a Kingswood in the 1970s would be unimaginable.

Although rotary engines produce loads of power from their smaller capacity engines, they're not regarded as having as much in a way of pulling power and worse fuel economy. With this Mazda Roadpacer based on a Kingswood, a rather bad decision to fit their rotary engine that isn't suitable for the car's big heavy body with horrendous fuel economy of 26 litres per 100 kilometres (9 mpg), it's hardly noticeable in the automotive world with only 800 units built.

A better alternative is a Mazda RX-4 or even, an RX-8.

But not all cars that are just daily drivers don't deserve credit to be boring.

There's the likes of this Toyota Camry Sportivo sold exclusively in the Australian market and it's pleasing that Toyota offer some sporty models along with more serious sports models such as their Celica, MR2, Supra and some exclusive JDM passenger cars then their high-performance GR division with their Yaris and Corolla models. This demonstrates that not all Camrys can be used for shopping trips, Sunday church services and commuting to bingo nights and lawn bowls tournaments.

And let's not forget my current car which is this 2022 Ford Puma ST Line which by the way is the biggest upgrade from my previous cars (1992 Nissan Pintara hatchback then 2006 Holden Astra hatchback). Being a baby SUV but more a status hatchback in my opinion, this doesn't mean it's just some car that takes me from A to B, it's a big upgrade from my Astra. I also don't want to go old and slow down and having this car to sit in and drive keeps me going.

So it's good to appreciate one of those cars whilst we can whilst the car industries pump out electrified vehicles, utes and SUVs and also cars that are ideal for noobs and an influx of Chinese cars. I'm especially pleased about my decision to be a car fan so I wouldn't have to dwell on the rest of the other modes of personal transport.

And by the way, Scotty Kilmer is impressed with the Holden Commodore (rebadged as the Pontiac G8).

That's all from me. See you next time!