1252 - Used Cars and Flooding in Metro Manila

I've noticed that recently whenever it rains one way I try to distract myself from fears and anxiety is to browse Facebook Marketplace and look for old 4x4 vehicles. Three specific vehicles I look for are the Suzuki Samurai, the Suzuki Vitara, and the Mitsubishi Pajero.

Before continuing, a quick update on what's been going on in the Philippines and Metro Manila specifically. Classes are now getting called off for the volume of rainfall. My daughter has had onsite, online, online asynchronous classes for almost two weeks now because of the weather.

The flood control scandal that was exposed last year has still not led to any arrest of the masterminds. We still get really bad flooding, in some areas in Metro Manila the floods are really crazy high.

So back to the reasons why I'm looking for those three specific models. I've seen snorkels fitted on those three. The gen 1 Vitara and the Pajero has automatic transmission variants here that were locally sold. Plus considering they're relatively old, while I'd feel bad making them try to wade floods I wouldn't mind sending them to fetch family members if the need arises.

Also the ones I've seen on Marketplace are relatively cheaper than some of the used cars I like checking out, like the Honda Jazz. Quite a number of them though do need work done, and not some work, a lot of work. As long as they're running and relatively reliable that means we have a good starting point.

Right now when the rains won't stop falling and I start getting reports of light floods along routes we pass we have to use my folks' Grandia to get us places. That's our best vehicle for floods, and not something we would use for deeper floods.

Again, I'm not saying I'm going to drive the snorkeled 4x4 vehicles into maybe waist deep or deeper floods, but at least in case of serious emergencies I'd have a "break-glass-in-case-of-fire" option.

Out.

1251 - Toy Car Dreaming

I just realized recently that whenever the Philippines enters wet season and we start getting crazy amounts of rain and flash floods that my dream car suddenly becomes some simple 4x4 vehicle. Most recently I've been gravitating to a classic Suzuki Samurai long-wheelbase, similar to the one my dad used to own.

This is most likely a knee-jerk reaction to things going on around me, but to be honest the Wigo is just too low to consider braving any flood, no matter how shallow. The Grandia is too massive and not really an ideal car to use either, except that is our go-to when the rains are pouring hard since the car does have a relatively nice clearance.

So here we go with the Samurai and my resto mod ideas. As always, before anything else it has to be reliable and the body has to be in great condition, no rust spots or anything. The first thing I'd do, which might be overkill, would be to install a snorkel system for the intake, and possibly the exhaust too? Just to make sure it could handle floods, not that I'd wade it through.

Another thing I would do to the Samurai would be to add two sets of additional lights. Both of them would be PIAA 2000 series lights, with one being yellow flood lights, and the other set white spot lights. Based on stuff I've watched and read online, the yellow flood lights would be for heavy rain and additional visibility. The white spots would be used for really dark places just for additional illumination. I would still rely on the stock (or modified?) headlamps, and would only use these additional lamps as needed. I even decided the switch for both lights would be on a three-way toggle. Off, floods, and floods + spot. And these would only turn on if the headlights are on.

Actually the snorkel and lights are the only relatively extreme mods I'd want on this theoretical Samurai build. I wouldn't want a higher ground clearance, preferring the stock ride height or maybe a one or two inch lift. I'd even keep the wheels as stock as possible, meaning stock rim diameter and thickness, same with the tires. Not even going with all-terrain tires since I'll most likely rarely drive this off road.

Basically I just want a toy car that I can daily and possibly use to fetch people if flash floods do happen when they're out.

Out.

1250 - Work Rejuvenation

I was recently moved to a new project at work. It's not something I can discuss in depth but what i can say is that I am a bit rejuvenated with the new project.

I hope to ride this wave and learn new things that will hopefully help me out in my career as I continue to grow my skills not just as a 3D artist, but as a Unity technical artist as well.

Out.

1249 - My Dream Bike Build (18 July 2026 Edition)

With the Tour de France 2026 ongoing my focus on bikes has returned yet again. Yes, I still don't ride but hey I can dream right? This blog won't be super detailed yet again, I'll probably try to be as specific as I can with the components but not so specific that I'll be saying the exact part number or something. Also considering my age and how often I ride, I'll be focusing on comfort more than speed. So no internal routing, no weight weenie stuff, which is pretty obvious considering the frame I want.

• Ritchey Outback Steel Break-Away frameset. I'll probably go a size below recommended so it'll be small. Still my dream frameset because you can disassemble it and store it in the Ritchey Break-Away Travel case, something I'd definitely get as well to store the bike in. The Outback Break-Away I'll be building will be more all-road oriented than gravel.
• Shimano groupset and brakeset. Most likely mechanical groupset and hydraulic brakes, using Zeno Q-Connector V2 hydraulic quick coupler. My usual bias for simple and relatively easy to repair bleeds over to bicycles, where I'd rather have a mechanical 1x groupset. I've also changed my mind with regards to hydraulic brakes, mostly because I've discovered that there are couplers for hydraulic bike lines that do a great job. I'll go with the 42T chainring and an 11-42T cassette. 160 mm brake rotors for both front and rear wheels.
• Salsa Cowchipper 380 mm alloy handlebar. Nothing fancy, no internal routing, just a simple, flared handlebar.
• Redshift ShockStop Suspension System handlebar stem and seatpost. I've been very curious about these for the longest time. There are pros and cons about the stem but if they help with comfort then I'm all for it.
• Pro Stealth Offroad saddle. I'm not too familiar with the best saddles available, and I haven't watched GCN or bike fitting Youtube channels lately so I'll settle for this saddle, which seems to be wider than some of the saddles I've seen.
• Shimano PD-ME7000 Trail SPD Pedals. Pretty specific here, but I've also always been curious about clipless pedals. I'm not going for road bike pedals, but rather with gravel/MTB pedals so that the cleats (do I still remember the terms right?) won't be interfering with how I walk when I'm off the bicycle.
• DT Swiss ER 1600 SPLINE db 30 12/142 mm Shimano wheelset. Again, I don't know much about wheelsets so a quick google search led me to this article from Cycling Weekly. I just looked for the alloy wheelset since I don't really want carbon fiber.
• Panaracer Gravel King SK + 35 mm brown sidewall tires. These Gravel King SK + tires are supposedly the most durable of the SKs, and the knobby tires will be good for some off-road usage. This is where the all-road aspect comes into play. While the Outback can support up to 48 mm wide tires, I'm perfectly happy with 35 mm. I think the width of the tires are enough to handle some gravel.
• Three Ritchey Classic Water Bottle Cages. The Outback has three bottle cage mounts. Two will hold water bottle cages and the third can carry bike tools.

And those are the basic components I'd need for a bike. I'll see if I have the energy to blog about the additional stuff I'd add to that bike, like bike computers, bags, fenders, and other things.

Out.

1248 - Two-Car Garage

It's that time again when I blog about my latest dream two-car garage. As always I will give you some scenarios and what two cars I would want in that scenario. Take note that most, if not all, of the cars I'm picking are Toyotas since I'm really, really biased for them. Also even if I say it's my dream garage, I'm still pretty realistic and I still live in the Philippines so the "expensive" choices I will write are still not as expensive as you would think. Don't expect any Ferraris or Lamborghinis here.

• The practical garage, a Toyota Wigo and a Toyota Avanza. We already have the Wigo, so the other car would be the 1.5L Toyota Avanza G CVT. It's spacious, practical, and relatively affordable.
• The riding-the-hybrid-craze garage, a Toyota Zenix 2.0 Q HEV CVT and the Toyota Yaris Cross 1.5 SE HEV CVT. I'm still not confident in the EV charger infrastructure in the Philippines. And honestly I'd still put my faith in a hybrid than a full EV. A possible alternative to the Toyota Yaris Cross is the Honda RS e:HEV E-CVT since that's also a hybrid and more importantly, it has the magic seats similar to the Honda Jazz.
• The money-is-not-really-an-object garage. Toyota Alphard 2.5 HEV CVT and the Toyota Land Cruiser FJ. I was tempted to pick the GR Corolla, but that doesn't have a spare tire, and it's too fast and too low for my age. The Alphard could be the daily, and would be for those times there will be a lot of people or cargo to move, and the FJ would be the toy car.
• The hauler garage. A Toyota Zenix 2.0 Q HEV CVT and a Toyota Hilux 2.4 G AT. I really don't want, nor need, the top-of-the-line Hilux. I just need a people hauler (the Zenix) and a cargo hauler (the Hilux). Plus considering the size (and fuel efficiency) of these two vehicles I'm guessing the Zenix would be the main vehicle.

Out of these I'd honestly really want the second garage, the one with the hybrids. That really seems to be the direction my family and I should consider going with the rising cost of living. Aside from being fuel efficient, supposedly hybrids only require maintenance once a year.

Second would be the hauler garage if I'm being honest. I'd have two different vehicles that can haul a lot of people or cargo and would still be decent in size to fit in most parking areas.

Out.