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.

1247 - (Post) Birthday Wishlist Part 3

Things are a bit light on my end right now so let's do yet another wishlist blog. Here we go.

• Yamaha Revstar electric guitar. I used to play the guitar. There are days when I feel like I want to play it again. The easiest solution would be to buy some strings for my electric guitar here, just so I can play it. I don't even know if it still works. Aside from the Revstar, it would also be nice to get a decent amplifier and a few cables so I can connect the guitar to my distortion and then to the amp. I don't even want a pedal board or whatever.
• Toyota Land Cruiser FJ. This hasn't been released yet here, and also it sort of contradicts my earlier wish for either a Zenix Hybrid or the 9-seater Staria Hybrid. (Apparently the 9-seater is now the cheapest Staria Hybrid variant, so I have no idea if I misread the earlier websites or they changed it.) Still, if I can't have either of those, I wouldn't mind having this as our second car. Yes, it isn't spacious and practical. But it looks like it's ready to brave flash floods in Metro Manila. Also, Land Cruiser.
• Funds for a new house complete with furnishings and other "mods." I'll be honest, the interest to live in a condo unit has disappeared from me. I think now the best case scenario I can imagine is to have the funds to have a new house built where our current house is. So modernize and improve the house, add solar power, make it more environment friendly and self-sustaining, and make sure it can survive for another 50 or so years. I'm not sure how old our current house is but I'm guessing it's that old.
• Funds for my dream bike build. Basically it's still based on the Ritchey Break-away Outback frameset, and the carrying case for this. I'd probably splurge a bit with some components, like doing mechanical Shimano GRX groupset and brake set. I will try to avoid any carbon fiber components. Hydraulic braking is also an option as long as I can find excellent decouplers for the brake hoses and shifting cables.
• Funds for a new desktop setup. I've finally decided laptops just aren't as bang for the buck for me, so I've decided my next workstation will be a desktop. There are decent solutions to make them portable, in the event I do need to lug them around. So we shall see.

And that's it. (Post) Birthday Wishlist Part 3.

Out.

1246 - Forty-six

Today is the 12th of July, and today I turn forty-six years of age. Talk about coincidence, I wasn't even thinking of the number of blog posts I've written.

It's my birthday but as I grow older each birthday just feels like any other day. Nothing special, nothing fancy about today. I can celebrate how I want.

This doesn't mean I am ungrateful for the things I have experienced in my life.

Out.

1245 - Birthday Wishlist 2026 Part 2

The Hyundai Staria Hybrid was recently released in the Philippines. It's noticeably bigger than the Toyota Zenix Hybrid, but the cheapest Staria Hybrid (the 11-seater) is around the same price as the Toyota. It's bigger, it can carry more people, and if the seats can fold, it can carry more cargo inside.

It may be more challenging to drive around Metro Manila but using this for road trips, and as an alternate car when the Wigo is number coding, would be the primary purpose for this car.

Yes, I know it sounds crazy since I hate driving in Metro Manila traffic. And yes, I do not like driving bigger vehicles. Then again, sometimes you need to break out of your comfort zone in order to grow as a human being.

So, what would I rather have between the Zenix and the Staria? I'm really not so sure anymore. They both have pros and cons, and at the moment I'm leaning more toward the Staria. As long as I can probably modify it a bit, like adding a front, rear, and interior dash cam. According to the Staria Hybrid brochure the 11-seater HEV GL variant does have rear cameras so I don't have to worry about that anymore.

Out.

1244 - My Dream "Daily Driver"

I was chatting with a friend when this idea was brought up. I used to have a few attainable dream cars, and I guess now the one that goes front and center would be the Honda Jazz.

For this thought exercise I'm going with my original dream Honda Jazz, the first generation GD. It has to be as unmodified as possible, and an automatic transmission. Why an automatic? The variants here that had front driver and passenger airbags were the supposedly the automatic transmission ones. Finding one of those, if I were to base it on Facebook Marketplace, is a very big challenge. However let's assume I did find one to my liking and I had unlimited budget, these are what I plan to do. In order of priority, of course.

1. Make it reliable. Thorough check of the entire car. Engine, electricals, transmission, brakes, suspension, you name it and it gets checked. If it has an OBD-II port, check for errors. Fix all problems, replace all old components that need new ones. Wiring harnesses, ignition coils, brake hoses, radiator, if it needs a new set then replace it. Ideally with quality OEM aftermarket parts.
2. Fix the body. Check for rust, check and repair dents. Replace the headlights and stoplights if they're too yellowed already. Replace the glass if needed. Replace the molding for the windows with new ones. The GD Jazz are notorious for having leaks in the top rear, near the hatch area. Make sure the rubber molding there are new so that no water leaks occur. This youtube video is a great reference for what to look out for when buying a used GD Jazz.
3. Upgrade lighting. I'm not talking about using LED bulbs that blind oncoming traffic. Ideally if we can use LEDs properly then I'm all for that. I do want the LED lights to not be pure white. Use amber bulbs for the fog lamps. For the interior lights, if we can replace the bulbs with LED lighting I would do that too. And of course it would also be good to replace the dashboard light.
4. Upgrade sounds. Android Auto ready head unit, better co-axial speakers, tweeters, maybe a small amp if it fits. Nothing very expensive, just enough to make podcasts and music sound better than stock.
5. Upgrade the horn. Again, nothing too expensive. Just loud and powerful enough to be useful for daily driving.
6. Roof rack system. Yes, I've always wanted to have a registered roof rack system. This would give extra cargo space, at the cost of aerodynamics and fuel efficiency. I'd love to have a cargo basket, two bike racks, a big and small cargo box for the roof rack system.
7. Rims and tires. As usual nothing too crazy. Ideally just replace the stock rims with aftermarket rims that look better but have the exact same spec. Get new tires as well since there's a chance the tires on this theoretical GD Jazz might be old or worn out as well. If there's one thing I'd want to try with new rims, is to have the tires a bit more flush than stock. Flush meaning the sidewalls are a bit more aligned with the body of the Jazz.
8. Suspension upgrades. Coilovers and polyurethane bushings are some things I've seen on Instagram. I'd like these as well, but to raise the ride height by 1 or 2 centimeters. Added ground clearance is something I'd want, but nothing too extreme.
9. Fresh coat of paint. Then some decals to make sure I can identify the Jazz in a parking lot.

And that's it. These are the things I would do, not just to a Honda Jazz, but probably to the Wigo if I had the budget.

Out.