[1044] I Found It (Yet Another Every Van Post)

I was watching Surplus Pinas' youtube channel when I noticed that most, if not all, his DA-17 Every Vans had keyholes in the left front door, the driver side. Here's one example, their latest video as of today.

It does seem a bit pricey though. The base model they featured was sold for around PhP280k, and shipping isn't included yet. So I'm guessing with the add-ons I want it'll be north of PhP350k minus shipping.

Still, I found a seller who actually adds a keyhole on the left side after conversion. Interesting.

Out.

[1043] Two-Car Garage

I have no idea when I did the last two-car garage post, nor do I want to search my blog. So here I am again, blogging about it.

As always, biggest consideration is that these cars would be driven here in Metro Manila. Hybrids and electric vehicles have also been considered but since they're relatively new-ish tech I'd rather go for the internal combustion engine cars. So without further ado here are some combos I have for a two-car garage.

1. 2023 Toyota Wigo G CVT and Toyota Avanza 1.5 G CVT. The Wigo would be the daily driver while the Avanza would be used during the Wigo's coding day and as a weekender car. Both cars are pretty fuel efficient and both can go on long road trips. The Wigo is small and would be ideal for just going around Metro Manila. The Avanza can carry more luggage or more people.
2. Suzuki S-Presso AGS and Suzuki XL7 AT. Same argument as the Toyotas. I'm picking the XL7 over the Suzuki Ertiga Hybrid simply because the XL7 has a higher ground clearance. That's it. I like it because it's 2cm higher off the ground than the Ertiga. And it looks better and more rugged to me as well. The reason I'd rather have the Toyota is because both Toyotas have CVTs while the S-Presso has the impressive AGS (auto gear shift) but the Ertiga and XL7 have traditional automatic transmissions.
3. Any small and big combination of the five cars mentioned above. Honestly combining one of the smaller cars with one of the bigger cars will still cost you probably less than PhP2M so that would be a very solid bargain.
4. You can probably bring in the Mitsubishi Mirage CVT and Xpanders into the discussion but I'm not a big fan of the Xpander's looks. The Mirage hatchback though is a yes for me.
5. BYD Dolphin and either of the Avanza, XL7, or Ertiga. Wait, an EV? Yes. I've seen a BYD Dolphin and I like how it looks. I have no idea how reliable it is or how much added costs to the electric bill it is to own one, but that's why I'm pairing it with one of the bigger cars I wrote above. This combo is more expensive but at least I'll have a reliable car and a high tech car. We have Teslas being sold here but I'm not really a fan of the brand nor the tech.

And that's it. Mostly boring and practical choices (but still cars I cannot afford hahahuhuhu) but hey, it's my blog and it's my two-car garage. If you want a relatively out of the box answer then how about this. The 1.5 Avanza G CVT and the Subaru WRX Wagon. The Avanza would become the daily driven practical car and the WRX Wagon would become the coding car. Also weird because according to autodeal's website the WRX is wider and longer than the Avanza but can only seat five.

Out.

[1042] Another DA17 Post

I just recently noticed a glaring quality of life detail I never noticed before in Japan surplus left-hand drive converted DA17 Suzuki Every Van / Wagon. It's pretty major.

There is no left side keyhole for the front door.

I've seen a few videos of DA17 Every Vans from my favorite Japan surplus dealer and most, if not all, DA17V models I saw only had a keyhole on the front right door, or the OG driver side. And this is an issue for me. I find it pretty redundant, and possibly dangerous, to go to the right side of the car to unlock the car then go back to the left side to get in.

It would also be pretty uncomfortable to go in the right and slide into the left, specifically for a person my size and girth.

All is not lost however because I've seen one (only one I'm sure I saw because I paused the video and checked it multiple times) video from another surplus seller that had a DA17V (yes, the Every Van) that had a left front door keyhole. So either some models have then and some don't, or you have to pay extra to have another keyhole placed in our standard position. If that's what it takes for a quality of life improve, then why not. I still think the DA17V non-turbo R06A AGS Every Van is still a nice ride to have.

However it just means I'll need to have a few crucial upgrades/accessories in the event I lose my mind and blow my hard-earned savings on a DA17V Suzuki Every Van.

• Seat upgrades to use DA17W front seats and the second row split folding "captain's chairs" as well as working seatbelts for both the left and right side front and second row seats. Sorry middle row, not sure if there are lap belts for you either.
• 7-inch Android Auto ready head unit with reverse camera and front and rear dash cams. I don't mind getting whatever they can install, upgrading these and adding additional speakers can come some other time. What's important is that I can use Waze or Google maps and I have additional cameras for security and safety.
• Top load carrier roof rack. At least they'll register the Every Van with the top load option so I can use it just in case.

I didn't even bother adding front fog lamps as an important modification since I rarely drive at night and we can probably add that in the future along with the better sound system.

Out.

[1041] New Year Musings

2023 is gone, at least here in the Philippines. It's a new year and with that comes new hope, new goals, new stuff basically.

I am not a fan of resolutions, so I would rather try to set stuff I need to try to achieve. And honestly the biggest one I want to set and learn is a healthier attitude of gratitude.

Let's face the facts, I bitch a lot. There are also times I do think in a very entitled way, which is basically not a great thing. I have been doing my best to counter any really negative thoughts and I have been trying to be more aware so I can catch myself earlier.

Yet gratitude is my biggest weakness so far, there are things I still take for granted or forget to realize.

So this year I will hopefully try to be more aware and be more grateful for things I have.

Out.

[1040] Every Van Musings

I recently had a chat with a friend of mine who was also interested in the Suzuki Every. He watches almost the same youtube channels I do, and he's done a test drive of an Every from a dealer in Cavite.

One of the biggest takeaways I got from him was that the ride was hot. I do know you're sitting on top of the engine, but from what he said I'm not so sure if it was a design issue or if the surplus seller didn't add insulation below the seat. I'm thinking it's the latter.

I was also watching a Youtube video of a DA64W Turbo on a road trip to Bicol and one of the comments in that page was someone mentioning that he was sitting for five hours stuck in traffic in a DA64W and it was hard to walk after. I'm not so sure if it was the quality of the seats or the seating position.

So my takeaways from these are that you need to insulate the engine bay and probably get good seats. That being said, if I actually gain the courage to buy a Japan surplus Suzuki Every I'm still sticking with a DA17V non-turbo AGS as the base model. It can even the the most entry-level variant, since that has manual side mirrors and windows. Then add modifications from the surplus seller like the following.

• Upgrade to DA17W front and rear seats. I've seen videos and the Every Wagon seats look like they have thicker cushions. The headrests are also separate for the front seats. The rear seats are split folding and they're also equipped with headrests. I'd also require seatbelts for the second row since the so-called "captain's seats" do have provisions for seat belts.
• 7-inch Android Auto ready head unit with back-up camera. This is also a very common (and useful) upgrade since it gives you another way to see the rear when you back up.
• Front fog lamps patterned after the DA17W look. I'm curious about additional bumpers and bumper mounted fog lamps but honestly I'm not too keen on adding bumpers since it would add weight. So just copy the DA17W look and add bumper mounted fog lamps.
• Top load carrier. Basically the roof rack. Just have it added and registered so that you can load stuff on the roof when absolutely necessary.

And that's it. I think the mods I'm thinking of adding are pretty similar to the ones I was originally thinking of a few weeks ago.

Additional mods I'd have done that won't be from the seller would be switching the signal and wiper stalks to left-hand drive orientation, better sound system (including better and additional speakers, improved head unit, maybe an amp), rear chase light bar to replace the third brake light, and maybe even some performance related mods.

There's this youtuber who lives in Japan who owns a DA64V turbo and his mods are making me a bit envious of the modifications he's done to his Every Van. Aside from rims, he's added a blow off valve, coilovers, and aftermarket exhaust.

Out.