1171 -- Beetle Dreaming

I've blogged about my birth year car dream, my dream Honda Jazz GE, and my dream Super Beetle. It's too bad that the Super Beetle didn't make it to 1980 because out of these three dream cars, the Beetle always ends up moving to the top of my list.

There's a certain charm to the Beetle. The simplicity of the car and the relative practicality of driving something like it is something that will always tug at my heart strings.

So anyway, most long time readers of my blog already know that any dream car of mine will always be a restomod project. I doubt I will ever restore one since I honestly want to get modern tech and safety features in a car as well as improving it's fuel efficiency at the least. It won't be really extreme modifications, but small tweaks that will help improve quality of life while driving a car.

I've been checking out Facebook Marketplace often, looking at old VW Beetles for sale. The price ranges a lot from really cheap beaters with lots of issues (including vehicle registrations and other potential headaches) to really expensive but well cared for models. I'm not really sure what's the best car to get, but I have a feeling something in-between would be best.

In-between meaning it's well cared for and not a beater, but it's not a finished project car. This gives you a reliable base (with hopefully updated vehicle registrations) you can begin your own modifications. And because you won't need mechanical or structural repairs you can use your funds for what you want done on the car.

Out.

1170 -- Birth Year Car

I was browsing Facebook's Marketplace just randomly looking at cars, as I usually do, when I found a candidate for my birth year car. It was a 1980 BJ40 (?) Toyota Land Cruiser.

It is pricey, and it looks like I will still need to do a lot of work on it. Too bad I can't afford it.

I'm also not so sure how "legal" it is. The posting says it has complete documents but how can I be so sure? Plus I also have no idea what the last digit of the plate number is. Still, it's nice to dream.

Out.

1169: The Mitsubishi Lancer "Box Type"

One thing I didn't consider for my birth year dream car was the second generation Mitsubishi Lancer, locally known as the Box Type. I honestly didn't realize it was that look that early.

My dad was able to drive one or two different Box Types when they were assigned to him as company cars, but that was late 80s or early 90s already. So I always thought that that model was a relatively newer model. How was I to know it was from 1979 to 1987? Plus the fact that the Box Type is a classic and I do like it.

Of course, I would rather restomod it than just restoring it. If I could swap a more modern, fuel efficient, and more environment friendly engine I would do just that. Maybe even a transmission swap as well so I don't have to drive stick. Of course upgrading the speakers as well as the head unit to a more modern, Android Auto ready head unit is also up there.

Of course a more powerful air-conditioning system should also be up there in the restomod section to survive the brutal summers here in the Philippines. 

Out.

1168: My New Dream Car

This isn't a specific car. I just thought about it a few days ago and did a quick research on Google.

It would be nice to own and restomod a car that was sold the same year I was born. Sadly this removes the Suzuki Samurai from the equation. For the Volkswagen Beetle I don't know if any were still being sold here (legally, meaning dealer sold) even if they were built in Brazil or Mexico.

So the biggest car I can think of is the Toyota E70 Corolla, or the Corolla DX. And even better, maybe the Corolla Wagon was sold here locally. I've seen a few "classic" Corolla wagons here before anyway.

So there it is. An E70 Corolla or Corolla Wagon. Then restomod it to my desires.

Out.

1167: My "Ideal" Second Car

I've blogged about this before, and will most certainly blog about this again in the future as my preferences and considerations change. As of this moment there are two ideal second cars for me.

The first is the Toyota Avanza 1.5 G CVT. The latest generation not only looks nice, but it's also very spacious inside, at least for the first and second rows. The only reason why I'm considering this is in the event we'll need seating for more than five people, or we'll need more cargo space.

The price is the biggest factor why I like the Avanza. It's just a little below PhP1.1 million. It's the cheapest 5-to-7 seater I know. Other MPVs in the same engine displacement and seating capacity I've considered are the Honda BRV and the Suzuki Ertiga and/or the XL7. Both cars however are way more expensive than the Avanza which is why the Toyota is still the car of my choice.

On the other hand, my "dream" second car as of this moment is the Toyota Zenix 2.0 Q HEV CVT. The biggest reason why I like this vehicle is because it's a hybrid. It's bigger and more expensive than the Avanza but I'm guessing you'll also be getting a lot more features in the Zenix aside from the hybrid capability.

Similar to the Avanza, this ride can seat 5-to-7 people and has a decent amount of cargo as well.

Out.