Hallo Baraza,
Thank you for your very resourceful articles that sometimes remind me of a Sunday Nation humour writer by the name Mwalimu Andrew!
I have a 2009 left-hand drive Toyota Landcruiser Hardtop that we bought brand new and had it shipped from Toyota Motors Europe in Gibralta, South of Spain. It has so far done approximately 10,000 kilometres.
We currently wish to dispose it but do not seem to know how much would be a good price, considering we spent about $65,000USD (about Sh5.4 million) to but and transport it all the way to Nairobi.
I have even contacted the local Toyota dealers who quote Sh7 million for a new one, but they don’t seem to know what is the best price or market for this vehicle. Kindly assist.
Regards,
Kelvin
The fact that the driver sits where the passenger is usually found will complicate matters for you. As a car, it may well be still valuable, but not in Kenya. It will be a long search before you find someone who will buy a left-hand drive car for use in a right-hand drive country at its actual value.
AA (Automobile Association) would be a good place to start to get the real value of the car. From there, you may have to look outside the borders for a quick sale. Try Southern Sudan, they have LHDs there. Or Somalia (problem is there is a war going on there).
Hi Baraza JM
First, thanks for a job well done. You have made Wednesday’s Daily Nation a must-read. I would like you to do a comprehensive comparison between two cars: Toyota Corona (1600cc, 1800cc and 2000cc) and Toyota Carina (1800cc and 1500cc).
Please consider durability, fuel consumption and spare parts availability. These two cars are old models; what some people would call “out of fashion”. Which one would you advise a first-timer to go for? And, finally, why are there no more productions of the Toyota Carina?
Regards,
Maina ML
Maybe you should have specified the model years for these cars. But, anyway, except for fuel consumption, everything else is the same for all model permutations that you have given there. The 1.5s are the most economical; the 2.0 litre the most thirsty. The 1.8 has always been the best compromise.
Out of personal experience, I would go for the Carina (Ti), in 1.8 guise. Sure, you will look like you are driving one of Nairobi’s 10 million taxi-cabs, but the balance between performance and economy in the 1.8 is exceptional.
The Carina is not made any more because now we have the Allion.
Hi Baraza,
Thanks a lot for the wonderful, highly informative articles. I own a 1995 Toyota Corolla 100 that I love to bits. I got it as a third owner, so the first thing I did was change the suspension and now it runs like new.
My mechanic recently discovered a leak in the steering system requiring I top up the ATF every three to four weeks. He advises an overhaul of the whole steering system, arms and all, but I think this is a little exaggeration. Is there a way I can have the leak fixed without necessarily changing the arms since it steers just fine?
Second, I love speeding and have installed a second set of brake discs on the rear set of wheels. Does this in anyway interfere with the performance of the car? I kind of enjoy wheezing through traffic knowing I can halt at will!
Thank you.
Eric Ochomo
Where is the leak? If it is in a little pipe from the reservoir for the PAS, you don’t need an overhaul. If it is in the steering box, you still don’t need an overhaul. In fact, you might not need an overhaul at all, just find the leak and plug it.
I’d like to see what your car looks like with two sets of brake kits at the back, instead of one. And, if you want to stop really well, brake bias should be set towards the front. Having stronger brakes at the back is inviting oversteer, instability and possibly fishtailing if your car does not have EBD (which it doesn’t).
When slowing down, the weight of the car is thrown forwards, which is why the front brakes need more stopping power than the rear ones.
Hello
I bought a Toyota Fortuner from Toyota Nairobi in March this year and use it mostly within town, thus I do not use 4X4 add-on. I am getting a fuel mileage of nine kilometres per litre average, yet it is a manual diesel.
It is big and smart but has no extra-ordinary comfort (climbing up to the seat isn’t very easy). I paid Sh5 million for the car, so tell me, did I make the right decision?
Dipak
Dipak, do you FEEL you made the right decision? Is there a nagging feeling of regret or some underlying suspicion that you threw good money away? If yes, then no: that was not the right decision. If no, then yes: you made the right decision.
Over and above the consumer advice and motor-journalist reviews given on cars, there is also a secret desire that shapes our decisions, and this desire is not always rational.
I’m dreaming of getting an Allion, changing the gearbox into a manual and supercharging the thing, but I know it will cost me money, the car’s reliability will go to the dogs and I will use the (very expensive) supercharger’s abilities less than five per cent of the time. I am also dreaming of getting a Defender 110, with a V8 engine.
Both options do not make any sense at all, but I doubt I will regret my decision if I decide to take that path. So, again I ask: how do YOU feel about your car?
How are you Mr Baraza?I want to thank you for your quick response to my e-mail, which was on the user’s manual of a Toyota Harrier and the use of various function keys on the console. You hinted that if you had the details of the vehicle you could try and obtain a manual for me.
As you may have guessed, I have not managed to get it, so I have been relying on the information you gave me and it has been very useful. However, I have a few questions:
i) The opposite side of the POWER key is written SNOW. When is it appropriate to use this facility?
ii) Can the SNOW key be used together with the gear shift at position ‘L’?
iii) The details of the vehicle are: Harrier, manufactured in the year 2000, 3000cc, 24-valve four wheel drive. If it’s not too much to ask, how about trying to obtain the manual for me?
iv) Some mechanics claim they can do ‘manual diagnosis’ on vehicles. Is this possible? How is it done?
We all appreciate what you have been doing for the Kenyan motorist. Thank you very much.
Peter.
Nairobi.
Nice to hear from you again Peter. Here goes:
i) Since we don’t have snow here, I’m guessing it is usable in very slippery (but NOT deep) mud. But it is not really necessary, one can still manoeuvre without using it.
ii) That would be unnecessary. The PWR and SNOW settings are for the ECT gearbox (different settings). L locks the gearbox in 1st, so there will be no need to adjust the settings of the gearbox shift patterns and lock-up control.
iii) Let me see what I can do…. But I’m not promising anything.
iv) Manual diagnosis can be done, but only on mechanical bits. It is quite easy: it is done by eye (look for broken, loose, frayed, worn out, cracked, misplaced misaligned, discoloured, leaking or burnt components).
It is also done by a simple, short road test (be keen on ride quality, steering behaviour, shakes, rattles, wandering, sagging, bouncing, diving, squatting, braking behaviour etc).
Also, signs of leakage, smoke or funny smells or noises… all these constitute a manual diagnosis. However, “manual” diagnosis cannot be done on things like electronic equipment or sensors. Let your mechanic know you are aware of that.
Hello Baraza,Thank you for the good job. I’m a newly qualified driver who knows nothing about cars. However, I’m planning to buy my first car by December, hence I need your advice.
Please compare for me these three cars in terms of availability of spare parts, durability, stability on the road in case I need to drive from Nairobi to Narok over the weekend, and, above all, fuel consumption.
The cars are Subaru Impreza 1500cc, Mazda Demio and Honda Fit. Please consider the fact that I like the Subaru a lot. Thank you.
Annah.
If you like Subaru a lot, then I will ignore the rest of your question and ask you to buy a Subaru. Why buy something else and then spend your driving days imagining what owning the car you desired would have been like?
There is nothing you will regret about it that you cannot also regret in the other cars. If anything, it outshines the other two in numbers of mechanics and garages doing them: Honda and Mazda are only making inroads on the import market as of the recent past, but the Impreza has been imported in sizable shiploads since the days of the GC chassis.
Baraza
Why are AMG versions of Mercedes Benzes not readily available in Kenya, or are the local Benz buyers unaware of them? Maybe you should explain what the AMG spec really is.
Spider Waigwa
I can’t help but notice you signed your name as “Spider”.
Anyway, AMG Mercs are not readily available for several reasons, first being a lot of people are unaware of what an AMG Benz is (capable of). Then there is the cost, both of purchase and running (fuel and service/maintenance). Maybe one day I will explain what an AMG Benz is: it should be easy since almost all of them use the same engine (and what an engine!)
Local mechs may not be able to deal with these units, except for St Austin’s Garage, which is a subsidiary of DT Dobie. I have spotted quite a number of AMGs there (including SLs and S Classes)
Hello Baraza,
Thanks for your very well researched articles. I have a Toyota Corolla G-Touring that has no other issues except when engaged on Gear 4, when the lever jumps to neutral even at highway speeds. Mechs tell me I need to change the gearbox. Is there a cheaper option?
David
I had an EP82 Starlet with that same problem. I later sold it (with that same problem). Anyway, don’t panic, I’m not asking you to sell your car. You don’t even need a new gearbox.
The cause of the problem is either internal or external. Internal causes could be worn bearings (very common). External causes are linkage issues (easy to diagnose), or a problem with the gearbox mountings (not that easy).
Irrespective of which of these causes is the source of your fourth gear woes, as you can see, it will not take a new gearbox to sort it out.
Hello Mr Baraza,
I’m an avid reader of your very helpful articles and have utmost respect for your knowledge of cars (and trucks). With the current weather conditions, I have noted an increase of accidents in which the vehicles lose traction on very wet tarmac and start drifting.
I was a victim of such an incident recently, and would like you to advise us on the steps to take should one lose control of the car. I hear in manual cars, one gears down to reduce the car’s speed before applying the brakes.
But what about the automatics? Lastly, where can one get their upholstery done should their car take a swim? Looking forward to your response. Nduati.
The safest way to drive in the wet is to lower your speed and increase the distance between your car and the one ahead of you. You don’t have to gear down; however, if you want to gear down, brake first then gear down, don’t gear down then brake.
When you shift down without braking, that is when you will drift due to the extra burst of torque brought about by the lower gear. This is actually one of the drifting techniques used by professional drivers: gear down at speed, then counter steer the car once it starts sliding (and it WILL slide). Nowadays many car wash outfits offer cleaning of both interiors and exteriors. Any big outfit will do the job well.
Hi Baraza,
Thanks for the worthy counsel, though I must say you are often somewhat hard on most of us as we continue exhibiting inherent peculiarity in petro-misery.
Now, I haven’t seen much in this column regarding the Toyota Rush. Would you say the 2007 model stands any chance against the Forester (say) 2006 model in terms of stability, performance, handling, looks, fuel economy (pardon me!) and variations in terms of accessories?
Austin
Aah, the return of the Toyota Rush to this inbox. As to whether or not it can stack up against a Forester, here are the answers:
Stability: No
Performance: No
Handling: No
Looks: I guess by this you mean appearance. Well, that is relative, but for me…. No.
Fuel economy: Actually, yes, and it can go one better, by quite a margin. 1300cc vs 2000cc is no contest (pardon me!)
Variations in terms of accessories: No.
