Future cars

Even though I have a car in Indonesia and two cars in USA, I am still always daydreaming about buying more cars. Especially for when we return to the US in the future. Generally, I am thinking about one of two catergories: 4x4's and alternative energy / energy efficient cars.

I have always been a fan of 4x4's. I even spent a lot of my youth reading magazines and anything else I could about the subject, and yet I've never owned one. But I am pretty committed to getting one when I return to the US of A. I really want to get back into hunting and other outdoor projects. I generally like buying new cars (although our Indo car we bought used), but the trouble is that I just can't get over how much a new 4x4 truck or suv costs as it would not be a primary vehicle. So, I'll likely get a used one. Some of my personal favorite 4x4's are the Toyota FJ-40, Ford F150 4 door, and Toyota 4 door trucks. Sometimes I even think of going all out and getting a 3/4 ton Suburban / Expedition, but that's a lot of car. So far, my practical side has won out, and I've bought just enough car to meet my needs.

Recently, I've been doing a lot more research into high fuel efficiency vehicles. I guess its the nerd in me coming through. I've been in love with the Ford Fiesta (picture from autoblog.com) and Focus (especially the electric version) ever since they've been redesigned. Finally, America is getting refined, gorgous compact cars. I am also excited about other cars just now coming out like the plugin Prius and the Ford C-Max cars (even though they are missing the critical third row. Come on Ford!). 2012 should be an excited year for cars. :)

A couple years ago, I came fairly close to buying the Honda Civic CNG powered car. I really like the idea of filling up at home whether it is natural gas or electric. My commutes are generally well below the 100 range of CNG and electric cars, so I think they would suite my commuting needs perfectly. The main reason I never pulled the trigger is that I currenlty own a perfectly servicable Pontiac Vibe that gets great gas mileage (34 on highway) and is paid off. It is impossible to beat the economics of a paid off, reliable, fuel efficient car.

What I am really waiting for is the high efficiency family hauler. I would love to buy a 7-8 passenger car that gets 30+ mpg. Currently, for whatever reason, such a car has yet to be avaiable in the US. I currently have a Mazda 5 which is a fanastic car that seats 6 and get 30 mpg in the real world, so that may have to do for now until something better comes along.

We'll just have to wait and see what happens when we move back (whenever that is)...

Toyota Kijang update

I've always had an interest in cars, so I'll probably start blogging more about them in the future. Now that we've had our 2001 Toyota Kijang almost a year, I'll take a moment to reflect back on car ownership in Indonesia.

We bought the SUV from a friend at church that was moving to India. We got a fair price for the Kijang and the opportunity to hire our friend's driver, Hartoyo. Hiring Hartoyo has been great as he has lots of experience driving expats in Jakarta, and he is honest and reliable. There are many fantastic things about having a driver, but one of my favorite is that I have yet to see the Kijang dirty for more than a few hours. Even in the rainy season, Hartoyo keeps the inside and outside of the car immaculate. He reminds me of routine maintance, and is always willing to work late (for over-time, of course) when we need it. It is a pleasure to pay him each month as he has become an integral part of our life here.

As far the car goes, we pretty much bought it after a quick test drive, and I must say that so far the old Kijang has run like a champ. The car only has about 100,000 miles on it, but no telling how many hours on the engine as I am sure 90% of the gas we buy is burned up in idling in traffic. Whenever we are lucky enought to get out of Jakarta and up to 50+ mph, the car gets about 30 mpg (although I've never done a proper calculation).

As far as I know, the car has the original engine and transmission, and both work very smoothly even after 10+ years of bouncing down Indonesian roads. We have done some work on the car (with cost including labor): 2 oil changes (50 USD each), fuel filter replacement (20 USD), new shock absorbers (100 USD), repad the seats (100 USD), rework the A/C (200 USD), new seat belts (200 USD), replace a door lock motor (20 USD), new battery (80 USD), replace a headlight fuse (2 USD), and replace the radio power cord (20 USD). I may have forgotten a thing or two, but really the Kijang has treated us well and has yet to leave us stranded on the side of the road (knock on wood). :)

One year in Indonesia!

On 23 February, we celebrated one year in Indonesia. We had a nice dinner at Samy's Curry restaurant which serves Singapore style Indian food. It was delicious, but as a co-worker pointed out, a bit ironic that we didn't have Indo food. Oh well, LOL.

It's been crazy fast as we've done so much in so little time. We've many new friends and had so many amazing experiences. Most mornings I wake up and can't believe we live in SE Asia. Its like a dream come true...for me at least.

The family has done remarkably well at adapting to life here. I think that is largely due to my previous experience of living in Singapore and Malaysia, our family trips to Belize and Taiwan, and our even living in another state (Oklahoma) from our native Texas.

Really, life is very similar (with a few notable differences). We still have to get the kids out the door to go to school in the morning and I still do the same job (although I walk here instead of drive). The main differences would be that traffic dominates any decision of what activities to participate in and we live in an apartment instead of a house.

All in all we are enjoying our stay here and are looking forward to another great year in Jakarta!