My Car

The first car I owned was a used Toyota Corolla DX. If I’m not mistaken, this box type car is a third generation Corolla.

The first owner of this car is lady who drives to and from her home and office only. The car was later bought by my mother and it was still in a very good condition. When I got married in 1994, going to and from my owned home and office is very difficult and expensive. A car is therefore a necessity. Luckily, my mother agreed that I’d buy that car for only P30,000. I guess that’s a good deal for me and so generous of my mom, given that she’s a plain widowed housewife.

This car ain’t fast and at that time, I can’t make it fast because I don’t have the budget to do so. So, I just find ways to make it look fast, at least.

After some time and having a better paying job, I bougth a brand new Toyota Corolla XE on November 22, 1996. I wanted the GLi, but my wife wanted something that is more economical in terms of gas consumption. So the 1.3 liter engine would be the best choice.

The car, indeed is economical. CIty driving was about 10 to 11 km to a liter while mixed city and highway driving is about 15 km to a liter. But as the car gets older and older, the fuel consumption gets poorer and poorer inspite of being a well-maintained car. The main contributor to this, I think, is my right foot. Since I want to drive fast, I get too heavy on the gas pedal to satisfy what I want.  This desire is what led me to do some extreme changes like engine swaps.