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I am not in the market of looking for new car, but happened to test drove the newly launched, Pedordua’s Alza for a brief moment.
The Alza is very similar to Avanza in many ways: 1.5L engine, 5+2 seats, assembled in Perodua etc.

I’ve been driving a Avanza 1.3 for many years (weekend car), so I am going to list down the “immediate impression” while driving on Alza vs Avanza instead.
The test drive modal was a Alza Advanced Version, which featuring some additional body kits, leather seat and GPS navigator (doesn’t look “integrated”).

- we have 3 adults (2 with standard BMI, but the 3rd one definitely out of shape), 2 children in the car, the pick-up was ok, but slightly lag compare to Avanza.

- driver position is lower compare to Avanza, more stable and confident on cornering.

- engine noise was almost not audible in the cabin. Unless I rev it up over 3000 rpm.

- throttler wasn’t as responsive as Avanza, the gear switching gets very confuse when I stepped down and let go randomly and quickly.

- ride comfort was definitely way much better than Avanza. Avanza basically connect your entire body to the road surface, despite the fact that you are sitting higher up from the road. The Alza extra equipments on suspension and longer wheel based definitely helps.

- Avanza is more responsive in low speed cruising, although I believe Alza should do better while cruising on the highway (we didn’t manage to go onto highway).

There wasn’t any urge for us to replace Avanza with Alza, as we think the Avanza is a better workhorse. The ride comfort is a big plus, specially for long distance traveling. Avanza cabin seems larger, and easier for the 3rd row passenger to get in and out.

I believe Alza will eat into the Avanza sales for sure, as both vehicle offer similar functionalities, with Alza on lower price range.

Although it has only one set of blower at the front panel, it is really strong and “windy” – strongest in all the cars that I know.

I will pick the Exora manual transmission version if I am in the MPV market, and Alza if I am in the sedan market – forget the 3rd row seat on Alza, you get a pretty decent 5 persons wagon on the run.

我是路盲。来了吉隆坡超过十年，还是摸不清石头，出门要做很多研究，看地图功夫已臻化境，后来 Google 推出免费卫星地图，更是如虎添翼。
但是出门之前的功夫不论做得多好，总是无法完全不走错路：因为我邦的路，不但会自行生长和改道，其路标的混乱和昏暗，绝对令人叹为观止。

有了卫星导行，我发现我们在车上吵架的机会少了。至少不必为了走哪条路而闹到眼红耳赤。虽然卫星导行未必带我走最恰当的路径，重点是，它能带我到目的地。
我一夜之间，从一个路盲，变成一个路神通。从一个跟车虫，变成一个带路佬。
我不怕谜路，走到那里，只要一按“回家”，卫星导行就带我走回头的路。我因此走的路也多了很多。
如果说科技真个能带来好处，我想卫星导行是其中一项比较正面的吧。

这东西改变了我们向外走动的意愿，也解决了我们一个长久以来的难题：那鬼地方怎么去？

如果你跟我一样，时常为“那鬼地方怎么去？”而烦，卫星导行，是一个化“怎”为“这”的装置，把“那鬼地方怎么去？”变成“那鬼地方这么去！”

This is how you can buy an expensive energy saving light bulb on the cheap.

Step 1: pick the expensive energy saving light bulb that you want to buy (those LED is even more expansive if you wish).
Step 2: find a cheap tungsten light bulb, make sure the box packing can fit your expensive light bulb entirely.
Step 3: swap the two light bulb.
Step 4: take the cheap tungsten light bulb packing (now with the expensive energy saving light bulb in it) to the counter and pay up.
Step 5: there is no step 5.

Easy right?
The saving was great, you could be paying RM 5.00 for a RM 25.00 light bulb. Not to mention the energy saving light bulb may half your electricity usage in long run.

[ image for illustration only ]
I’ve learnt the tricks few days ago when I was hunting for some new energy saving light bulbs.
I grabbed 2 light bulbs from the shelve, took them to the testing area, and realized that one of it has a cheap tungsten light bulb in it!
It wasn’t the manufacture fault. Someone has made a swap – just like what I’ve mention from step 1 to 5.

You can do it too, it is easier to your pocket, and more environment friendly.
Damn you cheapo light bulb thief.

So beware, check your content before you take it to the counter – down to the minor detail, like the wattage and model number. Some slightly-less-cheapo-thief may swap light bulbs that are not that different in term of looks, but still different by a few ringgit.

I registered with POS Online http://www.posonline.com.my/ weeks before I renewed my road tax, just to make sure I am ever ready to grab my rebate.

Their online system always said that my vehicle registration number cannot be found, seek help from JPJ.

Even after nearly one month, POS still think that my car doesn’t exist.

I’ve finally gave up, and went to the physical Post Office instead of the online one. The queue wasn’t too bad, only about 20 persons ahead when I reached there at around 10 AM.
The form was easy to fill, provided you know Malay.

It took me 30 minutes of stand waiting, seeing people getting their RM 625.00 easily from the counters, by just getting the thumb dirty.

When it came to my turn, a look at the counter terminal, I said to myself “gee, their interface is almost like the one online at internet” — that’s not good, that bloody interface has been telling me my car doesn’t exist.

True indeed, they can’t find my vehicle number, and the girl was kind enough to repeat couple of time saying that “come back after 7 days on your road tax due”, without observing that my due date was almost a month ago.

I shown her my vehicle registration card, she got confused, and said that nothing she can do about it.

Just before I am about to ask her what should I do next, she clicked on a special button on the page, and the interface switched to their old DOS based terminal front end.
That’s, my friend, miracle started. She managed to find my record there, and she did something quickly — like making a “posting” request on the very primitive DOS interface, and switch back to the browser alike GUI.

Then she attempted another entry on my vehicle number, and voila, my detail appeared.
I had a feeling that the GUI terminal are actually running parallel with their legacy system, in 2 different backend, which may glue together at some points.
It seems their legacy system is still the primary workhorse!

Needless to say, I also got my left thumb dirty, and get my money back. Yeay.

So, if you are like me, thinking to save some time doing this online, but couldn’t find your vehicle registration, you might want to visit the real post office instead. Oh, bring some document too, such as your road tax receipt (the one that you left over after tearing off the road tax to stick on your front screen).

Two very odd occurrence in my office car park.

Someone left an umbrella at the underground car park entrance. Someone want to leave “something” behind?

Someone wrap toilet paper around this car.

3 years ago I’ve posted this about my Kancil doing 77,777 KM after 9 years.
Today, it hits 10,000 KM on the odometer – after 12 years in service.

The car is still going strong, and I can not find reason to dump it (actually I have no money to replace it).
I am still driving it daily. Although I have left it aside quite a while.
It probably worth less than RM 4,000 now, but car like this is the worry-less one. I don’t have to remember whether I’ve locked the car properly, someone stolen it, being scratched, having bird shit shower etc.

It isn’t a safe car at this size, but with less than 30 KM round trip from my house to office daily, I don’t worry all that much.
It is quite lame for a man like me, at this age, to still drive around with such a small and rotten car. Honestly.
But as long as it is still going strong, I’ll keep it.

Each morning I’ll pass through this purposeless traffic light.
Be it green or red, I don’t care, I’ll just go.
Not because that junction are usually free from traffic, because it has no purpose.

To be practical, it should be GREEN all the time, because from the direction that I am coming from, there is no collision with the opposite traffic nor that traffic from the right.

I am the kind of person that will obey the traffic light in 3 AM morning when there is no traffic from any direction, but somehow I lost all my competency on this one.

Video here (700 kb, MP4)

My Avanza can take RON 90 petrol according to the manual.
There is RON 92 and RON 97 selling at Projet, and the price is RM 1.88 and RM 1.92 respectively.

Needless to say, I took the cheaper RON 92, as RON 97 isn’t required by the vehicle. Time is bad, need to cut cost even the different is slim … real slim, only by 4 cents.

But did I really save? Here is my observation.

With RON 92, the Avanza perform about 12 KM/L (consumed 1 littler of petrol on travel every 12 Kilometer).
With RON 97, it perform well over 13 KM/L (consumed 1 littler of petrol on travel every 13 Kilometer).

So, the different of the petrol price between RON 92 and RON 97 is about 2 percents, but the mileage of 12 KM/L vs 13 KM/L is well over 7 percents.

It cost more to pump up with RON 97, as Avanza has a 45 littler fuel tank, it will cost RM 86.40 full tank. Pump up with RON 92 full tank cost RM 84.60 instead, a RM 1.80 cost “saving” here.

However, the same full tank has different mileage: 540 KM on R0N 92; 585 KM on RON 97.
A 45 KM different, another RM 7.05 on RON 92 petrol to justify the performance.

So if I go for RON 92, I save RM 1.80 at the fuel station, but it is an artificial cost saving. I am losing at least RM 5.00 when the fuel tank empty again.

Well, your mileage may vary – so do observe yourself.
If you are fortunate enough, needless to strive on saving a few dollars here and there, good for you (and I envy you), or else, RON 97 is your friend.