Forget it, your salary is not enough to run and nurture a Range Rover Vogue 

Hello,

I’m not sure a disposable income of Sh206,000 a month is comfortable enough to run a Range Rover on. Sure, it is a comfortable place to be — especially in this economically grim election year — but certain cars have certain price tags to intentionally box out the aspirational middle class, of which you are one.

Now, on paper, your salary should cover any eventuality that arises from ownership of that motor vehicle, but life does not happen “on paper”, which is why there are certain unofficial “guidelines” on how much to spend on a motor vehicle.

Smart money advisers insist one should not spend much more than 10 per cent of one’s annual income on a car, but that is just ridiculous because this means that with your healthy pay packet of Sh4,326,000 a year, you are limited to a first-generation Toyota Premio or a Subaru Legacy BH5 like mine, yet I earn waaaay less than you do.

No, can’t do. The “compromise” is one fifth of the annual income, which lands you in something newer, but still used. And you are still in Range Rover territory, even for ageing overused examples. Range Rovers might depreciate worryingly, yes, but they are not exactly free of charge either.

If you are a dedicated and hardened petrolhead, then you are allowed up to half of your annual salary on motor vehicle expenditure. Close but no cigar - Sh2,163,000 might eventually get you into a used Range Rover if you search hard enough, but this is the kind of Range Rover that will quickly suck up the remaining half of your salary that you didn’t spend on purchase, and no, we are not talking of the disposable part. I mean your entire salary.

That said, how badly do you want a Range Rover? I could play the part of the brutally honest Agony Uncle and tell you to out your dream on ice until you go through two or three salary increments, or I could be the devil on your shoulder and scream “YOLO, b---!” in your ear and exhort you to go for it, there is no time like the present. At the end of the day it’s your call, but really... just do the math yourself.

I’m shopping for my first car, what should I bear in mind?

Hi Baraza,

Any advice for a driver-to-be planning to buy a good, affordable saloon Toyota/Nissan vehicle on the market? What kind of car should I get and what should I check for?

Get a car you can afford and check for stuff that looks askew. Really, this seems fairly obvious, no? A question that answers itself even before you are done asking. Buying a car is not rocket science, especially if we avoid specifics like you have in your query.

The general rules of life apply here as well. Don't live beyond your means and be wary of that which seems sketchy. Get a car suited to your needs and fits in your pocket.

If you are a little wet behind the ears on matters automotive, befriend someone knowledgeable. While not exactly murky waters, the car world is also not devoid of charlatans, opportunists and deliberate trolls who mislead greenhorns like you for reasons that are not always clear (but greed could be one of them).

Stay safe out there and don't be afraid to ask questions, but be a bit more specific than you have been here: that is, what is your shopping budget? What do you want/need the car for? Where will you be driving it most of the time? Start by filling in these blanks then we can move forward from there.

What do you think about the Mazda Axela hatchback?

Dear Baraza,

 I enjoy your articles very much and always look forward to Wednesdays. Is the Mazda Axela hatchback (1490-2000cc) a good car? I have a 2004 Toyota NZE G Grade that I would like to dispose of and buy a locally used alternative and I think the Axela hatch is pretty. How does it drive and is it stable at over 110km? A locally used Subaru Impreza 2006-2007 is another possible alternative. Which is better of the two?

Another question: in my logbook the weight of the NZE is indicated as 670kg. Is this a mistake or is the car that light? Google shows that it should weigh at-least 1,000kg.

Hi there,

Yes, the Axela hatch is a good car to drive. It has a sprightly front-drive chassis and offers buttery tactile feedback that pleases both enthusiasts and the indifferent alike, while returning good economy figures for the wary (and weary) of pocket.

It is a good alternative to the Corolla and is definitely an upgrade, more so in the looks department which you also brought up. As already said, it drives really well and will stay stable well beyond 110km/h and all the way to its 180km/h cut-off, if sourced from Japan.

Compared to the Impreza, I will kick myself for saying this, but the Mazda might ultimately be the better ride. It really does feel good to drive: it is lively enough to ensure even the most mundane of runs is never boring but it is not too lively as to be a borderline race car, which is rarely a good thing in everyday life.

Time and again I have said there is no point in driving a Subaru if it is not turbocharged, and the Impreza falls squarely within the confines of this blanket condemnation.

The turboless Impreza feels comparatively stodgy, lumpen and lethargic if you know what real Subarus should feel like, and likened to the equally turboless Mazda, well... the Shizuoka cart doesn’t quite match the sensations occasioned by the pride of Hiroshima. Also, there has never been a pretty Impreza, while there is rarely ever an ugly Mazda.

Come to think of it, when last did we see an ugly Mazda since the badge-engineered 121 hatch from the early ‘90s, which was a Ford Fiesta anyway? The vehicle weight indicated on the logbook is erroneous.

I think there is a digit (a 1, probably) missing in front of the 6, which should be the GVW (gross vehicle weight: the weight of the vehicle when fully laden) since the tare weight of the Corolla is approximately 1,300kg; factoring in a 400kg load capacity brings the total sum to 1,700kg, which is pretty close to the 1670 I am guesstimating the wrong figure to supposedly be. I’m not really sure about my hypothesis, but what I’m sure of is the vehicle does not weigh 670kg, nor does it have a 670kg load capacity.

Why is my Toyota Premio misbehaving?

Hi Baraza,

I follow your articles faithfully not just for their informative nature, but also the slightly better-than-most sense of humour. My car has two problems, unless you say it’s the same problem, I am counting on your professional knowledge here. I have a 1999 Toyota Premio, which is misbehaving.

1. A few weeks ago, after taking it for routine service, I noticed that it’s producing a popping sound from the exhaust every time I accelerate or when going uphill. My mechanic has not been able to diagnose the problem. He suggested changing rings, saying they might be leaking oil to the air intake manifold. But considering he changed these during a previous visit, I am not sure it will solve the problem. My google diagnosis suggests checking the plugs (please note that my problem started after I put new ones), wiring to the plugs, something to do with catalyst (no idea) or vacuum something.
2. I noticed that when I am doing 80kph on either a descent or on flat ground at less than 2000rpm, whenever I step on the accelerator, the car jerks repeatedly, as happens when you shift gears prematurely. When I release the gas pedal and step on it to increase the revs above this, the jerking seems to disappear. My mechanic isn’t helping on this one.

Hello,

This seems like a pretty open-and-shut case of a misfire. Check your ignition* system first (plugs, leads, charging system, etc.) then check your fuel system (pump, filter, pressure regulator, etc). Somewhere in the middle of all this is the culprit, either the electrical system is not firing properly or the fuel delivery system is not working as it should.

*Watch out for arcing, or electrical shorts. These cause jerking under power as well.

There is a third diagnosis: Bad throttle position sensor.

The vehicle has fuel injection (7A engine) but you have not indicated that this hesitation problem started out small and gradually got worse. This means the severity of the problem has remained constant.
A probable cause is a throttle position sensor that needs replacement.

Fuel injected engines have a throttle position sensor, a device which measures how far the driver has pushed the accelerator pedal then feeds its data to the engine’s management system, which in turn makes calculations based on that data input, calculations whose results are then used to determine precisely how much fuel the injectors should squirt into the engine at that instant.

Therefore, a faulty TPS will affect the injection cycles into the engine, often resulting in hesitant or jerky acceleration.