The Thinking Blog - Planes Trains Automobiles

Freedom 100% Synthetic 2T Oil

nospam@example.com (Albert Yang) — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 01:21:00 -0500

I just ordered this from some guy online. It's motor oil for a 2-stroke engine, made by Freedom Oil. It's suppose to be the bomb-diggadi.. But we'll see. I'm sure it's better than the Taiwanese crap I've been feeding my scooter. It should come to my door next week. So we'll see how it performs. It's 100% synthetic, so it should hold up to the heat better. I find that the Taiwanese oil breaks down after long prolonged high speed, like when I'm on a bridge. Also, the stress of 2 people on a scooter vs 1 is an incredible difference. My scooter feels fine with just me, but with my wife and I both on the scooter, it feels very sluggish. I hope this solves that problem. One of the websites gave this a great review, so I can't wait. All I know is that it can't perform worse than the Taiwanese stuff! It does however, cost 2x as much as the Taiwanese stuff, but it will be worth it if it doesn't strand me on a bridge.

UPDATE:

So I got it in the mail 2 days ago and put some in right away... As soon as the oil hit the engine, RIGHT AWAY the engine quieted down. As far as acceleration and smoothness, it was like a whole new scooter! Amazing what a difference. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

Scooter: Taiwan Oil is Low Quality

nospam@example.com (Albert Yang) — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 11:59:00 -0500

So I use to buy this:

Then, I thought, I should support Taiwan, and so I bought this or this:

This is suppose to be low smoke.

Which I guess makes this the smokey one.

So I switched from my Mobil Super 2T to the Taiwan 國光 brand. Boy, was that a mistake. The scooter started stalling. There however, was a lot less smoke than the Mobil. So the scooter starting having problems and then while I was on the bridge with my wife sitting on the back, the entire scooter ceased up. I took it to the shop, where the guy proceeded to tell me that my engine block is a little bit warped now, due to lack of lubrication. He then asked me, do you use "國光 brand"motor oil? He asked that as a rhetorical question, not as an actual question as he knew the answer to that. So he asked me to change oil.

When something like this happens, there's only one person to blame, ME. What was I thinking?? I put the trust of my safety and the safety of my wife to a Taiwanese brand when I had other choices?? NEVER Again!

So if you would like to be stranded in the middle of crossing a bridge, I suggest you use the Taiwanese brand. If not, SWITCH. This has been a public service annoucement.

1997 Toyota Tercel vs 2008 Toyota Prius Hybrid (Saving Gas)

nospam@example.com (Albert Yang) — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 22:00:00 -0500

VS

Toyota Tercel 1997
MPG (city) 28
MPG (highway) 35
MPG (combined) 31
Cost to Drive 25 Miles $3.29
Fuel to Drive 25 Miles 0.81 gal
Annual Fuel Cost $1977

Toyota Prius 2008
MPG (city) 48
MPG (highway) 45
MPG (combined) 46
Cost to Drive 25 Miles $2.23
Fuel to Drive 25 Miles 0.54 gal
Annual Fuel Cost $1335

This all sounds great, until you realize the cost of one vs the other..

You can find a great 1997 Toyota Tercel (these things last forever) for about $3000. A decent one for about $2000, and a dumper for about $1000. You can't find a Prius for under $15,000 on any market.

So we go ahead and crunch the numbers..

We'll say you paid for the most expensive Toyota Tercel in Pristine condition, like mine. $3000. (I paid $3300 for mine because I'm in Taiwan, but the car is like brand new, inside and out. The owner just changed the timing belts last year too, runs great, no problems.)

Let's take the average Ebay Motors price for a Prius about $25,000.

So the Toyota Tercel has got $22,000 head start on the Prius.

We do a little math to see when the Prius will catch up to the Tercel in terms of recouping the cost from fuel savings and we arrive at:

518,867 Miles.

That's how many miles you need to drive on a Prius before it "pays for itself" against a Tercel. But wait, there's more! At that many miles, the amount of pollution is ridiculous.

But a Prius is "cleaner" you say?? WRONG. Because the Tercel was already built!! You forgot to factor in manufacturing cost and pollution! When it's all said and done, for a tiny car, a used Tercel can't be beat. It gets great mileage, has pep, is not a hybrid (hybrid = worst of both worlds) and pretty much a Prius will never catch up to it in terms of savings.

And it pisses the tree huggers off..

Rear Folding Seats

nospam@example.com (Albert Yang) — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 21:59:00 -0500

I sometimes feel that I either have a 3rd eye or just more common sense than most.

When buying a car, coolness seems to be high on the list, that's why most people forget that above all else, UTILITY is the most important. And when I say utility, I don't actually mean SUV's..

One of the biggest items you HAVE TO HAVE is rear folding seats if you own a sedan. Basically, it's my #1 buying criteria.. Well, not buying a Ford is my #1 buying criteria, but this is a close 2nd.

I try to get AWD if possible, but folding rear seats is a must.

I put in a full sized hutch into my little Toyota Tercel yesterday on the way back from Ikea.. How was that possible? Rear folding seats.

It makes any car more useful. I searched for a long time to find one with a rear folding seat. You should too.. because you should ALWAYS be buying used cars instead of new ones.