I can't believe that it's been almost 2 years years since my last post on this forum. Life has been busy with work and my ongoing house renovation project, so I thought I should post a quick update on our fleet.
My last posts here on the forum were related our newest acquisition, a
2013 Toyota Tacoma Double Cab 4WD. You can read my introduction here:
https://www.autos.ca/forum/index.php?topic=101162.msg1360147#msg1360147We've put approximately 15K km on the truck over the past year and as one would expect, it has been a reliable addition. It currently has ~75K km on it so the plan it to hold on to in indefinitely unless it falls victim to road salt here in NL. Speaking of which, I just recently received a recall letter to get the frame of the truck inspected for premature corrosion damage as was done to prior vintages of Tacoma's. Toyota indicated that if the frame was showed excessive corrosion damage, they would replace the frame??? That has got to be one expensive recall to replace the frame of a truck?? In any event, I've had it Krown'd every year and the frame looks pretty pristine. Brakes/Rotors/Engine Oil have been the only items required with the exception of an issue with the A/C. I haven’t repaired it yet, but basically, the magnetic clutch that engages the A/C compressor pulley died, probably from lack of use here in NL summers. Toyota does not sell only the magnetic clutch and instead wanted to replace the entire compressor at a cost of $600-700. I said no thanks and just haven't gotten around to buy the A/C magnetic clutch assembly which I see is available on ebay.
The 2011 BMW 128i which I leased than purchased back in 2010 is still part of the fleet. Here are a couple of links to our discussions about the car.
Original Forum Posthttps://www.autos.ca/forum/index.php?topic=96259.msg1196571#msg1196571 6 Year updatehttps://www.autos.ca/forum/index.php?topic=96259.msg1196571#msg1196571There isn't much I can say about this car that I haven't already said. It leads a pretty charmed life with only about 45K km in almost 10 years of ownership. There are times I tell myself that a smart person would sell it due to lack of use, but then I go drive it for a couple of hours, and I come back saying I'll never sell it. There is just something about the size of the car, how it drives, and the smooth refined power delivery of the I6 engine that makes me smile. It just scratches that itch I have for a sports car. In addition, and I'm almost afraid to say this, but on the reliability front it's been pretty good so far. I take it to a BMW dealer annually for any recalls, an oil change, and a general service inspection and that's it. There hasn't been any costly repairs thus far. I replaced the front brake rotors due to subtle warping about 2 years ago, and I've also replaced a MAP sensor and 1 front wheel speed sensor. I diagnosed/replaced both sensor failures myself using an inexpensive code reader that reads BMW specific codes.
Ms. Flinter still has the 2017 Kia RIO which she leased 2.5 years ago. Initial impressions are here:
https://www.autos.ca/forum/index.php?topic=98916.msg1322816#msg1322816It currently has about 6 months left on the 3 year lease and we've put approx. 40K km on it during the last 2.5 years. It has been completely trouble free, and as I mentioned in my previous posts, it’s a terrific around town errand running machine. It's not going to blow your mind with power or handling prowess but it’s efficient, comfortable, and pleasant to drive and park. We plan to return it after lease completion, not because we dislike the car but mainly to replace it with a similar sized AWD vehicle. We get large amounts of snow (~400 cm) here in western NL each winter. That means vehicle shopping starts this summer!!!
My final update involves a new addition to the fleet. Since my move back to NL, I've been dreaming about snowmobiles. When I was younger and growing up in Northern NL, snowmobiles were often the preferred method of travel during the winter months and riding/tinkering with snowmobiles was my main pastime during winter. Anyway, near the end of last winter I finally took the plunge and purchased a used 2016 Ski-doo Renegade X 600 ETEC. So far I've put almost 1000 km on it and I can say with certainty that snowmobiles have come a long, long way since my youth. This 600cc liquid cooled direct injection 2 stroke is one of the smaller displacement options available these days but its still rated for 120hp and the sled has a dry weight of only 477lbs. The balance and suspension on these modern snowmobiles is just incredible. For instance, this machine has 9 inches of front suspension travel and 16 inches of rear travel, as well as adjustable compression damping on the shocks. As you drive can move your weight around on the chassis to change traction or the bite of the front skis. It basically feels like a sport bike for the snow. You can cover hundreds of KM/day without feeling any ill effects/stiffness. In addition, this year I've built a loading/unloading platform for the Tacoma so now I can transport the beast!!
