Some time in November last year, my dad bought a relatively rust-free 1992 Mercedes-Benz 220E Japan spec and I thought that would be the bargain of the decade. However, it gradually turn out to be a bit of a holiday romance because mechanically speaking, it was FAR from perfect. The cooling coil for the air-conditioner had recently broken, and repairing it would set us back a hefty RM1,300. At that point, I might as well get lost.
Few days before, though, I got word from my cousin that she was selling her car as she no longer drives it. At first she told my mom about it, then when my mom told me, I immediately got interested and went to check it out. Then, on the evening of 30th of June 2021, I brought the car home with my dad, and by that night, the payment has been made. Neither my mom nor cousin would have guessed that I would be interested in buying something like it, but both my mom and I knew that it was definitely an absolute bargain that's definitely worth taking up. My dad was also not surprised, considering that I have a soft spot for old, seasoned cars, and he was rather impressed with it after driving it.
Here it is in all of it's glory - a 2004 Kia Spectra. It has only been owned by one owner (my cousin) and was daily-driven by her and her late husband until his passing on the 7th of February 2020. Ever since, the car was never driven until the day I came to pick it up, when my cousin decided to change all four tires to new ones. Of course, she disconnected the battery when the car sat idle for four months, which is a good measure because having to jump start the car and later replacing the battery would be an expensive pain in the ass.
Aside from the new tires, the car has had a lot of things done up to it. I have the receipts with me with the latest dating back to December 2020 and I don't think I should try to list every single thing here. All that I can say was, the car is mechanically sorted and prior to her late husband's passing. They've managed to take the car to Kuantan and back, and it's also got a new Nakamichi touch-screen radio and speakers which provides a rather impressive audio quality.
This wouldn't be my first time driving a Kia Spectra, however, having driven my friend's Spectra some time ago. That car was nice to drive, but it had a head gasket leak so I wasn't too keen on pushing it. While it was just a quick spin around the block, it did leave an impression on me that I might consider getting one to take over daily duties from my Wira (which, by the way, I'm still keeping).
Some years came and went, and I've contemplated on countless of cars, much to the annoyance of my peers. The consideration of getting a Kia Spectra faded away into obscurity until that fateful day when my cousin decided to sell hers as previously mentioned.
So, how did it end up at my driveway? Let's just say it was because when I found out the price of the car, my mom and I agreed on one thing: we've got to get it. How much did I paid for the car? Only RM2,250 in cash money, and no, that is not a typo.
This whole car is cheaper than a Saga LMST of the same year. Can you imagine? One is an old 1980s dinosaur that was trying to be relevant in the 21st Century (what was Proton thinking) and the other, while hardly the pinnacle of automotive technology, offers better safety and performance. Yes, the Saga can be tuned to be a fast car, but you can't exactly tune safety now, can you? Not only that, it's cheaper than those electric mobility scooters that you might find on Shoppee, too!
Now, let's be honest. This car isn't perfect. For starters, the exhaust had gotten very noisy. Maybe the mid-muffler has gone or there's a leak somewhere. Then, the rear doors, the passenger-side rear window and the driver-side front window doesn't work. The absorbers may need replacing in about a year from now, the engine and gearbox could do with a service just for good measure, some interior bits would require attention eventually and finally, the bodywork has seen better days.
However, it is an honest car, and for roughly RM2,000, it would be extremely unfair for me to be nit-picking. If anything, this car exceeded my expectations. Still, I'm going to be doing this old girl up slowly to make it a reliable daily driver for many, many years to come. It's survived this long, having done over 313,000 kilometers on the clock, so I can't imagine why it wouldn't survive another 300,000.
Anyway, this will be an interesting project. A full review will come up soon, but until then, I'm just going to do what needs to be done so as to make it reliable. See you in the next entry!
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