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I listened to a podcast today, whilst driving my Rolla, to drop off my daughter for uni, that had me asking the question of myself, “why am I so attracted to olde Rollas ?”. This question rolled around in my head for an hour or so, & I eventually, came up with the simple & most singular answer . . . . they are so reliable. The podcast also had me thinking about the philosophy of the people at Toyota, in the early days, when they started their design of a small car for the masses. It is not a co-incidence, that the name of their early models was the, “Publica”. Like many of us, here in Australia, if you are over 50 years old, your first introductions to “cars”, was either an FJ Holden, or an English car of some descript. I was no different. Our first family car was a Morris, & mine, & my two brothers’ first cars were either Hillmans or Morris/Austins. What I remember about those cars were, was that we were always working on them. They always seemed to break down. They were not reliable. I’m not talking about nuisance things. I remember my Dad’s big Morris Six, breaking a front stub axle once, luckily as he backed out of the drive; & my brother’s little Morris Minor once did the same thing. Being an “engineer” albeit in another discipline, I was attracted to things that were complicated & mysterious. Yes, I was one of those kids that pulled a wind-up alarm clock, completely to pieces, to see how it worked. I migrated to a “sophisticated” auto in my early 20s, & bought a Fiat 125 sports sedan. At the time, they used to advertise the Fiat, as “Have an Affair with a Fiat”. Well, the unreliability theme continued, & it wasn’t too long, before my “love affair” turned into a divorce. I had an 8 year tenure, working overseas in a developing country, & was completely over whelmed, witnessing Toyota vehicles punished & “ill-treated” & yet still continuing to function. I had a company vehicle (Toyota), but needed a second car for my wife. Second hand cars were hard to come by, but I picked up a KE20, that had rolled once, with a poor roof repair job, but that car was just so reliable, I was in awe. That experience, has changed the way, I think, & work, & design, forever. I am now a converted advocate of the K.I.S.S. principle. (Keep It Super Simple) And that is what is so attractive about the Rollas; they are so simple & well designed; some would say, “over designed”. So, what’s this got to do with the podcast. If you care to download it, or have a listen on-line at the following link, it will all become clear. http://www.abc.net.au/radio/programs/conversations/conversations-genevieve-bell/9173822 There is an interesting segment in the “conversation” about what people carry around in their cars, which is fascinating. There are some fascinating figures in there about how almost half the cost of the manufacture of the modern car, is the “electrical” system. The car has become so much, much more, than a vehicle to take us from A to B. Thirteen years ago, in 2004, we had a thread here on Rollaclub, about what we carry around in our boot. https://www.rollaclub.com/board/topic/1287-what-do-you-keep-in-your-car/?tab=comments#comment-16463 So my question is . . . . What do you carry around every day in your car ? Not just in the boot. What do you carry around that is not part of the original car, when it was supplied new ? What added technologies have you added to your Rolla ? If you are busy, lazy, or like me; have so many things, it would take an hour to list, then lay them out on the drive way, & take a pic. If you are at all like me, you will listen to this podcast, & look at your car in a “different light”, thereafter. P.S. Later on today, I’ll post all my bits & pieces here. (this is going to be embarrassing !) Cheers Banjo