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What Things Do You Carry Around in Your Rolla ?


Banjo

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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”.

Toyota-Automobile-Museum-9832-copy.jpg.e2260ec022d1262c785f0003590a66aa.jpg

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

 

Edited by Banjo
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I dont ever carry much.

The ra65 is referred to as skate car ny my mate, so there's a bag with skate spares and wax, a dry shirt, there's jumper cables, then a hat, and that's about it.

The ae86 always travels with a netbook for tuning, ipod classic, and that's it.  Sometimes a spare and tools, sometimes no spare and tools.  For some reason I keep them pretty clear of junk inside.

The work truck now that's a different story.  Its got a massive pile of rope behind the seats, boots, hardhat, hivis, cooler and lunchbox, medicine and first aide, hats, phone charger and headphones, pens, a dash-mat that's used as a filing cabinet, spare sunnies, safety glasses, Stanley knife blades, and of course a set of canvas seat covers.

 

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  • 4 weeks later...

Well the AE86 is sitting in the shed with a set of Weds Albinos in the boot. The KE15 & TE27 also have a selection of spare parts awaiting their respective rebuilds. 

The reality of life means my choice of daily is currently the workhorse xtrail. As this has the false floor sliding shelves in the boot, it means I can carry all manner of stray tools, odd parts and bolts, occy straps, rags, stuff I might use down the beach and god knows what else. But the other reality of modern cars is that it never breaks down in any fixable way on the side of the road. So most of this is just a mobile shed. 

What does get used are the zillion reusable shopping bags and old fruit boxes for the shopping, foldable school branded chair for hockey, cricket, football athletics etc. Most of the time I am lugging about cricket and hockey bags!

Back when old Corolla’s and Datsun’s were my lot, I always carried a substantial tool kit, axle stands, jumper leads, oil, water and often a stray starter motor and assorted other spares like points, alternator brushes, lengths of wire, radiator and heater hoses, and so on.  So much in fact, it is a wonder the car moved with all the additional weight. 

The other key difference is that back then, this stuff actually got used reasonably often.  

Cars really have come a long way.

Even now, when I see an old Jap car at a pickie wrecker, I always check the boot to see what has been left behind

 

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And of course the old street directory!  Getting dirtier and dirtier and the outer pages falling off, not helped by getting wet from leaking seals, whether it was tossed on the floor, or wedged in a crevice somewhere!

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