Saturday, November 7, 2020

You can drive a Corolla even with a small income

auto4pix
By Roland D. Nasasira

The Corolla 110 is one of the most pocket-friendly cars when it comes to fuel consumption and maintenance. It is with no doubt a car that first-time motorists ought to look out for.

Alex Kasozi 
I have had my Toyota Corolla 110 1998 model since February 2018. With an engine size of 1,500cc, its fuel consumption is pocket-friendly. Much as there are many Corollas with automatic transmission, I chose to go for one with manual transmission because it is more fuel efficient. I decide which gear to engage, unlike the automatic transmission, which, in a way, thinks for the driver. I choose when to engage low and high gear, depending on the environment in which I am driving. When I refuel with Shs20,000, it covers 50 kilometres. On average, it is a car that will give you between 10 and 16 kilometres for one litre of fuel.
For service and maintenance, I spend between Shs80,000 and Shs110,000. The frequency at which I visit the garage depends on what needs to be serviced. For major service, I go to the garage after covering 4,000 kilometres and service involves working on parts such as air and oil filters, engine oil, fuel filter and brake pads.  Surprisingly, I have never replaced the spark plugs. 
It is a car I would recommend for a beginner motorist. I once had a work project upcountry in 2018 and 2019 and I would drive it anywhere. I could drive 100km/hour on a murram road with lots of potholes and still feel comfortable. On a tarmac, it is as good as enjoying the softness of a cushion of the latest car model, as well as absolute stability on the road. 
When I had just imported it, its ground clearance was low that it could rub against the road surface, especially at large humps. After fixing spacers and changing the tyre size from 170 to 185, it was more raised and comfortable and this does not affect its stability at high speeds. 
The only disadvantage about this car is that its parts are coveted by car vandalisers.  It is possible to park somewhere, only to return when your side mirror has been plucked off. For this reason, I had mine permanently hooked and screwed.   
The size of the boot is not as big as a travelling motorist would want but it is big enough to contain at least six clusters of matooke. 
Since it is a manual car, the secret to keeping it in the best road worthy condition is not sharing it. Fortunately, since many people hate manual transmission cars, I have not had a problem with this. My advice to any motorist is to always have enough fuel because every time the tank runs empty, it draws dust and damages the fuel filter. 
Diana Asiimwe 
My particular kind of Corolla 110 runs on an automatic transmission engine. If I am to drive from home to work without going to the field, I spend between Shs60,000 to Shs70,000 on fuel a week. If I drive to the field, I spend approximately Shs150,000 on fuel in a week. It has a 40-litre fuel tank capacity and I only need 20 litres to drive from Kampala to Mbarara City, a distance of about  269.5km.
It is a five-seater saloon car that does not skid, even when driving in slippery conditions. I once drove it at 120km/hour and even at this high speed, it was neither shaking nor vibrating. 
Normal service costs between Shs90,000 and Shs100,000. I mostly focus on the air filter, spark plugs, engine oil, automatic transmission fluid, brake pads and gearbox oil because they are the essentials and basics of any car.  Replacing tyres depends on the need. However, it is better to buy expensive tyres that will last. The disadvantage with the car is that the rear passenger seats do not have enough leg room. When you travel long distances, you will have to make stopovers for passengers to stretch.  
Pius Kabala
For the three years I have had my Corolla 110, it is one you can easily refuel with Shs10,000 and you drive. It is a car that any low income earner can own and drive with pride. 
When it has broken down, you will not have it parked for long because you have failed to get a spare part or even a mechanic to service it. If your mechanic is not within your reach, say when you have experienced a mechanical problem on the road, you can easily drive into any garage and carry out the necessary maintenance and proceed with your journey. 
It is also a strong and durable car with a hard body. It does not have a sporty element or a fast performance engine but it will allow you drive at a speed fast enough to get you to your destination without spending a lot of time on the road. When you sustain scratches from motorcyclists or other errant motorists, you will have the dent or scratch fixed in one day without leaving the car for days in the garage. 
It can serve you as your town and upcountry car because its ground clearance is good enough.  

 

No comments :

Post a Comment