The Golden Era of Japanese Sports Car - Magazine Page Release

why??? do you seriously want to retract your entry?

I had the same idea of waiting till the end of the reviews.

I do really enjoy the narrative approach so far, and am impressed of how much work you put in. I check regularly for updates. I especially enjoyed the last post.

Looking forward to reading about my entry.

Keep up the good work

narrative review approach isnt really my liking so i dont know how to give you feedback in this case

I like them, I was just waiting till the end like the others.

1 Like

I don’t necessarily want to retract it, I’m just not as proud of it as I once was; being that I lost the original and had to rebuild this one from memory, I’m sure it’s not as good, nor as Japanese. If you’re pressed for time, it’s not important to me.

I think most ppl just wanna see the challenge as a whole before writing feedback. I can just say that i enjoy reading this

1 Like

9) Betta XR7 Rallye (@TheMiltos21)

This time they are trying a new strategy. starting in the other side of town and moving dealers that progressively gets closer to their inn, because they think it’d be better if they only had to travel the distance in the morning, instead of on the evening. But by the time they arrive it’s already 1AM. Either way Our 2 main characters are now in a dealership again. Walking towards a car that the sales pointed them towards

  • Kie: this looks like a bottom of the barrel fleet spec car with it’s full plastic bumpers front and back.

  • Rog: for once. I agree…… except for the massive TURBO badge in front, I don’t think much people would bat an eye.

  • Kie: hey. Listen to yourself finally being harsh for once.

  • Rog: hey. I’m just trying to as objective as I can.

  • Kie: but, I’m not done, for once, I’d say it’s actually not bad looking… just the paint color choice is abysmal at best.

  • Rog: but… hmmm…. Well. Yeah. It’s not bad. But it’s only mediocre. I can’t comment much on it

  • Kie: you know what I can comment on? The name. RALLYE. For one, that’s European style naming. And secondly. I hope it’s just a stupid marketing term for ‘sport’. Because this car is as far as you can imagine from the image a rally car. But I’d still bet that the name would still confuses some potential buyer, that came in expecting something completely different.

  • Rog: okay, the name part I understand. But what do you mean about ‘as far as you can imagine from a rally car’

  • Kie: INHALES right. Well this is going to be some rant. First of all. You see those brakes? Especially the front ones?

  • Kie: I REALLY doubt they’d even be enough to stop the car effectively at all. The size of the disc is good. Maybe even too large. But that’s good for a car that ‘supposedly’ is for offroad racing. But a single piston caliper is just unreasonable. Look at the sheet and tell we the car’s weight?

  • Rog: just a sec……… 1027KG

  • Kie: yup. I’d doubt it’s even enough for the asphalt roads.

  • Rog: okay that’s probably a good arguments, but surely just because of a single….

  • Kie: nuh uh uh uh, I’m not done. It’s sitting WAY too fucking low. There’s not enough suspension travel by any stretch… what? just lift it? On these? Double wishbone suspension setup? One, you know how expensive double wishbone parts are. Second, they can only be lifted so much before they go out of whack. There’s a reason no infamous rally car out there right now is using these suspension setup.

  • Rog: okay. Okay. Let’s say all of those are valid. But what about your earlier assumptions?

  • Kie: which ones?

  • Rog: the ‘Rallye’ name is just a stupid branding for their ‘sporty’ lineup

  • Kie: well it that case. All is fine.

  • Rog: look. They even put the power graph on the brochure. It’s pretty impressive I must say. 195hp from a 2L i4, but they still claim 10km/l. that is……. 23.5 mpg I think.

  • Kie: yeah, okay that one is pretty impressive I must say. But still. It’s also another race car it seems. No radio inside, and that high strung engine. But as is, I’m gonna leave my verdict early. It has potential, but as is, it’s has a bit too many flaws. Depending on the cars we see after this one it may or may not be worth a test drive. It’s on the edge for me. So we’ll see

  • Rog: but I have to ask…… why are you so hung up on the ‘rallye’ naming?

  • Kie: what? No I’m not. I’m just giving marketing advice for them.

  • Rog: ….yeah, sure. Let’s go with that. We need to move.


Optional Interlude 9

As they already went out really late, they’re overdue for lunch. So getting out to the ramen shop nearby

  • Kie: now this place is a proper place for human being to eat. Not for some advanced alien civilization to dine at. Ordering to a human being, not to a box of steel.

  • Rog: giggles well this seems like a traditional family dine instead of the other one we went to the other day. That seems like a franchised food place. But, all that tech and geeky stuff you know, but in the end, you’re still old fashioned aren’t you?

  • Kie: what, you know me for how long and you only noticed it now? Why do you think I love our old, but proper American automobiles? The reason why I’m interested to go here is because I see our American car business has went through it’s golden era, and now these Japanese cars are starting to become a competitor, and simply, MY PATRIOTISM FEELS CHALLENGED

  • Rog: right. I forgot you also never owned anything non American, except for that one time you had to use a shitty French car for 5 months

  • Kie: yeah that thing was……… at first I was really unhappy that I’m stuck with that. But as I drove that thing, it has so many unexpected things that I’ve never even thought of in any American cars, that are more expensive. In fact, that one car is probably the one thing that forced me to stop being stuck up, open up my mind and see beyond American cars.

  • Rog: and it was good, you now actually understands a lot more than I do.

  • Kie: still doesn’t change the fact that I love my proper visceral V8 power though.

  • Rog: yeah that’s a different story, as you said before, some stuff you own because it invokes emotion, not just because of logical reasoning. And that is fair, we are human after all. Anyway, I think that’s our order.


10) Neko Chisana (@Mikonp7)

  • Rogi: now who would name their cars “Cats”
  • Kie: what?
  • Rogi: Neko. Neko means Cat in English.
  • Kie: oh. I dunno, I mean the british has their Jaguar. That’s technically a cat too isn’t it?
  • Rog: yes. But a different kind of cat. Strong, fast, powerful, and such. That’s a jaguar. But a cat?.. is…. Cute??? That’s not a brand you would be looking for first when thinking about a sports car. Which is mainly for men.
  • Kie: so it’s your turn now? Getting hung up on the name.
  • Rog: probably. So before I can’t stop myself, let’s go inside.

  • Kie: oooh another convertible. This is quite……… a mix. It’s mostly Japanese with a touch of European styling… it’s pretty simple

  • Rog: yeah at first glance it’s only okay…. But I think this is one of those designs that would just grows on you.

  • Kie: yeah, I can see that. Now. Papers and keys. What did they compromise on by going convertible. I want to know.

  • Rog: just a sec then. And I think the doors are unlocked seeing the other cars are also freely accessible

  • Kie: yeah. This place is unexpectedly lively. More than expected

  • Kie opens the door, jumps in and after a while, managed to figure out how to unlatch the roof, and opens it.

  • Kie: ooh. Well it doesn’t seem whatever compromise they made, it was not made in here.

  • Rog: hey. Here we go jumps in the passenger seat give me a second……… huh. There’s nothing too extreme, everything is perfectly reasonable. Except for the weight. It’s over 1.2 tons. This is one of the 2 cars that are over 1.1 ton. So I guess that’s the compromise?

  • Kie: and you said, ‘perfectly reasonable everything’, so it’s probably also parts sharing with another car to save cost. So kind of another ‘compromise’ I guess?

  • Rog: not necessarily though. Could be this car just shares a platform with a lot of cars

  • Kie: well, what else can you tell me from the brochure

  • Rog: hmmmmm 2L i4 pushing 128hp. reasonable. But, it’s a very undersquared engine though. I don’t see it being pushed much further. I think this is just an already oversized version of an engine they already have or something.

  • Kie: no turbos right? I didn’t see any intercooler up there.

  • Rog: yeah. It’s N/A.

  • Kie: well It has exactly 1 direction to go to make more power in the future.

  • Rog: well, to put it in your words. This car is… reasonable…. A bit too reasonable

  • Kie: agreed. Except for it being a convertible. There’s really nothing going else for it. Well. That’s enough for this one.

They both left the dealership. Out to the parking lot, where Rogi asked Kievan if he wanted some canned drinks. Kievan just asked for some cola if available, some coffee if not, and Rogi walked to the nearby vending machine, taking his sweet time too. And when he comes back, they get back in the car, open their drinks, and put it in their makeshift cup holder that they made the other day.


Optional 'Interlude' 10

No. nothing. Why do you keep expecting some extra story? Why can’t you just expect them to move on to the next car dealership like in other more ‘normal’ reviews? I’m not an endless pit of trivia story about japan you know? Now shoo shoo. Okay I’m just kidding. I’ll actually make a story for the next one. But not here. It’s not that easy to keep on writing these stuff you know?


11) Genra G2A Turbo Coupe (@abg7 )

Standing in front of the super bland looking dealership…. They both hesitated to step in. is this actually a dealership? Did they mistake the address? There’s cars…. but…. They’re parked more like it’s a parking lot instead of being shown. Yet they step in anyway, thinking “what’s the worst that can happen? Wrong address? Get yelled at? We’ll just walk, or run, away and continue on”

Once inside, they are greeted by a salesman, as usual. Though it still feels off to them since everything really feels like it’s against everything they have always normally expected from a dealer. Everything is just plain white. There’s minimal glass…… anything. There’s cars parked neatly in rows at the back of the dealership, there’s also something that seems like office space only separated by a thin wooden panel partitioning, but only halfway up, not even covering much. Everything feels industrial looking. All function and minimal or no aesthetics at all. The exact opposite what they are used to.

But trying to disregard that all, Rogi talked to the salesman as usual, which is cladded in a very formal office suit, the same as all of the people around that can be easily seen, except for Rogi and Kievan themselves. After talking to the sales, he ran to the back, and after a few seconds he came back……… IN the car, presenting it to them.

  • Kie: wha…….

  • Rog:……….

  • Kie: I’m gonna try to smooth it as much as I can. This place is…… WEEEEEEEEEIIIIRD man

  • Rog: ………

  • Kie: let’s just grab the key and do our usual notes?

  • Rog: uh…… yeah…… grabs the key and the brochure, and the Form for test drive? wait… test drive? Nononono, not that fast

  • Sales to Rogi in Kievan’s ear : hai, blablanatestoDuraibublablablagozymust

  • Rogi to Sales in Kievan’s ear: chakibukanatusuksatetuheenaksatenyabukantusuknyanyanreka………

  • Kie: yeah fuck that. Why was I even trying to listen to them?

  • Kie: Okay, the car………………….it’s…… hmmmm…… i……………. am confused…… Rogi did ask for a sport car right? This looks like another budget commuter car for pennies. It’s not bad. But it’s just not exciting, and way too bland. Just nothing more than functional that’s……… probably the extend of what I can say about the exterior this car.
    Rog: right.we’re done talking, and I know what you just thought. I’d agree if I didn’t get an explanation too. But it’s probably is based off that sort of car. But has an overhauled powertrain.

  • Kie: overhauled powertrain?

  • Rog: 5 speed manual with LSD, disc brakes on all 4 corners, variable speed power steering. And the engine is a 2L i4 turbo making 163hp

  • Kie: so they overhauled everything underneath that makes it a potentially good sport car, but not the exterior of it, which is what attracts the buyers in the first place?

  • Rog: I guess so……

  • Kie: remind me again, what kind of magazine did you buy that featured this car?

  • Rog: I never said featured. It’s probably just one of the dealers that was listed on a list of dealers or something. But didn’t have their car listed.

  • Kie: that’s the logical explanation, but we’re in japan, and the few days we’ve spent here is enough to clarify to us that ‘logical’ means a very different thing here.

  • Rog: touché.

  • Kie: so. Anything else interesting you’d like to point out?

  • Rog: not from what the sales was explaining , and I don’t see anything else on the papers either. Except to decline this test drive form. He’s being really pushy about making us test drive this thing.

  • Kie: that’s one of the good side of not being able to talk Japanese for me I guess? Hehe

After a bit of kerfuffing to decline the test drive invitation, they finally walked out the dealer. Still feeling odd, After all of that. Nothing was…. Let’s say, ‘conventional’.


Optional Interlude 11
  • Kie: okay I need to shake it off after that super weird dealer. The car was fine. But the dealership was borderline creepy

  • Rog: it is quite a bit odd. Anyway. What do you want to do?

  • Kie: hmm… wasn’t there some sort of market near here that we passed when we came here?

  • Rog: yes. It’s relatively close too. What’s your intention?

  • Kie: SNACKS!

  • Rog: snacks?

  • Kie: yeah, Japanese snacks. I want to know what kind of snacks is ‘the norm’ over here. Or their traditional snacks

  • Rog: hmm. That’s a good idea.
    They got in the car and drove until they’re almost at the market where Kievan parked their car.

  • Kie: so. Let’s walk and just get something we see interesting

  • Rog: you know… I get the feeling that we won’t be able to pick…. Too much options. I heard a few stories about Japanese foods. Well, so far, most of it is pretty accurate

  • Kie: well that’s great isn’t it? It’s…… oooooh what’s that fried meatball looking thing?

http://finedininglovers.cdn.crosscast-system.com/ImageAlbum/13633/original_Japanese-Street-Food.jpg

  • Rog: I believe that’s called Takoyaki. It’s a fried octopus ball

  • Kie: Octopus?!?! Oooh. I’ve never eaten octopus before. Let’s get some. There’s several variations here. Explain please?

  • Rog: okay…

few minutes later

https://www.weekendnotes.com/im/003/04/kkokochi1.jpg

  • Kie: hmm… this is really interesting, but good. I want more, but I also want other snacks. THERE! That uhhh… what was the name, the chinese food like thing.

  • Rog: Gyoza?

  • Kie: ye. What is it?

  • Rog: it’s uh…. Just try it. Basically a mix of different kinds of meat, and spices wrapped together and then ‘dry-fried’ I believe is the term. not sure

  • Kie: well? What are we waiting for?

Few minutes later

https://img.theculturetrip.com/fit-in/1024x/images/56-3621355-1422965184ede9a39175b244fabab3239d0e8016f4.jpg

  • Kie: hmmmmmmmm I totally don’t regret this decision. In the slightest

  • Rog: it is good. What’s next?

  • Kie: let’s walk a bi… heheheh that points somewhere

  • Rog: that’s…. I dunno what’s that.

  • Kie: well, only way to find out.

https://cdn.theculturetrip.com/images/56-3621357-1422965191c5b56aef3e8343b8a397808d388ee34f.jpg

  • Kie: I think, this is filled mashed potato, fried.

  • Rog: mmhmm…… hey. That one looks interesting isn’t it? pointing to a small shop

https://migrationology.smugmug.com/Japan-Articles/i-nM5CmjM/0/X2/waiting-in-line-X2.jpg

  • Kie: hmm? What’s that?
  • Rog: just go try it. I’ve been looking at it. That cooking method is also interesting
  • Kie: what do you mean interesting?
  • Rog: go watch him cook it.

https://migrationology.smugmug.com/Japan-Articles/i-QN2vRbQ/0/X2/tokyo-street-food-X2.jpg

all the ingredients and spices are put into a shell

https://migrationology.smugmug.com/Japan-Articles/i-6TtsVDc/0/X2/preparing-japanese-street-food-X2.jpg

and then he burns it with 2 torches from the bottom

https://migrationology.smugmug.com/Japan-Articles/i-h4ZgpRD/0/X2/torched-seafood-tokyo-X2.jpg

after a few seconds, he turned it and seared it from above, directly

https://migrationology.smugmug.com/Japan-Articles/i-kZcQZKW/0/X2/seafood-plate-japan-X2.jpg

served on a disposable paper plate.

  • Rog: now. Go eat it. Especially that white goopy syrup.

  • Kie: you’re being super suspicious right now while eating it anyway

After a few moments of Rogi staring at Kievan eating.

  • Rog: yeah well okay I can’t hold it back. That white thing is Shirako. It’s a Japanese special food

  • Kie: define special

  • Rog: shirako is Cod Sperm.

  • Kie: it spit WHAT?!.. stares at Rogistares at his food again… fuck it. It’s good continues eating

  • Rog: ……… that was an unexpected.

  • Kei: hey, no matter the raw material. good food is just good

Source for this one
Japanese Street Food Seafood Treat (& My First Taste of "Shirako") - YouTube
After that they continued on until they’re full with more snacks like.

Yakitori

https://cdn.theculturetrip.com/images/56-3621379-foodyakitori.jpg

Yakisoba Pan

https://www.justonecookbook.com//wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Yakisoba-Pan-IV-600x900.jpg

Dorayaki

image

some sweet crepes (because somewhy it’s a ‘trendy’ snack there)

https://cdn.theculturetrip.com/images/56-3621353-1422965177bc80fb96e99840518aaeae2fe60d0fc6.jpg

  • and close it with some Ringo Ame

http://muza-chan.net/aj/poze-weblog2/japanese-food-ringo-ame.jpg

sitting on a park bench nearby

  • Kie: oh god, I need a few minutes

  • Rog: same. And I think I can pass dinner, thank you very much

  • Kie: yeah. Same here.

After a few minutes resting, and Rogi almost falling asleep sitting on the bench. Our 2 main characters stand up and are mostly ready to go again.


12) Isami Reaver S45 GR (@Chickenbiscuit )

Roads travelled, Time passed, traffic light misunderstood because apparently even some traffic lights is weird in japan, people almost got hit and car barely able to climb a hill later. They finally arrived at their next dealership.

Cars parked, doors were open, greetings were said, and situation were explained and they are now in front of the next car to be judged.

  • Kie: now. This car is gonna make me shut up for different reason. Maybe.

  • Rog: well… for one. Yes it’s kinda futuristic. But sadly it’s not done that well.

  • Kie: not to mention the complete dissonance from the front to the back. The front alone? Meh. The rear alone? Also meh. But they are like 2 different cars

  • Rog: yeah. I see what you mean. But again. This is another one of those car that are pushing what’s underneath the surface.

  • Kie: do the usual.

  • Rog: double wishbones. Stupid wide wheels, Staggered too. 207hp from 2.2L i4

  • Kie: yeah okay that’s pushing it a bit.

  • Rog: weirder is, the engine. It’s bore and stroke are 82,4 x 105,4. But it’s revving to 6200.

  • Kie: WAT?

  • Rog: exactly

  • Kie: that kind of dimension is like something for an economy car. It’s an economy car engine with a turbo strapped on, And then pushed WAAAAAY too far.

  • Rog: so…. As I was saying. “pushing what’s underneath”…… a bit too far.

  • Kie: yeah, that engine has got nowhere left to go. Heck maybe that engine is already beyond it’s limit. It’s just way too undersquared.

  • Rog: anyway. Interior seems fine, and it’s a 2 seater. Really it’s only main problem is the dissonance between the rear and the front. And the overachiever engine

  • Kie: what happened to you? Suddenly getting aggressive again? This car pushing the wrong buttons for you?

  • Rog: what? No, I’m just as usual?

  • Kie: yeah, well okay. That’s good for me. Just have to take a few pictures now.

  • Rog: I’m…. just gonna wait in the car.

  • Kie: huh?.. uhhh sure……

  • Kie: is he just tired? It feels really off. He usually waits for me while I take the pictures.

After a few minutes Kievan’s done coming to the car Rogi leaning against the car.

  • Kie: hey. I guess we’re done for the day.

  • Rog: yeah. It’s not that late though

  • Kie: oh yeah, about that. I’m almost out of film rolls, can we go to a photo shop somewhere near our inn first? I need to buy some more, and get the ones I have, developed .


Optional Summary 12
  • Rog: can…. Can we do that after we go back to the inn first? Drop our things first?
  • Kie: ??? sure, I guess???
  • Rog: thanks.
  • Kie: say…. What’s been bothering you?
  • Rog: it’s nothing much
  • Kie: I know you. You don’t act like this if it’s nothing big.
  • Rog: ……. Okay. Honestly?
  • Kie: yeah?
  • Rog: something in the snacks earlier hasn’t been sitting right with my stomach. Or we just ate too much of it. So please PLEASE! Get to our inn ASAP?
  • Kie: oh…… OH. RIGHT. OKAY. OKAY. LET’S GO NOW!
  • Rog: yes. Please.

Well, I’ll leave the rest to you to imagine what happened at the inn…… or on the trip to it.


To Be Continued

13 Likes

oh god. i am only just now realizing how inconsistent the photoshop pictures quality are

Rog need to lay off the wasabi.

Since you were asking for more feedback: I’ve been enjoying the near bickering of your two characters, and the culture shock they are experiencing over in Japan (either exaggerate or accurate, I am no pro on Japanese culture of the 80s, or any time period)

As others have said, some are more interested in the final result then the preliminary portion, but so far you are offering a unique segway into your classification and filing system.

I would only recommend at this point for any of the cars your characters end up not test driving, perhaps just a short blurb about why they decided to pass it up so those who entered can have some idea what they did wrong. Like using the name RALLYE.

i’d be giving a summary, in-character as to what they think of for each car. and which they would decide to do a test drive on… or at least… attempt to

(in part because i actually don’t have a ‘finalist list’ yet)

5 Likes

Welp, figured out how I massively screwed up the engine, idk why I didn’t realize it before. It was supposed to be oversquared, not undersquared :confused: . Ah well, thats how we learn.

Morning cometh, sun hath shone brightly since hours passed (I can’t do classical English shit)
Anyway. It’s another ‘morning’ for both of our characters. And they’re already as awake as they can be after last night. god that was a mess


13) J85 SI (@Zabhawkin)

  • Kie: So, what was the brand of the car again?

  • Rog: uhhhhhhh J85? I don’t know.

  • Kie: there’s no logo on the dealer too. Is this gonna be just like last night?

  • Rog: hopefully not.

  • Kie: either way, I got a bad premonition on this one.

So they got out of their car, after finished their morning breakfast, which was a Takoyaki they bought on the way to the dealership. After the usual Rogi Talk, they are escorted to

Entry 13- J85 SI

  • Kie: A HATCHBACK. Oooooooh

  • Rog: a very… ummm… subtly aggressive looking one

  • Kie: can you ask him if this is some sort of mass produced homologation race car or something? The tires are really big. Not stupidly big, but on something this small, it looks massive, just like on a race car.

  • Rog: he said no, but it has the same platform as a car they used to race in the past

  • Kie: hmm. Well probably would still have something similar, though maybe not so significant. But technicalities for later. How’s the look for you?

  • Rog: it’s, um……… like a Porsche 911. but backwards.

  • Kie: what? How does this look like a Porsche? And backwards?

  • Rog: oh, I mean, not as in the styling. But rather the shape of the body

  • Kie: explain

  • Rog: you know the 911 has that ‘reverse teardrop’ shape right? Well this looks like a teardrop. Somewhat.

  • Kie:…… takes a second. Steps back from the car. hmmmmm I guess I can see what you mean. But still. The wheel arches, so wide, just to accommodate those tires. But aside from those 2 very prominent ‘features’
    Rog: it looks happy. I feel like this is a car that people either love, or hate, and not much people in the middle.personally I’m slightly on the former side. It doesn’t really look that good. It feels like it’s not sure what it’s trying to be

  • Kie: I dunno, I kinda like it, it looks happy, peppy, cheery. It feels like it’d lift me up when I’m down. That is, if it doesn’t break down when I need it. But, it does look like there isn’t THAT much care given to it.

  • Rog: oh btw. whispers the brand is DMA. It at least has a badge on it.

  • Kie: heh. Anyway, can we get in?

  • Rog: I think it’s unlocked opens door yeah, get in

  • Kie: sits down oooh, this is an unexpectedly comfortable seat, more comfortable than any car in this price has any business being.

  • Rog: it’s only a 2 seater though.

  • Kie: it’s a hatchback. Probably a hot hatchback, just like those European ones. Now, technical stuff?

  • Rog: okay. Huh, this car is unexpectedly heavy for the size. 979kg.

  • Kie: well. This seat and the various features it has probably has something to say about that.

  • Rog: okay. So, 2.3L i4, DOHC 4v, 137hp

  • Kie: now that sounds like a lot more reasonable numbers. But these damn Japanese cars are really pushing their valvetrain technology huh. We still got almost nothing but OHV by our local brands.

  • Rog: yeah, but they’re small. The advantage of the OHV is small, so we can fit a big engine, making big torque. These Japanese engines are big, relative to their capacity. And although not as much torque, they’re making good power for the size.

  • Kie: hey hey, I’m supposed to be the geek here. That’s the kind of answer I’d give.

  • Rog: haha, I got carried away there. Anyway, what’s ne… it’s AWD. This small thing is AWD

  • Kie: what?

  • Rog: you heard me.5 speed manual transferred to all 4 wheels and the tires are 235mm wide, on alloy rims. Variable speed PS, and ABS available too.

  • Kie: so. This is another one that’s packed to the brim. And then more. On less?

  • Rog: I guess you could put it that way. Anything else?

  • Kie: just one. What’s the fuel eco like?

  • Rog: it’s actually pretty good. They’re claiming 9km/l

  • Kie: damn Japanese. They also got a leg up on us on that part too. Why aren’t we doing this more back home?

  • Rog: shrug

  • Kie: sigh well anyway. Let’s move.

  • Rog: OH. ONE MORE THING. The price!

  • Kie: what about it? takes a look at the brochure. that’s… just a second…

  • Rog: that’s UNDER $15k

  • Kie: !!!

!!!!!openme!!!!!

https://www.awesomegifs.com/wp-content/uploads/face-folding-kirk-googly-eyes.gif

  • Kie: I NEED ME ONE OF THESE!!! But that’s for later though. And then there’s the import stuff. I’m so gonna find out how to import this once we’re back home…. That is, if the test drive is actually as good as the numbers say. But for now. Let’s go

The salesman was thanked. The car was left, the dealer door was opened and then closed. Steps were taken. Cars starter whirred. And they arrived at……… a broken car. Again.


Optional Interlude 13
  • Kie: ugh. What now?

  • Rog: just pop open the hood

After popping the hood, the both of them walked to the front of their car to see…… or to not see

  • Kie: the starter belt is gone?!?!?!?!?!?

  • Rog: I guess it was already loose and we never paid attention to it, so somewhere along the road it just fell off?

  • Kie: yeah okay. Look around, It’s possible for it to fall not far from glances left here…… it’s…. there. On the road near the entryway

  • Rog: uhhh, lucky us? I’ll go get it.

Few moments later, they are now trying to put the belt back on, without a problem…. Which they thought was weird

  • Kie: that was way too easy. I’m not convinced. And it’s super floppy, we need a new belt
  • Rog: but where are we going to get a belt for this car?

Kie: we’ll look along the way to the next dealer. For now, try starting it

Rogi jumped in the car and start the car, almost no problem

  • Rog: hehe, like a kitty?

  • Kie: sadly, not quite. The belt is HORRIBLE. And the mounting method is not helping, it’s so floppy it could fall off again anytime.

  • Rog: I got quite a bit of a crazy idea. Now that the car’s running. Just take the belt off again. It’s easy to put on and get off anyway right? Just until we get a proper belt

  • Kie: that’s the kind of sketchy things my dad used to do on his car…… but I guess that’s better than losing the belt again, I guess?

  • Rog: well it also doesn’t affect anything else does it? There’s almost nothing attached to the engine anyway.

  • Kie: well… i guess so. now, it’s time to move.


14) Satomoto GX (@Lenraj)

Interlude 13 continuation

Arriving the next dealer, without success of finding a new belt. They are now arguing over whether to just leave the car running and make this a short one. Or deal with it again, once they’re done with this one. After about a wasteful 3 minutes, they agreed to actually leave it running, but Kievan would have to pay for the belts later.

  • Kie: right. Let’s make this one shorter…… I’m guessing that’s the car we want to…… or to not look at?

  • Rog: I’ll just confirm it and get the usual stuff. You go ahead

Kievan walked up to the car. Around it. And stopped

  • Kie: oh man, it’s another one of those isn’t it?

  • Rog: yes. This is the car. And skimming through the brochure, and seeing the car. Yes, it seems that way

  • Kie: if you look at it dead ahead. It’s not bad. But nowhere close to ‘awesome’ though. But fall short quite literally everywhere else. There’s nothing on the side at all except for the door handle and fuel cap. Not even a side repeater? Is that even legal over here?

  • Rog: take a look again. There is one. Just ridiculously tiny. And low down, up front.

  • Kie: so, still, practically none? And then the rear. Again, by itself, no, even by itself it’s literally just the bare minimum splat on, and the designer just called it a day. Not to mention it has no cohesion with the front, And the… uhh the side has, nothing. You get what I mean.

  • Rog: so skipping to the technical bit then?

  • Kie: yes please.

  • Rog: double wishbone

  • Kie: I KNEW IT!

  • Rog: on the rear only. You’re too fast to conclusion. That part’s reasonable

  • Kie: oh, yeah, okay that is. But still, what about everything else?

  • Rog: let’s see. 5 speed manual, alloy rims, disc all around, nothing too un…. Oh. It seems the seats are a lot like the last car we just saw. A lot of features in them. Has ABS… but no power steering

  • Kie: what? And what’s the weight?

  • Rog: Just a touch under 1.1ton.

  • Kie: what are they thinking then? If it’s something below 900kg, I can tolerate it. They can just play with the steering ratio to make it lighter. But 1.1. sigh Next. Engine?

  • Rog: as you have expected. 2L i4 turbo DOHC 4v, making 155hp. and somewhy it advertises individual throttle body too. Just slightly overachieving…. Until you see they’re also putting in here their engine efficiency. 22.3%. which is quite in line with the fuel economy it’s advertising. 11.5km/l, or about 27mpg.

  • Kie: okay the engine, other than the mostly useless ITB, it actually pretty impressive then.

  • Rog: apparently

  • Kie: well we’re done right? Go out to the car first. I’m gonna get a few shots and catch up with you.

Rogi thanked the sales and ran out to the car. While Kievan takes a few photos first, and then go out catch Rogi, but not before hitting the door head on while walking out, because he was nervous while trying to greet the salesman in japanese that he forgot to actually open the door.


Optional Lazy 14

Okay I’m feeling lazy this time around. So fuck making a dialog for this. Here. Another random trivia. Tissue Pack Marketing. Putting your marketing shit on a tissue packaging is probably a good idea. Since people are more likely to keep it because it’s useful, so they’re also more likely to read it. Compared to paper brochures. But I’ve never seen it or heard it being down anywhere else outside of japan though.


15) BM Aurora 300IT (@TheElt)

Driving into the parking lot, getting out their car, still looking defeated over not finding a replacement belt for their car. They walk into the dealer, not sad, but a bit vigorless. Rogi do the unexpected and do a barrel roll inside the dealer…. No just kidding. He does the usual talk to the salesman, Which Kievan never actually figure out what he’s actually saying. But after a bit they are escorted to

  • Kie: A WAGON!!! Wait. A Wagon??? You sure you asked right? A sport car or a car for car enthusiasts at least?

  • Rog: uhhh yes? Just give me a second then talks to the salesman again

  • Kievan walks around the car while waiting. Just out of pure curiousity, not really expecting this to actually be the car.

  • Rog: yeah, this is the best they have at this price point he says. It’s more for the enthusiast that still needs everyday practicality. It’s a 5 seater to back that claim.

  • Kie: okay then. Anyway. The looks.

  • Rog: not quite sure. It looks good for sure. But something doesn’t quite sit right with me.

  • Kie: same. Actually, I think it’s because of the same reasons as the previous cars. the front, and sides looks really cool. But again, the backside doesn’t fit right with the rest of the car

  • Rog: I guess. But it’s not as bad of an offender as the previous ones. It still tries to retain the same ‘blocky’ and ‘edge-y’ theme. But the execution isn’t as great.

  • Kie: yeah. It’s ‘good enough’ I’d say. Anyway. What’s the technical stuff on this one? Since it’s a wagon, and it has this TURBO badge on the front.

  • Rog: it’s actually kind of not great but also great at the same time.

  • Kie: that doesn’t explain enough.

  • Rog: okay. For one. It’s an AWD

  • Kie: we’ve seen a number of that already.

  • Rog: but it has 5 seats as well. So it weighs over 1.2 tons.

  • Kie: oogh. That’s pretty bad. Then again we saw 2 of them already

  • Rog: oh that’s not the bad part. The bad part is this car has ABS but doesn’t has any power steering

  • Kie: owh. That is bad

  • Rog: and then the turbo thing. It’s a big 3L i6 with 4 valves DOHC.

  • Kie: ooh advanced as expected.

  • Rog: not quite. It has a turbo, but it’s the old journal bearing turbo, compared to the previous cars we’ve seen

  • Kie: oh cmon, if configured right it could still be quite good.

  • Rog: through an intercooler, and then through 3 DCOE carbs.

  • Kie: oh. Well that sounds like it would be a complete pain in the ass to work on. It’s trying to be too much stuff at once. Especially at this price range. It’s a ‘practical’ car with a completely ‘impractical’ engine. It’s trying to be everything, while providing very little or none of that ‘everything’

  • Rog: well…. Uhh. I think you summarized this car enough? Probably a shorter one is ‘a jack of all trades but a master of none’?

  • Kie: that’d work too. Btw. What’s the horsepower number anyway?
    Rog: oh that part is actually rather good. 187hp

  • Kie: hmmm it is. But I’d actually drop the turbo for power steering though. And swap it for at least a single point injection that’s easier to work on. That’d work to make it a practical car. Plus with 3L of displacement, the displacement alone would be enough to make up the power.

  • Rog: that part I think I can agree on. So let’s get inside?

  • Kie: nah. I think we’ve seen enough.

  • Rog: sure then.

And such is their story to start their journey to try to start the car again.


Optional Interlude 15

To push start, or to put the belt on again?

  • Kie: I’m not sure if the starter motor using a separate belt is a curse of a blessing

  • Rog: huh?

  • Kie: I mean, on one side. It’s great that it’s separate so the car could still run. Once it starts, that is. But on the other side, it’s another extra component to ‘break’, which it did on us., but then we circle back again, if the starter motor didn’t use a separate belt, the car is useless because everything else can’t run because there’s no belt.

  • Rog: well. I’m more surprised that it’s not using a chain to drive the camshaft at all. But I guess with such little engine and such little power, a belt is enough?

  • Kie: anyway, which way are we gonna start the car this time?

  • Rog: sigh pop the hood please

  • Kie: pulls the hood release and here’s the belt hands over the belt to Rogi
    A few moments later

  • Rog: okay, start it.

  • Kievan starts the car…… which barely cranks, but purrs to life after a bit

  • Rog: and the battery is also going to shit. Don’t know if we’ll have to change it too. Such piece of shit

  • Kie: wow, strong language there. Do you really hate this car that much?

  • Rog: yes. And it’s not like you don’t swear more than I do

  • Kie: yeah but I throw them anytime anywhere like it’s nothing, so it’s almost meaningless when I say them. But you’re not one to swear much, so when you do swear, it means a lot more than when I’m the one swearing

  • Rog: …… huh. I’ve never thought about it like that. Anyway. Let’s just go now.


16) LHE Satalite Seiko (@Lordred)

  • Rog: now this is a brand I’d never thought exist in japan.

  • Kie: I could say the same. But we’re still going though.

  • Rog: of course. I didn’t say otherwise

Few minutes later they arrived at the dealership. Or well. Close to it.

  • Kie: fuck. The Cops. I’m just gonna go past them peacefully and park somewhere further along.

  • Rog: probably a good idea. What are they doing here?

  • Kie: don’t know, don’t care. There, I’m just gonna park there in front of the convenience store. And let’s get something to not make the shop owner annoyed too

  • Rog: sure. I guess I could use some drinks

After they parked their car, they go in the store and grab some drink and snacks. Throw them in the car, and then they walked to the dealership. Do the usual. And poof. There’s the green goblin, I mean car. The thing’s green ffs.

  • Sales: well sir, I think I can safely assume that you 2 are from America?

  • Kie: yes we are, wait a second. A fellow American?

  • Sales: yes, well I saw you 2 from my office and decided to greet you myself

  • Rog: wait. Office? Are you, the manager of this place?

  • Mana: yes sir, I am the general manager of this dealership, I am also one of the representative of LHE sent from America

  • Kie: oh nice. No more stuff that I understand nothing about

  • Mana: so, from your gear, I think I can also safely assume that you 2 are journalists?

  • Rog: yes we are.

  • Mana: okay. Should I start with the history of this model then?

  • Rog: sure

Kievan seemed like he doesn’t care about it and takes a walk around the car instead.

  • Mana: so, I guess that you’re thinking that this kind of reminds you of the cars back home doesn’t it?

  • Kie: turns head uhh. Yes. It very much does so.

  • Mana: well it’s because it is a platform that was original developed for the USDM and came out in 1982, and now we’ve made several improvements to fit the Japanese market better and along with that, we’ve also done quite significant changes to the look of the car as was requested of the feedback we received from the original model we sold here. So you may or may not recognize this car.

  • Kie: uhh, frankly I didn’t really follow LHE cars too much even back home. Sorry

  • Rog: I’m also not quite sure what model it is

  • Mana: haha, doesn’t matter. It’s different enough from a lot of aspect from the USDM version anyway. So. How do you like the car?

  • Kie: well the outwardly appearance is good. It’s simple but works. It still has character. American car character that is. I don’t know how that would fit the market here, but we’re American journalist and we’re seeing it as Americans anyway…

  • Rog: But that wing. It’s just for looks right?

  • Mana: yes, it’s mostly just for looks, it has some function, but it’s also optional. You can order it without the wing if you don’t like it.

  • Rog: yeah. Personal preference, but I feel like it fits that well

  • Kie: what are you saying. It looks great. It fits the car too.

  • Rog: I said personal preference. I’ll hold mine and you hold yours.

  • Kie: okay let’s jump inside.

  • Mana: right, this car is a fully fledged 4 seater, with actual useable rear seats despite being a 2 door coupe. Everything inside has soft touch plastic.

  • Kie: hmm…… I don’t see anything to be faulted here. Maybe even good enough. So technicalities?

  • Rog: ah right, I didn’t ask for the brochures yet.

  • Mana: I’ll give you that later, for you I can just tell you what you want to know.

  • Kie: let’s start with the drivetrain then. FR? F-AWD?

  • Mana: actually. It’s front wheel drive.

  • Rog: Front?

  • Kie: what he said.

  • Mana: yes it is a Front wheel drive car for now, but depending on the demands of the market, the platform readily accepts an AWD layout.

  • Kie: that’s…… interesting to say the least. Okay then. Engine?

  • Mana: this has a turbo 2.3L i4 with 3 valves per cylinder. Pushing air through a twin of DCOE carburetor.

  • Kie: DCOE carb again? The last car also used the same setup, and that just sounds painful to work on.

  • Mana: it’s from the feedback we get from our last generation. We sold a lot more cars that was equipped with the DCOE carb compared to the one with throttle body injection

  • Kie: yeah but ‘last generation’ we just got out of the 70s. and it’s now the mid 80s. it surely SHOULD have improved. Well, it’s probably some sort of business decisions I don’t understand.

  • Rog: pardon my friend here, he is quite the blunt one you could say. Anyway, what’s the end result? What’s the figures?

  • Mana: 164hp and 242Nm. It should be more than enough for a front wheel drive machine such as this.

  • Rog: well, what’s the weight of the car?

  • Mana: Just a touch over 1.1ton. and it has power steering equipped as standard. I also forgot to mention this car also has an optional LSD if you wish to opt for that

  • Rog: a 164hp FWD car, in this market? Who wouldn’t? hahaha. anyway, I’m afraid we have to go on and look at other cars. thank you for your time sir. We’ll contact you again when we want to book a test drive for further reviews

  • Mana: why yes, of course. And let me get you the brochure and price list.
    The 2 of them walked to the door, while the manager grabbed the papers and gave it to them just as they are walking out.

  • Rog: so, any verdict to the car?

  • Kie: not yet. I’m split. Everything is executed nicely. Except that it’s an FF machine, and the engine is ancient

  • Rog: says the guy who loves his old, big OHV.

  • Kie: hey, OHV does have an advantage that It can be big in displacement to overcome most of other problems. That was a i4 engine.

  • Rog: well suit yourself, Hypocrite

  • Kie: …


Optional Interlude 16

On the way home, they decided to drop by the dealership they bought the car from to try their luck if they could find the starter motor belt. After a while of scrounging in the backyards, because the dealer said they don’t have any new parts but they can find it themselves on the junk pile. They actually found one in decent condition, and paid for it. Fortunately for Kievan that said he was gonna pay for the belt. Because it was a junk part, it costs him only as much as 2 cans of coffee
On the way back to the inn
Rog: you lucky bastard. You owe me dinner
Kie: wow, hey now. Our agreement was just that I pay for the belt
Rog: yes, but that was practically candies worth of change
Kie: hey, we also never agreed on any monetary values
Rog: fine. I’ll back down. You owe me a can of coffee. Or at least a bottle of green tea.
Kie: eh……. Fine. That’s fair enough I guess.
Rog: and a bottle of sake
Kie: HEY. No
Rog: shared.
Kie: ……. Fine. But only because it want some too, and not because I’m paying for you.


To be continued. again :stuck_out_tongue:

16 Likes

I would like to report one error. LHE didnt chose DCOE for popularity, LHE is still devolping FI, and will introduce MPFI in '86


17) Nagoya Falcon (@undercoverhardwarema)

(your car does not escape my judgement!)

It’s already 11AM again. Our ‘heroes’ are on their way to their first dealer of the day.

  • Kie: I may jinx us, I may not…… but so far… we haven’t gotten in any problem with the police yet. Heck I don’t think we have seen that many police have we?

  • Rog: true. But you also see how everyone is. There’s so few outliers except for in some places. And they all just conforms. Everyone is tidy and suited up. Walked in line. Even at one of the ramen shop we went to, it was noisy, but it was eating sounds noisy. Not people talking noisy. Nobody talked. Just ate and leave without a word.

  • Kie: oh, yeah. That place. It was so creepy. Partitioned tables. Individual eating space. It’s like we’re robots and it’s maintenance time for us or something. Let’s avoid that kind of shop again.

  • Rog: hey, I can see the building from here. We’re…… close?

  • Kie: oh no. it’s another weird one…… and in the morning too

And for reasons, they decided to park their car not on the dealership parking lot, but on the side of the street, a bit away from the dealership. They walked into the dealership. Which was actually a white painted, stacked and connected, modified shipping containers. Lots of them. But, braving it and talked to the salesman. In a bit, they were pointed to the ummm. ‘nagoya falcon’

  • Kie: uhhhh what? did he pointed us to the wrong car? This looks like someone’s unfinished project kit car.

  • Rog: uhhhhh no. he is sure this is the one.

Kievan turns and walks away

  • Rog: hey hey hey. Where are you going?

  • Kie: are you blind? This place is a joke right? This whole thing is a joke? Look at that thing, this is not something you sell. I’m 100% sure that’s just the chassis for another car, they dulled it out, and then put the bare minimum legal fixtures from some other car’s parts bin and called it a day. Even for a project car this is just on another level of low man. there’s ugly. And then there’s just no effort. So even if you say otherwise. I’m taking my veto say we’re not going anywhere closer to that car. If you prefer not to regard my vote, it’s fine, you can stay, but I’ll be getting some coffee at the store we went by.
    Kievan walks out of the ‘building’ and went to the store nearby. Rogi was a dumbfounded and stood still for a bit, but then followed Kievan out without another word


Optional Interlude 17
  • Rog: even for you, that was…

  • Kie: harsh. I know. It’s not like I’m unconscious or drunk you know. But I really just got my fuse lit on that kind of car. Plain and feels like there’s no thought put into them. Just like I really don’t like bottom of the barrel economy car. I just feel like the designer, or engineer, or whoever underestimates what a car is.

  • Rog: but they…

  • Kie: they have a place, yes. It’s understandable why they exist. Not everyone is as lucky as us. But that can’t stop me from having a feeling towards that genre of car can it? It’s just a feeling after all. And I’m not acting on that feeling too.

  • Rog: hmmmm you actually thought about your decision more than I thought you did, didn’t you

  • Kie: probably. Wait…… did you just underestimated me or something?

  • Rog: what? No, of course not. hey, what kind of beans do they use in this coffee btw? Do you know?

  • Kie: you’re trying to change the subject here.

  • Rog: ………… maybe

  • Kie: whatever. Time to go, and then grab some lunch after

After their coffee break and chit chat, they started, or rather, push started the car and went off to the next car to be subjectively judge by them.
(this was basically a rant from me)


18) Nohda Levy Prowler V8 (@Dorifto_Dorito)

Arriving at the next dealership. They see nothing is off. They see nothing is quirky. They see nothing weird. Just a normal looking car dealer

  • Kie: after we’ve been through so much weird dealerships. We’re now getting weirded out by a normal looking dealership. The Japanese weirdness has finally rubbed onto us

  • Rog: i’m on the same page. I’m so on edge right now, that I feel like I’m gonna actually actively look for something that’s weird and unusual just so I have be at my ‘normal weirded’ out level.

  • Kie: well. By the name of this car you’ve noted down. We got a V8 on our hands. So I guess it’s weird enough compared to the i6 and i4s?

  • Rog: maybe. Though I actually thought we’d see more V8 than we do…. But then again. V8 AND engine tech is expensive. So we’ll see

They both walked in. do the blablablablabla. And poof they’re in front of the car. I didn’t feel like typing too much interlude when I was typing this. So there.

  • Kie: well I can say this on the first impression. It makes a damn heavy impression on the first glance. This car may be following the small and sporty ‘trucks’ that is starting to gain traction back home.

  • Rog: yeah. Those are pretty stupid…… and so is this.

  • Kie: oooh? This is a side of you I didn’t know about. You hate these sporty small trucks? Why though?

  • Rog: it’s a damn truck. You need a truck to do work. And move at a decent pace continuously. Not to move fast. We have a lot of sport car options for that, even back home. Compromising on both is just stupid. You’re not moving as fast, it’s not as engaging, and you haul less stuff. And you also have the extra weight of a truck to haul around all the time. Not to mention the fuel economy also goes down while not making you go any faster

  • Kie: heh. Fair point. But well. We are here judging a SPORT car. So we’ll mostly only judge the sport car aspect of it. And whatever it has extra is just, well, extra. An extra at what cost though.

  • Rog: okay. Anyway. What do you think of the exterior first?

  • Kie: the front does it’s job well. But the side and back side is just not as ‘menacing’ as the front end is. It’s not bad. It’s just inconsistent. Either make the front end a little bit more bland or spice up the rear and side part. It’s not bad. But the designer could’ve done better. Still a lot better than some of the car we’ve seen though.

  • Rog: well I’m just not going to comment much on the exterior. I’m trying to be objective but I’m failing at every step here.

  • Kie: well let’s go inside then

  • Rog: hmmm 5 seats. Rather basic entertainment systems. But I guess they have to cut somewhere to fit into the price point. Power steering. ABS is available too…… but they seem a bit weak for the weight of the car.

  • Kie: weight and brake config?

  • Rog: 1327KG. 270mm front disc with 2 piston calipers. And rear disc is 215 single piston

  • Kie: nah that sounds like the bare minimum to me. Which is not ideal. Could do better with slight brake upgrade, say, more aggressive brake pads. But it’s not bad. Next. Anything interesting before the engine?

  • Rog: yeah. It has a solid axle on the back

  • Kie: huh, they’re really going for the truck usability huh. Anything else

  • Rog: yes, and this is an even more stupid decision on a stupid car. Reverse staggered the wheel. Even though it’s so ridiculously thin already,

  • Kie: wait, what?

steps out of car to check the tire markings

  • Kie: oh yeah. True. that is actually pretty stupid. It’s reasonable if it’s a race front wheel drive car. But this is far from it. Plus…. Such thin tires, are they also cutting corners here? But…… by using different sized wheel they nullified the saving by needing to use 2 different tire size though. I dunno. It’s just plainly stupid. Okay. Engine. Hehehehe

  • Rog: it’s so American. It’s a lazy low revving V8. They say it’s a 6L V8, but it’s really a 5.9L, making a lot of torque as expected, and actually a rather impressive 187hp at least, for a Japanese model.

  • Kie: so we can take a verdict already I guess?

  • Rog: yes please. Whatever it takes to move on from this car.

  • Kie: well basically. Except for the relatively powerful engine. This is not a sport car. Just happens to be a relatively good, practical small truck that has power. Which actually what we have back home too.

  • Rog: so we can move on now?

  • Kie: okay, okay. We’ll go now

The both of them thanked the……… where’s the salesman? Nevermind. They couldn’t find the salesman, which was weird, so they just stepped out of the dealership. Still silence.
Rog: okay this is both weird, but it also is weirdly making me calm.
Kie: I get you, but I don’t think this weirdness rubbing on us will be good for us when we go back home.


Optional Joke 18

want another joke? It’s my life. I’m able to do this challenge because I have been jobless for a bit too long


19) Chaihatsu Darade (@ramthecowy)

  • Kie: How lucky are we that the next dealer is actually only about 100m apart from the last one.

  • Rog: yes. It’s nice to take a bit of a walk too. I’m getting cramped everytime we’re in that car and I’m really starting to really hate our decision to buy that

  • Kie: oh cmon. There’s only a few left car on the list. Just bear it for a few more days. And hey. We’ll be test driving them too. So you can get yourself comfortable as much as you want in them

  • Rog: if the car’s actually comfortable at all

  • Kie: uhhh… well … I guess so…… anyway……………. Are you seeing what I’m seeing?

  • Rog: ………. Oh……… god……… no……… is that?

  • Kie: yup. I’m pretty convinced that’s the car we’re gonna see this time.

  • Rog: WHYYYYYY…… at least WHY NOW!!! Just as I was talking about starting to get claustrophobic in our mouse sized car…. And now there’s another small hatchback we’re seeing. Can I skip this o… while trying to walk away

  • Kie: _grab Rogi’s hand_oh hell no. you know these hot hatches are great fun. At least the European made ones.

  • Rog: yes. But not now. I’m not in the mood to be cramming myself in more claustrophobic spaces.

  • Kie: shut it…. Actually no. just start talking to the salesman. Just get it done as soon as possible you know?

  • Rog: sigh fine. lazily talks to the salesman about ‘the usual shit’

  • Kie: walks straight to the car…… and walks around it

  • Rog: can we just do this and get it over with?

  • Kie: sure. So what I think of

  • Rog: I really can’t be assed to hear your opinion on this car right now. Just write them down

  • Kie: partypooper

  • Rog: ……

Kievan’s note:

  • The looks is finally consistent from front to back. I was getting tired of that.

  • Simple. But not looks…… charismatic/has character

  • 2+3 seater. Bench on the back. Would make sense but weird config. There won’t be enough space for 3 on the back on a car this small. So that’s probably just for regulation or something?

  • Simple radio stack. so and so

  • Disc front and drums back I guess good enough for the size and probably weight (it’s 826.5kg it’s enough)

  • Kie: so. Just read me the technicalities.

  • Rog: right…… ughhhhh… it has an inline 3. with turbo. Huh…. Making 99hp

  • Kie: damn they’re pushing the engine real hard. That’d be either really fun on the road. Or a mess because of the turbo lag.

  • Rog: it’s a sideways mounted engine. Front wheel drive. 5 speed. Really wide tire for the weight too. Which is 826.5kg

  • Kie: oh yeah, okay that’s really light. It’s… is it the lightest car we’ve had so far?

  • Rog: don’t recall it from the top of my head. It could be up there…… I mean down there…. I mean… the lightness

  • Kie: is that even a word?

  • Rog: don’t question me. You get what I mean. It’s light. Period.

  • Kie: fair. Anything else

  • Rog: just power steering… no ABS too.

  • Kie: it’s so light with such wide tires, I don’t think it’s so critically important.

  • Rog: one more thing…… it’s pennies

  • Kie: blinks eyes Excuse me?

  • Rog: wait a sec……(not catching what Kievan noticed and what he just said)………. it’s just slightly more than $11.5k in our money

  • Kie: (trying to shrug it off)………… are you saying this is another car that I just have to import?

  • Rog: I’m not implying you should do that. But I’ve never been able to stop you anyway. Well. Almost never.

  • Kie: almost??? When have you ever actually stopped me?

  • Rog: yes. Remember that girl I told you not to fuck and it turns out the next guy that fucked her ends up with syphilis

  • Kie: ….oh… right…. That bitch……turns out to be a new junkie… okay yeah. Fair I still thank you for that.

  • Rog: you should listen to others more too. You’re taking steps there, but you still have some way to go.

  • Kie: okay…… but why have this ‘car review’ became a personal talk…. I thought you said you wanted to get it done quick

  • Rog: I still do…. I’m still waiting for you to say we’re done.

  • Kie: well apart from taking a few pics. I am done.

  • Rog: good. Go and do it

Kievan took some picture of the cars. thanked the………. Where’s the salesman?

  • Kie: is this area of the city haunted or something? The salesman…… and actually everybody is gone…. This is the 2nd time now. I’m having a really bad feeling about this

  • Rog: runs to the door and open it phew. We’re not locked in. let’s actually leave ASAP please?

  • Kie: no qualms there.

They run back to their car push started it and ran away from that area as fast as their car could go


Optional Interlude 19
  • Rog: okay, now that we’re out…… where are we going?

  • Kie: I dunno. You’re supposed to be the navigator.

  • Rog: well since we ran blindly away…… I dunno where we are anymore

  • Kie: ……… you could speak japanese. Go ask someone where we are. I’ll stop here and wait

  • Rog: get out of the car and disappears

10 minutes later

  • Kie: what the hell were you doing? How did asking for direction took 10 minutes?

  • Rog: jumps in the car with some suspicious black plastic bag uhhhhhh…. Let’s say I got…… distracted

  • Kie: with that? points at the bag you bought something suspicious again didn’t you? Cmon man. we’re not at home here. Don’t try to do something stupid again

  • Rog: hey. What do you mean something suspicious? I take offense to all of what you just said. There’s no harm in buying some fun things occasionally.

  • Kie: no harm you say…… how about that time you stuck a seat and a steering wheel on your modified lawnmower and almost got smooshed by a lorry?

  • Rog: I just didn’t use a thick enough steel rod so the steering broke. That was a mistake.

  • Kie: or how you tried to strap a whole bunch of firework to the back of your bike trying to improvise a rocket?

  • Rog: and it worked! Kinda. It was too slow

  • Kie: while almost setting fire to 2 of your neighbors and got you detained for 3 days

  • Rog: ………

  • Kie: and how you tried to make a jet engine out of a scrapped turbo which ends up you burning yourself. You’re lucky the propane tank didn’t blow up.

  • Rog: ………

  • Kie: or how you tried to…

  • Rog: okay. Okay. I get it. I like to do shady unsafe stuff. But trust me it’s nothing dangerous.

  • Kie: nonono, that one was pretty awesome though. The one where you took a scrapped truck, lifted the whole body and stuck a sofa and a steering wheel on the chassis…… and it was an old V8 powered truck too. Just please…… make a belt for the sofa on thing. We were almost throwing ourselves onto the engine every time you brake.

  • Rog: oh yeah. I still need to do that.

  • Kie: now please guide us onto the next dealer?

  • Rog: ah, right. Give me a second to map the path

a few minutes of bantering later, and they are off again


20) Interceptor Turbolicious (@Luilakkie)

After about half an hour of getting lost……… actually. They’re in japan. When are they not actually lost?
Anyway, they took a lot longer than they planned to reach the dealership Parked their car. Walked in the dealership. And

Entry 20- Interceptor Turbolicious

  • Kie: whooaaaah… it has a fucking strong first impression. That color is just so fuckingly, strikingly, aggressively, striking.

  • Rog: you’re not making sense here, not to mention…. Is fuckingly even a word?

  • Kie: do you have to ask that every time? you get what I mean. It’s yellow and green at the same time.

  • Rog: uhhhh, sure

  • Kie: it’s not a color that is normally offered from the factory at all. The paint itself must have contributed quite a bit to the car’s price.

  • Rog: well either way. It’s another shy salesman again. I got the papers if you want to get to it

  • Kie: wait wait wait… I’m trying my hardest to look beyond the paint here. It’s just so striking. It’s hard to.

  • Rog: well I can. It’s actually not that pretty beyond the paint. Both front and back. It’s okay though. Just okay.

  • Kie: I dunno. I can’t. I give up. But the paint is a love/hate thing for me……. It’s just trying so hard to be striking it’s getting a bit cringy…… at the same time… it works. For me…….

  • Rog: well… it doesn’t for me. Well let’s get inside now.

  • Kie: I’m getting on the driver si…opens door… watdefak

  • Rog: ………… I guess I’ll be sitting in the back then?

  • Kie: 1+2 seater???

  • Rog: uhhhh I’ll let you contemplate on the seating arrangement they chose while I read the papers

  • Kie: I’m not. I’m at a loss for words.

  • Rog: well. 3.4 i6. I think it’s the biggest engine have seen so far. Apart from the 6L V8 from the last car.

  • Kie: okay. Is it an ancient tech big engine though?

  • Rog: nah. SOHC. 4 valves. Making… oh god. 260hp.

  • Kie: ……… okay I’m starting to connect the dots here.

  • Rog: which is?

  • Kie: just continue first

  • Rog: …. Uhhhh right. Alumunium panels. 1000.4KG. 4 speed. LSD comes standard it seems. And I don’t see much else… full disc brakes. Power steering is there. No ABS though. That’s about it

  • Kie: yup. I think that’s it

  • Rog: what’s it?

  • Kie: this is…. They are trying to make a supercar for the average joe for a budget. Or whatever’s a ‘joe’ equivalent in Japanese naming scheme.

  • Rog: oh…… OH…. Oh yeah. Okay, that kinda makes sense now. Big power, lightweight, minimal equipments.

  • Kie: so I’m not sure as to how to judge it. I think we’ll have to think about it more thoroughly later. For now. I’m tired and I want some dinner and then make myself snore.

  • Rog: right. Now do your stuff with the pictures and such and we’ll be done here

Kievan steps out of the car and took some pictures of the car…… with barely any success due to the paint color, and said ‘fuck it’ and just took as much picture as possible, almost exhausting an entire roll of film just for this one car. And the both of them exit out the building and end their day here


Optional Lazy 20

Since I’m getting lazy on doing these interludes again and I’m already way beyond what I planned as in. I ‘m pretty much writing a small book with 64 pages in Ms Word without even the final summary. Here.

Some of you might have watched/heard it already. But it’s totally worth your time. It’s super nsfw though. Not as in porn nsfw. More like can’t get your mind to forget it afterwards and focus on your job nsfw
- YouTube

honestly. it’s worth it


13 Likes

i’m sorry for this part taking so long. one of the recent hotfixes made my game consistently crash every 2 or 3 car that i opened. so it just killed my motivation even more, as i was already a bit burnt out. (i ain’t doing such long 1st round reviews again image).

this last 2 cars were already done quite some time ago, but i intended this last part to come at the same time as the summary. but with said bug killing my motivation, i’ll be pushing that another day or 2. i promise it wont take longer than 2 days for the summary.

so. have fun :slight_smile:



21) Ibishu Covetta LS (@phale)

So this time they finally learned their lesson. Lessen down on the alcohol. And such there is less mess. And less slapping and sadly, less boobs that got groped but in return. They can wake up earlier and be fresher in the morning right? Who are they kidding. Because they thought there’s only 2 more cars left to see today, they purposefully overslept anyway. So when the time they got up it’s almost 11am again. But, alas. They are finally ready again. And are just entering the next dealership area.

  • Kie: I can see the car…… and it looks pretty…. Uhhhh

  • Rog: pretty?

  • Kie: nope let’s just go inside and let me see it closer first before I decide any further.

  • Rog: fair enough.

Got out of the car. Walked through the dealership door. The salesman approached them. Rogi does Rogi things. Kievan does other stupid things such as barrel rolling towards the car. Can you imagine that? You can? If you can and you did. Good for you. But just keep that in your head because Kievan didn’t do that. He just walked a bit weird while walking towards the car.

  • Kie: nnnnnnnnnnyyyeeh…… nyeh

  • Rog: nyeh?

  • Kie: nyeh

  • Rog: what even is nyeh?

  • Kie: nyeh. The nyeh looks car…… wait

  • Rog: the car looks nyeh?

  • Kie: yes.

  • Rog: still doesn’t explain what ‘nyeh’ is to me.

  • Kie: basically. ‘so-and-so’

  • Rog: basically?

  • Kie: do I really have to explain everything to you? What I mean is. It’s not ugly. But it’s also nowhere near good looking. It’s just ‘passable’. I haven’t heard about anything underneath it yet, but I don’t see the looks of this car being the number one selling point. It just looks like a mini minivan.

  • Rog: but it being a 4 seater hatchback might? or microvan, or…. You get what I mean

  • Kie: another practical car huh? Well as we already determined. How good is it at being a sports car first. And then probably price, following that, value. And then everything else is a bonus. Exceptions may apply though

  • Rog: well let’s see here. It is a rear wheel drive…. It has double wishbone on 4 sides. Quite the wide tires with these 205 on 4 corners.

  • Kie: huh. That contradicts it a bit. Does it want to be practical or not? Double wishbone isn’t exactly compact, no matter how you package it…. Or at least, they haven’t figured that out yet.

  • Rog: continuing on. 3L V6. Overhead cam. Making 156hp. but this one doesn’t seem to give the super compromised engine design clues.

  • Kie: respectable power. So interior seems meh. And these pillar seems a bit thin to me. does it advertise any safety points?

  • Rog: shuffles paper no… don’t see it anywhere.

  • Kie: so think we can safely assume it’s only passable? since they’re not making it a selling point anyway

  • Rog: eh. I could ask. But that’s fair enough. It’s just not the high point.

  • Kie: actually…… what is the high point of this car?

  • Rog: oh it also has variable speed steering and ABS.

  • Kie: not that.

  • Rog: I know what you mean. I just forgot to mention it. So. Other than the price? Being slightly cheaper than competition average… I’m not sure

  • Kie: let’s see. The engine seems reasonable. But it’s a rear wheel drive car, on a minivan, or hatchback, or whatever this body shape categorizes as, which is what we prefer, but it robs a bit of space, going against the practicality side of things. Same thing with the suspension setup they chose. Double wishbones on the front are okay, it only robs engine space a bit. But on the back it robs a bit of space for shit. The stuff inside are okay, they’re mostly what we expected from this price point, but the tires are also wide.

  • Rog: so you’re saying?

  • Kie: this car is like… when you take a sports car platform. Shrunk the wheelbase, and put a minivan or microvan body on top of it. It’s making me a bit confused. This is potentially a good sports car. And all the functionality of a sports car. But what’s the point of making it a microvan then?

  • Rog: yeah I too was deceived by the body shape.

  • Kie: you can’t help but think it’d be a practical little family van by the shape of it. But it’s not. It’s really pretty far from that. I’d make a good sports car. With the shape of a microvan… but only a fraction of the functionality compared to a real microvan. I’m confused.

  • Rog: well we can decide later. Just go do your thing and we’ll decide later tonight.
    And such. Our two “heroes” march on to their final destination in stride……. That just reminds me of the movie. Bad. I don’t like that movie. Anyway. To the next car.


Optional Interlude 21

BUT BEFORE THAT!

  • Rog: hey…… what haven’t we tried that we can easily access over here?

  • Kie: a lot actually. At least that’s what I can think of. And I bet there’s even more weird, probably interesting stuff I can’t think of.

  • Rog: hey. You know what. After we’re done with this. Let’s go to Tokyo and split up

  • Kie: hm??? What’s in Tokyo?

  • Rog: I don’t know, and that’s the point. It’s a more populated and bustling city. Surely it has something more in terms of entertainment than here.

  • Kie: hmm. For how many days though? We can’t spend that many more days before our boss gets screaming mad at us for staying here too long

  • Rog: It’ll be fine. It has always been fine whenever we do ridiculous thing in the past hasn’t it? Our boss loves us. Even though he really likes to get mad at us, we never got fired

  • Kie: I don’t know about ‘loving us’ part. But I guess it’s not a bad idea to stay a day or 2. but for now. This is the last car. Then we have to select which one we want, and do a conclusion on them. And then we need to write our article to send back home.


22) Pragata Sasi Turbo (@Denta )

  • Rog: are we in that newly released movie or something? That…. Uhh. Ah, Back To The Future.

  • Kie: because this car is completely from the future?

  • Rog: I mean… doesn’t it?

  • Kie: hey creator. You. Yes you who made this car. You do realize that I asked for a 1985 car right? Not a 1995 car? Because there is not a single hint of this car being 80s looking at all

  • Rog: ……… are you okay?

  • Kie: ask that to the creator of this car. Anyway, this is sensible enough to not look like a concept car. But also from the upcoming decade. I don’t think people are ready for this car.

  • Rog: I get what you mean. It’s going to turn heads. But I’m not sure it will be because of the reasons you wanted them to.

  • Kie: now. The question is…. Do you even want to review this car? Because I’m split.

  • Rog: same. Let’s flip a coin then. Heads for review it, and tails and we go through the door again?

  • Kie: fair enough

It’s a tail

  • Kie: that settles it. We’re getting some ramen and going back to the inn.

  • Rog: wait, nobody said anything about getting ramen part.

  • Kie: I just did, we since I’m driving, we’re getting ramen…… or udon…. or soba, or……… any of one of Japanese noodle-y foods. You get what I mean

  • Rog: can…. Can I get a donut?

  • Kie: Now why the hell do you want a donut in Jap……… actually…. Yes. But not ones from a big international franchise. We’ll grab some after we down some…… uhhhh…… strings of thick coagulated flour drenched in soup stock.

They got back to their car…. Start it. And moved along.
.
.
.
.
Until about 100m later the car made a loud BANG and got super lumpy and they stopped.


Optional Interlude 22
  • Kie: what the actual fuck just happened…….

  • Rog: pop the hood?

  • Kie: uhhh, yeah…. I’ll go see under and you go see under the bonnet.

both went to proceed to do the task they assigned themselves to

  • Kie: I don’t see anything TOO wrong here that would make the car unable to roll.

  • Rog: uhhh Kie?

  • Kie: you found it?

  • Rog: we’re missing a plug?

  • Kie: Missing a plug? What plug?

  • Rog: I mean, I think the engine turned into a canon and shot it’s spark plug as it’s projectile. The spark plug and the plug head is gone.

  • Kie: that…… doesn’t sound good…… putting it nicely…… we basically we just lost a quarter of our engine?

  • Rog: uhhh no… no it doesn’t……. how do we even get it to not blow again even if we get the plug?

  • Kie: i…… uhhh……. Put a block on top of it and squish it down with the bonnet? I don’t know how well that would work…… or if that would even work.

  • Rog: do we have any other choice? Because I got no other idea…. And where do we get the plug anyway?

  • Kie: we could take out one of the still in place ones and get back to the last dealer and hope they have something similar enough.well…. I’ll take it out and clean whatever I can. You go get the plug… if you could

  • Rog: sure. I’ll grab that tool pack that we definitely didn’t stole from. Nope. That dealer just ‘accidentally’ left it in our car. And we drove away.

  • Kie: hahaha, yeah okay, we only realized that after what, 2 days after we got our belt?

Rogi hands the tools, Kievan takes out the plug, Rogi goes on an adventure to find his missing partner in life the plug replacement, or well. Just a plug. There is none to replace, it was gone. And Kievan prepares the engine for the new ghetto transplant.

15 minutes later, Rogi came back looking pretty drenched

  • Kie: now where the hell have you been? 100m shouldn’t have taken this long.

  • Rog: it was not 100m though. More like 500. I went to the dealer, they didn’t have any, but they pointed out a garage nearby that might have it, went there, that’s another 100m, they didn’t, but they pointed me again to an automotive used parts superstore. That’s another 50m. and then going back here. On the plus side. We should go to that store. It’s a very interesting store that I’ve never seen, or heard, or even thought of before.

  • Kie: well damn. after we get lil Jenny running anyway.

  • Rog: yes. Of course………… wait a second…… what did you say?

  • Kie: what? Making this car run?

  • Rog: yes, yes. But what did you call this thing? You named it?

  • Kie: yeah. I’m calling it Lil Jenny now. Why?

  • Rog: OH NO. facepalms just… get it done……

  • Kie: uhh, what up with you? well fine. You go relax for a bit. And I found a drink vending machine around the corner if you want some drink

  • Rog: thanks.

they get their problems done, the car is running better, but it shakes a lot more than before It blew up but they made it back to their inn


11 Likes

Well now they REALLY need to make their decision… or stop blowing up their car. :stuck_out_tongue:

1 Like

man you already pass my thesis progress by total number

also my poor car

Rog: let’s get this over with shall we?
Kie: yeah.

1) Boqliq Katrina 2000GT

Kie: pulls brochure out Thoughts on the Katrina?
Rog: it looks good, but not amazing. Good fuel consumption.
Kie: but the power is only. Eh. Enough. Maybe better if it had less weight, or more power, but it’s just there in the middle. And the interior isn’t great either.
Rog: so it’s a no pass?
Kie: sadly. a NO from me. it’s good. But that’s about it. It’s good, not more.

2) Dragotec Gladius

Kie:gently slaps brochure on table this one?
Rog: the only real downside I see from it is, it’s still using a 4-speed, if that coule be called a downside at all. And the looks will be super subjective
Kie: nah. We’ve been using a 4 speed for a long time. And probably, they used a 4 on the floor because it’s better at handling the torque the engine puts out. As in, doesn’t easily break down. As long as it’s geared right. It’s just as good as any 5 speed
Rog: no objections then?
Kie: it’s a Pass good car. Or by this point, seems like so. We still have to take in on the road
Rog: oh before I forget. Aluminium panels…. Those are expensive. They may be able to fit it on the price class. But it’s gonna be expensive to repair/replace for the owner

3) Mitsushita Crista blablabla some numbers

Kie: please. Why do they do this? Why make a super long name. and then add an even more complicated numbering designation on the name?
Rog: that part I have to agree. Anyway. Is it even a sports car? It certainly doesn’t look like one
Kie: yeah, but it could just be a sleeper. It is comfortable inside. Maybe just a tad bit so for a sport car? And the power’s not that much higher than the Katrina, which doesn’t have a turbo.
Rog: well, that’s probably why it’s so fuel efficient though. And I haven’t looked at the engine, but sounds like it’s an engine that could really easily pushed to do significantly more with some parts. And you damn can’t beat that for it’s price
Kie: that part, I agree with. It has some weird decisions. But no debating it’s value. It’s a pass?
Rog: It’s Passes it’s a sport car with the skin of an entry level executive car.

4) Zasteros Satori S

Kie Crumples brochure and throws it towards the trash bin and missed
Kie: damn
walked up to it and put it on the can like a good citizen he is. Except that they are pretty far from being one

5) Znopresk Zentai 2.7i Sedan

Kie: this is competitor to the Crista. Another executive sedan.
Rog: well it does look just as good. Better, debatably. But both does carry the same aura.
Kie: and according to their claim. The safety is amazing. And it was also really comfortable. The power is higher, courtesy to the bigger engine than the crista
Rog: yeah, but it’s not fuel efficient at all, relatively speaking. It’s loaded with features. But it’s also really heavy, negating the extra power. Which also cost them. It’s not as cheap.
Kie: so it’s down to the question. ‘is it a sports car at all’?
Rog: NO it’s an entry level premium car. But I think they are making an effort to make it sporty though. I think this one deserves an eye out

6) Suzume Haneda GS-R

Kie: looks. Okay. Equipment. Okay. Power. Good. Fuel economy. Great. But that’s about it
Rog: have to agree. Not a car bad at all. It just simply lacks behind the competition. And it’s good point is not good enough to edge it over anything.
Kie: NO PASS it is.

7) Requiem 200XR

Kie: as I’ve said. Sadly this car have A TON of potential. But as it is. It’s simply a cobbled together unfinished car put to sale because of business reasons.
Rog: again. I don’t have anything to say apart from it’s something to watch out for
Kie: but as is NAH we’re skipping this generation

8) Vernum Scarfell

Rog: this one. I’m not sure about
Kie: same. It’s power is rather low, but it’s weight is even much lower than the competitor. It has a few engineering flaws. And it’s kinda unusable for a daily driver for most people because it has no entertainment system whatsoever. The looks is also somewhat good. And the quality of the build is also just a touch better than the other. It should be able to take some beating.
Rog: so. How do we decide on this one then?
Kie: questions. Is it a good sports car? Yes. Is it a good daily driver? No. so I think that answers it. Hopefully. It’s a good car, just they completely forgot this is most likely the only car that the owner would have if they’re shopping for a car at this price point.
Rog: basically It’s a TES but only because it gets special recommendation?
Kie: yes. It’s not a good daily driver. but it’s a good car for the amateur racers so yes. it’s a NO, but it still gets a test drive if we can, somehow, on a track.

9) Betta XR7 Rallye

Kie: I’m not gonna start about the naming again. But as a car. It’s really just…… not great
Rog: apart from the comfort. I can’t really pick at what’s making this car just so…… bad.
Kie: it’s a NO. It’s not just one problem. It’s smaller, various things that we may have not picked up on that mounts up.

10) Neko Chisana

Kie: how can anyone hate a convertible? It’s an instant yes for me
Rog: but you…
Kie: oh cmon. It’s not there’s anything really wrong with the car at all. Except that it’s pretty heavy. But cmon. It’s a convertible.

11) Genra G2A Turbo Coupe

Kie: it’s just so……. Bland… it blends in with the other car in the road.
Rog: but there’s nothing wrong with it though
Kie: which is wrong.
Rog: what?
Kie: having nothing being wrong, is wrong
Rog: ………what?
Kie: what I mean is. There’s no progress, there’s nothing being pushed, so they’re not making mistake. This is the philosophy they use for making commuter cars. not sports car. There’s nothing wrong with is. In fact, it’s objectively a GOOD car. But for some reason I just can’t like it. It feels… dead. No character.
Rog: I’m a bit confused, but basically. it’s a NO?
Kie: yeah, no. I mean yes. I mean no. I mean…. It’s not passing. No test drive

12) Isami Reaver S45 GR

Kie: small, economy class car’s engine gets a bolt on dick enlarger, is the theme of this car.
Rog: again. You’re not making much sense.
Kie: the car is seems good on paper. But the engine sounds like it’s gonna be a wreck. Maybe literally. Soon. The car is advanced, economy is decent-ish, tires wide on double wishbone suspension on 4 sides. I say no.
Rog: eh…. This time. I’ll take my veto vote and say we’re testing it. It’s really good on paper. At least to the eyes of a normal consumer. The engine might sound problematic. But we don’t actually know how bad it is.
Kie: ugh. Fine. You got a point. we’ll give this a test drive

13) J85 SI

Kie: wonder why they didn’t put their brand name on the official name of the car itself…
Rog: but I don’t you’d think of it any other way than “YES” do you?
Kie: yup. It’s TESTDRIVE! We’re coming for you. It’s small. Light, comfortable, cheap, easy on gas, relatively anyway, and AWD. That one part makes it easily the more practical car out of everything we saw. You could use it on the snow!

14) Satomoto GX

Kie: uhhh yeah… nah. In hindsight. This car was pretty much just another waste of time… sadly. it’s contradicting itself everywhere. It’s a messy result from a messy management inside the company I bet. I’d be surprised if they’d even make it to the next decade if they keep making something like this.
Rog: but
Kie: uh uh. You’re opinion doesn’t matter here*
Rog: bu… uh…. Fine. We’re passing this one
(*yes. You’re. not your. Now get triggered)

15) BM Aurora 300IT

Kie: this is a gender fluid car
Rog: coughcough what now?
Kie: it’s not sure what it wants to be. So it tries to be everything.
Rog: could you please cut down on your cryptic description?
Kie: what? I’m just saying what I think. The whole car says family car. The engine says high pitched sport engine. Which usually are not as problem free. And I’m talking about the webber carbs.
Rog: that’s not……. sigh whatever. I get what you mean. It’s just not a car for everyone. But I do see this having it’s own following. It’s not bad looking. It’s functionally okay. But it’s a niche market. It’s for the enthusiast that have a family, but able to wrench it themselves and have the time to. So it’s really niche. I don’t think this is worth our time. But it may or may not be getting the ‘honorable mentions’ sections.
Kie: I think we’re in agreement then. we’re passing on this one

16) LHE Satalite Keiko

Kie: good car. But it’s lacking in the technology department. Especially the lack of electronic injections. But, even if they do have them, it’s gonna be quirky, weird first gen technology. So they have quite a bit of catching up to do.
Rog: well they did mention about AWD options could be available soon.
Kie: that’s the key point. SOON. Not NOW. We’re doing it now, if we always wait, there’s always better coming out on the edge of the corner.
Rog: what?
Kie: …… you get what I mean. Anyway. As is. Aside from the slightly shady front brakes, there’s nothing really wrong. Simply, behind the competition. If this was 1982 or 1983, When it did came out, It would have been an enticing option.
Rog: okay then. We’re not doing this one.sorry, but it’s time for a facelift

17) Nagoya Falcon

Kie: again. Unfinished
crumbles brochure. Throws at bin. Failed again
Kie: darn it

18) Nohda Levy Prowler V8

Rog: this is completely bringing the classic American idea of a sports car isn’t it?
Kie: please, do explain…
Rog: family car, practical, capable. Big engine. Big power. Comfortable. But. Big, heavy, bit lacking in the lateral movements aspect. Is it a good car? Yes. Is it a good sports car? Personally, I don’t think so. I think it’s a good family car that just happens to have excessive amount of power.
Kie: … hmmmm but what you’re talking about is still a sports car though. It’s just not the Japanese typical kind of sports car. It’s American, as you said.
Rog: yeah. But we came all the way to japan for a reason. And I don’t think that is to try out an American car in japan.
Kie: ehhhhhh I guess you do make a good point. Okay then. we have to say no

19) Chaihatsu Darade

Rog: another one of these! And this is the cheapest car on our list.
Kie: cheapest? I remember it was really cheap. But didn’t know it was cheapest.
Rog: yes. There not a single thing that’s amazing. But it’s a compilation of just the right things
Kie: let me think. 5 speed manual, but it’s FWD, but it’s also light and it’s this cheap. Don’t think I can argue much with that
Rog: and again, this is probably the only car the owner will have, it has seats for 5. Probably a bit cramped, but you can. as long as you’re Japanese sized probably, and not obese like us Americans. And it’s just really practical. And the fuel consumption is also great.
Kie: but the engine. It’s a thing to look out for. It’s being pushed so hard, yet it’s still the weakest engine courtesy of the engine size.
Rog: but I don’t think you have any qualms about testing this?
Kie: nope. let’s do it

20) Interceptor Turbolicious

Kie: we know what this is……… but I’ll be honest. I do have a little inklin to take it for a test drive just for the sake of it.
Rog: waste of time?
Kie: probably. But. Maybe if we have the time?
Rog: yeah sure. it’s a no, but we’ll test drive it if we have the time.
Kie: and we’ll see if it can change our mind if it deserves an honorable mention spot?
Rog: yes. We’ll see.

21) Ibishu Covetta LS

Kie: yiiiis… this is one that I’m sikritly exicted about. Just like any kid that begs their parent to get them to buy a car I presume……… if that is a thing in japan. ¯_(ツ)_/¯
Rog: eh…… I see it as another half assed family car. Or, a microvan. Kinda. It’s more like a hatchback
Kie: cmon. It has a 3L engine. 150hp. hauling around a sub ton body. It’s gotta be peppy. Reasonably cheap. Well, it’s expensive compared to the other hatchbacks. But in this market. It’s still a bit cheaper. But it has space. So much space on the back.
Rog: adding to that. It’s pretty filled with features too. But. The safety is sorely lacking. And, as you see it. If it were to be bought by young drivers as their first car. I can’t see that combination ending fairly well.
Kie: ………. uhhh I got nothing to say to that. Safety does seems to be a lacking point. But it’s also offering a lot for you money………
Rog: I guess it comes down to the characteristic on the road? If it’s easy enough to drive. This may end up good. But if not. Well we’ll see. So yes we’ll be testing this one

22) Pragata Sasi Turbo

Kie: damn. I should have asked if they made a poster, or some photos, or some souvenirs to give out. It ain’t a realistic car. But it certainly was far from ugly.
Rog: what are you gonna do with that?
Kie: I dunno. I’d be just nice to have. It’s not a wall poster worthy car either I guess.
Rog: yeah…. That was my point.
Kie: still, i should have gotten something.
Rog: yeah… we’ll go with that.


Outro? Interlude? i dunno. just an extra piece. again

The 2 of them packs up and tidy up the pile of brochures as much as they can and put it in Kievan’s bag. Rogi was cleaning up their trash and dumping them in the trash can. Kievan was closing the zipper of his back when he remembered…….
Kie: wait a fucking second.
Rog: what now?
Kie: how…… exactly are we going to get those test drives?
Rog: what do you mean how? We go back to the dealer and ask for a test drive. Fill some papers and……… oh
Kie: EXACTLY! looks around, and see there’s no one in the store but the clerk that seemed like he’s really sleepy we’ve been driving around illegally. We don’t have any driving license over here. How are we going to ‘fill those papers’
Rog: uhhhhhhhh…… how about we take tomorrow off and ‘figure out how’?
Kie: oh…… OH. Oh, yeah sure. I see. Okay. Time for you to do your shit.
Rog: what do you mean ‘my shit’?
Kie: we both know it, when it comes down to it, you’re a fucking slick fox
Rog: hey!
Kie: you’re not denying it right now.
Rog: ……………. You. Shut up. And let’s go back to the inn
Kie he knew better than to say anything when Rogi is ordering people around
And they both returned to their inn in silence. While Kievan is grinning all the way there.


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Usually if you want to enter a challenge, you DM the host since that way, they are going to notice your entry.

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Good lord, what’s the bigger challenge gonna be like? :rofl: