David Hendley on sat 9 jan 10
I, for one, generally do not care for American cars. I've found
that what I really like is a true Japanese car. I love the little
touches, such as a tiny little compartment to hold the handle for
the jack, or a hook, labeled 'not for more than 1.5 kg'. Even the
cup holders are a reasonable size, compared to the Big Gulp
holders in a Suburban.
The 'Japanese-made in America' cars have become just more
middle-of-the-road designs with little connection to their
Japanese roots.
I still have my 2001 Honda CRV, which I bought new and which
was 100% made in Japan. At 185,000 miles, it has yet to have
any mechanical problem. The paint job is faded and the air
conditioner had to be repaired, which I attribute to the fact that
the car was not designed to live in Texas. The back door has
a little compartment, with a door, perfect for keeping a roll of
paper towels at hand, which makes me smile every time I see it.
The floor of the rear compartment comes out and becomes a
picnic table. No one in Detroit would come up with this stuff.
I am keeping the CRV and its accompanying trailer for art fairs,
but we recently bought a Nissan Cube. I loved the design from
the moment I first saw one. When I went to test-drive it, I knew,
even before I looked at the label, that it had to be another true
100% Japanese car. All the quirky design touches make me
smile. It is the antithesis of my lumbering Ford pick-up, and even
the sound of the horn makes me laugh. It comes with a round
piece of shag carpet on the dash, to hold your sunglasses.
So far, I'm getting 31-36 mpg, compared to 12 for my truck.
David Hendley
david@farmpots.com
http://www.farmpots.com
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