A digital travel diary. · WP v1.08 · Updated
I have been looking to replace my 2008 Toyota Sienna Limited with a newer vehicle for a long time. My vehicle requirements were as follows: . hybrid engine (to lower fuel costs). space to carry a mountain bike, windsurfing gear, and surfboards. . AWD/4WD for ski trips to Lake Tahoe and Mammoth. . low maintenance costs. excellent long-term reliability. price of $50,000 or less new…
Read More: 2022 Mazda Miata Grand Touring
October 2, 2023. After speaking with an agent at Hertz Car Rental (which I had previously booked with), we finally settled on the front-wheel-drive Opel Corsa (made in Zaragoza, Spain) with license plate GL235AS. . . Since I had never driven in Italy, I opted to purchase additional auto insurance coverage as a precaution. The other basic insurance added 100.00 euros to my bill (the…
Read More: Driving Opel Corsa in Italy
On March 30, 2022, I finally received the Tesla Model Y, which I had ordered on September 21, 2021, with the following options: . . White paint. Black interior . . Tow Hitch (for attaching mountain bike racks). . . . The Tesla Model Y was dropped off at around 4:00pm on March 30, 2022. I was contacted a few days before my delivery and…
Read More: Taking Delivery of a Tesla Model Y
On September 21, 2021, after a lot of discussions with Inna, I placed an official order for a Tesla Model Y. I selected the following Tesla Model Y options: . White paint. Tow Hitch (for attaching mountain bike racks). . The estimated delivery time is March 2022 (7 months away)!. . . . I also initiated the effort to install an EV Charger at our…
Read More: Ordering Tesla Model Y
On September 15, I placed an ad on Craigslist.com to sell Alex's 2008 Lexus RX350 AWD. Since Alex would be away at Northeastern University in Boston for the next 4 years, he would not need the Lexus. . . . . . After placing an ad, I received multiple inquiries. I was able to sell it in one day. The demand for vehicles must be…
Read More: Sellling Lexus RX350 AWD
After hearing disturbing news about my 2008 Toyota Sienna Limited minivan from my auto mechanic at Foreign Affair, I decided to research possible alternatives in case I needed to replace my van. . One possible alternative was to replace it with a 2021 Tesla Model Y SUV. Another alternative was to look at the 2021 Toyota Sienna AWD XSE option. . When I priced both…
Read More: Tesla Model Y Test Drive
On May 15, 2021, my neighbor dented the driver's side of my 2008 Toyota Sienna minivan. . After discussing the incident with State Farm Insurance, I took it to Fix-It Auto San Jose (the shop recommended by State Farm) for an estimate and repair. I initially hesitated to use it, as I had never used it before (but the multiple positive Yelp reviews won me…
Read More: Repairing Toyota Sienna Damage
For the past year, Alex has not been driving his 2008 Lexus RX-350 AWD very often, and the relatively new Interstate Battery has not been getting charged. When Covid-19 hit us in March 2020, Alex stopped driving his Lexus to Bellarmine High School altogether, as all his classes moved online. . . . After 3 months of not driving, the battery died ultimately. However, I…
Read More: Replacing Dead Car Battery
After searching Craigslist and Nextdoor for many months, I finally purchased a used 2008 Lexus RX 350 AWD Sport Utility for my son.. . I considered many vehicles for my son's first car, including the Toyota Corolla, Toyota Camry, Subaru Impreza Outback, Scion tC, Toyota Matrix, and Lexus IS250. However, none of the other cards had the safety track record of the Lexus RX series.…
Read More: Buying a used Lexus RX 350
When we moved to the United States in 1980, no one in my family knew how to drive, though my dad knew the most about cars. He purchased his first car - a 2-door Ford Maverick with a manual transmission on the steering wheel. The owner helped teach my dad to drive it.. . . . After some practice with the vehicle owner, my dad…
Read More: A Personal Motor-vehicle history
. . In the morning, we headed to the Dorfladen Ehenbichler Bakery for our last breakfast in Reutte. I had a cappuccino with a cream cheese pastry, Alex had a cookie, and Inna had a sandwich.. . . . . After checking out of our room and paying our hosts, we headed straight for Munich. At first, the road was narrow and twisty, but we…
Read More: Visiting BMW Welt and Museum
Today, we attended the 2014 Silicon Valley International Auto Show at the San Jose McEnery Convention Center, 150 West San Carlos Street, in downtown San Jose.. . . . . Alex had lately shown a marked interest in cars, and I wanted to show him all the various brands.. . We arrived on Sunday at 10:30am and immediately went to look at the BMW cars…
Read More: 2014 Silicon Valley International Auto Show
Today, I made an appointment to purchase my leased 2011 Audi Q5 2.0T sports utility vehicle at Audi of Stevens Creek. As my 3-year lease was expiring, I decided that the value of my car was much greater than the lease-purchase price.. . . . . . . When I arrived at 12:00 p.m. for my appointment, I planned to drop off the check, sign…
Read More: Purchasing an Audi Q5 2.0T from Audi of Stevens Creek
Today, we test-drove a 2013 Tesla Model S sedan. After reading about the fantastic reports of Tesla's performance, I requested a test drive after reading about the tremendous reports in Consumer Reports and Car & Driver.. . I requested an online test drive for the Model S and confirmed my appointment by phone.. When we arrived at the Santana Row showroom, we found a Tesla…
Read More: Test driving the Tesla Model S
My wife purchased a spot on the Imagine Lifestyles test drive for my birthday. I could go in a Ferrari or a Lamborghini around a race track.. . . . Imagine Lifestyles chose Candlestick Park as the location and created a test track using red cones in the parking lot. This is not the ideal test track, like Laguna Seca in Monterey (where I did…
Read More: Test driving the Ferrari F430
Today, I purchased a 2009 MINI Cooper S Convertible "Chili. It's a red 6-speed convertible with a turbocharged engine.. . It's a fun car but a bit quirky. The window up/down switches are on the center console, and the fuel gauge is a rainbow-looking indicator. There is also an instrument to tell how long the top was down.. . . . . . The Mini…
Read More: Enjoying the Mini Cooper S “Chili”