The New Grocerymobile

2020-06-08 3 min read Cars Teknikal_Domain Unable to load comment count

Note: this post is AFTER some repairs have been effected, and I’ve had time to really get used to it (so, a few weeks ish)

Yes, if you can’t tell, that’s my new (to me) car. And well, let’s just say that it’s pretty good for what it is.

Now for the price that’s been paid, in total… this thing came with a brand new engine (with half the bolts missing), and starter.. and due to said bad mounting, now has a new transmission and torque converter. Add to that the tires, brakes, and fluid changes, and this thing is silent at idle, buttery smooth when shifting, and.. okay minus the look it really feels like a new car.

For context, that is a 2012 Hyundai Accent GLS, and it is, well, mine, name on the title and everything.. a first. What you can’t see in those pictures in the trunk space that’s big enough to realistically fit one living me, or potentially just a little over one entire packed cart of groceries… given what I do for money, that’s a good thing.

But, see, I wouldn’t be this excited about a dinky little car with some decent carrying capacity, no. There’s one thing that I really enjoy: manual mode transmission.

Back Before Automatic (Beyond Belief)

(Oh, I was thinking of toasters there, oops…)

Yes, while it did come with the automatic transmission option, good, there is still a point for manual shifting, and this car tries to really sell that point.

Not only do I have 100% control, except when it is trying to avoid damage, but it will indeed react responsively… and thus let me do things like engine brake it when I need some boost slowing down. More on that at another time.

Really in my opinion, something like that is actually a good first step before learning manual, especially with this one which will not let you perform a dangerous shift, and will shift for you just before a stall/redline if it’s forced to. But, you have no clutch to worry about, the car won’t really let you damage it, and you can get a good feel for engine sounds and what different revs do to your available power. Plus, if you’re a car nerd, you can start to learn really what has to go into an automatic transmission (okay, the control unit) deciding when to do what it does.

Now I do still need to decide what custom tags to slap on it… maybe see if I can get away with a good ANZOMI on the back of this thing, which, in this state, normal plates are six characters long, so that really shouldn’t be an issue.