Automotive Dilemnas...

Quite a bit of water under the blog since the last time I shared anything here about cars...

I've gone from researching the hell out of a Hilux, to a Prado (still turbo diesel), and recently, after pricing all the extra goodies I want on a Prado, to take me where I would (in my dreams) want to go, and back again - the cost of leasing such a beast was going to stretch me a little more than was desired... A bit of a pity, but I did a bit of soul searching, and asked "will I actually USE this vehicle for the purpose I'm going to modify it", and the answer came back as "maybe"...

Then I started considering "what do I REALLY want in a car"? and to be honest, I don't bloody know! I want something reasonably efficient, something that performs well, that I can rely on, and doesn't cost a sheep station to lease.

Now, I've been very happy with the Forester XT, but despite this, probably wouldn't get another just yet. Given my involvement in the Impreza WRX Club, I'm thinking of staying with the Subaru brand, but definitely not getting a WRX, as they can't tow anything as heavy as the boat. That pretty well brings me back to an Outback or a Liberty.

A good mate, Les, has the Liberty GT Spec B, which, with my recent pay rise, on a 5 year lease would actually leave me with about $300 more in the bank a month than leasing my current Forester... With a pretty reasonable fuel economy of around 10.9 litres per 100 km (ADR sticker) it's a good contender, as is the Outback 2.5i Premium, with a 9.5 litres per 100 km, but the consideration is really the return when towing the boat, and general driveability.

I'm leaning towards spending a little more, and getting the Liberty, but it really depends how the Outback drives, and could I live without the turbo, having had a turbo charged car for 3 years now.

A Long Time Between Drinks - errr Blogs

Long time between blogs!

Just sitting at the kitchen table, watching the fish swimming around the fish tank, and realized I've been ultimately slack in keeping any updates feeding into my part of the world... Given no-one's given me any grief about it, I figure it shows how many people actually READ the crap I type!!!

Let's see if I can sum up the past 3 months quickly.

December, just before Christmas - started seeing someone.

January

• worked through the Christmas break, finalising the design for the Vic Roads Dealer Online System remediation project that has been all encompassing for the past few months...
  
• Implemented the remediated Driver Online System for Vic Roads

February

• Started back onto the Vic Roads Driver Licensing System remediation design...
• Researched and planned a 4WD trip to Cape York
  
• Did something I vowed never to do - got my Jetski endorsement for my boat drivers license.
  
• Spent 10 days on a Luxury on the Murray Houseboat, on the Murray River, starting with the Southern 80 ski race, and finishing with the Echuca Moama Wine and Jazz Festival.
• Discovered, that even though I'm 15 years older and 15 kg heavier than the last time I tried, I CAN still ski on a slalom water ski!
• Also discovered that if you start drinking beer at 7.30 am on a 44 degree day, you can drink 30 cans and still not be pissed by 2.30 the following morning!
  
• Made some great new friends, who live in the Echuca area!!
• Spent a weekend in the Victorian High Country with my sister and brother-in-law, and some great friends I have met through www.offroadsubarus.com
  
• Became single again

March

• Went on a Sun Microsystems training course - three days of training to get a free t-shirt!! (although their hardware is VERY cool)
  
• More time with my new mates in Echuca
• Lots more time working on the last of 4 Vic Roads projects.