Priorities change

In a few weeks’ time I will be once again traveling back home to Hong Kong, performing the annual pilgrimage to visit family on my dad’s side. These past few years I’ve been on quite the travel binge, and the trip back home at the end of December crossing over into January marks the culmination and the beginning of a year’s worth of journeys. I’ve said to my friends that my favorite spot in San Francisco is the airport’s international terminal, where anticipation and excitement for the trips ahead is at its most palpable.

I have to say the feeling is surprisingly different this year. No question I am happy to spend time with family, especially those whom I only see once a year, but the run up to this year’s return home has a slight bit of dread to it. I found out the reason why when I started doing my usual preparation of buying necessary supplies and moving money to travel accounts: this trip to Hong Kong will cost money.

What a stupid thing to say; traveling inherently costs money, doesn’t it? Why am I loathing to spend when this trip has been booked since January (got to lock down those cheap airfare prices). Just the past few years alone I’ve spent easily into the five figures on travel, so what’s the problem now?

Right, I’m saving up for a 911.

As they say, priorities change. Since 2014 I’ve been on a bent to maximize travel opportunities, so most of my discretionary income was allocated towards that. Partly why I switched from a Subaru WRX STI to a Mazda MX-5 in 2015 was because the latter was cheaper to run and maintain, therefore more money towards trips. Now, the situation has reversed: austerity measures were put on traveling (I haven’t taken one single trip this year), and the growing cash reserves is earmarked towards cars.

The Hong Kong trip this year is going set me back a bit on those cash reserves, which I think is why I’ve been ambivalent about it rather than pure delight of years past. I’ve had a good run in seeing the world these past couple of years, but it’s time to switch primary focus back to another love of mine: cars. For sure I still love traveling, and there’s still many places I haven’t been (not one foot in European soil yet); surely I’ll get back on that train in a few years’ time.

For now, it’s 911 or bust.

The best colors for an instrument dial: black face, white letters, red needle.

Buying a used car for the first time

Thus far I’ve been supremely fortunate to only ever had brand new cars. My parents didn’t believe in used cars on the virtue of you never know what the owner before you did to it, so it’s worth paying extra to be the first person to fart in the seats. Therefore even my very first car, which my parents lovingly purchased for me, was factory fresh. It was a testament to my parents’ sheer tenacity: raising two kids with not that high of an income, yet still able to save enough money for such a kingly gift.

Following from that ethos, when it came time to upgrade to faster car using my own money, buying used wasn’t even remotely on the radar. The car was a Subaru WRX STI, a sporting all-wheel drive performance sedan; I couldn’t risk buying a second-hand version where the previous owner might have driven it with reckless abandon, leaving my wallet to salvage the pieces.

Back then I was obsessed with buying a car new and keeping it as new as possible, a Sisyphean task in hindsight. I remember getting special cleaner and sealant just for the already super expensive paint protection film I had installed on the STI’s entire front-end, which was really stupid because that’s like getting a case for my phone and then agonize over keeping that perfect.

Indeed it’s the ignorance of youth, and it’s cost quite a bit of money. I was completely unfamiliar with the used car buying process, especially pertaining to performance cars like the Subaru. I didn’t know pre-purchase inspection was a thing; a detailed once-over of a car by a certified mechanic, informing potential buyers before plopping down hard-earned cash whether the car is a suitable sample worthy of purchase, or a neglected pile of junk best avoided. Turns out buying used isn’t akin to gambling, as what my parents had me believe, as long as I perform the proper due diligence.

However none of that factored into the car I bought after the STI, because there weren’t any used ones to be had. The 2016 Mazda MX-5 was completely redesigned from the ground up, so my only option was a fresh unit shipped from the factory in Japan. Had that not been the case I would’ve purchased a used version to save on the not unsubstantial depreciation. Case in point I bought the car for nearly $25K in late 2015, and two and a half years later I sold it for $16K. That’s quite a steep drop, a significant saving that I could’ve leveraged had the opportunity existed.

The opportunity will exist In the next car I’m going to purchase - 911 GT3, and I’m planning to maximize the depreciation savings and let the first owner take the brunt. I’m buying a used GT3 mainly because I can’t remotely afford to purchase a GT3 brand new, so slightly used 2015 models are what I’m relegated to. I shall be buying a used car for the first time, and it’s all quite exciting. Stay tuned.

Everybody’s gathering around.

Touch your cars

Due to the hazardous smog from the wildfires, I wasn’t able to go outside much during the Thanksgiving week break. Despite threat to lungs however I did make it out to the annual San Francisco auto show at the Moscone Center. It thankfully rained on that Wednesday so the air quality wasn’t too awful, but it rendered the manufacturer test drives a bit moot. A Jaguar F-Type is nice and all, but being stuck in downtown traffic in the wet isn’t the best representation of a driving a proper sports car.

Shame; I really wanted to try the Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio.

Nevertheless it’s been a few years since I’ve last gone to show, and combined with the fact I’ve been car-less since May, I was decidedly eager to be around automobiles again. New car smell may be poisonous but it’s intoxicating all the same.

I was most looking forward to touching the surfaces: the various contours on the outside, and the materials on the inside. The 10 years ago me would’ve been aghast at the thought of laying a finger on any part of a car that doesn’t involve actual operation; can’t risk scratching the paint or leaving oil marks on interior panels. I was obsessively compulsive like that, though that has changed. These days I highly encourage the tactile pleasure from interacting with the materials of a car: the smoothness of the paint, the industrial cold of metal trim, or the soft warmth of leather.

Because why rob myself of that experience simply because I want to preserve that last bit of perfection, which itself is a Sisyphean task short of placing a car in a hermetically sealed, climate-controlled box. Cars are meant to be driven and used, and the patina that comes from wear is to be honored and displayed proudly.

So I attacked all the surfaces presented to me at the auto show, and I came away with a one big realization: I can’t buy a car that isn’t from a premium or luxury brand any longer. The interior experience offered by brands like Audi or Mercedes Benz is leagues above mainstream marques like Ford or Toyota. The difference in quality of materials and how it feels to the hand is stark. You are pampered in a Range Rover, compared to merely functional inside a Honda Pilot.

Of course one would pay dearly for that privilege, but I think it’s well worth the price premium. The inside of a car is the part you interact with the most (as you sit for hours in traffic) so why not make that time spent as best as possible. Pay up for that open-pore wood trim, the Alcantara headliner, and the sound system with too many speakers.

Willing to pay for superfluous and vain extras in car? I am indeed getting old.

Except for you; you can touch me.

GM doesn't care to make good sedans

A few months ago Ford announced the company will cease to sell sedans (other than the Mustang) and will focus fully on SUVs and trucks. Most in the industry thought it is a prudent strategy because consumer tastes having switched dramatically to SUVs, and also Ford’s currently lineup of sedans are lackluster to say the least.

Last week General Motors basically announced a similar plan, only that GM will shutdown plants and cut workforce into the 10 thousands as well. The public reception to that have not been so good. The same GM that received the massive government bailout after the start of the great recession, and the same GM that just last year lavished in the cut to corporate taxes, cannot repay the favors in kind by eliminating precious jobs. Those are real consequences to people’s livelihoods, rather than just a different product mix inside a dealership showroom as in the case of Ford.

Even from a strict economical standpoint this plan by GM isn’t entirely positive. It’s true that the market is leaning so heavily towards SUVs that Lamborghini sells one, but that isn’t to indicate the sedan category is dead in the waters. Asian manufacturers are still making quality sedans and continuously improving them (the redesigned Honda Accord is brilliant), and people are still buying. While not completely immune to shift to SUVs, the combines sales of Toyota’s Corolla and Camry remains in the 600,000s annually.

GM simply isn’t making class-competitive cars.

Indeed (negative) reputation plays a part, and I think American manufacturers never recovered from the adverse brand equity it carried from the 80’s and 90’s. Back then if a customer wanted a well-built car that will last for many years, the only option were Asian marques, and brand perception is a heck of a sticking point. Surely you’ve seen the Chevy commercials where “real people” were surprised at the quality of a Chevrolet car; bad reputation is insanely difficult to repair.

These days GM and Ford are making solid cars, but it’s never class-leading. Alpha-chassis Cadillac sedans are some of the best handling cars currently available, but the interior quality is leagues below its rivals from Germany. It can be argued that GM never intend to produce world-class sedans, but merely what’s good enough to move units. Now that those units aren’t moving quite at the numbers of the past, GM decides to eliminate the category from its portfolio completely.

It’s a shrewd move; partly due to prevailing market forces, and partly because GM doesn’t care to make great cars. Thousands will be out of a job because of GM’s incompetence.

Businesses are driven by the bottom line, but I think ceasing production of sedans is the wrong decision. The popularity of SUVs and trucks is partly bolstered by cheap gasoline prices, so then what will happen when prices inevitably go back up? Just like in the early aughts, American automakers will once again not have the appropriate product mix to cater to that demand.

Only there won’t be another bailout; GM never learned from their mistakes precisely because the government saved them from collapse back in 2009.

Working hard or hardly working?

Quick thoughts on the 992

Let’s first get this out of the way: as with any new generation of 911, I’m hating the redesign now but will grow to love it later. Yes, I did so even with the much maligned 996.

But for now, my initial reaction to the new 992 is decidedly mixed. So designated as the 8th generation of the iconic 911, the 992 received its world premiership a few nights ago in Los Angeles. The car was only shown in S and 4S guise, with vanilla Carrera and slew of other variants to follow (much) later. I’ll leave you to peruse the countless automotive media outlets out there to have the stats and figures from the press release regurgitated to you.

The first problem that strikes me is the enormity of the wheels. Porsche have trickled down the staggered setup found in the 991 GT RS cars to the 992 Carrera, with the S trim featuring 20-inch up front and 21-inch wheels at the rear. Remember back when 20-inch wheels were the lone province of customized cars and trucks owned by rappers? Those days are long gone. When even a comparatively lowly Honda Civic Type R has 20-inch wheels, no surprise the latest plain 911 does as well.

Automotive design is starting to creep ever closer to looking like Matchbox or Hot Wheels models with these enormous wheel sizings. Give me a smaller rim with more tire sidewall anytime.

The second immediately problem with the 992 is at the back. Porsche for whatever reason have fitted a singular light-strip spanning the length of the rear-end, a familial design element seen in the latest 718, Panamera, Macan, and Cayenne models. I think it looks utterly out of place on the 992, and it renders the back of the car more bulbous than it really is. The 911 shape is timeless and recognizable the world over so I’m not sure why Porsche felt the need to implement a shared design cue from the rest of their lineup.

I do rather like the two slats on the rear intake deck functioning as the third brake light, so that when it’s activated it spells out “11” (as in 911). It’s a brilliant design detail.

Giant wheels and unwieldy looking rear-end aside, the rest of 992 exterior looks fantastic, especially from the front quarter view as seen in the main picture above. The flat hood-line and wrap-around front wings harken back to earlier air-cooled 911s, and I think it’s executed perfectly. The 992 is wide-body only for all trims, which is a shame because I quite prefer the more lithe and delicate stance of the narrow body. It’ll be weird indeed seeing a non S Carrera with the smaller wheels and the hulking fenders.

As for the interior, Porsche have done what’s en vogue these days and replaced analog items with digital screens as much as possible. I’m not as against the encroachment of digital displays in cars (thanks, Tesla) as others; at least Porsche kept the central tachometer an actual needle and number part, though the unit in the 992 looks like it belongs more on a Ford Mustang. Where’s the black face, white numbers, and red dial of old?

The starkest change in the new interior is the PDK shifter knob being replaced with a tiny rectangular nub. The driver won’t be able to toggle gears up and down like the lever of old; the nub is only used for selecting drive modes. Porsche restricts gear changing to the wheel paddles, which on one hand is the correct most fastest way to do it, but on the other I quite enjoy rowing through the gears using the center knob. I hope a proper PDK shift lever is brought back in the GT variants of the 992. There’s certainly room for one.

As ever, this world premier of the 992 is only the first salvo in what is to come numerous other models. Petrol-heads will be eagerly awaiting a new GT3, and whether or not it will still have an atmospheric engine. The regular 992 Carrera looks to be a proper sports car worth its steep entry price (it’s as fast as a 997 Turbo), but for me and many others, it’s the GT cars that most captures our attention, and money.

I really do hope I will grow to like the new rear-end design.

"Patrick....SAD!"

Yesterday was not so good a day for me and million others who have grown up on the animated show SpongeBob Squarepants: the cartoon’s intrepid creator Stephen Hillenburg died due to complications from ALS. What a truly despicable disease to sap such a creative light from us all, and countless others from their loved ones. We don’t need more ice bucket challenges, please simply keep donating money.

Upon hearing off the news I was hit with profound sadness. 57 years is still way too young of an age to succumb to the grips of death. We will never know what other culturally significant artistic endeavors Hillenburg could still yet have done, he of the genius behind SpongeBob Squarepants.

Indeed SpongeBob is the seminal animated TV series in my childhood, and I’m sure many others as well. Within the pantheon of ‘Doug’ and ‘Hey Arnold’, SpongeBob Squarepants is right there at the top. You’d think a show about a talking sponge and his starfish friend wouldn’t amount to much, but it’s the stories that make it so special. Rather than being the typical children cartoon that panders to a kid’s most base sensibilities, SpongeBob challenged us with big ideas and provoking thoughts. Positive themes of friendship, optimism, and success were juxtaposed on-screen with their polar opposites, letting kids in ever slightly on just how the real world works.

Most importantly it’s all wrapped up in a humorous and hilarious container that made it easy to digest, and in turn, utterly indelible.

Spongebob’s popularity never waned even nearly two decades after the first episode aired, and the generation that grew up on it are fully adults now. To this day I still often reference the show amongst my friends. Social media meme culture would not be nearly as robust and funny without screenshots of SpongeBob screenshots.

So while we deeply mourn the untimely passing of Hillenburg, there’s great satisfaction in seeing the immense legacy he is leaving behind. I have no doubts we’ll still be talking about SpongeBob another two decades after this; and if I ever have kids, they will for sure be introduced to the joy and wonder that Hillenburg have so generously given to the world.

He was number one.

Beware of heights.

I bought nothing on Black Friday

A mainstay of Thanksgiving week is the ever popular Black Friday. Remember when we actually had to wait in lines until the clock strikes 12am on the Friday after Thanksgiving? I personally don’t because I’ve an aversion of lines, but nevertheless what used to be an Olympian effort just to score that television for dirt cheap prices (only five available at this price!) is now a leisure stroll through your preferred Internet shopping sites. Heck, most of the discounts were already available before Thanksgiving.

This Black Friday I spent absolutely zero dollars because I’ve implemented intense austerity so to have sufficient funds for an 911 next year. Otherwise I would’ve totally bought that LG OLED television I’ve been eyeing for many years now, plus the just-released new Apple Macbook Air was looking tasty as well. Smart people take the opportunity to do their Christmas shopping during Black Friday, and I’d do that too if not for the fact I simply make personalized photo Calendars to give out to everyone.

In the social media age, Black Friday is not replete without people commentating on the sad state of consumerism and how people are spending money they wouldn’t have otherwise if not for the steep discounts. I saw many tweets to that effect on Black Friday, high-horsed people lamenting the decay of human logic and decency. The few videos of customers physically fighting over a piece of merchandise is always entertaining. Seriously, is it really worth hurting a fellow human being to save a few dollars? Remember: it’s Thanksgiving!

Indeed I don’t doubt that a significant chunk of the population is foolishly induced by Black Friday price-cuts to spend (more) cavalierly. Our United States does have a consumer debt problem after all; it remains too bloody easy to simply put purchases on credit cards and procrastinate the worry of paying to much later (or never: hello bankruptcy!). That said, there’s also another significant chunk of the populace who are financially responsible and leverage Black Friday to buy items they’ve been wanting to at the best possible price. Therefore one shouldn’t use a broad brush to paint the entire consumer base as degenerates of the capitalist system.

Speaking of prices, I do enjoy how Black Friday shines a light on how overpriced items during other times of the year. For example the Google Pixel 3 XL phone that was released only a month ago at $899 can be had at an $200 dollar discount. Anybody buying that phone at full price afterwards ought to feel quite shortchanged.

Overall I think Black Friday is a good time and we all have our idiosyncratic ways to celebrate the occasion. This year I happen to buy nothing but perhaps next year will be different. I’ll certainly be looking at 911-related products for sure.

Rays of fire.