Yet another new car...!
 

Some may remember my last new car thread (https://www.rx8club.com/general-auto...rx-car-240592/) but that car was essentially a temporary deal. As I mentioned, it was free and it worked as a car. With nearly 200k miles on it and the wear and tear from previous owners, it needed to be replaced. Beyond that, I wanted to replace it.

I finally got a replacement!

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8240/8...1ae21d90_b.jpg

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8258/8...8571ea19_b.jpg

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8535/8...5b7438ed_b.jpg


It's a Daihatsu Mira Gino. It's about 10 years newer and feels like a sports car in comparison. It's still a kei car (engine limited to 660 cc and size limits), but I'd actually go as far as to call it sporty. It has amazingly modern luxuries, such as a functioning CD player, power windows and keyless entry. One thing I was (actually) surprised it has is power folding mirrors. As you probably noticed, they seem to have taken some styling from Mini. The way I tend to describe it is Japan's kei car version of a Mini Cooper.

I went for a nice drive today on some of the mountain roads and it's actually a really fun car. Even with the low power, the light weight makes it easy to toss around. I don't think I ever went above 80 km/h (50 mph) on those roads, but it was still a blast. I was actually a little surprised at how well it handled and I wasn't even really pushing it since the conditions weren't the best. Anyway, here are a few pictures from the drive:

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8253/8...e4e949ea_b.jpg

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8529/8...18587db2_b.jpg

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8522/8...efb5e5b7_b.jpg
(The view from over the rails behind the car! It's hard to see, but at the point where the mountains seem to meet you can see the ocean)

Anyways, I just thought I'd share! All the pictures are with my phone, so not the best quality. I'll try to clean it up and get actual pictures at some point since there are so many scenic areas around me.

Daihatsu makes some of the most reliable cars in the world. Yours surely looks like a great purchase!

How does it feel to drive with only "reasonably" sized cars around and almost no mammoths?

It's definitely a different feel. I was in Tokyo recently and couldn't help but notice how many more white plates there were. I'm sure when I go back to visit Texas, it will be a bit of a shock with all the trucks and SUVs around.

That said, the conditions are completely different. The biggest road here is generally smaller and the speed highest speed limit is 60 km/h (37 mph). A lot of roads are "2 way" but can't actually fit 2 cars. There are spots you can pull over to let people pass or sometimes you just both have to hug the edge of the road. I've even had to pull over when riding my bicycle to let cars safely pass. Driving a larger, white plate car would be extremely difficult or near impossible, though some still manage it. I feel fairly confident as a driver, but I definitely appreciate my little car on these extremely tight roads.

I think the cars definitely reflect the environment. It makes perfect sense to me why Japan would develop small, light weight, low power cars.

that really looks like a older mini cooper...... i bet it is a hoot to run around it....


i don't think i could fit into it tho... *(if i did i would need help to get out... lol...)**(i'm not fat... just tall and relatively large guy...)

I wouldn't mind having one to save gas...over here gas is getting expensive. :(

Surely, smaller cars is the way to go at this time of age.

It's surprisingly spacious for its size. I'm around 6' and I can fit my fist above my head still. The slightly cramped area is the legs. The steering wheel is not adjustable, so it's a little tight down there. If I could raise the wheel a little, it would be perfect.

Man those headlights...

Hah, what about them?

One thing I forgot to mention about the Acty (van) is that I ended up making around $150 off of it when I traded it in since it was free when I got it! That was a nice "feature"