Unusual or Rare Cars - Part 3

[13177]

2 hours ago, Confusedboi said:

This is nicknamed hipporolla also? Was it  last Corolla to be built in Japan that agent brought in officially  before Borneo motors  switched to bringing in altis made in Thailand ?

This hipporolla should appeared in 2001, then they have a facelift version in 2002/2003. Then in 2004 the thai made altis appeared. 

[Confusedboi]

This afternoon sightings 

[Gnahp]

53 minutes ago, 13177 said:

Is this the corolla in 2000/2001? This corolla knock off Nissan Sunny during that era? I remember the 2000/2001 Nissan Sunny back then was super popular le, like every household also drove one. Lol.

quite true

my colleague and brother in law both bought a new sunny during 2000/2001

none of the people I know drives a hipporolla

[Atrecord]

4 hours ago, Confusedboi said:

This is nicknamed hipporolla also? Was it  last Corolla to be built in Japan that agent brought in officially  before Borneo motors  switched to bringing in altis made in Thailand ?

wah... actually i didn't know of the nick, but then it does sound apt, with the large headlights. 🤣 
yup, last MIJ corolla. after that altis was from thailand liao.

 

2 hours ago, 13177 said:

Is this the corolla in 2000/2001? This corolla knock off Nissan Sunny during that era? I remember the 2000/2001 Nissan Sunny back then was super popular le, like every household also drove one. Lol.

yup, 2000/2001 that time. I bought it right after the $101 COE month, but BM didn't have stock for graphite, and waited another month before they really bid for me...

Sunny came out about a year before corolla, and it had a sleek design after the previous boxy sunny, so it took the market by storm - partly due to lack of competition - and was the top-selling model the year it was launched. But the 1.5L one bo power, and when the corolla came out a year later, people were initially hesitant, but quickly chose the corolla, cos:

- 1.5L corolla beat 1.5L sunny by a mile, power-wise

- FC corolla was better

- leg room corolla beat sunny by half a mile

- corolla back row had flat floor, cos it was slightly taller than sunny, and 2nd row passengers will like corolla hands-down

Edited January 30, 2023 by Atrecord
update the reason for corolla 1.5 being better than sunny

[Atrecord]

2 hours ago, 13177 said:

This hipporolla should appeared in 2001, then they have a facelift version in 2002/2003. Then in 2004 the thai made altis appeared. 

Yes, all correct. Did you own one too? Only the headlights, taillights and i think the chrome bar above the number plate at the rear, were different between the corolla and FL.

Sunny also did the same with its own FL, think also exact 3 things different.... When altis came out, it was more conventional in shape again... namely the bonnet was bit longer/normal and lights not so big...

[Atrecord]

1 hour ago, Gnahp said:

quite true

my colleague and brother in law both bought a new sunny during 2000/2001

none of the people I know drives a hipporolla

sunny had first-movers' advantage, cos it came out ~1-1.5 yr before the hipporolla (first time i'm using this term 😅).

My office then had 2 sunnys first, then followed by 3 hipporollas in the next couple years.

but yes, the sunny's design, if you ask me, is more 耐看 than the hipporolla. But the hipporolla beats the sunny in almost all other aspects.

I still saw 2 of the old sunnys around in the last year, when i was doing more walkings in the landed enclave near my place. One had a rare number plate. see if i can find a photo i took...

[Fitvip]

Won't be rare soon.

[Sdf4786k]

On 1/28/2023 at 11:50 PM, Atrecord said:

Err... my car B&B car, no heated mirror leh... and front and rear windscreen is not a problem, it's the passenger and driver window and the side mirrors that are problematic... think i really should go and buy potato to try and see whether it's really useful in making glass hydrophobic (and then hopefully fog-resistant...)

Since it’s the side .. can try rain X but not on the wiper side for front n rear 

[Sdf4786k]

On 1/29/2023 at 1:43 PM, Confusedboi said:

Old Honda accord from 1980’s I think 

I think our current PM used to own one … not sure still have it 

[107fan]

19 hours ago, Atrecord said:

S2000, and guess what, bears VRN containing S2000 too...

SG S2000 

[Confusedboi]

Evo 9 wagon.

[iamahbee]

Is this the only Toyota Soarer on our island?

[Carbon82]

2nd generation Toyota Porte

 

@iamahbee it should be the same one I saw 2 - 3 years back, which was in pristine condition.

It was featured in ST too.

https://www.straitstimes.com/lifestyle/motoring/solo-soarer

[Atrecord]

On 1/30/2023 at 3:15 PM, Confusedboi said:

This afternoon sightings 

I also saw a Saab recently, when doing CNY shopping.

Think it's seen this same saab at this same carpark couple years ago... 

[107fan]

57 minutes ago, Atrecord said:

I also saw a Saab recently, when doing CNY shopping.

Think it's seen this same saab at this same carpark couple years ago... 

Indescribable rims

[Wormee]

On 1/26/2023 at 10:25 PM, Civic101 said:

Chery A5 - amazing that this can last almost 20 years and quite well kept still!

Amazing. Maybe more road worthy than those CS3 Lancerlution! Haven't seem any Chery A5 drifting/crashing news on Roads.sg, SG Road Vgilante, etc. 

[Fitvip]

12 hours ago, Carbon82 said:

2nd generation Toyota Porte

 

I think this one belongs to a house directly opposite my former work place. The family added this for a wheelchair-bound person. They have another car with the same number.

[Confusedboi]

11 hours ago, Atrecord said:

I also saw a Saab recently, when doing CNY shopping.

Think it's seen this same saab at this same carpark couple years ago... 

Why did Sweden stop making saab cars? Was it due to lack of profits? think their cars were considered okay actually, kind of quirky. Recall Jeremy Clarkson say Saab made turbo sedan cars kind of cool back in the 80’s