Profile

1980年代後半に生まれた日本人。趣味はイロイロ。基本的に機械弄りが好き。英語はずっと勉強しているが一向に上達しない。仕事もいろいろ。

I am Japanese, bone in the late 1980s. Hobbies are various. Basically, I like fiddling with machines. I have been studying English for a long time, but it never improves. My job is a mechanical designer, but I do a lot of things.

Car History

過去の車歴など。

Mazda Roadster NA8C （1996）

学生のときにヤフオクで購入。現車確認せず落札したので、いま考えるとかなりチャレンジャーだった。標準車グレードのためエアコンレス、パワーウィンドウレス、パワステレスのナイナイ仕様だったので、夏に熱中症で体調を崩すのが毎年の定番。調子に乗りすぎて単独事故をしたり、東京から青森まで車旅行をしたり、各地のミーティングに参加したりと色々と思い出が詰まっている。出先でトラブったことが1度もない車だった。定番のサイドシルのサビはしっかりと極めていた。TYPE1の下取りで放出。8年間ほど所有した。

I bought it through an online auction during my student days. Looking back, it was quite bold of me to bid without seeing the car in person. Since it was a standard model, it lacked air conditioning, power windows, and power steering. Every summer, I would suffer from heat exhaustion – it was almost a tradition.

I made so many memories with it – from getting into a solo accident by being overconfident to taking a road trip from Tokyo to Aomori, and joining meetups all over.

Not once did it break down when I was out and about. It did, however, have the typical side sill rust. I eventually let it go as a trade-in for a TYPE 1 after owning it for about eight years.

Rover Mini1000（1993）

リッターのキャブミニ。友人が車検を機に手放すというので譲ってもらったのだが、かなりの曲者で故障につぐ故障で治してばかりだった。エアコンがついていたが、夏場の真っ昼間には効かず夕方くらいから効き始めるお茶目な仕様。乗り心地はゴーカートフィーリングと言われるが、お神輿のほうが近いと思う。見た目が可愛いので車好きではない友人も最初は嬉しがって同乗してくれるが、走り始めると乗り心地に一言もしゃべらなくなる。コインパーキングから出るときに盛大にカブらせてしまいエンジンがかからなくなった事がある。ロードスターとの2台維持だったため、お金が続かずに友人に譲渡。譲渡先では全く壊れずに快適なミニライフを送っていたらしい。一体なんだったんだ。1年半ほど所有した

A friend was planning to let it go when it came time for inspection, so I took it off his hands. But it turned out to be quite the character, constantly breaking down and needing repairs. It had air conditioning, but in the peak heat of midday summer, it wouldn’t work; it only seemed to kick in around the evening, which was kind of amusing.

People often describe the ride as having a “go-kart feel,” but to me, it felt more like riding on a japanese portable shrine. Its cute appearance won over even friends who weren’t into cars; they were excited to ride with me at first. But as soon as we hit the road, they’d fall silent, probably because of how rough the ride was.

Since I was also maintaining a Roadstor, I couldn’t keep up with the costs, so I eventually passed it on to another friend. Strangely, the car never broke down for him, and he ended up enjoying a smooth, hassle-free life with the Mini. What a mystery!

In total, I owned it for about a year and a half.

VolksWagen TYPE1（1995）

ロードスターと入れ替え。メキシコ製造でメキビーと呼ばれているやつ。ロードスターと同じくエアコンレスだったが、三角窓の存在とリアエンジンのため車内に熱い空気が入ってこないので夏は比較的快適。ほとんどトラブルもなく信頼できる車だった。ビートル界ではメキビーは結構ディスられたりもするのだが、メキビーはインジェクションだしボディも腐ってないので安心して乗れるので非常に良い選択だったと思う。たぶんサビのないボディに嫉妬されてる。多くの部分でドイツのビートルと同じ部品が使えるので部品供給には殆ど困らない。電子系統もゴルフ3と似ているのでそんな困らない。

所有している間に結婚し、子供も生まれた。夏場以外は家族車としても活躍。家族みんなのお気に入りでずっと乗るつもりで部品も集めていた。高速道路でアクセルケーブルが切れて走れなくなったことがある。あとブレーキホースが破れて止まらなくなったことがある。オースチンヒーレースプライトMk1の下取りで泣く泣く放出。維持費は4回の車検と部品代総額で80万円ほどだった。たぶんこの手の車としては超優秀だったに違いない。10年ほど所有した。

I traded my Roadster for this car — a Mexican-made Beetle, often called a “Mex Beetle.” Like the Roadster, it didn’t have air conditioning, but thanks to the vent windows and rear engine, hot air didn’t really get into the cabin, so it was relatively comfortable in the summer.

This car was very reliable, with almost no issues. In the Beetle world, Mex Beetles sometimes get a bit of criticism, but I found it to be a great choice. It has fuel injection and a rust-free body, which gave me a lot of peace of mind. I imagine the rust-free body might even spark a bit of envy! Most parts are compatible with German-made Beetles, so finding replacements was rarely a problem. The electronics are also similar to those of the Golf 3, so they weren’t much of an issue either.

During my time with this car, I got married, and our child was born. It became our family car, especially in seasons other than summer. It was a family favorite, and I even gathered spare parts, planning to keep it long-term. However, there were a few incidents — the accelerator cable once snapped on the highway, leaving us stranded, and the brake hose burst at one point, so we couldn’t stop.

In the end, I had to reluctantly let it go as a trade-in for an Austin-Healey Sprite Mk1. Maintenance costs, including four inspections and parts, came to about 800,000 yen. For a car of this type, it was probably excellent. I owned it for about ten years. I hope this car will be adored by their next owner.

VolksWagen GOLF VI Variant（2013）

妻の妊娠が判明したときに購入。100万円で購入できるワゴンの中古車を探していたら消去法で残った。ドアの重さに感心し、段差を超えれば剛性の高さに感心し、高速道路では直進安定性に感心する。とにかく感心しっぱなしの車。ドイツ車党ではなかったのだが、ドイツ車ってのはこうゆうことか・・・と納得。出先で電子スロットルが死んで走らなくなり、クラクションの嵐を浴びたことがある。さらに電子スロットルの修理費が20万と聞いて失神しそうになる。燃料ポンプが死んで修理に10万円ほどかかったこともある。なんやかんやお気に入り。先進安全機能ないのが唯一の不満。現在も所有

When we found out my wife was pregnant, I bought this car. I was looking for a used wagon within a budget of around one million yen, and after narrowing down the options, this one was the last car standing. I was impressed by the weight of the doors, amazed by its rigidity when going over bumps, and in awe of its stability on the highway. This car left me impressed in every way.

I wasn’t originally a fan of German cars, but driving this one made me understand what German engineering is all about. There was an incident where the electronic throttle failed, leaving me stranded and surrounded by a storm of honking horns. When I heard that fixing the throttle would cost 200,000 yen, I almost fainted. The fuel pump also failed at one point, costing about 100,000 yen to repair.

Despite all this, I’m quite fond of it. My only complaint is that it lacks advanced safety features. I still own it today.

AustinHealey Sprite Mk1（1959）

ロードスターに乗る前からずっと憧れていた車。子供が成人したら購入しようと思っていたのだが、成人するだいぶ前に買ってしまった。購入したことを伝えた友人全員にバカ呼ばわりされる。たぶん正解。次の世代にしっかり伝えていきたい。現在も所有。

This was the car I had admired long before I ever drove a Roadster. I’d planned to buy it after my child became an adult, but I ended up getting it much earlier. When I told my friends about the purchase, every single one of them called me crazy. They were probably right, but I feel like it adds something richer to life this way. My wife and child both love the car’s funny face, and it’s become a family favorite.

I want to pass it down to the next generation. I still own it today.