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First of all, happy new year everyone!

Second of all, this journal is being posted in order to update my list of cars I've drove. I got to drive two different cars before traveling to Argentina (the travel deserves a journal for its own).

I got the chance to drive a 2012 Toyota Corolla Altis 2.0, which was driven only in the city. It's the second Corolla Mk.X (E140) I got to drive, both cars were equipped with the 2.0 liter engine, both had automatic gearboxes. Both have the same neutral ride, and both have the same quick throttle response... but everything feels normal. It is a terrific car, as a mean of transportation. Not everyone is an automotive enthusiast, and the Corolla is the right car for these people. It'll take you from "Point A" to "Point B" without surprises.
The Corolla I drove this time had those wood details made of plastic all over the dashboard. I love this kind of fake wood on cars, they're delicioulsy cheesy!

The other car I got to drive is the 2012 Renault Fluence Dynamique 2.0 16V HI-FLEX X-Tronic, which was driven on city streets and briefly on the road. The steering wheel is incredibly light when you're moving slowly, the ride is smooth and the CVT gearbox works in a very gentle way. If I'm not mistaken, this is the first car equipped with a CVT gearbox that I've drove. The air-conditioning system works pretty fast too.

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(UPDATE JANUARY 2ND 2013)

Because I'm looking for a Honda Civic, today I got to drive 1999 Honda Civic Sedan (EK) LX 1.6 16v. The car was equipped with an automatic gearbox, which isn't the sort of thing I want. Still, I drove it for a while in the city. The car feels just right, ergonomically speaking. But some details showed that said Civic wasn't well treated by its owner: the doors were noisy when you opened/closed them, the engine didn't sound right, the air-conditioning system also sounded weird. Mind you, that Civic had more miles on the odometer than my current Gol. The cherry on top of the cake: when the onwer stepped out of the Civic, he already started to smoke. C'mon.
After the ride, I politely said "No deal."
Although this is the first time I'm buying a car, I know you have to be patient. Easy does it!

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(UPDATE JANUARY 4th 2013)

Today, I almost made a deal. The car, this time, a 2000 Honda Civic Sedan (EK) LX 1.6 16v, equipped with a manual gearbox. This is the kind of Civic I want. The car sounded good, the ride was fine. The color was dark gray. I didnt like much the rims, and the headlamps were getting yellow-ish. The leather seats were worn out... but this sort of details can be fixed easily. I'm more concerned about the mechanical parts. This is said Civic: [link]
Anyways, the dealership was asking a bit too much for the car, and they didn't want to pay much for my Gol.
Well....

Yeah.
Well.


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(UPDATE JANUARY 7th 2013)

Oh dear. Today I found the perfect Civic... t'was another 2000 Honda Civic Sedan (EK) LX 1.6 16v, but this one was blue-ish/green-ish and had the original alloy wheels, lovely, lovely car. It was this one [link]
This was also the Civic I've drove more. The price was a bit too high for me. Still, I wanted it. The car was very tight, everything was right, the car was marvelous... just a couple of cosmetic issues, but very small things... it needed new tires... I checked if the car was leaking after the ride, and nothing was leaking. During the negotiation, I asked if I could take the car to a repair shop (owned by a friend of mine), so he could assure me that the car was fine. The salesman said "No problem" and so I took the Civic for another ride.
...godammit.
At the repair shop, the car was looking good, until we took a look underneath the Civic. The engine's lower parts were covered by oil. It was indeed leaking oil. The gearbox needed repairs. More money to spend on a car that would cost me too much.
Back at the dealership, the salesman was surprised when I told him about the oil leak, and started to tell me a story that it shouldn't be a big issue.
No deal.

I spent the rest of the day looking for other Civics. Found a white one, which is currently on top of my list... needs more time/negotiation so we can make a deal.


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(UPDATE JANUARY 8th 2013)

My search for the perfect Civic continues. Today I got to drive a white 2000 Honda Civic Sedan (EK) LX 1.6 16v, equipped with a manual gearbox. This one, to be more specific: [link]
As far as I could see, the car is fine. I didn't find any leaks too. So, apparently, the mechanical parts are good. There's a weird dent on the C-pillar, the rear and the front bumpers were repainted (but they look ok), there are other small details, but nothing much. Overall, the car's nice.
However, the pricetag could be more friendly.
Negotiations are more... advanced on the white Civic. But for now, no deal. There's still some Civic on my list that I want to check before making a deal.



That said, the Cars I Drove list now looks like this:
(I should stop listing them on a random order)

2001 Fiat Palio EX 1.0
2004 Citroën C3 GLX 1.6
2009 Ford Focus (Mk.I) GLX 1.6
2008 Volkswagen Jetta Variant 2.5 20v Tiptronic
1996 Chevrolet Corsa Wind 1.0
1995 Chevrolet Corsa Wind EFI 1.0
1996 Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited 5.2 V8
2003 Chevrolet Corsa Classic 1.6 Automático
1999 Volkswagen Gol CL 1.6 Mi
2009 Volkswagen Golf Sportline 1.6
2010 Toyota Corolla 2.0
2009 Renault Mégane Sedan 1.6
2008 Renault Sandero 1.0
2006 Volkswagen Santana 1.8
2011 Nissan March 1.0S  
2011 Chevrolet Celta LT 1.0
2010 Hyundai Santa Fe 3.5L V6 4WD
2012 Renault Fluence Dynamique 2.0 16V X-Tronic (new!)
2008 Mitsubishi L200 Outdoor
1989 Volkswagen Parati Surf 1.8
2011 Mitsubishi L200 Savana 2.5
2012 Toyota Corolla Altis 2.0
2005 Toyota Corolla Fielder 1.8
1999 Honda Civic Sedan (EK) LX 1.6 16v (AT) _{Thunder Grey Metallic}
2000 Honda Civic Sedan (EK) LX 1.6 16v (MT) _{Iced Teal Pearl}
2000 Honda Civic Sedan (EK) LX 1.6 16v (MT) _{Taffeta White}
2000 Honda Civic Sedan (EK) LX 1.6 16v (MT) _{Thunder Grey Metallic}
2002 Fiat Mille Fire 1.0
1999 Volkswagen Parati CL 1.6 Mi
2009 Chevrolet Celta 1.0  
Volkswagen Fox 1.0
Mk.IV Volkswagen Gol 1.0