Ying and Niq’s Niche

Nissan Grand Livina 1.8 A/T

We finally got the finished car after a 2-week wait. I drove the car from Ah Sook’s place to Ying’s house accompanied by FohChin. Ying told Gabriel that the new car has arrived. Gabriel was so excited. He grabbed his new booster seat and ran to the door. We had earlier told him that the new booster seat was for the new car.

The tint was done by Multigard, costing less than RM1500. We selected neutral grey with safety 4mil film for side windows. The front and rear had 2mil film. The tinting meets JPJ requirements. The front and rear windscreens had 70% light transmittance the side windows had 50% light transmittance. The cooling was quick and heat reflection was comfortable.

The black leather seats made the car even more comfortable. It would also be easier to maintain than the factory-installed beige fabric. We chose half-leather - the front passenger seat back surface is PVC and the 2nd row seat back surface is black fabric. We had beige leather for the door panel to blend better. It cost us RM2500.

The ride was comfortable. The suspension effectively absorbs shocks from bumps and potholes. On the highway, Ying complained it was a bit bumpy. We may need to check the tyre pressure. The 1.8 litre engine was quiet and yet powerful and responsive.

This is a really good investment. I feel confident to get my family to the destination safely and comfortably. The Nissan Grand Livina will definitely make its way to many who want safety, comfort and versatility.

Finally, our new car has arrived. It arrived at Ipoh on 13-Jun-08 by trailer. ChuiLi broke the good news to Ying and me. We had to delay the downpayment to 21-Jun-08 as we had to attend Catholic Evening for the Engaged (CEE) Penang’s 25th anniversary celebration dinner on 14-Jun-08. We test drove on 21-Jun-08, made arrangements at the tint shop and met up with the guy doing leather seats. The ride was smooth and quiet, no issues. One thing we noticed was a poorly designed radio antenna. I asked the sales guy how to retract it. He said we had to unscrew it. And it would take a taller than average person to do that. Imagine the hassle at the car wash. Anyway, can’t complain for the price - you get what you pay. The car got registered AGL 9679 on 24-Jun-08. We didn’t choose any particular number, as we thought that it was not very important, and we save RM210. I was quite happy to get AGL though. GL = Grand Livina! Haha! Almost missed the boat as the running number was already 9xxx. Just a week ago, it was 7xxx. By 25-Jun-08, the leather seats and tint were ready. We won’t be going back on 28-Jun-08 to get the car back to Penang. Ying’s family will be going to Kuala Lumpur that weekend. We have to wait patiently till 5-Jul-08, to celebrate Ying’s dad’s birthday, and to finally drive the new car with the leather seats and with tinting. Arrrgh! Got to wait 2 weeks - seems like 2 months! Sorry for the anti-climax.