Stripeydog

its the person not that car :P ive seen newbie p plater + 3 cyl daihatsu do many stupid things !!!! go the v6 :) Forget about the difference between V6, 4 cylinder, model number etc. IT IS THE DRIVER who determines 99% of the safety of the passengers in a car. Sure, some idiot can take you out & being in a "safer" car will help you (depending on impact of course). I've driven plenty of slow cars that I could still have died in if I wasn't concentrating on "good driving". Good driving means excellent awareness of what is around you at all times. Other cars, people, conditions on the road and experience are all more important factors than speed alone. Being a young P plate driver means the experience is not there, the other factors are under your control though & if you make good judgements you will be safe. Most fatal road accidents in WA are on country roads, often with no other cars around for miles, even on straight roads!! Why you ask?? Usually because the driver has made a mistake, not the car, not the speed limit set (110) but driver error. Learn to drive properly and consider others on the roads and you will stay safe.

I have read that some of the eastern states aurion guys like to do "mountain runs" to get a better driving experience than the city start stop routine. I thought I would describe what a W.A. version is like since we dont have any mountains. I arrived back home today at lunchtime and went straight to the car wash to give her a thorough clean as the bug & wildlife count was substantial this time. I am now completely stuffed & sleep is calling me early tonight.. The CannonBall Run A good friend of mine has to visit regional Bunnings stores in W.A. once a month as his business supplies them with building products & steel. I went with him in May & July, driving my ZR6 now deceased. When asked if I would go again I jumped at the chance to test out the new TRD properly. TUESDAY 26th 0530am - Depart South Perth with 2 mates, many redbulls and a bag full of snacks heading east out of Perth. 1120am - Arrive Kalgoorlie Bunnings and grab some food. 12noon - Depart Kalgoorlie heading south. 0305pm - Arrive Esperance Bunnings. 0330pm - Depart Esperance heading west. 0745pm - Arrive Albany motel. A big dinner and a few drinks is just what the doctor ordered. WEDNESDAY 27th 0700am - Visit Albany Bunnings when doors open 0720am - Depart Albany for Perth 1145am - Arrive South Perth safely Total distance travelled = 1915 kms Average Fuel Consumption = 9.9L/100km Total wildlife hit - 1 magpie, 1 goanna, 1 rabbit & alot of frogs. Number of police cars (marked & unmarked) seen / Number of infringements - 3 marked 2 unmarked / zero fines! All I can say is the aurion is a remarkable car in many different categories and not until you drive it on a decent journey can you appreciate just how good they are. I won't mention any numbers for the speedo but needless to say the TRD will get up & boogie in a flash and sit effortlessly at 2800-3000rpm all day. Those 37 metre long road trains are not an issue when overtaking, the handling & response during long sweeping corners at speed is terrific & even in testing conditions (getting dark, spitting rain, roos rabbits birds frogs crossing) I felt completely confident at the wheel. My link - Map of the Route Whilst this roadtrip is exhausting due to the level of concentration you must maintain, having a car that is so comfortable & enjoyable to drive along with good tunes & a few mates makes it no trouble at all... Anyone else got some stories of roadtrips they've done?? Cheers.

Sounds good Davo Mondays or Tuesdays are good for me. I'm keen to join in and meet some fellow aurion owners. South Perth is good spot, maybe somewhere along the coast after that?? Also, cheers for the info about upgrading headlights through volatile customs, will check that out soon.

Wise words D & Adamsy.. I think the assumption is pretty close nonetheless. Winding the window down for a few secs to improve your vision is telling you something.. Each to their own.

Cheers Steven. I'm not planning to do anything but the headlights as i agree, it is a special car as is and shouldn't be tampered with. All I meant by the presara comment was surely if they are going to make a "limited edition" car that they priced at $65k, for that sort of coin I would've thought xenon lights come as standard on the SL.. The stereo is so much better than my ZR6 was, the bluetooth for phone should be in all new cars IMO.

All valid comments i think, especially choosing a car based on how you intend to use it. Sure the smarter move is save and buy a property but you're 22 and you're deciding which $38000 car you like the most! You've got a good income so I'd go for it & have some fun. If I were you, get the lexus. IMO the simple answer is its just a better overall car. if those 2 links were examples of ones you're looking at there's no contest. The nissan looks poo in that colour, has done 60000km and has nowhere near the same kind of fruit as the lexus, for the same money. Sell the rolla and get the Lexus if you want better quality and value for money. I wouldn't pay $38k for that 350z convertible. I just bought a TRD 3500SL with half those km's and I didnt pay anywhere near 38. Maybe something else to consider......

This week got some protection from the sizzling Perth sun with new tint & paint & interior protection. I have read all the forum stuff on HID's etc... and i'm pretty sure i know what i need to get to upgrade the lows and foggies but iam useless at installing stuff like that. Anyone understand why the presara got them and not the 3500SL? Have read the install notes also but still not keen to start pulling bumper etc off so any further help from someone in Perth who knows what they're doing would be greatly appreciated. Cheers..

Congrats on the new purchase. You've made a good choice with the Aurion. I reckon they are one of the best looking cars on the road with just a few tweaks here and there. Sounds like you have the right ideas to start anyway and with the help you get off the people in these forums, it's happy days this summer... Been reading these forums for a while now and gotta say it's been bloody helpful & pretty funny too. The lowdown: Bought 2008 silver Aurion ZR6 Aug 2009 (done 38500km) Rear ended at 60kmh by challenged nissan patrol driver Aug 2010 Swore and chucked a wobbly for a few days. Did insurance companies (two) job for them and organised valuation for "write off" purposes. Yes it hit me f**kn hard. Purchased dealer owned TRD Aurion 3500SL in silver Sep 2010 (done 38600km) Now is that a coincidence or what?? Thanks for all the info, one day soon I hope to add something useful back. Cheers

Must give congrats to this website as it has given me heaps of useful info on toyotas and quite a few laughs. I live in Perth, had a nice silver Aurion ZR6 written off by a challenged nissan patrol driver in August. Now drive silver TRD Aurion 3500SL. Need my car for work and spend fair bit of time driving. The Aurion is one of the best looking cars on the road just as it comes from the factory in my opinion. I'm happy i've managed to get my hands on one of the few SL's going around and plan on keeping it in top nick. Cheers to DJKOR and others in the Aurion forums for all the advice, hopefully I will have something of use soon. Stripey