It cost me Shs6m to make my car roadworthy - Kyewalyanga

Augustine Kyewalyanga speaks with pride of his Toyota Corolla DX SE 1982 model that he bought in 2002 at Shs15m.  Our interview is briefly interrupted by a man in his 60s. 

“I washed many of these cars at Old Kampala in the late 1980’s and early 1990’s. Only a few people had them and it is hard to believe that someone still has one in such good condition,” the man says. 

Car features

A close inspection of the car reveals that most of its interior is still as good as new. For example, 39-years since it was manufactured, this Corolla DX’s air conditioning system is still functional. The maroon rubber engraved carpets are also still in good condition. 

The neatly polished wooden steering wheel with a shiny brown covering blends well with some of the brown sections of the dashboard and the brown handle of the gear lever and the handbrake. Only the radio has been replaced. The comfort of the passenger seats, with a thick cushion is also something to admire. 

A manual transmission car that runs on five gears and a 1500cc petrol engine, Kyewalyanga says one of the reasons the Corolla DX has survived the test of time is because of its strong and durable body. 

“When I bought it, it definitely needed repair. With the exception of the engine that was still intact and functional, its body was rusting and needed reworking. I also replaced the tyres. I do not recall how long it took to make roadworthy but the total cost of the repairs was Shs6m,” Kyewalyanga says. 

Kyewalyanga says he mostly drives the Corolla DX on Saturday and Sunday within Kampala and when he is going to attend a function. Much as it has the capacity to go anywhere, Kyewalyanga has only gone as far as Entebbe. 

Service and maintenance 

Much as the Corolla is months, if not days, away from hitting its fourth decade, Kyewalyanga says its service and maintenance is not that costly. Being a Toyota brand, its spare parts are readily and locally available. For instance, it shares parts such as brake pads, fuel filter and oil filter with the Toyota Corolla G-Touring and Toyota Corolla, popularly known as the Kikumi. 

“The only costly service was replacing the gearbox in 2004 that cost me Shs800,000. I sourced for the gearbox locally and bought it from Kisekka Market,” Kyewalyanga says, adding that on average, he spends between Shs80,000 to Shs100,000 on service. 

Kyewalyanga asks government to consider vintage cars as something that should be preserved since this is old technology that will be hard to come by  a few years to come. 

“When a car gets old, it is dismantled and sold as scrap yet a number of tourists fall in love with them when they find them in good condition,” Kyewalyanga says.  

Versions

Over the years, there have been rebadged versions of the Corolla, sold by General Motors, including the Holden Nova in Australia during the early 1990s, and the Sprinter-based Chevrolet Nova, Chevrolet Prizm, and Geo Prizm (in the United States as part of the GM S platform). The Corolla liftback (TE72) of Toyota Australia was badged as simply the T-18. The five-door liftback was sold with the Corolla Seca name in Australia and the nameplate survived on successive five-door models.

[email protected]