It is going to take a lot, if not forever, for anyone to convince Christopher Mogal Muchwa that modern cars are easier to maintain than older, classic models. Just take his beloved Suzuki Samurai, for example. He swears by it, calling its technology “basic” and easy to work with.
His attachment to the Samurai dates back to his childhood. As a Catholic, he remembers priests driving them in the ’80s and ’90s. His mother, a nurse, worked in Lira in the early 2000s, where these cars mostly served as ambulances. That stuck with him. And now, even though they are out of production, you can still get one for under Shs5m; either tucked away in someone’s backyard or collecting dust in a garage. Its repair structure is quite similar to the Suzuki Jimny, which shared the same rugged, boxy shape.
Premacy to project car
Before the Samurai, Muchwa owned a Mazda Premacy, his first car. He did not mind the bad reputation Suzuki had among some motorists. What bugged him instead was why people in the 90s bought the Samurai. Coming from what he calls the “depressed” Mazda Premacy, comparable to a Toyota Ipsum or Wish, he saw buying an older car as a learning experience, or even an experiment, for the future. Once he got the Samurai, he found himself regularly bonding with mechanics. “The only downside with used cars is their age; they are old, but not in a ‘classic’ way,” he admits. “But then again, there are old cars worth your money. The Samurai is one of them.”
A travel companion
He adds, “The Samurai’s technology is simple to maintain. I travel a lot upcountry for documentaries, and the biggest gamble was whether it would keep up. It was a scary thought, but that could happen with any car. I just prayed that if it broke down, it would be somewhere a mechanic could reach it, as long as the engine was not the issue.” On one of those upcountry trips, the piston broke. Muchwa simply removed the engine, stored it safely, and left the car by the roadside for two weeks. When he returned with a replacement piston, the car was untouched. “Not many people know what a Samurai is,” he chuckles. Powered by a 1300cc engine and a 4WD system, the Samurai is perfect for Muchwa’s off-road needs.
He bought the Mazda for Shs6m, but it turned out to be a costly mistake. With the Samurai, he did not want to repeat that pain. “It was supposed to be a learning tool; a project. I knew it would not offer comfort or reliability. I went in with an open mind, knowing I would not feel too bad if things did not work out,” he says. “I do not drive to reach,” he laughs. “I drive to enjoy. I take my time. Overtaking is a challenge because it is slow. But that is exactly why young people should drive cars such as this; less speeding, fewer reckless moves, and safer roads.
Powered by a 1300cc engine and a 4WD system, the Samurai is perfect for Muchwa’s off-road needs. PHOTO/ROLAND D NASASIRA
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Now in his mid-30s, Muchwa sees his 1993 Samurai as a classic. For the Shs4m he paid, he believes he has already recovered that investment. “If I hired a car every time I travelled upcountry, I would have spent the same amount,” he says. So far, he has been to Kaabong, Lira, and Gulu, with plans to head west next month. His advice? “Find a good mechanic, and no car is hard to maintain. The problem is that many people do not realise mechanics can be like tailors or cameramen; if you do not know what you are doing, they will take advantage.”
The right mechanics
With the Samurai, he only works with mechanics who truly understand the car. That, he says, is what has kept it going. “If I were to buy another car, it would be a Suzuki Gypsy, the longer version of the Samurai, because now I have got the right mechanics. In the beginning, I got cheated a few times, but when I started treating those who knew their stuff like family, everything changed. I started to enjoy the repair process and learnt where to find spares.”
The Samurai had sat unused for about four years, so some repairs, such as wheel bearings, are due to age and weather exposure. Beyond the Shs4m purchase, he has spent around Shs3m more, mostly on LED lights and brand-new off-road tyres. But he calls these modifications, not repairs. All fixes, such as engine overhauls, cost about Shs800,000.
