u/SjalabaisWoWS

All dry days are good days.

I didn't even get to sleep in the sun! Feeling cheated.

This is from a gorgeous hike at the end of just another hydropower road. Leads to the most adorable alpine pastures. Drive video here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nk4b0O-S0rY

I also made a compilation of the stronges local polluters. Not a big fan:

https://old.reddit.com/r/cruiseships/comments/1wlk7q7/a\_question\_of\_perspective/

Can't believe this is only about two weeks ago. So much happening, time feels compressed and non-linear. On top of preparations for next week, we discovered a water leak from our kitchen sink UV device today. Had to pull down a wall in the basement while we now try to dry everything up. Insurance is noted. :S

I am currently testing the waters to see if anyone could be interested in buying my Genesis-ancestor, a 1st generation Centennial/Equus. Suddenly, I got messaged by the car's first chauffeur! He worked as a driver with the Centennial in 2003-2006 and sent me the attached photo from the company's internal paper. Trivia like this is what improves my house-cleaning Sunday tremendously, and I figured I could share this here.

About the big number in the text: 800k NOK would be about 80k USD today, or about 113k USD in 2003 (the Norwegian krone has lost a lot of its value). Thankfully, our tax office provides data on new car prices for every year:

https://www.skatteetaten.no/globalassets/tabeller-og-satser/listepris-bil/bil\_2003-.pdf

In 2003, you could have gotten the likes of an Audi Allroad 2,7 V6 Quattro station wagon, a BMW 730 D or X5 3.0i, a Jaguar XJ6 3.0 V6 or a Mercedes-Benz CLK 320 for the money. For comparison, a Hyundai Terracan 2.9 CRDI was the most expensive Korean car at 554000 NOK, a common Elantra 1.6 GLS was 198950 NOK - a quarter of the Centennial's price.

I know, Norwegian prices were not comparable to US prices at the time at all, 100% taxation on a car - especially with big engines - was a common thing. Now, we barely pay any taxes on EVs, which is why we've embraced the tech so much.

Cheers!

My classic car for six years has been my country's only 1st generation Centennial/Equus. Now, I wonder if I should pass this one along and try something similar, but simpler. I want a car that is still comfy, neat, rare and odd, but which I mustn't feel like a steward of and just use without concern. So to stay in the genre, I was thinking maybe a Magentis, or Kia's own Equus-level Opirus? These cars don't really exist here in Norway, so I was thinking of getting one from Sweden. Quite interesting offers there.

This Magentis is overpriced by a lot, but it looks amazing, has the most wonderful interior and very low mileage: https://www.blocket.se/mobility/item/14319541

Did only the smaller engine come with a manual, though? There's another which isn't terrible, but the dark interior is a huge downgrade: https://www.blocket.se/mobility/item/19020083

There's even an Opirus for sale which unapologetic ugliness I find quite endearing: https://www.blocket.se/mobility/item/24149766

So, to the point, how reliable are these cars? Is parts supply as challenging as keeping the Centennial maintained? Getting parts from Korea often starts at 400-500 USD in shipping, so it's kind of pricey. I also wonder where to check for rust and corrosion in general.