Car swap: blue Peugeot 206 (right) for a turquoise Mazda6
Is there such a thing as an accident-prone car?
Just yesterday morning, I noticed a small crack on the windshield which has now zigzagged halfway down in front of my seat. I don't know where it came from nor when it happened. Now this afternoon, while backing away from an obstacle in the parking lot, it hit a solitary pole that had suddenly sprouted from the sidewalk. Then last week – again while parking – it ran over a steel bar protruding out of the soft sand. What it was doing there, I don’t know but it dented the undercarriage behind the right front wheel.
Prior to these three minor incidents, this car had its first brush with notoriety just two months after I drove it – brand new – out of the showroom. While waiting for the traffic light to turn green, I made the mistake of putting the gear on “R” (Reverse) and immediately banged onto a Vanette right behind me. Nothing happened to the Bedouin’s bumper but mine, which is fiberglass, had a small, ugly crater the size of an orange. After driving a manual stick shift all my life, I inadvertently put the gear forward, thinking I engaged the first gear which in an automatic car means “Reverse”.
Not content with that idiocy, I did the opposite as well. I grabbed the stick backward absentmindedly thinking it was reverse when it fact it was for “D” (Drive). Of course, it leapt forward like a cheetah intent on grabbing its prey, and immediately made contact with the metal barrier in front. The resulting nice dent made a balance to the one at the back.
Never mind, I said, nothing major to worry about. When I came to collect it from the dealer’s garage after its first 5,000 km. service, I noticed that the front grille was bent and there was a scratch underneath it. Plus some grayish color stuck to the dark turquoise body paint. Upon closer examination, I realized that one of the mechanics must have hit a can of paint lying somewhere and didn’t realize it. Of course, I complained. They promised to fix it up – including the already-existing front and back marks which were of my own making. Since it was fully insured, I didn’t pay anything though I had to sign some paperwork. The cost, I saw, came up to 80 dinars (approx. $250/-).
I had a brand-new car once more to proudly drive around. That lasted for about four months. One afternoon, with hardly any traffic on the road near the Grand Mosque, a crazy Egyptian on a 4x4 decided to take a sudden right at the intersection while he was driving in the middle lane thinking nobody else was around. Well, dammit, I was and slowly doing sixty on the right lane at that point. It was too late when I saw him pulling off a stunt and even though I braked as hard as I could (rubber squealed like a banshee and smoke emanated from all four tires), the front left side smacked right into the high steel bumper of the Nissan Patrol. His off-roader hardly showed any gash but mine was quite badly damaged – including the signal light whose cover littered the road in minute pieces. The front contiguous bumper was a total write-off.
More hassle, visits to the police station for a report, and insurance paperwork followed before I brought it once more to the garage. The same mechanic recognized the car and asked, “you again?” with incredulous eyebrows raised. It stayed there for 5 days. I signed some papers and wasn’t charged a thing. But the attached bill for the insurance claim read 350 dinars ($1,200/-). My total repair bill so far tallied 430 dinars. If you think that my comprehensive insurance cost me only 250 dinars, I already made a tidy profit of 180 dinars. The cashier slightly shook his head and noted that I had already used up close to double what I paid for. Yeah, right – as if I want to have an accident every time I got behind the wheel.
So is my Mazda6 a lemon? Definitely not. On the contrary, it maneuvers beautifully and handles perfectly well when it weaves in and out of traffic. The 2.4L engine purrs silently but picks up pretty fast with just a slight nudge on the gas pedal. On a trip to Khiran near the Saudi border where the highway is as straight as an arrow, I let it rip at 210KPH. It was as steady as a rock: no vibration whatsoever. It’s a joy to drive and the interiors are roomy and comfortable.
Shopping around for a replacement of my previous small, rinky-dink Peugeot 206, I settled for the Mazda after test-driving similarly spec’d cars: the Honda Accord and the Nissan Altima. I think the design finally won me over because it had that sporty, cat-like look that seemed as if it was ready to pounce on the pavement at the word go and the thick mags with exposed brakepads added a touch of masculinity. Plus the fact that the dealer gave me a very good trade-in price for the Peugeot.
It makes me wonder, therefore, why I’ve been having quite a surprising run of bad luck because there is absolutely nothing wrong with the car. But seven scrapes after having used it for just 9 months? I guess, the problem is with the driver. Moi. Don’t you think so?
