The Brilliance of the Toyota Pencil Light

Nigerians, whilst not the best at making cars, have a very genius way of naming them.

They are not called those generic bland names like the Honda Accord, Toyota Camry or even Mercedes Benz. We give each model and design a specific name that stays etched, not on silver chromes strapped to the rear side of the cars from the factory, but in our minds and street parlance, the inventors, unknown and unsung.

It is either a 'V-Booth', 'Baby Boy', 'Bullet', 'Bull-Dog', 'E.O.D', 'Pencil Light', 'Tiny Light' and erm...'Big-for-nothing'. No body buys just a bland Accord here. Nobody.

Despite all the different import choices we have, one car brand and model stands out...The Toyota Camry XV20 which we call the Toyota Pencil Light, or 'tiny light' in some places.  This Camry was manufactured between 1996 to 2001.

The demand for the 'Pencil Light' right from the time it debuted even up till now has been unprecedented in the history of used cars in Nigeria. Everybody wanted one. Bankers, Lecturers, Students, Civil Servants...everybody who could not afford a brand new Prado or a Lamborghini. This car has been so popular it could have been part of our old trio if it came in two decades earlier

We would be reviewing why it was on the 'top 10 list' and some tips on its ownership.

First, it was a very reliable car.

It always started in the morning and usually did not overheat in traffic (except you are the type that can over heat a deep freezer).

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As long as you changed the oil regularly and remember to add petrol periodically, it will get you there.

It was also very easy to maintain and repair. The engine bay was accessible and mechanics felt like kings in solving the few hiccups once in a while. To even add sugar to its honey, spare parts were as plenty as the sands God told Abraham about. If you could not maintain a pencil light, you probably could not maintain your bathroom slippers.

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Pencil Light has always been frugal with petrol consumption.

The 5S-FE Inline-four cylinder engine sipped 11 litres of petrol for every 100km of highway driving. This was wonderful for a mid-sized family car status.

To now cap it up, once you get tired of the Pencil light and wanted to upgrade to a 'Big-for-Nothing' or 'End-Of-Discussion', you can still sell it off for good money.Well maintained Nigerian variants still go above N600,000 which is around 70% of the cost of a fresh import. This is better value compared to its competition, the 'Baby Boy' that goes for around N400,000.

Now if you own the Pencil Light or Intend to buy one, please take note of the following.

Address all issues pertaining to security.

This car has a bad record for being one of the most stolen cars in Nigeria.

Buy a pedal lock, install a noisy alarm and a tracker. The Pedal lock is important and must be used regularly except on the day you don't mind the car being stolen.

In addition, follow the following tips:

• Don't give your pedal lock key to your mechanic. Detach the key from the  bunch when handing the car over to a third party to prevent cloning.


• Always activate your security measures when locking the car


• Ensure all doors are properly locked and secure even in traffic.


• Always wind up all windows and use the AC in traffic.


• Reduce night crawling in a pencil light as much as possible.

I hope you enjoy or have enjoyed cruising your 'Pencil Light'. What tips or advice can you proffer? Please add via our comment section.

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Cheers

Denn