the new one which come too late....

Grand starex	T5 transporter

After 8 months of dragging on…I finally saw the new ambulance ….a Hyundai Grand Starex… Diesel version. It had been bothering us for the past few months as the old one had been causing a lot of problem. The old one was a Volkswagen transporter. It was spacious and very suitable to utilize as ambulance. Parts are all around as the vehicle were so popular in this country serving as 12 seaters van. Indeed it had good suspension and chassis, that were the advantages of European car. However since it was design for use in the cooler Europe, the hot summer here make it an unreliable car after few years of use. The owner would start to experience small problem here and there – small parts to be replaced and the cost is high if you use original parts, however as it was so popular you can get second hand part “butcher” from some scarp off one. However sometimes it just break down without any warning and making it very unreliable especially using it as an ambulance. You just can’t leave the car along the road side with the patient on it…. Well, eat salt and resist the thirst. I had an encounter with our ambulance years ago, I was cruising at 130km/h at the “air-strip” speedway(claimed to be F-16 landing/take off capable , in doubt of coz….) our ambulance “slide” over my starboard side (yes, from the out side of the road as I was driving at the outer lane).

The management had chosen the Grand Starex as it had proven to be a good investment in the past. They had purchased a Grand starex diesel as a transportation van for hemodialysis patient 1+ years ago. Not much problem and the only complaint was it’s suspension that was a little bit soft. The management doesn’t mind a bit as they are not in the vehicle most of the time…. It was the price which makes the different and make the choice easier , almost 40% cheaper than the VW counterpart. I had ridden the Grand starex for a few times and found that it is a good van – spacious and comfort to be in… Well, it came too late – our late EMT was so looking forward to it…..