exora:
good: cheapest, full spec, new
bad: proton brand, image issue, service center alot but quality of service below average

wish
good: toyota brand, service center usually decent but queue long
bad: 1800cc not enough power, old next year it will be 10 years old!
comment: basically u paying for the brand, don't get fooled. i'd never pay anything more than 20k for something that old and probably needs work.

stream:
good: newer than wish and better in most ways, service centers are abundant and decent
bad: no aircond for second row, its also quite old.

how much you plan to spend monthly on a car?
zero downpayment?

the thing about second hand cars its a good idea to buy it after the first owner has taken the depreciation bite for you.

e.g. Car A cost RM50k in japan but after Malaysian tax its selling at RM90k. So first hand owner buy at RM90k and usually within 3-5years the car will depreciate to its true value. Buy it below 5 years. Sell it before its more than 10 years old. Then you buy a decent car for a decent price. Buying a normal car which is old and high mileage isn't a great idea.

normal car. normal engine.
just parts aren't so easily available if you get into accident.

usual stuff like airfilter, brake pads, etc should be okay.
or can get compatible stuff.
just that my uncle told me body panels, glass panels hard to come by.
bumpers alot, even got from chop shop.

700-1000 downpayment or monthly installment?

click here

mostly cars in this category you can only buy kelisa/kenari/viva/BLM so finding a persona is a good buy, yes?

what interest you?
used older japanese/conti?
i usually don't recommend 2nd hand cars too old unless you're ready to give the car some TLC after buying it.

thats pretty old but if the new owner is willing to put some effort to put the car right.
probably estimated 3-5k worth of repairs the car should be fit as daily drive for another 5-7 years.
that is assuming no major issues just changing small things like lower arms, tires, bushings, rubber seals, etc.

i don't know much about these two engines though generally carby engines are easier to maintain and fix but the fuel injection engine might give you better fc over the long run.

if you asked me persona and vios are in the same category performance, class and quality wise.
although proton quality is still suspect but vios is becoming like this cheap non-national brand car.
the current model of vios spec wise isn't much better than a persona.
just that it gives you better brand recognition.

you can find younger ford focus around that price range.
i think i know which generation of altis you're talking about.
its the version before dual vvti, right?
that wan is 4 speeder auto.
decent daily drive, nothing to complain.
though if you require abit of performance it isn't for you.

worthy car based on what merits?
space? nvh? performance? recognition? handling? etc.

i think its a decent car.
only 1.6 not 1.8 as you mentioned earlier.
its not too old and the price is quite good.

nvh = noise, vibration, harshness
how about mpv?

not so soon thailand haven't launched

spectra
pretty good specs for the price and age.

fiat panda
a nice conti.
great gearbox like in alfa romeo.
but expensive to maintain if replacing parts.

optra
its a big car.
normal maintainence shouldn't be an issue.
only find part expensive if you get into an accident.

the new 86 can get discount?

i'm guessing any civic, altis, sentra would be a good choice for your overall needs.
they're pretty much reliable and fuel efficient, remember to get the top spec version.
you can bring to any workshop to fix.
2007 like that should be <65k

you'll be able to buy d segment cars like accord, teana and camry with that price.
of course you get a bigger car but that price range is usually for the base model of d segment cars.
c segment cars like civic, altis, sylphy, focus, golf are all smaller but also much cheaper and you can get full spec.

the difference more or less 10k.
i think its a good deal price-wise.
because when both cars were new the price difference between 1.6 and 1.8 is more than 10k.
plus 1.8 is top spec so will have additional accessories the 1.6 doesn't have.
actually it is a good time to buy this version of altis because:

1. people think this version only have 4 speed normal gearbox doesn't have the new 7 speed cvt gearbox so its lousy
2. people think this version only have vvti engine doesn't have the new dual vvti engine so its losy.

but the fact is the car and material quality is much better than the new altis.
the new gearbox and engine cost has to be offset somewhere so usually they'll cut cost where consumers cannot see like insulation, rubber quality, plastics quality and recycle design parts from other models.

yup all CVT gearboxes behave like this.
just ask previous generation honda city and jazz owners.
everyone complains about the "aeroplane" sound.

good luck with your search.
i think you found a diamond in the rough.
those altis were uber expensive new.
i think buying a 4-5 year old car at almost half the price is great idea.

i'll give you some rough pointers then we can scale down from there.

suzuki - never really been a fan of them, as they have a reputation for being fuel guzzlers with weak performance.
forte - a value for money car though i don't think the one at 75k new is the one with the driving dynamics you want.
fiesta - if you can upgrade your budget to 92k then get the beta version, comes with bucket seats, 3m tinted, limited edition paint work and black interior.
toyota vios - too overated, about the same as a persona in terms of tech.
honda city - a good car but the new one is over your budget, the old one is a good car if you can find one in good condition.

i'm guessing what you mean you want is more torque!
merc c200 is a cruiser so it can do highways at very high speed and low rpm = fuel efficienc.
but it lacks the torque for pickup and overtaking.
plain vanilla fiesta is good too since its all using the same engine/gbox.

just strike out the toyota/honda/suzuki

yes thats a good starting point.
motortrader.com.my is also a good reference.
plus when with the salesman don't be afraid to challenge them and ask for discounts or a better price if in your heart or based on what you see the car is more expensive than it really is.

if he asks for 50k but market rate is 49k thats reasonably high but u can always knock it down by looking at the car to see what repairs you might need to get the discount you want. like new tires, paintjob, etc.

This post has been edited by zenix: Sep 27 2012, 11:13 PM

fiesta is lighter and has a better gearbox.
shouldn't be a drinker, who said so?

fiesta
good - handling, looks, price
bad - resale value for fords are generally bad but fiesta is quite popular car so won't be so bad

prus c
good - its a hybrid, its a toyota
bad - most expensive of the bunch, lowest quality interior of the bunch, smallest of the bunch

mazda2 - for me nothing much exceptional except cheapest of the bunch

vios - don't get cheated by its brand the technology isn't too far off from a persona

city - most expensive in its class but quite solid, though no pickup but good top end.

hi been away a few days.
abit lazy to catch up previous few pages.
any questions can direct to me.

i'll try to respond to as much as i can.
if you feel left out direct your post to me.

50K is alot in the second hand market.
why limit yourself to crappy vios and city especially since you're targeting 6 year old cars but i guess you're thining toyota or honda is the way to go for cheap car, reliable car, cheap spare parts and can sell-on later.

here are a few suggestions from me at aprox 50k
2007 Honda Jazz - maybe not your thing since it is a hatch but imho less boring than a city.

2009 Toyota Altis - think this is an absolute steal for the asking price, granted it is the 1.6 engine version so might be abit under powered but you can't go wrong buying a C segment car at B segment price.

2008 Ford Focus - a better C segment car for B segment price.

you're better off buying a myvi if you worry about resale.

looking at your requirements it was hard to find anything good.
usually if not looking for cars too old but cheap it is usually manual.
with your budget i'd recommend don't buy something already 10 years old.
look for something 5-6 years old at least you still got 5 more years until its 10 years old, its should be still in decent condition and still have parts being made for it.

2006 Wira SE 1.5 - i think this is the last batch, it looks new and untouched, probably owned by a lady. I think its a bargain because its cheap, auto and relatively new. still will have parts for it for at least another 5 years, but i think even longer than that since wira is so generic everywhere still got alot.

2008 Savvy 1.2 - small but its relatively new being a 2008 car. i think its the last batch of savvy's before they stop production. the only semi auto in this price range.

2006 Spectra 1.6 - i think the car with the best equipment levels for this price range. i don't know much about korean cars but this model was pretty popular back then and this was the last facelift novus version before they discontinued. spares should be still widely available.

2006 Gen2 1.6 - you might not want to get something that looks old maybe. how about a gen2? with some minor accessories you can have it looking like the persona which is a current model and sister car to the gen2. other gen2's around this price is usually a 1.3 manual though so call this guy to make sure the car is still for sale.

2007 sentra 1.8 @ rm43k - i think this is a bargain, cheapest and full spec, doubt such hotcakes will stay unsold for long.


2008 sentra 1.6 @ 49k - the price difference you're paying for is just for a car being 1 year younger but no leather seats and just 1.6 engine.

look for efi kancils.