A question from my wife.

Using driving up to Genting highland, which MPV will:
a. be struggling
b. have no problem
in getting to the top?

Thanks.

This post has been edited by plumberly: Nov 15 2013, 09:45 AM

Hey guys was considering between VW Sicrocco 2.0 or Audi tt S-line.


Both Re-conditional,thoughts sifu?

This post has been edited by NickyKhoo: Nov 15 2013, 12:57 PM

So what kinda budget you have in mind?
MPV? Sedan? Maintenance burden? Brand preference?

Anyway let me intro you something I bumped into...

2008 Merc C240 - this car is most likely a recon/clear stock car as this body type was discontinued for the new model in 2007, anyway back to this one its a good car for the price and since it is stated that loan is available it is younger than 2003 although for the price I don't think it would be worth it if its age is anything older than 2006 because next year is 2014 so if the car is made in 2003 it is effectively 11 years old when you bring it back home, not really a good deal IMHO eventhough its a Merc. You need to be aware of other money matters for this car, insurance by its selling price will cost you almost 2000 then roadtax is about 1000 too so renewing roadtax and insurance would be 3000 budget for the foreseeable future. Parts and maintenance is the biggest saving grace for this car because although its a big luxurious conti D-segment car its parts are as cheap as getting stuff for your Toyota Camry.

2010 Honda Edix - confirmed recon/import car as it is not sold here by Honda Malaysia. A funky style mini MPV. While unlike most other mini MPV like Avanza and Alza which have a 3rd row of seats only suitable for small children to make way for 7 seats the Edix with clever design makes room for 6 with only 2 rows of seating. So everyone is comfortable and the car isn't stretched too long until handling is all out. A really little town cruiser that can carry 6 if needed but then it can only fit 4 comfortably, so while most mini MPV are 4+3 this is a 4+2. Maintenance and parts aren't much of an issue since the engine is shared with the Civic, and bodypanels would be your only headache.

Nissan Serena S-Hybrid is about RM149k.
This size of MPV is very comfortable all 7 seats are suitable for full sized adults, anything smaller than this you need to compromise space on the 3rd row either head or leg room not enough.
Multi-aircon blowers, multi-zone-aircon, fuel efficient, comfortable ride, Hybrid mode saves fuel during idling.

Mini MPV: Toyota Avanza = Perodua Alza
Compact MPV: Toyota Wish/Innova = Honda Stream = Nissan Livina = Proton Exora
Proper MPV: Toyota Estima = Honda Odyssey = Nissan Serena
Large MPV: Toyota Alphard/Vellfire = Honda Elysion = Nissan Elgrand

This is a big MPV with very buffered ride so you don't feel much of the road, cabin NVH is good, so its a very good long distance traveler since with reduce road noise and road imperfections giving a bumpy ride you'll feel very comfortable driving it far and won't feel tired easily....you might also be doing faster than you should without noticing.

Some say the Exora handles better and gives better road feedback, well there are pros and cons to this. This an MPV you're going to be ferrying your family in it and want it to be comfortable you don't want "feedback" from things like road noise, vibration on steering (direct feeling), and a harder suspension.....all those would be great on their sportier products like a Proton Satria Neo for racy feel but an MPV is different comfort and quiet is key....so anything less and your mind starts to wander am I getting cheated?

Well not really, its true the Exora won't be as great as the Serena because they're of difference class....it would be like silly of me to compare Honda Civic and Honda Accord then say the Civic is better because it handles better....well....it should because of the class demands are different.

I think the Almera is a good buy.
Although you may also want to have a look at Nissan X-Gear.
It is the shorter version of the Livina, with only room for 5 in a crossover body.
Priced about RM85k its a real C-segment car in B-segment price, so you get space of a crossover car and a decent 1600cc engine as oppose to the others which are offering 1500cc at best -- currently the 2013 pre-facelift models are being stock cleared so there are discounts I've been quoted 3-4k.

I think it fits your requirement of space, good FC, family use, balik kampung also good.
Plus rear hatch door is also good when you need to bring big stuff like trolley for babies and stuff.
Lugging it onto sedan boot very high and probably your massage center bills will increase

IMHO anything from mini mpv range will of course be struggling.
1300cc on flat road also no pickup, go up hill? Probably can but not full load and grinding up slowly.
You push it too perform at high RPM all the way up is sure going to overheat the engine.

Compact MPV wouldn't have an issue because they're just slightly bigger than Mini MPV but are built with better quality parts like better suspension setup and of course minimum is 1600cc engine (Livina/Exora) mostly will be 1800cc or 2000cc engine which are more than enough to navigate up Genting. Anything above Compact MPV level wouldn't have performance issues performance issues are usually for 3rd world market cars like Alza/Avanza need big body but small engine.

So if you increase your budget to about 80-95k then I'd suggest you either get a new Nissan Livina, or recon Honda Stream/Toyota Wish. Although recon cars only give you one year warranty the cars are usually export quality cars so they're very robust and reliable if they don't breakdown in the first few months then they won't unless poorly maintained. Proton Exora I wouldn't recommend unless you're quite desperate for cheap but that would be the non-turbo manual which IMHO similar like the 1600cc Livina would be underpowered under certain cirsumstances while the CFE (turbo) version is a good car Proton SC usually aren't up to par for maintenance for your 3 years would be a hit/miss......and from my experience Proton warranty is a joke.

The underpinnings for both models come from VW's PQ35 platform.
They also mirror each other quite well in different incarnations;

Audi TT = VW Scirocco
S-line = GT-spec
Quattro = R-spec

That's just in general of course there are differences which make them both unique.
While the TT will naturally have a smaller boot, feels more luxurious and higher prestige.
You can see the difference in cabin below:



So which one better?
I really can't answer that I guess depends on what you want, performance and maintenance wise they're pretty much equal. IMHO TT owners usually be stereotyped as mid-life-crisis-old-man or kept women, while Rocco is more universal.

2009 VW Rocco vs 2008 Audi TT - about the same price yet Audi will be more expensive.

This post has been edited by zenix: Nov 17 2013, 08:12 AM

First, many many thanks for your feedback! You really know cars very well.

I thought Exora is in your recommended list but in the above (highlighted in bold), you stated otherwise. Please clarify.

Saw some adverts on end -of-the -year car promotion. Worth considering these? One will lose out on 1 whole year on car age after these 2 months. And with the NAP's 10 years car policy, that will add salt to injury. Ha.

Many thanks.

This post has been edited by plumberly: Nov 15 2013, 06:31 PM

unless you're really getting a fantastic offer which is more than 5k discount.
i don't think its worth the depreciation.

Hi, how to check whether the car is accident unit or not?
Scared later get an used car and recover from an accident unit

Hi sifus,

1. Brand : Any as long as reliable
2. Budget : 75- 85k
3. New/Used/Unreg : Preferably new
4. Specs : Doesn't matter
5. Transmission : Doesn't matter too
6. NA or FI : Not sure what this mean.
7. Type : 4 seater.
8. Remarks : Prefer it to be worth buying and reliable with reasonable maintenance cost. So far has looked into Jazz, Fiesta, Pug208 and Myvi.

Thanks.

Was thinking about your case, then I thought maybe I should just recommend you a few budget price but decent sized MPV's plus they're quite rare so with a new number plate you can of course fool the fools

2006 Nissan Liberty - manufactured in 2003, registered in 2006, most likely a recon car as Nissan never officially sold this model here in Malaysia. This is the forerunner of the Nissan Livina, however unlike the Livina which is meant to be for cheaper Asian markets the Liberty was made for Japan domestic market and also in Europe and USA, was known as Nissan Prairie/Stanza in some markets. So because its for upper tier markets it gets accessories and specs suitable for those markets like 5 star safety ratings, double aircon blowers, etc. The engine is taken from a favorite and popular engine of the time which is the SR20DE which is also found on Nissan Bluebird, Altima, X-trail and Serena of that generation. Maintenance wise it shares similar engine and gearbox as the X-Trail so it shouldn't be any more expensive to keep than an X-Trail. Though because of its rarity you might come into issues when an accident happens and you need to replace things like doors, bumpers, etc. Although you should be able to get the parts but pricing might be on the pricey side since they don't always keep stock. Whil

2004 Toyota Ipsum/Picnic - another value buy MPV, although it looks like the Toyota Innova from certain perspective it is much much better. Ipsum is made from the Toyota Avensis platform (Avensis is a high-end luxury saloon for US/Japan markets). The one in this advert uses the 2.4 L 2AZ-FE engine which is the same one as on the Camry, as the case with the car above, normal maintenance and service is going to be relatively cheap and the car is going to be reliable with that proven engine. The only worrisome part is body panels and uncommon parts.

2003 Ford Escape - if you don't really need 7 seats then this can be an alternative, 5 seltbelts = room for 5 people, but you still get the hatch rear door/boot to open a large space to put your luggage or baby stuff like trolleys/playpen along with you for long journeys. Unfortunate for first owners as these cars depreciate alot but good news for bargain hunters like yourself as this car is quite worth it. Unlike the previous 2 above this one is sold officially in Malaysia so it is fully supported by Ford, no worries on maintenance and parts availability.

So there you go, 3 cars at half your budget which would last you quite sometime.

Many thanks for your recommendation! I assume either car is your hobby or it is your line of business. Ha.

I have a rule in not buying second hand things (car, house, etc) which are more than a year old. Why? I fear that I will be buying someone's else problems. After years of use, they tend to break down. Some companies have a policy of selling their cars after 5 years, I assume the cost of maintenance will be on the increase then.

Exora is in my list now. Will do some study and then take test drives on my top 3 MPVs. Any advice when it comes to test drive etc?

Many thanks. Cheerio.

please advice bout my decision in getting this car

1. Brand : Proton Inspira 1.8 or 2.0
2. Budget : below 65K (cheaper is better)
3. New/Used/Unreg : Used
4. Specs : with or without bodykit
5. Transmission : either
6. NA or FI :
7. Type : Sedan
8. Remarks : i want to know is it a good car(in term or performance, handling, comfort)? i know bout proton reputation, but i hope they already improved at least with this car. i surveyed mudah.my, i can get this car 2.0 for 62k-65k and below 60k for 1.8. which choice is better for me? prefer auto so dat my wife can drive it easier but manual is fine too and cheaper. any advice guys?

1. Brand : No preference
2. Budget : Below 50k - willing to go higher if required
3. New/Used/Unreg : Used but ideally below 5 years (the newer the better )
4. Specs : good specs especially safety-wise and as much gadget as possible
5. Transmission : Auto
6. NA or FI : Prefer FI but NA is fine too if its 1.8 / 2.0
7. Type : C segment sedan/hatch
8. Remarks : Prefer contis but willing to consider Koreans too (Japs are usually over-priced for a used unit). Basically looking for that rare gem which is unknown to most causing the value to be cheap.

All advice are appreciated

hi
got fren want to sell his car.i want to ask here whether worth or not,he ask me for 43k nego.

MYVI 1.5 SE 2011 yellow colour

acc:
Audio system 4channel amp,speaker belakang 6inch rockford fosgate,speaker depan 4inch american sound,active subwoofer american sound,replica advance type rz sport rims 15 inch with falken tyre,llumar 4mm safety tint with 5 years warranty,2 point ultra racing front bar...

I dont think u can do it at Proton service centre. But my friend did convert the engine at car accessories/workshop but I'm not sure which one.


This post has been edited by jackbanner: Nov 18 2013, 05:27 AM

If budget around 75k, what would be the most reliable choice to pick?

Vios/ City/ Jazz?

Apparently now city got 5 years labour free... uhmmm...

Ask for the car number plate then check JPJ/PDRM/Bandaraya for any saman/accident.
However, for accident case not reported cannot see.
But then if it is a bad enough accident people normally report because it is quite expensive to fix so need insurance money have to make police report.

Jazz - in either 1500cc Petrol or Hybrid guise the Jazz is a flexible, reliable and cheerful all rounder -- do enjoy the big discounts now because they're going to phase out this model soon for the 2014 model soon.
Fiesta - looks good and spec well, one of the hot models on the market -- would depreciate but not as rapidly
208 - looks good and spec well, prepare for it to depreciate like a rock in water.
Myvi - if you ask me its too expensive for what it is, instead of better safety features they just keep adding bling bling accessories like bodykit, navigators, etc.

So which is your top picks now?
Exora is a good choice as long as you know what you're getting into because as Proton owners even if the quality of manufacturing has improved the quality of the sales and service staff hasn't changed much since its inception, thus you need to be abit more pro-active in terms of maintenance and not just rely on the 3S/SC. Plus things like skipping maintenance done at Proton would void warranty

If you can spend somewhere in the region of 80k then you can also consider recon Wish/Stream which are in abundance.

2011 Nissan Sylphy - with that budget you can also look into this car (don't bother with Sentra or Latio -- when wife is involve it is best to go for your 'A Game' than stinge here and there. Sylphy until Sentra is a modern C-segment with alot of cubby space and airy interior, and unlike Latio is a lower slung and sleek C-segment car. The ESP isn't electronic stability program (like VSA/VSC traction control software) but is electric power steering, with that your steering is lighter and easier to drive -- especially for the ladies. There would be people saying that such steering lack feedback but you're not racing so all that doesn't matter plus "feedback" usually means heavier steering with more vibration. Don't be too let down by the lack of traction control as the Mitsubishi Lancer and Proton Inspira doesn't have them either. IMHO I think Sylphy is more reliable, fuel saving and cheaper to maintain then the Mitsubishi offering.

2009 Toyota Altis 1.8 G-spec - the Vios might be king of the B-segment but at least the Altis is under appreciated so that is good news for bargain hunters like us. I don't need to preach to you the benefits of a Toyota, the good thing is the price is almost half of when new. Don't worry it is not a lemon, most Altis of this era aren't doing well because the Civic FD is so so popular.

2008 Skoda Octavia Combi - was looking around for something less than 5 years, can't really find any except this combi, though the good part is this is the facelifted version with FSI engine. It uses a 6 speed wet box similar to the one found on the Polo Sedan, it was used in older VW's and Audi's before they switched to CVT and DSG respectively. Solid engine and gearbox, value for money however I'm not too sure how you'd take to the combi bodystyle, plus this bodystyle is harder to get replacement bodypanels for than the sedan. You might want to skip this one.

2007 Skoda Octavia 1.8T - this is the firebreathing 1800cc turbocharged Skoda, as you can see this is the pre-facelift version as after they facelifted the Octavia they stopped producing 1.8T's and only came in 1600cc or 2000cc FSI. The engine is quite well behaved when you're taking your time but an open road with a heavy foot will plant you into your seat. Most of the 1.8T's you'll find will be 2007 (either made/registered). As the car above maintenance and parts cost vary depending on your source, I do know of some Skoda club members that swear by original parts. I do have friends importing original/oem parts from China which are cheaper even after including delivery fees.

2007 Saab 9-3 - there is another monsterous 2800cc V6 but this 2000cc LPT (light pressure turbo) is more than enough for most people, the 2000cc engine is already very capable then you pair it with LPT which essentially takes care of all your low-end pickup needs then the engineers tuned the engine itself for top-end power and speed, you have a very nice package which gives power on both sides of the spectrum. Figures of 29 kW (175 PS; 173 hp) @ 5500 rpm and 265 N·m (195 lb·ft) @ 2500–4000 rpm shows just how capable this car is. I know many are concerned about parts availability since the brand seemed doom when it went into bankruptcy, however don't fret as NEVS bought all the assets and are planning to relaunch the brand -- although from what I understand they own everything except the Saab logo of the Griffin. Even if NEVS didn't buy Saab there would be still enough stockpile of new/oem/chopped parts for the foreseeable future. Availability in Malaysia is decent but you need to do some foot work. Both Saab and Skoda are pretty rare here so parts aren't easy to source even on chop shops so going online to websites like Alibaba and sourcing from China is usually more fruitful.

2010 Perodua Viva 660 Manual - you might want to keep a cheap spare car as your runabuot when your darling is having her mood swings my friends whom play with cheap and rare conti's normally have alot of cars but they're relatively cheap sub RM40, one of the newer members bought a 20k++ Skoda Octy + 10k++ P2 Kancil as he can quickly get the Kancil up to speed than the conti which he thinks would take a few weeks of TLC before it can roar. He traded in an older Vios for his conti dream.

2008 Citroen C2 VTR - this is a rare beast, probably only a handful of these in Malaysia and the owner of one of them decided to sell. I'm not going to sugar coat it as this is a very rare car and probably only good for weekend fun. Maintenance would highly depend on where you bring it to, and I very much doubt if you bring back to any Citroen 3S they would have the expertise straight from the get go on how to take care of this baby, parts wise will be a bigger headache than Skoda and Saab as this is a limited run so you'd probably only can get parts in Europe and RHD are probably also very rare. Only for the brave!

2009 Ford Focus Ghia - you don't need to compromise so much and buy an old car when you're looking out for Ford, sad thing about this car is that it depreciates like a rock. I still wonder why people don't love it more, its got alot of good points like reliable and powerful VCT engine, Getrag gearbox, rear aircond blowers, etc. You'll also find that unlike the two other conti's I've shows you, this one has better parts support. No need to hunt for parts overseas you can get them all locally at a decent price, although not as widely available and cheap as Japanese parts but still a world of difference from Skoda and Saab. Although this isn't a turbo so its not going to push you into your seat when you floor it but its more than capable of winning a few traffic light shootouts.

2009 Nissan Sentra - I'm not much of a Korean car fan so I'll skip the Koreans and focus on Jap's and Conti's, above you've seen the few Conti's I think would fit your requirements although I think for the budget and year I can't find some really nice ones but as you can see I broke the rules a few times just to give you a glimpse of what is out there. Anyway, back to the car of this advert, one of the things I do like about Nissan cars is unlike Toyota and Honda they're cheap to maintain plus parts are cheap but they're also quite cheap to buy -- take this one for example a 2009 Sentra being offered a C-segment car at this price! I think it is a good buy. I've seen some 2009 Toyota Vios and the cheapest J-spec manual is still a few thousand ringgit more expensive than this Sentra, inflated.

2008 Nissan Sylphy - this would be my top pick for you as it has everything but won't really burn your budget. It is about 10k more than your original budget but being a Japanese car which isn't that old you don't need to worry about restorations and repairs. Being a 5 years old car it is more likely good condition cars like this car traded in more newer models. So what you get in this car? A spacious moden C-segment saloon (Sentra is good but its a 15 years old design) plus it comes in white and is a current model so buying this your heart won't ache thinking you bought an old junk.

If you like it buy it but from what you describe it isn't very impressive.
2 years old car he wants to sell plus the price isn't really cheap for a used car, you're probably losing out on the interest rate there. There are Myvi's with lesser spec you can buy new with new car interest rates, why not choose those?

1. Audio System 4CH amp? What kinda Cap Ayam brand is that? Never hear before. Beware of overheating or it messing up your electric wiring because it seems to me that it doesn't have enough channels to support 4 speakers and an active sub.

2. Front and back speaker sounds like just replace the 2-way/3-way originals with branded ones, would have been better to just get a component set.

3. How many inch is the subwoofer? IMHO American Sound nothing special.

4. They could be ULTRALEGGERA or Works Emotion CR-Kai.....replica's are only replica's cheap stuff. A set of 15" replica rims and decent tires can be had for RM1500-2000, some people get bored and change after 2 years the whole set.

5. It would be Llumar or Vcool when the car goes for JPJ inspection they going it tear it off no matter what, so don't get too attached to it. Make sure the warranty got cover such things and give you a free replacement else it isn't worth anything.

6. Ultra Racing bars unless you really have the horsepower and bend corners alot you ain't going to get much benefit from it, IMHO dead weight.

2012 Perodua Myvi SE 1.5 - as you can see you can get cars younger at the same price, so you ask me if it is worth buying your friend's car? I think not so.

2008 Nissan Latio 1.6 - you can get a much bigger and comfortable C-segment Japanese car like this for the same price. This one is a sedan too, more room for luggage when go outstation. Maintenance about equal to the Myvi. Comfort on highway much better than Myvi anytime.

Proton SC isn't going to do that as manufacturers don't encourage and endorse such modifications, as if anything goes wrong they are liable so normally they just reject.

You can get it done outside, although knowing how Malaysian workshops do their jobs they will most likely encourage you to buy an entire complete working condition CFE engine+gearbox/half cut then install that into your car than finding out what are the missing components and installing those into your car to make your normal engine a CFE engine.

Its expensive and a waste. They will tell you buying the engine will cost you an arm and leg, then tell you that your old engine isn't worth scrap but it is so heavy you just don't bother to take it home with you, then they will take your engine and refurbish abit and then sell it on .... or just chop it for parts.

From what I hear Honda didn't take into account the popularity of 5 years warranty for car owners, it is one of the reasons why previously cold brands like VW and Mazda is enjoying a renaissance recently. They're trying to fight back but I think they cannot adjust to make their current cars have 5 years warranty or free maintenance. The 5 years free labour gimmick hasn't been seen at Honda since the days they launched the G1 Jazz.

Not too sure but unless you getting huge discounts I think you should starve off buying a car until January 2014.

75k budget won't get you a City but can get you a Jazz or Vios. If that is the only choice I'd take the Jazz.

Hi All,

I am 189cm tall on average size.
Fresh grad with income less than 3.5k
If you dont mind.
Can you suggest me a car that can fit me in with 10k Dp

thank you

[quote=zenix,Nov 18 2013, 02:20 PM]


thanks for explanation bro, fyi,im never bought and never have a car before.just got motorcycle ,for this reason i will skip his offer.. thanks again,much appreaciated..

This post has been edited by faizal87: Nov 18 2013, 04:33 PM

Thanks for the suggestion bro. Think the 208 is out of consideration now, though I liked the design. Just one random question to ask, is it more profitable buying a used car or better to buy a new one?

Thank you for your valuable insight. Really appreciate your expertise. I like the Skoda facelifted version with the 2.0 FSI engine but the sedan version. Unfortunately none available at the moment. Might take a look just to be sure I don't miss a good deal.

The Ford looks promising. Will definitely check it out too.
Thanks!

This post has been edited by thinakarant: Nov 18 2013, 11:49 PM