Vintage/Classic car status info from JPJ

Vintage cars = registered in malaysia for more than 50 years
Classic cars = registered in malaysia for more than 25 years (1991 can qualify liao)

1999 Toyota Aristo / Lexus GS300 3.0 2JZ - i've admired the 2jz for a long time and so happens two cars that have this engine stock is my favorite until now, one is of course the Supra the other is this car. if someone has a Civic or Altis that they just finished paying off the loan and want an upgrade should trade-in their car for this one, they might get back some extra cash too. Reason is Civic/Altis owners are having a C-segment car and thus usually dream of a D-segment car like Accord/Camry, however that would mean another big loan for the next 5 years at least. Go to a used car dealer with a GS300 in good condition then trade-in their C-segment car for this baby which I consider better than Japanese D-segments and entry level conti's like 3-series and C-Class, it would be nearer to 5-series and E-class in terms of refinement, power and comfort -- of course the caveat is cannot compare to current generation of cars but it's peers back in the day but I think it doesn't lose by that much and would still be superior to today's Camry/Accord.

2012 Toyota Mark X - i think it is time to stop dreaming of sports cars that you cannot afford or not befitting your age, you don't wanna be a stereotypical old man with sports car then when you fetch your daughter to college they say you're her sugar daddy obtaining a car like the Mark X would be an excellent step up for you, for example this low mileage grey import you can buy for around the same money as a Lancer, Civic, Altis is much better than even an Accord/Camry. In fact in most markets the Mark X is always a tier above the Camry as the Camry is nowadays the affordable D-segment saloon from Toyota, a proper full spec with all the gadgets and safety features would be in the Mark X model. In the context of the Malaysian market the Camry we have is enlarged with enough tech for the perceive value of being the top range model sold by UMW Toyota (but we all know in recent years they have cut corners on the Camry to keep it's price competitive especially for the entry level model). You can always Google and compare but trust me it's a very good car plus eventhough they have upgraded the exterior looks they have carried forward the engine and gearbox from the old model (and Lexus IS250) which is a good thing because they are solidly built, reliable and because of it being shared with more models it is also cheaper to source for parts. This settles one of your major criteria which is maintenance thus having a nice unique looking car but shares many parts with other cars in the Toyota range and have sold very well in our market would mean upkeep is cheap. The only big ticket would be the roadtax and insurance which is fair as insurance is important and roadtax only start to get ridiculously expensive above 2500cc. So a car that's better than Camry but as cheap as a Camry to maintain is a good deal?

2012 Honda Civic FB 1.8 or 2011 Honda Civic FD 2.0 - it is a choice between the new and the old, the old is of course having a better DOHC 2.0 iVTEC engine which is the basis of the TypeR's engine, however this one instead of being focus for performance is focus on reliability, fuel economy and some performance (don't get me wrong it is a heck of an engine but it is no TypeR). The 1800cc and 2000cc engines from the current FB civic's are all SOHC iVTEC which actually does the reliability, fuel economy, reduce carbon emissions better but performance does suffer abit but still no worse than it's peers like Lancer GT, Inspira and Altis -- the probable only exception is Mazda 3 Skyactiv as Mazda really did a revolution with the skyactiv technology. IMHO it is a togh decision the old one is better but it is getting old -- no worries about support or getting parts but it is a psychological matter as you don't wanna be driving an 8gen honda and still paying for it's loan when the 10gen is coming out very soon as i expect this 10gen to be a real good product as most of Honda Civic with even number generations do very well, e.g. 6gen & 8gen. If you don't mind then go for the 8gen it looks great still today (better than 9gen) plus aftermarket parts and clubs still love to play with this car if you just wanna keep it stock it is cheap to maintain too.

2011 Mitsubishi Lancer Sportsback - the hatchback/stationwagon version of the Lancer. It might be more expensive than maintaining a normal Lancer due to it's bigger engine (the crazy fella's put a D-segment engine in a C-segment car) but the performance is there. Although not an Evo it is the most powerful Mitsubishi you can get which won't burn your pocket if anything goes wrong. I did wrote about it earlier, do find that post.

Of course CRZ/Jazz/City they are all safe choice.....the ones above is what the heart wants but mebbe u r not too sure so i just explained the pros/cons for u to decide.

is it a bad idea to buy 8th gen civic 1.8? fyi this is going to be my first car, and my budget is around 55K max...

Thanks for ur info
Yes, it is very difficuly for me to choose as my fav is cr-z but my dad prefer civic/city. New Jazz best suits my budget but i heard a lot of negative review from my friends (mostly saying that its low performance)

Well, latest MarkX is eye catching and performance oriented. But does this X baby share the common parts with Toyota Camry? Lexus IS out of my reach for new car. But personally I like Lexus brand. Cheap to maintain compare to (B)anyak (M)asuk (W)workshop.

young fella, sure like crz.... but understand that
i) its 2nd hand so it will cost abit more for upkeep in the near future, a new car would come with warranty and obviously, basically no wear and tear when you 1st get it
ii) the crz is 'less' practical than the city, 2 doors vs 4 doors
iii) about the performance figures..... erm, all 3 (other than the civic) are about the same.... a stock crz is a all show no go kinda car, the civic would be definately be faster

YES! Crz is bcoz of the design
My family own a City as well and for me City performance beats Vios, this is the main reason i chose Honda now. Any comment on Honda Civic 1.5 Hybrid?

This post has been edited by xxxJOxxx: Apr 22 2016, 11:43 AM

2012 Honda Civic FB 1.8 or 2011 Honda Civic FD 2.0 - it is a choice between the new and the old, the old is of course having a better DOHC 2.0 iVTEC engine which is the basis of the TypeR's engine, however this one instead of being focus for performance is focus on reliability, fuel economy and some performance (don't get me wrong it is a heck of an engine but it is no TypeR). The 1800cc and 2000cc engines from the current FB civic's are all SOHC iVTEC which actually does the reliability, fuel economy, reduce carbon emissions better but performance does suffer abit but still no worse than it's peers like Lancer GT, Inspira and Altis -- the probable only exception is Mazda 3 Skyactiv as Mazda really did a revolution with the skyactiv technology. IMHO it is a togh decision the old one is better but it is getting old -- no worries about support or getting parts but it is a psychological matter as you don't wanna be driving an 8gen honda and still paying for it's loan when the 10gen is coming out very soon as i expect this 10gen to be a real good product as most of Honda Civic with even number generations do very well, e.g. 6gen & 8gen. If you don't mind then go for the 8gen it looks great still today (better than 9gen) plus aftermarket parts and clubs still love to play with this car if you just wanna keep it stock it is cheap to maintain too.

Anything below 100k don't talk about performance.
Even CRZ doesn't really have performance.
Basically Jazz, City and CRZ all more or less have the same engine output, might be good and nippy for city driving and quick dash pickup from traffic light or round-about but when it comes to highway speeds it can't compete with the Civic, even the 1.8 Civic does 150km/h steadily at only 2500rpm, while punny 1.5cc engines would be roaring like a JAV star.

Nope already said it shares parts with Lexus and itself. (see visuals below)



additionally

1) Long term upkeep for IMA is still unknown
2) It is 2+2 but the rear seats are only really good for kids/dog only.

Guess I have to leave cr-z and focus on others. Civic is a good choice but my biggest worry is the maintenace. Hope i manage to get a nice used civic

if the biggest worry is the maintenance, then get the city/jazz.... crz will probably cost you the MOST long term

**ohh wait sorry..... i read you wanted to focus on the crz** oops!!! im blur

This post has been edited by lsm1991: Apr 22 2016, 11:53 AM

i just wonder y no one comment about Civic 1.5 hybrid

1. Brand : Any
2. Budget : 80-120k
3. New/Used/Unreg : used
4. Specs :
5. Transmission : auto
6. NA or FI :
7. Type : Sports / Sedan
8. Remarks :

Basically I am having a 2012 Vios as an everyday car and nothing to complain about it over the years. Been toying with the idea for an upgrade for a couple years now. I am considering getting a weekend/getaway car preferably a sportier one. Been considering second hand Audi TT or even 2011 SLK200 but would like some input from sifus on the pros and cons on the maintenance, and potential problems. Somehow I am not a fan of Volks and Peugeot so can we discount both of them out?

I actually would even consider selling off my Vios just to add some cash reserve and upgrade to another daily car. However with that I think I would need something more spacious and practical (4 seater). Anything within the lines of sedan or even SUVs might be considered.

I am very much open to suggestions and critics.

Thank you for your inputs!

This post has been edited by RChance: Apr 22 2016, 05:45 PM

i notice... everything you have actually named, are german cars..... for a very nice luxurious powerful jap, why not mark x (as abang zenix has been happily promoting)

*thats one of my fav 'luxury' cars around

Thanks for the idea. Yes Mark X is actually a viable suggestion. I do not actually like all German cars. Had a very bad experience with my family's Volks once few years back. Call me biased but I will never get one ever again.

thx for the advice, i think i better off with mazda 6 rather than conti (not burn my pocket) any negative review for this car if i may ask, currently browsing trough mazda 6 adds in carlist and mudah and seem like they are over my budget a bit tho

I did mention about the Civic Hybrid before, i think 1-2 pages back.
However, just like the CRZ the long term reliability and maintenance cost of the IMA system is unknown.
That is why even the newest Civic FB hybrid can be had for a cheap price.

If you cannot afford the maintenance then selecting something mundane like City/Jazz would be better for you.
The expensive major service for those are usually still under RM1000.

2010 Merc C200 CGI - for me now is a good time to grab one of these because since the new C-Class came out the grey importers have to lower their prices of this model, previously even C180's were above RM150k but nowadays if you look around you can get C200's around 120-135k. What is good about these grey imports is that usually they come with pretty high spec compared to the local CKD models. You also don't pay a premium for it since you're already buying at a lower price and you still can buy it like a new car with lower car interest rates (used car interest rates are a killer so usually I target recons above 100k). This model still looks very handsome especially the last facelift before the discontinued this model, it definitely ups the fun factor with its turbo (CGI) engine, german refinement and comfort levels, and snob factor on the road or when meeting friends -- you're also much more likely to get a free parking spot at the front of the hotel than any other car. Maintenance wise it is going to be expensive if your experience so far is only a Vios, so imagine 2x or 3x the maintenance cost over a year -- I say over a year as regular maintenance can be quite cheap but major service are above rm1500 but thankfully schedule maintenance is every 10,000km instead of 3000-5000 for japanese cars so he service is stretched longer so you can adjust your budget. So you've gotta think very carefully if you're ready for it, it would be the same for any fun car as well but a good thing about Merc's is there are many 3rd party stockist/distributors of spare parts that bring in cheaper OEM or compatible parts you can buy to reduce overall cost but that would require some effort on your part to find them.

2012 Nissan Juke 1.6 DIG - so happens the top spec limited edition is within your budget, of course you can get the lower spec 1.5cc version but that would be boring the top spec 1.6 DIG Turbo with 4 wheel drive is the one to get. I had a loaner Juke for about a week, it is quite a fun car to drive. Sitting higher up you get better road view. The Turbo helps to reduce the sluggish feel eventhough it is on 4 wheel drive. Bad part is space, when it comes to space for front passenger and driver it is still okay but I'd prefer longer leg room myself but overall it is okay, rear passengers space is snug to cramp depending on their size so if you're going to fetch 4 people make sure the 3 sitting behind are about 150cm and 45kg (good way to filter out land whales?) boot space is also very limited. For your purpose of just a fun car for weekend and outstation trips I think it would do nicely if you're not fetching the entire family -- yourself and partner plus light luggage. 2009 Nissan Murano would give you that extra space but it isn't as fun to drive as it is built to be more of a classy mature family mover.

If you want the reliability of Japanese cars but the refinement and spec of German cars you can always look to grey import Japanese d-segment saloons. The Mark-X is a good choice as it shares many common parts with other models thus maintenance and spares are cheaper, Toyota always manages to recycle their stuff and still make the next model look good.

2006 Honda Accord EuroR - Civic TypeR being a popular model is going to burn a hole just to buy that car but the EuroR which is based on the European Accord d-segment body is just as good. When talk about overall performance and handling the EuroR isn't as good as the (Civic TypeR) CTR but for a matured family man looking for a d-segment saloon with a powerful engine, good handling and sleeper looks this is one you can consider. It uses a variation of the K20 engine, this engine is a very common engine in Honda being used in Civic, CRV, Stream, Accord, etc. So can say parts are 80% covered by this commonality of the base engine and 20% parts from the other two TypeR (the hatch in Europe and sedan in Japan). Being not so popular it is quite affordable to buy second hand and although I won't say the performance is as good as a BMW M3 but it is very close but of course when it comes to maintenance and reliability it is way better than the BMW M3.

yeap, i think Mazda6 and Mark X would be viable options for you (even the EuroR) above as they'd give you what is most important to you which is a fun drive, powerful engine, reliability and decent maintenance cost.

2006 Lexus IS250 - if you want to up the snob factor you can opt to pick the IS250 instead of the Mark X, they share the same mechanical parts but the body styling is different but it isn't a problem getting parts even for busted door (if a mat rempit bang onto it) is easy to source for (you might get abit burned by the seller coz he assumes all Lexus owners are rich so make sure haggle for a good price especially at chop shops).

2010 Merc C200 CGI - Couldn't be more true. Been quite a fan of Merc C200 for sometime but like you said if I'm gonna get this then this will be my daily driver from now on. Only maintenance part will be a factor to ponder over. Then again, it's a god damn Merc.

2012 Nissan Juke 1.6 DIG - Not to say it is ugly but Nissan really has hit the design factor out of the park with this. One thing for sure it will stand out and has an edge in looks Will KIV this in mind should I really go for it.


2006 Honda Accord EuroR , Mark X - I've driven the previous version of local Accord 2.0 and definitely this few models will be really tough contenders. Mainly because I think maintenance wise it will be much more hassle free. Even the 2006 Lexus IS250 could be in the mix just because of the similarities.

Anyway you have confirmed a few of my favourites deep down. Would be good fun to take this leap and upgrade.

Thanks zenix your input has been invaluable.

C200 - if you're going to get a conti in malaysia the best one is of course mercedes because it is so common 3rd party stockist always have parts for them which are cheaper than getting it from C&C, since you're buying a recon there is no point going to C&C and their expensive 3S because they ain't giving you any warranty (the recon dealer is). Being around the block there are many times I buy from these stockist the product is exactly the same as the one the "original" except packaging not so attractive and don't have the hologram sticker to prove it is original. I've bought alot of stuff from Honda Japan but over here considered non-original coz no "honda malaysia" sticker

Juke - food for thought the DIG turbo from Nissan has it's roots in the prince engine which Nissan, Citroen, Peugeot and BMW have developed, although the BMW versions are more defined and not exactly compatible with the others the 1.6 turbo's from Nissan, Citroen and Peugeot are more or less compatible with each other sans tuning and some additional parts unique for their cars.

EuroR - is a great car but the CL7 although cheap is getting long in the tooth but since this model isn't something common in malaysia a number plate swap and good clean-up with polish people would think it is a new model. Although I don't see any major maintenance issues with this car the fact of the matter is it is a 10 years old model might scare people off but if it is a weekend or extra car then I suppose that isn't a big issue.

Mark X & IS250 share alot between them (2006 model until current model) thus mechanical parts pricing should be competitive for that level. No matter what it is always cheaper for Mark X than IS250, look at the recon car market prices you'll know....brand identity sells 2013 Lexus IS250 is a 70k premium over 2013 Toyota Mark X

Perhaps a cheaper 2011 Toyota Mark X is something that would be within budget, allow you to keep the Vios, have much better performance than what you're used to now (of course not as fun as Juke Turbo), refinement and comfort way above levels of even one step above Vios which is the Altis, and while still expensive by comparison to a Vios is still very much in the affordable range for maintenance, plus rock solid reliability from Toyota. If you do the math the resale value is still pretty good coz it is a 2011 car u can buy in 2016 new, a 2011 camry u buy used would be even cheaper, from there on u track the year by year depreciation they're about the same.







This post has been edited by zenix: Apr 23 2016, 02:28 PM

Hi Zenix bro, after weighing up all our options and considering the condition and reliability, we have settled on a 1999 Toyota Prado TX Limited which is in very good condition and is well taken care of. Would like to thank you for your advice and suggestions ya. Have a good day!

u r welcomed
u ever go miri find me

1. Brand : Any
2. Budget : 30-40k
3. New/Used/Unreg : Used/new
4. Specs : powerful enough to climb hills with full passenger
5. Transmission : Auto
6. NA or FI :
7. Type : Sedan/hatchback
8. Remarks : Use for city and highway