Do you think it is still acceptable?, the used car really cheap now. I mean the IAFM model.

wether it is acceptable or not, should not be left to me, that decision should be left to you...... anyway, way i see it, the cfe is uch more worth it since the cfe costs very little more... its especially good considering the features it has and its much much better engine (not saying its good or anything, proton is still way way behind in the engine/drivetrain department)

1. Brand : Any Japanese brand, Proton, Ford (But I am open to suggestion)
2. Budget : RM35k-RM50k (If brand new, I can go up to RM70k)
3. New/Used/Unreg : Anything
4. Specs : Mid to high spec
5. Transmission : Preferably auto
6. NA or FI : Both are fine, if NA more than 1.5cc
7. Type : 4 Door car
8. Remarks : B-segment onward. I am a little bit oversize and a bit tall.

My biggest concern is the maintenance and reliability. Owned an 2.0 selespeed 156 Alfa Romeo before and it is the pain in the ass. I am currently have my eyes on Ford Focus 2.0 TDCi (2010-2011, MK2.5) but from my reading, they have issues with gearbox and ecu. Anyone knows how severe is the problem and is it expensive to maintain?
Thank you in advance.

Something that win my pocket in future

What is the interest rate for a let say vios or city year 2012 model?

About 3.8% to 4.5% for banks. Higher for credit companies.

yes, FTO has much more engine options than GTO as the engine bay can either receive engine 4G series or 6A series engine, so in a nutshell Evo or VR4 isn't an issue

I'm not too good with Porsche's but I'll tell you what I know about Porsche Boxers circa 1997-2003 from chit chats with owners.

Boxsters eat tires and brakes and brake discs. If you get more than 15k out of a set of rubber, you have bragging rights for sure. Brake pads are soft, and their wear point has a lot to do with how often and how hard you depress the brake peda -- but if you enjoy the gas pedal, the brake pedal use usually used as well. Brake discs cannot be turned, only replaced. Every third set of pads require new discs. These are conservative figures from drivers that don't dump the clutch, spin the wheels and race between traffic lights like a boyricer.

Buy a car from an individual who loved the car, you can usually find those in the owners forums. Usually richfag owners getting nagged by their wife for keeping too many cars. Such cars are in better condition usually as they were maintained with love and have kept all the service records, getting it from a dealer is a hit and miss and usually such cars that end up at used car dealer lots aren't in great condition and have been abused quite badly by owners that skimp on maintenance and ride it too hard, it is not a stray dog that needs a forever home, it is a money pit. Remember don't get too sentimental over such things.

Find a reputable Porsche mechanic before you take possession of your out-of-warranty Boxster. He must have (or have ready access to) a PST2 (a laptop-looking diagnostic tool) to discover most of the engine-related issues. 3S mechanics are moonlighting on the side, and that’s not a bad choice because they work on them all day and you can supply them parts bought cheap over the internet and save big bucks.

Upgraded convertible top transmission cables. If you see a diamond pattern on them, they're the newer reinforced version and won't stretch, which causes expensive repairs.

I do know of 3 specialist workshops within the Klang Valley area:
One911
German Motors
Vagtec

But I'd recommend you get the advise from Porsche's owners club Malaysia for more detailed information as some workshops have funny habits, e.g. only work on older classic models but don't do newer models because they never bother to upgrade their equipment.

2001 Lotus Elise - if you're looking for something more economical to maintain yet still have that open roof sports coupe and performance you might want to consider a Lotus Elise. Basically, it either use a Rover K-series or Toyota ZZ-series engine (same thing in the Altis) so maintenance isn't an issue and can be considered cheap for sports cars. Just don't crash it as replacement for body parts that's going to be expensive. I don't know if you're good with manuals or not because Lotus is almost exclusively makes manual cars, only the newer models have automatics and they're very very expensive.

you're right that the Campro S4PH is the basic version, and the more powerful variant is Campro CPS.
i'd advise you to get the one with the mitsubishi engine as it is more reliable, power is about the same as CPS, and cheaper to maintain.
with campro s4ph/cps you're mostly stuck with getting stuff from proton.

i'm a bit too lazy to do a youtube channel.
was doing a blog but kind hate the layout of it as i couldn't cut & paste stuff from here easily if i wanted to.

2011 Nissan Latio 1.8 Sedan - i think a car liek this would be much better for your needs, although it is a year older than your expectation but it would be a worry free car. In terms of size both are also C-segment cars. In terms of engine the Latio uses a 1800cc engine vs the 1600cc in the Preve , I'm not too convinced about the IAFM and CFE engine from Proton, although on paper it looks decent. One of my issues about newer Proton's are the part prices since they aren't compatible with Mitsubishi anymore you only have one source for parts which is Proton so they have a lock in monopoly of part prices, your only alternative is chop shops but since the car is relatively new there aren't that many to chop so prices aren't cheap either. This isn't an issue for Latio since it is a global car by Nissan, although manufactured in Malaysia thus you can always get original parts from Nissan Malaysia or use parts stockist and distributor parallel import from all over the world they can be original from Nissan factory in India, OEM from Taiwan, Compatibles from China, etc. Since there is a larger market to source parts from the prices are usually more competitive thus cheaper parts and cheaper maintenance. Latio having 1800ccc engine means it is more powerful on the highways and better pickup in city drive, it is a pretty decent engine so fuel economy is actually based on how you drive -- that alone makes it better than Preve IAFM which is just 1600cc, of course the CFE which is a turbo is more powerful but then of course maintenance cost would be higher.

Nissan Livina, Honda Stream, and Toyota Wish are within your budget range but I'd not recommend them because of the size of the vehicle means that if you use the 3rd row as seating for kids there is practically no luggage space unless everyone just uses a small backpack, 3rd row aren't easy to get in and out from plus it can be quite claustrophobic.

2007 Toyota Estima - first thing you need to note about this car and others like it on the market is that they're mostly grey imports since UMW Toyota doesn't officially bring it into Malaysia, thus usually dealers are selling the cars based on the registered date than the actual manufactured date, so it is older than it looks but don't worry too much about getting a loan since in the context of malaysia they count it based on registered date not manufactured date when they count the 10 year period in which you can loan a car. Parts wise it isn't very difficult to find and it is pretty cheap too since this model is very common.

2011 Nissan Serena - you want something truly newer than a better choice would be the Serena. Typical of Nissan designs it is more functional than beautiful. You have flexible seating which you can arrange into many configurations depending on the needs (see below). It uses a 2000cc engine instead of a 2400cc in the Estima, there is savings on roadtax but pickup can be a little bit sluggish with a full load of passengers and luggage but it still returns good fuel consumption and going at a constant high speed in highways isn't an issue. Maintenance for both are about the same as both are pretty common on our roads and parts are available everywhere there isn't any chance you'll get burned by suppliers stating parts are expensive because your car is rare.

Hi. I am selling my car.
Honda Insight 2011.
RM40k+ PM me if interested.

You know why they call it a "punch gearbox"?
You've gotta go from D to 2 or 1 and rev the engine to an inch of it's life to get the feeling the actually has a turbo

Coming from a guy that has owned a 156 before I'm sure that you're looking for something easier and cheaper to maintain while still being performance orientated and have a level of refinement above the typical japanese grey box C-segment. Plus you're thinking about the TDCI so I can see your line of thinking

2006 VW Golf GTI - let's not beat around the bush you're looking for a powerful car on the cheap and relatively cheap to maintain then this is the car you should be looking around for, GTI's are very popular and are sometimes as common as a Toyota Vios this is bad if you want a unique and rare car but good when it comes to maintenance bills as with the number of cars on the roads it makes sense for stockist to import cheaper parts to cater for people that want to avoid the expensive prices of parts VAG Malaysia. For a performance orientated car it is relatively cheap to maintain (do note on the 3 points below);

Few things to remember about buying this car.
1. Gearbox - The DSG dual-clutch gearbox is generally trouble-free, but the Mechatronic ECU that controls it can fail – a clear tell-tale is lurching when you pull away, where it should be super-smooth. The manual gearbox is bombproof. Ballpark price for this thing is about RM5000
2. Engine - The turbocharger's dump-valve diaphragm can split, meaning you won't feel the turbocharged kick at 2000rpm, performance building more lethargically instead. You can fit a replacement from the Audi S3, which uses a plastic piston rather than the Golf GTI's rubber diaphragm.
3. Suspension - The Golf GTI is, of course, front-wheel drive, but it can wear the inside of its rear tyres, to the point where the outside edge has plenty of tread, but the inside is down to the canvas. This can be due to the rear shock absorbers becoming weak – if so, you'll hear a droning noise, rather like a worn wheel bearing.

Here are some buying tips from Evo magazine.

2006 Skoda Octavia 1.8 Turbo - from around the same time period the bigger D-segment saloons such as Skoda Octavia, Audi A4 and VW Passat were all using 1800cc turbo engines but without a DSG gearbox, they were using an Aisin sourced 6 speed slushbox gearbox. The engine and gearbox might seem ancient tech to what they have nowadays but it is much more reliable than the DSG 7 speed. Even though Skoda can be considered a dead brand in Malaysia the franchise holder for Malaysia Berjaya Motors still keeps Dunia Prestasi service centers up and running to cope with any issues Skoda car owners might face, even-though they mainly focus on selling Foton brands of cars nowadays so no worry if outside workshops can't handle the issue you can always bring it to DP but of course prices going to be high but because the Octavia, A4 and Passat have so many parts in common you usually won't have an issue getting parts for this car -- had a TT session with the owners club which is a small group of like minded guys sometimes drive down to Singapore to get things done or ship parts from china via Taobao.

Just incase you're wondering which Audi A4 and which Passat, refer to the pictures below

lol i cannot tahan most autos in general.... but the cvts used in the saga ==" alamak..... the accelerator pedal is basically a noise making pedal,car goes no where!

what was owning an alfa 156 like!?

i was very keen on getting a manual 156 v6 last time.... maybe it was a good thing i didnt....

Thank you for the advice. However the golf is beyond my budget. I am more towards a car that is reliable and of course the parts is not hard to get and not that costly but fun to drive at least. Getting tired of having to call the abang tow truck and wait for weeks just to get the car out of the workshop. hehe

Seriously, it is very fun to drive 156. You will always get this hype when driving in town But for me, it is not really reliable to be your daily driver. It will fail on you without warning (maybe because mine was not properly maintained) but most of the problem coming from the Selespeed gearbox and I tell you what, it is really not a good experience to have your car refuse to go to D in a traffic jam or maybe when you are trying leave mamak shop with style So, maybe the manual will cause you less headache. In case you are interested to go for selespeed model, get the facelifted model which is model 2001 onward. The ECU setting and wiring for the gearbox has improved but I don't know why the latter model feel less wild

haha in the end went with a junk v6 mitsu instead

bunyi macam ribut, lambat macam siput

Had one for a while and I can say when it works it is awesome car.
When speeding around like a ricer the gearbox seems happy to comply.
Wanna slowly cruise around smoothly is not really possible as the gear change is pretty jerky.

2006 Merc C180K - if you like the w203 this year might be the last year you can buy one with a loan as the last batch before they started selling the w204 was sold and registered in 2006, although the w204 also had a kompressor engined model before they went all out with CGI engine's (Kompressor = Supercharger, CGI = turbo). Now I'm not saying the maintenance for this car is cheap but parts are much more common and in a slightly lower price range than dying European brands like Renault, Citroen, Alfa, Fiat, etc. Your overall spending might be reduced due to the higher reliability of Merc parts but the savings ain't going to be very very significant because maintenance for conti's ain't never cheap even for Merc's unless we're talking about really old mercs.

2009 Mazda 6 - if the requirement is something newer, higher reliability and cheaper to maintain then you've got no choice but to look at Japanese D-segment saloons and while big barges like Camry aren't fun to drive and expensive due to high resale value, I think a good compromise is something like the Mazda 6. It has a good balance between looks, performance, reliability and decent maintenance cost. It may not be as cheap to maintain and get parts for as a Camry or Accord, but the performance and equipment level is definitely better. I think with the success of Mazda in recent years was down to their slogan of zoom-zoom and also making sure their products actually live up to the tagline and not just some empty slogan -- but this in turn help create the critical mass for stockist and distributors to carry more Mazda parts which in turn you can find more affordable parts when your warranty is over. If you notice the market trend nowadays Japanese saloons usually are priced higher but don't give as much equipment as the Korean saloons do (e.g. look at the stuff you get for the price of a Sonata vs Accord) at times Mazda cars are price above Accord/Camry but their Mazda6 bring the best of both worlds being more fun to drive like a conti, the reliability and maintenance cost of Japs and equipment levels of Koreans.

I'm not too good with Porsche's but I'll tell you what I know about Porsche Boxers circa 1997-2003 from chit chats with owners.

Boxsters eat tires and brakes and brake discs. If you get more than 15k out of a set of rubber, you have bragging rights for sure. Brake pads are soft, and their wear point has a lot to do with how often and how hard you depress the brake peda -- but if you enjoy the gas pedal, the brake pedal use usually used as well. Brake discs cannot be turned, only replaced. Every third set of pads require new discs. These are conservative figures from drivers that don't dump the clutch, spin the wheels and race between traffic lights like a boyricer.

Buy a car from an individual who loved the car, you can usually find those in the owners...

Thanks for the frank advice! Will have to do more research before biting the bullet! Cheers

1987 Porsche 944 - found something interesting for you to see, if i had the cash on hand I would buy it.

1. Brand : Any
2. Budget : Monthly Installment less than RM600 0 downpayment
3. New/Used/Unreg : Anything
4. Specs : Mid to high spec
5. Transmission : Preferably auto
6. NA or FI : Both are fine, if NA more than 1.5cc
7. Type : 4 Door car
8. Remarks : Want a decently powered car with goof FE, reliable & stylish, & decent resale value.

1. Brand : Any
2. Budget : 30k
3. New/Used/Unreg : Doesn't matters.
4. Specs : Doesn't matters.
5. Transmission : Doesn't matter.
6. NA or FI : NA or FI?
7. Type : 4 seater.
8. Remarks : Max 35k budget

Below are two C-segment options.

2006 Mitsubishi Lancer GLX - working within your budget although this car is 10 years old it would fit your requirements. It is a stylish car and if you want can be dressed up to look like an Evo. Parts compatibility doesn't end at Evo alone (yes, you can eventually transform it into an Evo with alot of money spent) but it also has many components shared with Proton. It uses a 4G18 engine which is a 1600cc engine mated to an INVECS CVT gearbox, of course like older Proton's you can swap in any 4G engine and gearbox of your choice. 4G18 shares many components with Proton engine's of the time the only thing you might have an issue to get parts for is the gearbox. So you can think of it as a better Proton Wira. Thus maintenance isn't an issue as parts are easily available and cheap.

2009 Nissan Latio 1.8 - if you want something newer and more powerful you can think about this car. Maintenance wise it is a pretty simple car with minimum electronics and fancy technology. A standard engine and gearbox like the Vios, this is a reliable and robust option. There is a 1600cc version but I'd recommend getting the bigger 1800cc version as it is more capable when you need to go outstation, plus the fuel consumption in city isn't a big issue unless you drive aggressively. Looks wise it isn't a stunner even with bodykit, but it is good enough for all purpose needs as such a design maximizes space thus you get a more spacious cabin and boot.

2012 Mitsubishi Mirage - this is a small A-segment town runner, if you're not always fetching 4 people and mostly drive alone to work this might be something worth considering. It is not really a highway car for going from state to state but highways within Klang Valley is okay. Many salesgirls prefer this car because it has more safety features than Perodua Axia while still being small, easy to park, fuel efficient and cheap to maintain. However, it might be a tad small if you're not 80% driving alone. Imagine it as Perodua Axia/Kancil size if you don't know how big it is.

2011 Nissan Latio 1.8 - if you're looking for a car that can do everything and grow with you this might be it. It is a C-segment car so space wise it is about there in the same category as Honda Civic and Toyota Altis -- so no worries of it handling family duties during the weekend. It has a non-fussy engine.

This post has been edited by zenix: May 19 2016, 10:08 AM