with your budget, only nissan sentra fits your budget.

or maybe less popular car - Chevy Aveo. do mind that the FC of this car is high

addon: suzuki swift can be in your list as well ... hmm try look for 2005-2006 1st gen hatch

This post has been edited by spring onion: Nov 15 2014, 01:49 AM

thank you for your suggestion. would that be possible to get honda city around this budget or Vios. don't mind to top up another 5k (make it to 35k). another dilemma, if we can afford to pay the car price which one is better: to pay it off or to pay downpayment for certain amount and take loan for the rest (i heard interest rate for used car slightly higher).

I searched and found Hyundai Elantra 2008-2009 within this budget. any comment on this car?

This post has been edited by cenkudu: Nov 15 2014, 01:14 PM

a 35k vios or honda iVTEC on the market would probably aged 9 or 10 years... not a bad choice either

For korean car i don't recommend any except the forte 2.0.

This post has been edited by spring onion: Nov 15 2014, 03:20 PM

Care to elaborate why no recommendation for korean car? i'm thinking of getting the 2007 sonata NF 2.0, what should be the worry?

heavy body, underpowered engine, fuel drinker and not really reliable for all korean cars produced before 2010. the new 2.0 theta engine from kia/hyundai still yet to be proven. the 1.6 for kia and elentra fails miserable, feels good for 1st year, the rest is still not yet history. the power is just not there (i know i will receive bash after this comment), if you really want to buy korean car. test drive 1st, buy it only you have driven 1. as for the moment now. i would say 2nd hand jap car still the best buy

what do you think of 2nd hand Jap versus new Proton or Perodua? my own experience maintenance for proton quite high after the warranty (even the same parts can failed twice within short period). i've been using 2nd hand camry while in overseas (13 years old), it never let me down (just need to maintain services and minor repairs).

Perodua myvi is not bad. i still see many of 1st gen flying around town without problems. mainly because of it's toyota powered engine. however consider the price of a 45k for auto without any storage space, it seems like a non-local pricing instead of a local ones

comparing 1st hand perodua and 2nd hand Japanese brand. there is 2 main factors that you need to consider.
1. storage space. myvi is a small hatch, whereas vios/altis is a sedan with boot
2. maintenance. new car comes with warranty while 2nd hand car don't

Thanks for the advice chief. I have to consider a 2nd hand jap then, but honestly i don't want honda/toyota .

Hi. currently honda and toyota have the best body weight to power ratio. avoid all segment C with 1.6NA engine which less than 120HP

As a general rule to look for when buying second hand cars. a car should have 9 to10hp for every 100kg.

My 20 cent.

Btw, missed by point of visit here

wanted to buy mazda 3 2.0 year 2010 or earlier. anything to look for?

This post has been edited by squarepilot: Nov 15 2014, 09:44 PM

Hi, how bout Nissan Slyphy? The price is much cheaper compare to Civic and Altis. I see Civic still has the higher resale compare to Alits for the same year car, 1.8.
Slyphy price can only purchase Altis 1.6 for the similar year range.
How is the maintainace for Slyphy?
Tq

1. Brand : Proton/Perodua/any make that is easy to maintain
2. Budget : RM 40k below
3. New/Used/Unreg : Used
4. Specs : any
5. Transmission : auto
6. NA or FI : NA
7. Type : sedan/hatchback/compact..basically any
8. Remarks : Planning to trade in my 2008 Mitsu Triton and maybe topup A LITTLE BIT

I'm currently thinking a MyVi from 2011-2012 is acceptable as I just need to send my kids to school and get to work. My Triton is starting to act up after 6 years, so any help is appreciated.

1. Brand: Import
2. Budget: <RM40k
3. Used.
4. Specs: any
5. Transmission: any
6. NA or FI ? any
7. Type: sedan
8. Remarks: typical usage is 500km a week (live far from workplace, new house). so preferably highway-friendly. looks awesome in black/white.

This post has been edited by Secruoser: Nov 17 2014, 02:42 PM

i am waiting for others reply on it as well
5yrs car can get it around 50k.

Toyota SEG is my suggestion.

Noob here bro, what is SEG? Also, which model currently costs <RM40k in the market? Thanks!

It's actually Corolla Seg 1.6, consider an old car but i heard not much problem,comfort, and tat's y price range around 20k+.
Just saw 1 running >160km/h today at highway.

Nowadays there aren't many people looking for manuals thus choices are mostly limited to Proton, Perodua and Nissan for passenger cars.

2008 Proton Waja CPS - if you're not too picky about the brand then this is a decent one by proton. the good thing about it is that is uses the body of the tried and true Waja, bigger and more spacious than a Persona although at times it might look ugly but I think this last facelift for the Waja before they phase it out is quite tastefully done. If anything happens you know that you have a ton of Waja parts you can fit into your car cheaply so parts isn't an issue for the body....so is too for the engine....as it uses the CPS engine which is also used on the Persona and Neo thus parts won't be an issue for this car. You'd probably choose this car mainly because of the cost of running and maintaining the car. Although it uses a CPS engine and with Lotus R&H it isn't going to transform you into Vettel when you drive, its not underpowered but don't expect too much.

2007 Nissan Sentra - in a nutshell it is about the same as the Waja, an older retired model but with a tried and true parts base that will last quite sometime so you never need to worry about not having parts as it was very popular back then -- so the key here is light on your pocket in terms of running cost and maintenance. The brand name and perceive better build quality from a Nissan is one plus point but I do feel the Waja is more spacious and usually CPS models all come with leather seats.

2008 Nissan Latio - another cheap to own and maintain car but this one I consider to be more inline with current design goals for cars such as beige interior for more spacious feel, larger interior but not so streamline exterior (guppy fish body), updated safety equipment, etc.

All three above are about equal but the Waja is probably the cheapest to run and maintain (still have a huge base and also many car clubs) will be good for at least 15 years before it starts to get rare on the roads, the sentra although looks wise is quite nice and streamline I feel has a poor interior and FC for the automatic was bad but might be better on the manual I dunno never tried it.......I think a good pick would be the Latio it is still quite modern and not very old (although the Waja is also a 2008 model but it was base of a 90s design like the Sentra).

The usual suspects would be Toyota Vios, Honda City, Nissan Sentra/Latio those would be the safe bets, get the highest spec and youngest age car that fits within your budget you should be alright.

If you looking for something more exotic I got 3 choices for your:

2004 SY Chairman - Looks like yesteryear's Merc right? Well it is! This luxo-barge can be yours for a very low price because this Korean brand although uses Merc technology is not well received so it depreciated like a rock and makes it available for any average wage earner to enjoy a Mercedes. Bad points is that it uses a 2800cc engine so roadtax might bite you once a year but it is a bullet proof engine design by Merc, the gearbox paired to it could have been better although it is reliable but smoothness and power delivery is abit lacking. For cars in this price range you won't find many with ESC, ABS, EBD, Auto wiper, etc. It is a good package for the price and Merc parts of this generation are very cheap so cost of maintenance is quite low (but don't expect it to be cheap like a Kancil, ok?).

2006 Hyundai Sonata - another under appreciated brand and car, this was when Hyundai was still trying to emulate Honda (doesn't the design reminds of you an Accord?) the cars didn't look as fantastic as they do now and also their engine's weren't the best in terms of performance but since then until now Hyundai cars are packed with value -- GPS, ABS, EBD, ESC, etc are all present in this Accord copycat if you have another 15k you can dream of a 2006 Accord but within 30k this is your best bet.

Lastly, a friend of mine is about to finish his tenure here so is letting go of his Skoda Octavia 1.6 fully restored and asking for only 20k (pm me directly for this offer if you're interested I'll hook you up) while the ones you can find online are also around this price but you need to put some effort to fix things, this one is all done up nicely and is in white color.

I think your parents concern are warranted. Toyota, Honda, Proton and Perodua are brands people usually buy because of their service network availability everywhere it takes away the responsibility and worry of owners of the car in case anything goes wrong is just a call and tow away. Owners just need to follow the service manual schedule maintenance and the car should be (major) trouble free for at least 5 years.

Either up the budget abit for the low spec Toyota Altis or Nissan Sylphy, or since your parents are buying just make do with what they offer you. Personally, I think the top spec Honda City is better value than the Toyota Vios but if your parents paying let them decide to make them happy but make sure they put the car under your name, makes it easier when you wanna sell it later on for your dream car

Sylphy is quite cost effective and a good car but if you're worried about maintenance cost then choose a Latio instead as Sylphy being a 2000cc car (although gives you better performance) would require abit more $$ for maintenance as the minimum is semi-syn engine oil which puts your normal 5000km service at minimum RM200 at outside workshop with the cheapest parts and lubricants.

You might want to consider Vios as well. Although it is not the best value car but if running cost is very important then this car would be it. It feels very nippy driving around and gives back good FC. It is also very flexible with maintenance if lets say you reach 5000km but no money to go service yet it can wait another 1000-2000km before you go service.....deswai it is called GODCAR

No doubt newer Proton cars are quite exciting with good looks and value for money specs.

My concern is that Iriz is very new with all new engine and gearbox technology too, it doesn't have a parts history so you don't have a track record of how reliable or performance it can give you. Secondly, no cheap spare parts at the moment since it is a new model -- everything direct from proton. So you're buying into untested technology and if things don't go right the car might have terrible RV if this model doesn't become successful (so far signs are good that it will be successful) it might become another Tiara.

So if the risks above are okay with you then go for the Iriz and be a pioneer

If not then up your budget abit and get a Nissan Almera/Toyota Vios/Honda City.....reliable with good RV.

Ford Focus TDCI is a superb car. Rock solid DSG. Powerful diesel engine. But the maintenance cost isn't cheap. For a C-segment car and being priced that low because of depreciation don't expect it to be cheap when you need to do maintenance. Maintenance cost would be around the cost of maintaining a Japanese D-segment saloon. BUT you'll be smiling as those saloon whales can't corner and pickup like your TDCI

Ford Focus BIASA oklah cheap to buy but still maintenance not cheap, just keep that in mind. But compare apple to apple against it's C-segment rivals like Altis/Sylphy it is alot better in terms of performance, handling and value.....but maintenance cost....

Mini Cooper S uses the same Prince engine as the Pug 308, 408 and 508. Decent performance but many have complaint about it's reliability, many have found that replacing the timing belt religiously at every 50,000km does help alot.

So what kind of car you have in mind to 'play'? Weekend car?

good luck with your sale

Not too sure about that.
I think it is better you ask a knowledgeable SA not just a BS guy who just wanna hit target, if you need one PM me.

Kia isn't for performance because for the Malaysian market they know they cannot beat the established Japanese brands in terms of brand loyalty or perception thus they offer good value cars cheaper than Japanese makes and won't consider much about performance. Like for example Kia Cerato vs Toyota Altis the Cerato is alot cheaper has all the bells and whistles of a Altis 2.0 G-spec at Altis 1.6 E-spec price. If performance really is your thing then Kia/Hyundai will never be your thing in the current market situation.

Honda/Toyota/Mazda/Nissan/Suzuki are all focusing on NA cars so no turbo. If talking about performance but non-turbo for Japanese makes then Mazda 3 and Suzuki Swift Sports might be your flavour. M3 has the look and performance to back it up. SSS is a good fun hot hatch but it is manual and not in the latest body style. Won't give you that kick you want if you have turbo addiction but will be much cheaper to maintain.

So now entering the region of turbo conti's you have these choices:

1. Pug 508 - probably too big for you because it is a D-segment sedan, and probably burst your budget. uses same engine as the 408.
2. Pug 408 - uses same engine as the 508 and 308 but surprisingly after driving around in one I find this one the best in terms of pickup and top-end, it isn't explicitly mentioned but as I understand updated and tweaks needed for the 308 have been applied to the 408. so it is a good drivers car in a sedan form. only dislike is that it is ugly for a Pug, most Pug's look lovely.
3. Pug 308 - the hatch version of the 408, looks great but don't know why still doesn't drive as good as the 408.
4. VW Polo GTI - unlike the previous generation of Polo GTI this one uses DSG 7AT instead of 6AT so will it have the infamous DSG failure, not too sure as it is a new model it is still unproven.
5. VW Golf TSI - although they mentioned the problems with the DSG 7AT won't happen on the MK7 but being new it is still unproven yet. Other than that it is a fantastic car.

My recommendation - you can't go wrong with this car eventhough it is a recon, fantastic car all around and sure to curb your turbo addiction.

Sorry I can't be much more help as I'm not much of a SUV guy, very limited exposure and research on them, the best I can do is do the research online and give you my take on it without the marketing fluff. Although lately I've been gravitating towards an X1

Just to update you there is a Takata Airbag recall from various manufacturers apparently City was one of the models but after checking it isn't.

If within your budget always aim for the highest specs of the model you like so if the choice between iDSI and VTEC is just RM2000-4000 difference then of course get the VTEC, it has better performance, uses less spark plugs, and better trim levels in all black

Accord luxo

Toyota Avanza is in your price range, interested? Well, I am not so you gotta find out yourself coz I don't think it represents a value buy.

2007 Smart ForTwo - if you're looking for something funky and cool this is a good choice, for the malaysian market they didn't bring in any successor models so this model will be forevergreen and it still looks pretty good now for a 2007 car. Maintenance wise there is a secret......it isn't a Smart/Merc engine it is a Mitsubishi engine.....the same one in the Colt....so el-cheapo maintenance japanese style but don't bang the car coz bumpers and panels aren't compatible with the colt so getting them from the chop shop or new from Smart is your only choice.

2007 Nissan Latio - don't waste your time thinking of the Sentra, if you're thinking about Nissan C-segment value buy at this price range it has to be a Latio but not many are at this price....so be quick

If you're talking about new car for C-segment the price range is roughly like this....

Cerato/Elantra -> Altis 1.6 / Sylpy -> Altis 1.8|2.0 / Civic 1.8|2.0 / Mazda 3

Generally Altis/Sylphy/Civic is cheaper to maintain than the others.

Wow! The Triton depreciated that badly?

If you can afford it I think better just buy a brand new Proton Saga or Perodua Myvi, getting a used one won't really save you any money. As it might only be about 10k cheaper than new but you're paying much higher interest rates because it is a used car.

For safety reasons I suggest a sedan like Saga/Preve/Persona than a Myvi.

It must be import that means CBU or CKD also can as long as not Proton/Perodua? Let me assume no P1 & P2 and run through a few cars that might not be CBU but foreign brands but CKD in Malaysia.

2006 Toyota Altis 1.8 G-Spec - aim for the best specs within your budget but sometimes you gotta trade off with it being older but if you're choosing a reliable bullet proof car like Altis it doesn't matter these cars rarely go wrong (especially the big ticket items like engine/gearbox/aircon) and most of the stuff that do breakdown are typical wear & tear stuff like absorbers, mountings, bearings, etc. I'd say this car would tick all your requirements except looking awesome, maybe some TRD bodykits would help. You don't need to worry about high mileage the engine can handle it IF you take care of it properly with scheduled maintenance which isn't going to bite you that hard it is a very frugal car.

2006 Toyota Camry - if you want abit more of luxury you can choose this car for the same price. Maintenance would of course be higher think an addition 20-25% from the bill but comfort and prestige awaits you in this car.

2006 Honda Accord - the ultimate poison for this price range, it burst the budget only abit but it is a fantastic car to drive, to look at and be inside of. Granted the pickup from the 2000cc engine isn't as good as the 2400cc engine but you save money from the road tax, plus at highway rolling speeds they perform the same.