QUOTE(chingkang @ Jan 29 2014, 10:34 AM)
Hi Forumers,
I am choosing between a Toyota Altis 1.8 and a Kia Cerato 1.6. Both are C-segment cars.
Advantages of buying a Kia Cerato 1.6
- Cheaper price of RM99,888
- Cheaper installment
- Cheaper road tax
- Cheaper insurance
- Free 3 years services including parts and labour
- 5 years warranty
- More gadgets and safety - cruise control, vehicle stability management, 6 airbags
- Better dealer discount
Advantages of buying a Toyota Altis 1.8 (RM116,990 with navigation)
- Better resale value, lower depreciation rate
- Perceived better quality
- Good after sales service
- Good Brand
So far my concern is on after sales service by Naza Kia. While resale value is better for Toyota, given that we have to buy at higher price plus some other spending over the first 5 years (road tax, insurance, services etc.), this factor is not significant. Quality is subjective, both seems good from first hand test drive and feeling. Brand is less important compared to other factors.
Anyone can shed some lights on the after sales service? And if any other concern that I should be aware of when choosing these two cars?
Thank you.
Asking a question like this here in LYN will not get you any closer to a decision. Both Toyota and Kia fanboys will come in here and slug it out claiming each is better. So im not gonna walk down that path. What i will give you is the 13 key criteria's in choosing a car and you can then decide from that which car to go for:
The key word with any car purchase should be
VALUE FOR MONEY meaning what ure getting for what ure paying for. Generally there are 13 criteria which are important when choosing a car:
1) Price
2) Safety
3) Specifications
4) Design
5) Interior space
6) Build quality / durability
7) Ride, handling, power
8) After sales service
9) Overall maintenance cost (not just periodic maintenance)
10) Warranty terms
11) Comfort
12) Resale value
13) Future models / facelifts
There is no car in the market which has all 13 criteria’s. So the idea is always to list your choices against these criteria and then compare against how much ure paying for it.
You also need to take into account your specific needs. For instance, if ure not a driver who drives fast, long distance or spends a lot of time in the car then don’t bother getting a car which is powerful and excels in ride & handling. It will be a waste.
Also give importance to long term needs not just the present. Look at least 5 years ahead and see where ull be. Cars are a 100% loss from Day 1 so the idea is always to minimize losses by choosing the car which satisfies most of the criteria above and yet keeps the price affordable. In saying this, I don't mean that resale value should become the primary criteria hence why its No 12 on that list.
Use these 13 criteria’s when listing down your choices. Never ever choose a car based on 3 or 4 criteria’s. U'll just increase the risks of making the wrong choice. Test drives actually don’t help much because most of the time ppl don’t know how to test drive or what to look for in a test drive. But do your homework and then test. Ull get a better idea then.
Hope this helps you in your decision.
And btw, ive been a Optima K5 owner for the past 21 months after being a loyal Toyota customer for 9.5 years. Do i regret my decision to switch? Except for after sales service which Toyota excels in, i dont. And please give alot of importance to safety and especially the Stability Control function. It saved my life last year.