OK /K looking for suggestions for a cheap 2nd hand car. Budget is around RM15-20,000

Basically we found a place that is willing to take in a Nissan X-Trail with a bad CVT that we want to trade in. However they would only take in the X-Trail if we buy a car from them.

Car is for my MIL who doesn't want any fancy cars as she isn't a car person and won't drive around much beyond the usual kopitiam for breakfast, line dance and wet market / supermarket. She does not believe in taking Grab / Taxis.

However she does want a hatchback, must be Japanese as she used to drive a Nissan 130Y and had several Sentras thereafter even when they had access to several Mercedes and more expensive cars she always preferred her Sentra due to it being easy to drive. The other thing is it must be a torque converter automatic and a 4cyl engine.

The dealer has these 3 cars that met the price :-

1) 2006 Toyota Yaris S, done 140,000km and has a full UMW service history. RM18,000
2) 2006 Suzuki Swift, done 180,000km and no service booklet. RM14,000
3) 2006 Mercedes A160, done 73,000km with a C&C service history. RM21,000

I suggested she take the Mercedes as it is the nicest one to drive. Low km and looks very well maintained, my guess is it was a 2nd or 3rd car in a wealthier household for a long time. Thought this was the best car for the money as it had that all important ESP. Wife said bad idea for her mum to have one as it is likely to be very expensive to repair if anything went wrong.

MIL liked the Swift saying it felt easiest to drive and she liked the door only unlocked the driver door if pressed once. I thought it was a good car, quite precise and handled quite well. Will need new tires and brake work as well as 1 rear wheel bearing was worn.

Wife told her it was a bad idea as now no Suzukis sold and parts are difficult to find and expensive. She suggested to take the Yaris as UMW is still in business and will always be in business selling Toyotas. Also said the Yaris uses many similar parts to the Vios so many parts around. MIL said she doesn't think it is worth RM4,000 more and the instrument in the center seemed distracting.
Dealer said the Yaris was just only brought to the lot, they haven't done anything to it so it does appear the paint needs some attention, has 3 bumper to bumper long scratches, it will need a new battery and the air conditioner doesn't seem to work as it isn't blowing cold air. Can see it needs new rear disc and possibly one of the suspension bushes are gone. Claims it was traded in for a X70.

Drillz for reference purposes:-




Prices are inclusive of paperwork but not insurance.

Which is the better one?

She does not want a sedan.

Yeah that Mercedes won't be cheap to maintain.

No Jazz due to CVT, she doesn't want a CVT again.

A new Myvi is also RM30,000 more bare minimum, she wants to spend as little to get into a Japanese car.

If it was for me I'd buy a Renault Megane RS280 instead of the A250. However my MIL isn't a car person so she doesn't want to spend so much on a car.

We did look at it, she doesn't want to drive a Perodua.

It is still a nice car.

Personally like it too.

It definitely does feel like it would last a long time. Certainly feels better built than the Vios of a similar vintage.

No sedans and she isn't keen on a Proton.

I thought it was the 1st gen ones before the facelift that are super ugly?

CVT gearbox and she isn't too keen on a Proton.

That's indeed a nice one but getting difficult to find good ones out there.

Body parts are a bit expensive but everything else for the Yaris are standard Toyota parts bin.

The X-Trail in question is indeed a T32 from 2014.

Swift is definitely a lot more fun to drive other than the tall gearing and its tendency to go from 1st to 2nd too soon.

NO thanks. This car isn't a long term keeper.

Well her idea is if she buys the car for RM15-20,000 she should still have between RM10-15,000 to fix any niggling issues with the car to make it good for 10+ years. She has no plans to drive too far with it.

It is a Toyota parts bin car mostly, here other than the body panels most parts are fairly cheap it seems.

Yes the steering does seem very light on the Yaris.

Alhamdulilah she is back

New Yaris out of budget.

Interesting conversion.

Yeah currently mostly fixed on the Yaris. Waiting for the dealer to come give a price on the X-Trail.

That is actually one of the worry as well, in the event the car has a recall like the Takata airbag issue there won't be a dealer to organize it.

The dealer did have one from 2015, asking RM12,000 but it is a manual.

It is quite tempting but she does want an auto.

Nah, in her head T>everything else.

Thought they said it is better to cry in a Mercedes?

Daughter holds the purse strings