Found used car for
Subaru Forester 2.0i 2017 - 62k
X70 Standard 2019 - 77k

I test drive Forester and about to test drive x70 later.
The subaru interior quality looks solid and classy enough, ugly outlook. Drive is smooth enough (as I cant tell much as I'm not a car person and it's a short drive and it's not raining, cant test much)
But as I sit in the car, i feel the interior is rather small. I havent even fully extend my driver seat, I already feel the back seat is not as spacious (Maybe because I was testing other D-segment car liek Mazda 6 and Sonata. need to test drive x70 to know).
Both still have warranty left.
The Subaru owner say it's not expensive to maintain. He showed me the service receipt, well, only RM340 for oil change in SC.


Main attraction :
Subaru
-15k less
-leather seat compare to fabric in x70 standard

X70
-just few months old, 2 more years of warranty compare to subaru
-much nicer looking
-has push start
-cruise control

Can sifu advice which is better car?
I mostly used to travel work-to-home, fetch kids in city. Occasionally back to hometown once in 1-2 months. Go to Genting / Cameron like 3-5 year once.
I'm looking for a long term car that can last for 10years above. Hopefully not expensive to maintain and reliable

https://www.carbase.my/car-comparison?id=Bv...NlTM,KqLmA43G98

This post has been edited by neo_6053: Jan 5 2020, 01:20 PM

No one?

Just a generic point of view, if you're looking for something to last for 10 years and above, probably a newer car would be a safer bet due to the warranty.

LOL. u know what. ur point is kinda valid! never thought like this though.

Rule of thumb to get used car
1. how much is the depreciation, because you need to factor in higher interest for used car.
if the new vs used difference is not much, then it's better to buy new so to get warranty.
2. used cars in 3years time generally burn off 40% value, so you pay less for insurance
3. research for car inherited problems for it, spare parts availability

if subaru was 150k when new, then now you're getting it for 62k is worth it.
for x70 price difference is not so much.

Actually x70 ori price was 99800, now like 22k less for few months. Thus abit attracted.

Btw, I also hope some owner of either cars can out in some of their input.

used car interest rate is much higher than new ones.
the difference is not that much actually, are you getting from direct owner ? if used car dealer need to pay processing fees somemore

direct

forester with NA is easier to maintain compared to X70 turbo engine. Forester spare part can be also easily available since it is quite common on the road nowadays. Heard from tyres shop that X70 needs to go back SC for some sort tyres system setting after changing or rotating the tyres.

Are you sure the boxer engine from Subaru is easier to maintain then the Proton/Geely inline four-potter? Not many bawah pokok mechanic is familiar with the boxer engine...

My road side mechanic also can fix this latest Subaru engine. Have you open up the engine and see it yourself? The engine filter, V-belt, A/C system is in front of the engine is damn easy to maintain even by yourself. Even youtube got a lot of DIY video on how to maintain your subaru..

Find out why the x70 is selling after only few month. It is showroom/test drive car?

dont think so its a showroom/testdrive. normally is premium / top spec for showroom/testdrive.
probably previous owner cant pay off debts or crashcar..


subaru engine is easy quite easy to access. alternator radiator engine filter oil. all on top of the engine.
only the sparkplugs abit hard to access.
just that mechanics outside tends to charge higher because of the car cost 100k, means your pocket deep.

just my 2 cents, a fren of mine is driving a used Subaru XV. Initially his thought is to send to normal service shop for normal service. but once he done that, his car got into a lot of issues. by luck, he manage to find a shop which is specialize in servicing subaru then only his nightmare stop.

If you are not a car person, go for x70.

but might wan to look at the interest rate, if the interest is high might as well go for new Standard CKD

This depends sometime, as some mechanic did not do their homework or simply think they are good at everything. The road side mechanic i went if not sure or dont know will either ask for the service manual book, search the internet for info & also ask the original SC for help. Some of SC personal just charge a few 10 ringgit for advice or merely a dinner or lunch treat. I follow my mechanic around when i bring him a new ride and also learn together new stuff sharing website link & info. Sometime owner also need to be progressive and learn a bit of their cars.

Personally, I'll go for X70 as it's a new car with warranty and you'll have less headache. Forester is good but the warranty will expire soon as it's 3 years warranty (whole car) + 2 years for engine and transmission.

If your Forester breaks down, the maintenance is gonna be much higher than a H or T.

ooo... i see. 3 yr only

Dear TS,
I think you should really really test drive both cars first, see where your heart goes.

If you ask forumers here, they point to the direction of only "Warranty" . No proper advice on how well it drives or driving experience.

Warranty is only when something really big breaks down. Not minor issues. If it doesn't then you already pay more at SC for normal service just to upkeep the warranty and if that makes you happier.

Regarding about turbo maintenance - Its not that much difference compared to NA. Just make sure you use minimum semi synthetic oil and change on time or better still, earlier.

Turbo rewards you in stronger torque than NA. For comparison:

Exora 1.6L turbo has a slightly more powerful torque as 2.0L Subaru. (205NM vs 195NM).
X70 has a whopping 285NM of torque from 1500-4000RPM. Almost like a 2.8L - 3.0L NA

Reliability wise , undeniable its Subaru being Japanese though a properly well maintained Proton should give you trouble free motoring also.

Enough said. This is my personal views.

X70 got so much discount?

used unit.

Which is "better" depends on the owner requirements and capability (to pay for and time spend maintaining the car).

Most of the time any car < 5 yrs old in their warranty period are "cheaper" to maintain, since less chance of parts failing, hence why they give you a warranty.
the test comes after the warranty period.

In my opinion for your case, the X70 is the better bet.... with so many units on the road compared to the Subaru, you can be sure parts are abundant and there will be mechanic who are familiar with it even after your warranty is over. Worse case can always go back to Proton SC, which are everywhere.

that because the tyre shop do not have the device to set the TPMS after tyre rotation
now more n more tyre shop got this device d

Parts are abundant but choices is less
X70 can either get local or china new parts

Subaru can get local, Thailand, China & Japan for new parts
Got more performance option to upgrade due to Japanese & US performance tuners
Finally got half-cut or engine lantai choice to upgrade or replace compare to X70.
Subaru forester got the XT 2.0 turbo option, compare to X70 only 1.8T.

If plan to own long term ownership Subaru got more aftermarket choice compare to X70 which is limited to local & China market.

actually performance upgrade option for X70 is already available. you don't need to upgrade the engine or any of the component, the stock design is already a pimped up version of the Audi/VW 1.8T. Just a tune from stock you can get respectable numbers. if you're hard care, you may choose to upgrade a 2.0 stroker kit. accessories are abundant and cheaper than the Japanese counterpart. Depends on taste JDM will always have the JDM look, X70 has more of a continental design. spare parts are abundant, just that for electronic items, you will still need to source from Proton if you plan to keep the warranty. outside sourcing of parts option is available but the coding and calibration will still be needed.

For TS, I will recommend you to stick with Subaru. we need more Scooby on the road.

Subaru MY total sales for all the models they have in 2019 i would guess didn't even hit 3000 units. (it was <2.5K in Oct'19)

Proton sold >26,000 X70 already.

Hmm... wonder which SUV the parts are more abundant in the long run.

Those are numbers only in the 2019, so it's already missing out the accumulated registered units dating back from 2013 for the XV (which shares a large amount of parts with this Forester generation), and NA Foresters beginning from the following year.

IMHO and as an owner of used vehicles bought after their warranty periods, and not servicing them at SCs, the Subaru edges ahead in terms of aftermarket and 'mechanical maturity', as its sold, used and proven in a lot more regions and conditions compared to the Proton/Geely.

However, because Subaru and its drivetrain are a lot less common locally, there will undeniably be less non-SC mechanics used to doing more complex servicing on the vehicle. But like many other things, know-hows increase overtime as more and more units roam the streets.

X70

When buying a used car, always pick the newest one. The Subaru feels too damn old at this point, interior wise.

Maintenance wise it is a Proton, u can find Proton SC nearly everywhere.

Lets face it, you are not going to mod the car or repair it yourself. Max u will do is drive into a tyre shop and do your alignment and balancing or change new tyre. And buying your own parts ? You may for brake pads for engine oil, and cosmetic item. The rest is slightly more difficult, you need to deal with Part Number and call up a few places to save some money.

So assuming every Subaru sold is a Foresters, that's 3000 units annually x 6 years (2013 - 2019 ) that's... 18,000 units for the Foresters.
vs the >26,000 sold for the competitor in 2019 alone.

Anyway TS can make his/her own decisions and only time will tell on the X70 long term reliability.

Your request is 10 years and above. Both are can drive 10 years and above but are you sure you willing to spend that kind of money ? After warranty period , standby RM5000 per year in case anything broke down. This should be enough. Maintenance cost for both car I think is same. If you really want to spend less for 10 years , both of the car you choose is not a good car. You should look for Myvi , Alza , Wira , Honda City , Toyota Vios. These car are cheap to maintain for 10years and above compare X70 & forester. My advise for you is , if you want choose either X70 / forester , don’t need to think about 10 years. Choose the 1 you like and drive until you can’t Tahan and sell. That’s easier.

FYI, Subaru market sold worldwide. X70 spare parts mostly for Malaysia & China market.
In term of options for sure Subaru got the edge. Volume does not speak for spare part options & availability.
This depends on the spare part shop & car manufacturer logistic/demand.
Example Ppl think BMW/Merc low volumn must spare part expensive or hard to get, go to any BMW/Merc spare part shop they can give you a lot of spare parts & options within 1 day & even ship from German, Taiwan or China from 1 week due to their strong logistic management.

wah I thought x70 interior much smaller?

I see more BMW/ Merc on the roads in MY vs Subaru

Both BMW / Merc sold more than 3x the volume vs Subaru in MY.

Finally while volume might not be the only factor, it is definitely the biggest factor.
At least from my experience of hunting for spare parts.

BMW / Merc got more models selling in Malaysia with different price range sure combine volumn is more. In the end if you ask for spare parts availability & option, I will still stick with Japanese ride as they still got the advantage due to more half-cut & tuners options besides from new part. If you are talking about cheaper spare part price, for sure X70 got the advantage.

This post has been edited by littlefire: Jan 9 2020, 03:46 PM

+1

that's mean only cheaper B/C-segment car is good for above 10 year use? that's abit sad..

ya, only problem with X70 is the unknown factor... no one know it's reliability coz the car is new, at most 1 year ...
and ofcoz other main drawback of x70 is it's FC

Do you think more expensive car mean more durable?
Car more expensive because of premium, performance, branding. Actually the most expensive car less durable compare to cheaper car.

I remember Forester rear absorber, cost more than RM2700 each to replace.
Subaru parts are never cheap to source, and not many stockist keep them.

I would take the X70.

Japanese marques such as Mazda/Subaru wear and tear parts usually quite expensive due to no aftermarket brands being brought into Malaysia. Their original parts? Never cheap to begin with.

what he said was "cheap to maintain for 10years".

Good quality cars are those CBU made in Japan, lets say lexus, toyota, mazda.
i drive mazda CBU so the quality is there, parts are more expensive than local B segment, mainly because parts are not thailand but made in Japan parts.
but the quality of the part does hold up much longer.
5year old car only headlamp got moisture, my friend car travel 230,000km only got reverse sensor issue.

due to brand perception that sort, workshop tend to chop ppl when it comes to changing parts.
so what i do is i source my own parts from spare parts shop, ask workshop ppl charge workmanship. by doing so i save >30% on repair bills



so for me, i'd do research whether that car brand has serious weak points.
Join their FB groups to see what problems owners usually face
lets saw like nissan is weak CVT gearbox that will die around 90,000km
then i'd source for my own parts to maintain. because good quality cars are often CBU which is expensive, and workshop will definitely chop you.

I'd go for Subaru than x70 because i trust Japanese quality parts than china parts.
yep Japanese made parts are more expensive but they last much longer.

yes pick newer but also need to do some research on its weak points.
TS wanted to use that car for 10years, for me i wont pick the one which has too many electronics built in it.
there are too many electronics things in x70. i think will cause nuisance to deal with once the sensors go beyond it's serviceable lifespan


It's not that hard to find parts. check your chassis model number.
go to spare parts shop to buy them and pass to mechanic to replace them only.
it's not saving that few % difference between different spare part shop.

workshop will use this method
PP = parts price
( PP x 150% ) + workmanship as your final bill.
if my car goes to SC the bill would be 1500, i do it outside will cost me 850 only.