Hi all sifu in cars.. im currently thinking to change my car. Am thinking to get either bmw x1 or mercedes gla .. bt.. am not quite sure which is better?.

I wud need this to ferry my family as in my kids n parents.. budget wise, ive actually enquired brand new bmwx1 yr 2020 (with the tax holiday) is at rm203k.. i din check out mercedes yet bt i see online its about rm200k

Am also thinking to buy new or 2nd hand.. new will have guarantee for 5 yrs, if buy 2nd hand like if can find yr 2019 still can have guarantee for 4 yrs.. seems good deal aso??.

Am gonna go to auto bavaria tmrw to check out their 2nd hand range.. my dad friend jz purchased his 2nd hand 3 series was very satisfied..

On the other hand, if i were to go with japanese car like crv o cx5 not exactly my dream car bt i cud get it new and wud have more cash in hand (no need to pay so much installment)..

So whats d advice?.. im so confused myself also. Am not in desperate neeeed to change bt my current car is serving me 8 yrs d. Actually still good and can move frm 1 place to another lah. Bt u know.. its 8 yrs d..

Also i am very careful when driving which means i dun like to keep changing cars cuz the estimation on parking and all have to adjust .. so which one can last me long long long time. Like my current japanese brand car can tahan so long..

You have the budget to purchase either a Japanese or European car...

But do you have the budget to maintain the European car for a long time?

Merc and BMW will have a higher yearly maintenance cost compared to Japanese brands, and their spare parts and yearly insurance cost are higher too.

Buying conti u need to have mindset to change cars every 7 years due to:

i) Maintenance will be high once reach 200,000km
ii) Old car especially conti no got prestige anymore. U need to renew prestige membership by changing newer conti.

If u want reliability, can get Jap. Jap car u use 15 years oso ok since since day 1, jap no got prestige. So no point to replace new unless it is super problematic.

This post has been edited by mffa: Dec 12 2020, 10:21 PM

Actually whats the maintenance cost range for tht bmw x1?.. any idea?..

What's your average yearly mileage?

If you can afford BMW or Merc, try looking into Lexus or Mazda?
Conti cars in the long run really eat alot of money to maintain.
Not that Lexus and Mazda is cheap, just that they are not as painful. Just my 2 cents.

X1 is bigger n looks better than gla
Gla is fugly

This post has been edited by jasonlim: Dec 13 2020, 04:57 PM

X1 is not not well equipped

Have you tried out Lexus SUV?

For Japanese brand, there are recond Lexus NX300/200T, Toyota Harrier turbo new from Toyota.. both are way bigger and powerful than the base model of X1 and GLA.. You will not feel like driving a mass produced car in an NX or Harrier.. despite Harrier is a Toyota, it is near premium.

Reliability of Lexus and Toyota are second to none

The 200k X1 I guess it's the one with 1.5 turbo, to be honest, nothing great about it except for the BMW badge in front and at the back
A honda HRV can out run this X1 as HRV has similar or slightly better power than X1 and X1 is way heavier. (Go watch the drag race between X50, HRV and X1.. X1 kena tapao)..

Not to say that you should drive fast and over take everyone. Honda HRV is as good as subtle, and average daily car in city, but have to workout the car a lot on highway speed and it doesn't overtake lorries as quick. I can just imagine how sluggish the X1 will be on the highway plus if you gonna load a few ppl and stuff. Paying 200k for a sluggish under power SUV, not worth it.. you are just paying 200k for the badge..it doesn't really carry the BMW motto of "sheer driving pleasure".. it's just putting a Mini engine in a BMW to attract budget buyers who want the badge.

Mazda CX-5 2.5 or 2.2 diesel is a better car, fully loaded features, more powerful, its GVC plus which assist your cornering and handling better for sporty and comfortable ride..

If you want face, can look at used Lexus SUV.. Lexus don't put miniature engine in SUV to lure budget buyers.

Unless you move up to X1 2L turbo, you might enjoy it better..

This post has been edited by twincharger07: Dec 13 2020, 10:59 AM

merc GLA ady have new 2020 model, but malaysia still havent bring it in, dont think its a gud choice to fork out that money for old version. Even old model preowned 2019 still selling at 190k

if u have to choose X1 for its 1.88% finance plus 5 years warranty plus free service

u takda headache for 5 years

i suggest u try Proton X70, branding & power not as good as BMW but ride & interior is good

avoid GLA200 for its underpowered engine

Ok so i went to test drive the x1 today.. honestly ive test drive both crv and x1.. hehe im rili not into cars so i felt both cars driving experience so so.. as for gla i havent test drive bt i see those youtube review it says its smaller compared to x1..

Generally i go to work come home .. so my 8yr car mileage is currently at 140k..

Jz now went to auto bavaria at ara damansara to test drive.. the sales person did intro used x1 2017 (2.0L) pricing at rm140k.. still can nego to go lower.. so im quite impressed at auto bavaria pre owned cuz they were mentioning that they do 360 inspection for those pre owned and put us at ease tht those are thoroughly checked by authorized auto bavaria ppl..

Ok ive seen some suggestions on lexus .. can i ask lexus what model?.. i did try to google prvely bt seems like all lexys suv very2 expensive way outta my budget.

If look into lexus.. lexus which model ya?..

NX200t. Recon,

https://www.carlist.my/cars-for-sale/lexus/nx200t/malaysia

Is there any rebate given for pre own certified car?

For GLA, the latest generation will be launched on 15 Dec 2020. Foresee the spec would be GLA 200 (1.33 litter Renault engine), GLA 250 4 Matic (Merc engine). For old generation is small and cramp for rear passenger. The new generation model has improved including the rear boot capacity. Merc don't offer free maintenance except negotiate with the SA.

For X1, the latest generation has 2 types, 1.5 liter and 2.0 liter. I believe BMW still offer free 5 years maintenance services. First 5 years, you can save the maintenance, but after 5th year, you may need to take consideration of the repair and maintenance costs.

For Lexus, the same segment for X1 and GLA would be UX. But this model is not suitable for family use, it is more young buyer. For NX (new one from Lexus dealer), it is about 300k after corporate discount and during SST holiday. However, almost sold out.

For recond Lexus, I have no experience in recond car. But generally you need to know if it is flood car etc.

For current generation Harrier sold in Malaysia, there are recond and direct under Toyota. Recond model is non-turbo engine and understand that the common issue of the recond model is the torque converter (this is my friend in car industry share with me). For direct import from Toyota, it is a turbo engine which same as used in Lexus NX. It is roomy and spacious than NX. I believe the price is about 260k. Not sure still got stock. BUT, latest model might be coming to our shore in 2021, too bad no more turbo engine.

For me, I would go for Harrier turbo for comfort and long term low maintenance. Prestige or not, this is subjective where we don't live under ppl view and comment. Most importantly is we, ourselves comfortable and happy with our choice.

Find out the following,

1. Service Cost
2. Service interval
3. Spare parts cost for common items that can fail during 5 year ownership (or 10 year depends on your planning)
4. Consumable cost (Tires, air-con filter, engine oil etc, some of these items are included in 1. Service Cost).
5. Insurance
6. Road Tax

You could find out by simple googling, forum, service center.

Well the SA din rili giv me a confirmed rebate besides saying she need to ask her boss can giv this or tht.. so cud be free tint.. additional 1% discount on top of the corp doscount tht they can giv which is at 4%

anyway my dad friend he got goodies such as 4 new tyres free from auto bavaria.. heard tht 1 tyre is rm1k.. so savings of 4k there already..

additional 1% discount on the car he purchasing (3 series)..

I see 1% is quite little but thanks for the info