This used, Premium version.

Yup, I would advise TS to go for a test drive and decide. Drove a rental recently and was pleasantly surprised. No other small car surprised me as much as another rental...moons ago, Kia Rio. Buy used and you will not have to worry about depreciation too. 20K + dah boleh dapat earlier Premium models but those will be noisier at highway speed I'm told.

Actually, once tumpang this car all the way to Penang for a funeral. had to sit at the back.

May be I'm a bit tall, cannot berdiri once reached destination...3 hari sakit belakang until kena pi massage. Never again.

TS, if u r adamant on spending 40K on a used car, may be look at a Lexus? My good buddy swears parts are cheap.

I'll assume that u r a young guy around my kids' age.

Buy something that is safe, reliable, comfortable, affordable and then fun. Not losing much value at resale time is also a big bonus, unless u already bought them cheap. Cars that appreciate in value with time is a plus but these cars will probably be older than you except a few 2 door models.

Buy used only with Full Service History from SC. Most are offered with 1-3 yrs warranty. If u buy a 2022/23 Persona, it'll still be under Proton warranty. Already lower than your 40K budget. 6 Airbags. Way better than a Saga in almost everything and safer. FC was okay on my rented car but smaller fuel tank than I'm used to.

1. Persona Premium ticks all the right boxes. 2022 above, MC2 models. Save 20k over new! Expect around 38K.
2. Persona Premium from 2018 for 20K. Use the 20K savings on that E36. I owned 2 E36s. 325i manual and an M3. Fun but can be painful with all the plastic parts.
3. Mazda 2 - Skyactiv from 2015. Reliable and Fun. Better rep than a Proton. Around 35K.
4. Lexus CT200h - Sporty, lots of mojo and excellent reliability. A bit underpowered and dated tech. 40K
5. Subaru XV - More powerful but also more expensive parts. Best Japanese built Q. Starts from 20K, find lowest mileage from year 2017.
6. BMW 316i F30 - Ultimate mojo. Watch out for those plastic parts. 40K
7. Mercedes E200 W212 - Very reliable for a Merc. Sublime but may be too much for such a young guy. Expensive parts. 40K

Be warned, 4-7 will involve higher cost of maintenance than a Proton/Perodua/Toyota/Honda B-segment cars.

E36, there is a well known parts supplier (potong) in Sg Petani. F30, Stuttgart & Bavarian Auto for parts. If u ever decide to buy, PM me for UK store where u can get new parts for Bimmer/Merc/Volvo cheaper than potong ones here.

You are a bimmer/merc mechanic so use that to ur advantage! Once u go teutonic, no oriental is going to cut it (but perhaps should wait a while until finances are a lil bit stronger?). I wish u well.

Depends. XV and Forester are locally assembled. The rest are Nihon imports and more expensive. But then Impreza, WRX & BRZ cannot be expected to be as reliable as the more sedate vehicles.

Good enough methinks, definitely better than most locally and Thai assembled jap cars. My son changed from an older 3 Series to the latest XV, so far all good. Overall, might be better than daughter's X1.