Sounds quite insane to me.

Let's say you earn RM240k a year and you buy a RM240k car, you literally have spent your entire year's worth of hard work just to buy something that brings you from point A to point B.

Imagine that, 1 whole year of suffering all goes into 1 thing.

If you consider this from a disposable income perspective, that's even worse! After reducing tax and all other living expenses for the year, you could be only left with RM5k a month and that's considering you aren't the spendthrift type. You would have spent at least 3 years of your life, working hard just to purchase that car. I discounted 1 year for bonus, increment, and investment income, which is more than generous.

What do you guys think? 3 years worth of blood sweat and tears for a car, worth it?

In reality, most Malaysian would actually be spending more than 5 years worth of blood, sweat, and tears on a car cause most either buy a car worth more than their 1 year salary, took long loans with high interest, or have a super low disposable income because of commitments.

I have bought a car equivalent to my annual salary before.
It's actually ok.

Ok

This post has been edited by jojolicia: Dec 5 2025, 12:37 AM

6 months there about for most people is acceptable.

But some advice if possible lesser than 5% of networth if already working for quite some time.

1 year of salary for car in Malaysia is considered very conservative due to high car price. Many Malaysians pay much more for car. My friend earns 3k per month is driving a Toyota vios while my paid is more than double of his and I drive Proton Iriz

If the 1 year annual salary (along with associated cost of petrol insurance maintenance etc) can bring 9 years of benefit, or with my gen 1 Vios, 22 years of benefit, then the value proposition is certainly exist

There's a saying, if you can't buy it twice, you can't afford it..

if i were to follow these so called " guide" i will never drive a conti till today

i have ald change 2 times conti and each time is an upgrade

and i am still surviving...eating normal...travel normal

Ok... and what is your advice then?

i bought RM17k Car once.....yet come with 5 years installment
best car in the world

more people spend far more than that, and they do it multiple times over. whether it’s worth it depends on lifestyle. for some people, a car isn’t just something that gets them from a to b. otherwise, there’d be no reason to buy anything other than the cheapest one.

What about tax obligation? The actual take home pay is around 200k if you only count the minimum deductions

YOLO

Cars and homes are great liabilities. Especially cars. You have to constantly spend expenditure to maintain them. Better keep that money to look after your health.

Especially for malaysian roads nowadays, it's not worth to drive expensive cars on broken roads with f-king potholes.

For example, Ipoh roads. Come and see how f-king bad the roads are here.

And it doesn't help that some guy giving permission to break the mountains too.

This post has been edited by amgh: Dec 5 2025, 04:14 AM

but but but amoi!

You should ask what are each financial background first

I’ve bought car cash and also by bank installment before. When loan some I put 50% down and some just 10%. Some ever do early settlement

Every time my financial is ok. Planning is the key. To each their own

This post has been edited by knwong: Dec 5 2025, 05:31 AM

depends lo

if you are the YOLO type of personality , its worth

else just get a Axia Rahmah

A to B , kena flooded also no cry maderfader

For me ok...as long as ur not taking a loan..

Hmm... So. This make my mind not buying accord edi. I'll stick with the new saga.

For majority like unker earning RM3k, it is bad finance to take 9 year loan for bezza only to trade it after fully paid off for another 5 - 7 year loan for next generation of P2. Rinse and repeat every decade.

But when public transport is lacking and city planning means walking on highway, there is less choice. Car is necessity even in KL. So ppl choose to spend more on something more comfortable when they know they will spend at least 2 hours a day to wait out the jam in.

Pocket big hole nvr mind
Hide at home day2 eat roti and maggie nvr mind
Stay at b40 housing place nvr mind
Car deposit ask pinjam uncle aunty fama bro sis nvr mind

The important is drive rm200k car other ppl will look me up so i can feel like atas and glamor

TS say it sounded insane
but in reality, malaysians are spending more than their 1 years worth of salary on cars....like WAY MORE
they're buying cars that are worth way more than that

and on top of that, they didn't even do the normal 10% downpayment route
instead they went for the full loan 9 years repayment route

you spent what you deem worth in your eyes....

reasoning is the before and after thought....between regret and appreciating ownself...

obviously a person's dime spent should never be dictated by another person's mind, because everyone has different sought of happiness or worth.

you do you, whilst other do their own.

How many 9 years u can live

I can barely get a HSBC visa signature card (the previous requirements, not the current one)
And I drove a cibik ketam for 7 years already

If I were to buy a saga or bezza
I am damn sure regret it for life

no. don't spend more than 3x monthly salary.

Why not...
250k this year, next year 280k....win win

nobody forced you

Buy whatever so long you spend your own hard earned money and NOT leeching on others NOT stealing from others, one way or another.

Sekian

This post has been edited by jojolicia: Dec 5 2025, 07:48 AM

Why 9y loan and not 11?
I think must ask atuk, why that number?

everyone value car differently. if u think its just A to B then expensive car is not for you.

some people spend money into travel and some may think so many thousand just for few day of slightly different experience.

some spend many thousands into food and cafe and some may think its so wasteful where it just fill the stomach.

but u dont buy and sell it in a year ma. instead you spread your loan to 5 or 7 or even 9 years.

by that time your income increased, and if u dispose it at 10th year, the car already did most of its value.

but i think ur instalment dont go over 20% of your monthly income la

This post has been edited by darkterror15: Dec 5 2025, 07:57 AM

6 months??

6k gaji x 6 = 36k

Can buy what

faedah rendah takut apa #halal

Your money. Buy 1 year worth of ladyboy also ok.

Just for point A to point B.

People who say this should just go die. You have nothing to live for. You don't see joy in anything.

It's like saying eating is just for survival why spend on nicer food, eat maggi cukup la. House is just to provide shelter why spend on nicer house, PPR cukup la.

Enough to buy moto

Some 3k but drive a bmw. YOLO please

10% or more of your entire life is on car, spend little more to get comfort, safety, satisfactions not too much
learn to treat urself better, ur wealth means nothing to u after u left anyway

Yes, this.

Our country's public transports are shit. so by then end of loan 5,7,9 years, car will get old, beyond repair, or new tech available.
so people will gonna loan another 5,7,9 years to get a new car..

This is part of the gomen's tactics to do bad in public transport planning..so that they can earn more car tax from the citizens.

if not, you earn salary for what? go for donation?
So long u like it, ok la. janji within own capacity

ure right. car is my money toolbox.
i go many sites daily to work, so it can pay off installment by itself + my welfare.

攒钱工具 similar situation for delivery/ grab ppl

In this thread ada pseudo rich guy don't want other brave fella to be better than them

They themselves make own mistake in life, then act like that is the truth

Please lah
Sendiri gagal in life wanna advise other on what to and not to spend

Topkek ts. Wan buy new car but no money, so open tered to farm syok sendiri comments.

1 year salary for car is totally do-able. Stop shitting by saying it can't be done just to makes u feel better

If i can turn back time,

yes ayam will just settle for proton iriz / myvi / bezza

When buying a car, need to factor in maintenance, RT, tires, breakdown, towing & insurance into the monthly installments.

For example, if your monthly installment is 600 bucks, add another 300-400 bucks as savings. Every month, u will deduct 900-1000 from salary account to another saving account and auto deduct the installment monthly leaving the savings alone. Over time, the savings will accumulates and should there be any maintenance or insurance, u then use the excess funds from there leaving the salary account alone.

I wonder TS how many saving, assets do you have?

What car was it? Mine RM22k with 5 years installments. It's built like a tank

Home no choice lah, either u rent or buy jer.

Cant be staying at parents place forever right?

Yes, P2 so called Mesra Rakyat budget car also ask you to spend 1 year or more than 1 year salary to pay for QV-E.
(No need to spend makan, tidur, petrol and gaji 100% saving)

P2 nexis inkambing , 80k kawteam

Tax too high

But what can u do, not going to take bus …

Janji ado gayo , muttu, keUNGGULan...

is wokay... la...

Then you want your house and the place where you work build from what. Using air or meteor rock or moon rock

As someone mentioned, due to Malaysia's high price of cars, you cannot use foreign financial principles to gauge affordability in Malaysia. One year's salary is really quite ok.
You know what is nuts? The gaji RM5k but wana buy BMW 3 series. So many stories like this.

And if you only look at a Car as an A to B tool, then you will spend less on it. That's fine. But some people do like their cars. It makes them happy. So they will spend what you spend, plus a little bit more (hobby money) on the car. So they get a little nicer car.

When you can really afford the car, other considerations come into play. A lot of people view cars as a status symbol too. Some view it as a tool. When you have enough money in life, you will start looking at a car as an investment into safety and also wellbeing. Don't just look from the money aspect. It's like rich people flying their whole family Business Class instead of economy. To the average Joe, it looks like an absurd waste of money. And they will start doing things like "If they flew economy, they would save X amount coumpounded over Y years and eventually have Z money. Aiya, these people bodo wan". Having loads and loads of money in your account isn't the goal. When you get there, you will realize money is only there to give you the life you want.

So here's a little personal story.

I used to work with this colleague. This was many years ago. Worked hard and was very frugal. In fact, he is so frugal he never really invested into the infrastructure in his life like the car he was using. He drove a very old Proton. Never changed since Day 1 he started work. Gaji oredi passed RM20k easily. But he is just super frugal. Shocked us when he passed away in an accident with members of his family. 1 kid. Wasn't even his fault. Another driver rammed into their car. Would he have survived in a more modern car? Perhaps. We will never know. Could he have afforded a more modern car and a Conti? Definitely.

So life is what you make of it. You buy insurance? That's fine. You buy a better car that you can afford? That's fine too.

Ppl that can buy Rm 240K cars are already working and have savings in their coffer.

It's not like you just earn from your first job and you immediately commit to such purchase.

Why worry for these people that wanna buy RM 240k car?

RM240k car is not for you drive from point A to B. Get a Axia or Myvi. That’s for “ada … ada amoi car.”

If your work that bad, you’re not enjoying your work. Quit and find a better wan.

Worth or not very much depend each person interest.

Brand new just launched 1.5cc sedan 38K 😁

No rules that say must buy new car. 36k used car, a lot of choices

I thought it's default formula from car guru expert?

1 year salary is the value of the car that we should buy.

Different markets different formula.
Cannot use in the Malaysia & Singapore market due to inflated car prices.

should =/= would

financially "should" follow this way to stay comfortable
but people "would" not want to follow that route because that's not the car they "wanted"

that's why bank set the formula of minimum 1/3 to get the loan approved comfortably
1/3 car, 1/3 house, 1/3 everything else
but some people's car payment is still over 1/3 of their salary

"1/3" formula is actually worse than 1 year salary formula BTW

Can buy if and only if down payment is big. 240K car also comes with expensive tyres and servicing and oil if it's an ICE. People usually forgot to count that. But I do actually think that generally most gullible buyers are at the bottom end. Like supposed to buy an Axia or Saga, end up with City or Vios.

1st car 40k, 2nd car 80k, 3rd 120k, 4th car 160k? in 20 years...
total paid 400k edi for car... if living cost B40, can retire edi with the cash...

Agreed. While in USA, it would be 6 months, here 12 to 18 months. 24 months would be too much money on a car, beyond your means.

Also down payment about 15-25%. Having just about 10% shows that it is too early and should save more; showing that there's too little savings to afford that particular car at the moment.

To be financially prudence, loan should not be more than 5 years. 6 years is pushing it, yet still okay for a first car. Beyond the 1st car, should be financially sound to handle higher installments, keeping it less than 4 years.

I wish I don't have to buy a car and can just us mrt

I saved so much money when working in Singapore

y not, u spend so much time on the road everyday in Msia

Live a little. Buy the car you enjoy and trust me, it's a life like no other. Don't waste your money buying an MPV, SUV or heck even a Civic. (Unless it's a manual Civic like the FL1 or Type R)

Go out and get a driver's car.

Fk all these gurus and a holes that say save save use public transport, don't do this, don't do that, in the end they don't go anywhere, don't amount to anything. Let them live in the matrix with their shitty jobs, driving shitty cars.

This post has been edited by bismaximus: Dec 5 2025, 09:56 AM

Depends on the car in long term also la.. I bought a car 1 year of my salary 13 years ago.. still in great condition and only need regular maintenance servicing..

Compared to some who spent loads in conti cars, constantly paying for workshop fixes.. eventually adds up also.. plus time wasted

The main problem is that our so call local car from Proton and Perodua are way overpriced.

Even the so called affordable Axia Rahmah also no longer in production when I went to Perodua center to ask about it.

That's the proper calculation to determine if you can afford a car.

So if your annual salary is 120K (10K a month) then the car you can afford is 120K.

Most people spend more than 3 years of salary in car, just because bank approves it doesn't mean they can really afford the car.

Jangan kedekut sgt dgn wang sendiri

Spend sudeh, later youll be 50+ yrs old in no time and still be stingy af sampai mampos

I drive cheap car now so that I can save up to afford more expensive car in future

Instruction unclear, got a 10 years old BMW 5 series

one year salary is fine, so many fresh graduate earning RM3k+ and driving Axia/Bezza/Saga which cost more than the annual salary

For some job it require the staff to have a car to travel around to get sales or to go client office/factory. The car probably bring more job opportunity for the person.

If u are earning RM50k annually and go buy BMW 3 series of RM250k, then yes that is a big financial mistake.

mana millionaire tapi drive axia?

Do include the hire purchase interest paid for 20 years, assuming not pay cash.

Iris and Persona is very good car.

so buy house not stupid?

pay 25 years just for a roof over your head.

my salary 3.5k only drive civic fe
now on the way to bankruptcy

Arguments as old as time

actually b40 only say this to justify them driving shitty berukdua cars..topkek

heck even driving protong is much better than driving berukdua resale value fuckers...kek

okay my post just to bash berukdua owners..byeeee

Yup, that is why I get it instead of Myvi. If only the CVT can be a better one

more than 1 year worth of salary but already 2 years finish payment via early settlement.

No wonder banyak bankruptcy happen here, all spent on car.

Yea, By the time sudah 50/60, prolly sakit2 , sudah kenot drive

Lol 50s-60s still Okla,not tht old .nowdays lifespan improves

those words ring true especially for plotong SUV owner kek

meanwhile last time i said i bought car with one month celery , nobody belip...

Annually 30k buy wat car?

Inb4 honda

Iswara Aeroback, secondhand...
those are the days...

Buying a car worth one's annual income is prudent, has been around for many decades in Europe and u.s but is not practice here due excessive high car price.

This post has been edited by icemanfx: Dec 5 2025, 11:01 AM

sure, lifespan improves, but quality of life does not.

of course there are some fit as fak 50s and 60s ppl, no problem with their daily activity, self-sustaining in all self-care, body OK, mind OK - but these are NOT the norm. If you yourself are, then good - noone cares.

but i can tell you from my unfortunate vast experience of dealing with older ppl (for work- else i farkin hate humans), the generalization of 50s and 60s have greatly diminished physical/mental health or capacity is very true.

Your 50s and 60s is the reflection of your health choices and lifestyle of your 20s to 40s.

big difference is one depreciates a lot

buy early enjoy early , yolo jer ... just dont yolo too much and burden urself only.

diff post from what i expeected..

i expected "got money just buy, no money many excuses not to buy"

Pot holes?

Come Sabah

No asphalt, just gravel

actually comaprison is the thief of joy

last time i boughted a berukdua , i was quite happy with it. got air cond, looks newish, enough space for me. petrol quite affordable, can tahan long long. not much headdache in temrs of rosak sini sana.

but after i drove something better (conti car )

then i realized eh, berukdua handling is shit la how did i live with it and still so happy.

then the conti car owner said actually before this conti she owned porsche (entry level model), that was even better. and she kept complaining bout the conti car initially after downgrading from porsche.

This post has been edited by Knnbuccb: Dec 5 2025, 11:09 AM

Used proton

If your reasoning is to bring from point A to point B, why need to spend RM240K on a car?

You can spend 1/4th of that 240k just to buy a cheaper car that does the same thing.

This post has been edited by WhatMan: Dec 5 2025, 11:09 AM