Buying A Car

[nqh71]

Hi Guys,

Need your help in buying a car... I need to get more feedback on the shortlisted car... I am torn between getting a Toyota Corolla Altis, Mazda 3, Mitsubishi Lancer CVT and Nissan Sunny EX Saloon... Can the expert give me your views on them... All cars are 1.6 Auto version...

This is the consideration that I have put up in order of priorities...

1) Price on the road

2) Fuel efficiency

3) Spaciousness

4) Power

5) Road Handling

Please help, I have received a few from friends but notice they a bit biased towards the car they own... If you have figures on the 5 criterias will be even better...

[shiraz]

nooooo.. don't get the nissan sunny!! it has the fuel intake of a 2.2L car! literally drinks petrol... may cost little but in the long run, u'll end up being able to redeem more stuff from petrol stations!

i assume the lancer also consumes quite abit of gas due to it's nature and stuff... mazda3 i dunno... but i know the altis has great fuel efficiency.. has a rather classy interior BUT it's not made where toyotas are supposed to be made....

[dr evil]

it seems that u looking for a new model....????

btw, just got myself a japanese corolla,,,,the consumption is great n its very quite. i did not get a new car because of the new structure.....55% parf

happy looking.....im always happy with toyota....a reliable brand.

if u need help in used car, can cal me lah....

[minsmarine]

Wanna Zoon Zoon, go for Honnn Hoonn ( I mean Honda lar ).

It should be value for money ( if you want to driver 140km/h max )

If you want faster than that, head for euro ( esp germany ) car. Most of the japanese car can't stand above 150km/h for long run.

[AlfaRomeo]

Or Italian... sustained 200km/hr for mine with no problems on the NS hoghway. Still rock solid in performance and handling... hehehe

[nqh71]

HI Dr Evil,

Yes, I am looking for a new car.... What is this new structure for parf? Can elaborate for me please...

Hi SHiraz,

That is what my friends told me about sunny, but what is the figure like compared to lets say corolla for fuel consumption....

Hi minsmarine,

Considered the Honda, but it is above the budget my wife and myself set aside...

Hi AlfaRomeo,

Is there any euro cars that i should consider that is within the price range of the cars I mentioned?

[Tanzy]

For the Japanese 1.6 cars you mentioned above, the prices don't vary very much between brands. It will be about $5000 difference and divided over 5 to 7 years, it isn't a lot.

Space wise it is also insignificant as these new cars are maxed out on space already. Therefore, what you should consider is running cost like, fuel consumption, insurance, date of delivery, servicing cost, dealer service, ride and handling.

I've test driven the Honda Civic VTI, although it is a fun car that is the fastest among the Japanese 1600cc, it has the worst ride of all! Not good if you have passengers like family. Test drive it with your family in the rear seat and ask them what it feels like and I am sure they will hate it back there.

Subaru 1.6 TS is a four wheel drive car so you will have to ask yourself if you really need a 4WD car that does 0-100 at about a pathetic 13 seconds. The extra running gear will also impact fuel economy. It's a sporty LOOKING car which you can easily turn into a WR-Act if Motor Image has not thrown in the body kit for free.

Other cars to consider will be Skoda, Seat, Chevrolet and Ford. All about the same price and have better comfort but slower than Japanese car. The Ford Focus is fast and has excellent handling, though slightly less pickup than lighter Japanese cars, Ford will give you a very sharp drive.

If you like modifying your car, then definitely you will need a Japanese car.

[Chris]

Lowest price : Lancer

Engine power : Lancer

Styling : Madza 3

Reliability/brand: Honda Civic and Toyota Altis

Overall : Altis

Uniqueness/attention : none

Ease of spotting own car in carpark: none

[minsmarine]

Or Italian... sustained 200km/hr for mine with no problems on the NS hoghway. Still rock solid in performance and handling... hehehe

What 200 km/hr on how big ur engine

Mine 2.4 and tested 180km/hr for 18 hrs non stop-trip ( Singapore-Bangkok ).

Yea a few summon lar....

Suggestion to get a car ( Think )

Family vs. Personal

Usage ( Daily , Monthly ), that made lot different since petrol price is keep going up

How much want to burn ( Well more expensive than reef )

Safety ( If u wanna speed and drive on NS Highway or like me go all the way to Laos without speed limit..... ) Hee Hee my car has been to 5 countries in past 1 years ( Singapore, Malaysia, Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia ). Just wonder who can beat me here ( Any cheallengerrrrrrrr..... )

[AlfaRomeo]

Mine is a 2.0 only. did 200 km/h in NS Highway and about 180 km/h at Lim Chu Kang 'runway' cheonging to CF... hehehehehe

[minsmarine]

Turbo ?

Mine tested 220 in NS and Thailand. But not dare to even though changed to sprot tyres ( rated for 250Km/hr )

Not dare to test in SG man, damnnn so expensive ( in term of point, not money )

[AlfaRomeo]

Non-turbo... NA... the power of an Alfa engine... hehehe

[minsmarine]

Non-turbo... NA... the power of an Alfa engine... hehehe

Don't tell me I got to throw away my Audi engine hhaaa haaa.

[surfedelic]

As far as I am concerned, try to avoid Mitsubishi if you can - it is just a matter of time when your gear box will break down - i m talking about 3 to 5 years not 10 years. I have 4 friends driving Mit cars. One got to change gear box after 5 years and he is a family man -- no cheonging type. He gave up and bought toyota after that. Another bought a new lancer (looks like proton face though) - drove for 2 years - gear box showing symptoms already. Yet another sold his car away. The last one advise me dont buy mitsu cars.

These are my personal encounters - depend what you want though mit cars are quite sleek in design though.

My 2 cents worth.

rdgs

[minsmarine]

As far as I am concerned, try to avoid Mitsubishi if you can - it is just a matter of time when your gear box will break down - i m talking about 3 to 5 years not 10 years. I have 4 friends driving Mit cars. One got to change gear box after 5 years and he is a family man -- no cheonging type. He gave up and bought toyota after that. Another bought a new lancer (looks like proton face though) - drove for 2 years - gear box showing symptoms already. Yet another sold his car away. The last one advise me dont buy mitsu cars.

These are my personal encounters - depend what you want though mit cars are quite sleek in design though.

My 2 cents worth.

rdgs

Believe it's most depended on driver

I have seem 1 year old S Class gear box problem. and some B** as well.

Same goes for Toyota.

[Siput]

What 200 km/hr on how big ur engine

Mine 2.4 and tested 180km/hr for 18 hrs non stop-trip ( Singapore-Bangkok ).

Yea a few summon lar....

Suggestion to get a car ( Think )

Family vs. Personal

Usage ( Daily , Monthly ), that made lot different since petrol price is keep going up

How much want to burn ( Well more expensive than reef )

Safety ( If u wanna speed and drive on NS Highway or like me go all the way to Laos without speed limit..... ) Hee Hee my car has been to 5 countries in past 1 years ( Singapore, Malaysia, Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia ). Just wonder who can beat me here ( Any cheallengerrrrrrrr..... )

Yup, two types of toll on Ns Highway...normal toll for normal cars and additional toll for speedy cars (RM50 per "toll gate"! )

[surfedelic]

Believe it's most depended on driver

I have seem 1 year old S Class gear box problem. and some B** as well.

Same goes for Toyota.

Agree that's why I illustrate 2 types of driver here. ..

S class !! B** ! European cars is another ball game altogether lah ... hardly find any reliability if you buy a used car .....not sure about the rest

[surfedelic]

Some food for you to digest.

Mazda 3

Pro - good looks, new design, power at certain RPM (take off very sluggish)

Cons - heavy , drinks fuel (~10 km/lit, note a volvo S60 also consume 10km/lit ), expensive.

Note - I think the car have less features compared to your cars from toyotas or nissan - need to find out more in this area.

Altis

Pros - price, interior design value for money, fuel economical (~13 km/lit), powerful becasue light body

Cons - too common on the road, some interior part eg. audio system are OEM parts - looks cheapo.

Nissan

Pro - price reasonable, heavily armoured (very safe),

Cons - too heavy (~10 km/lit) thus fuel economy is not there, too common.

Honda

Pro - power, average fuel economy.

Cons - Price, ride is abit rough, interior design sucks, insurance wise expect to pay more.

Among the 4 cars, Altis came in first in terms of power and fuel economy. Space wise not too bad.

Sorry I did not include anything on Mit cars becasue i think I hear too many bad things about this brand. But Personally I think for 3 years for Mit is still very safe if you are really considering as the price is very reasonable.

These are some of things I know i hope it helps you made a wise choice.

Happy shopping

[minsmarine]

Yup, two types of toll on Ns Highway...normal toll for normal cars and additional toll for speedy cars (RM50 per "toll gate"! )

Yep man, I normally have to collect ticket from Speeding toll gate. However, after I start asking them whether they have a photo to prove that I was speeding, than start have to pay LESS TOLL

[minsmarine]

Some food for you to digest.

Mazda 3

Pro - good looks, new design, power at certain RPM (take off very sluggish)

Cons - heavy , drinks fuel (~10 km/lit, note a volvo S60 also consume 10km/lit ), expensive.

Note - I think the car have less features compared to your cars from toyotas or nissan - need to find out more in this area.

Altis

Pros - price, interior design value for money, fuel economical (~13 km/lit), powerful becasue light body

Cons - too common on the road, some interior part eg. audio system are OEM parts - looks cheapo.

Nissan

Pro - price reasonable, heavily armoured (very safe),

Cons - too heavy (~10 km/lit) thus fuel economy is not there, too common.

Honda

Pro - power, average fuel economy.

Cons - Price, ride is abit rough, interior design sucks, insurance wise expect to pay more.

Among the 4 cars, Altis came in first in terms of power and fuel economy. Space wise not too bad.

Sorry I did not include anything on Mit cars becasue i think I hear too many bad things about this brand. But Personally I think for 3 years for Mit is still very safe if you are really considering as the price is very reasonable.

These are some of things I know i hope it helps you made a wise choice.

Happy shopping

Hey r u sure japanese car can get only 10km/L ?

My car is weighted 1.5Ton and consume only 9km/L and on Veee 6 2.4 ( Town Driving ).

Alpha-> What is ur car petrol consuming like in town driving

Maz 3 is look cool and I believe they should be doing around 13-14 klip per L.

I would prefer Maz 3. Cool and have sprot version as well ( Seem a few month back on road show )

[AlfaRomeo]

No Idea how much the fuel consumption in town but on a full tank of Mobil 98 (about 70$ nowadays), can get about 550KM - 580KM...

I think my car is averaging 10KM/L.... i think....

[surfedelic]

Hey r u sure japanese car can get only 10km/L ?

My car is weighted 1.5Ton and consume only 9km/L and on Veee 6 2.4 ( Town Driving ).

Alpha-> What is ur car petrol consuming like in town driving

Maz 3 is look cool and I believe they should be doing around 13-14 klip per L.

I would prefer Maz 3. Cool and have sprot version as well ( Seem a few month back on road show )

Of course I am sure becasue I am driving one - which is why I want to change car

Even a nissan cefiro 2 lit is giving average 8 km /lits same for nissan primera.

[minsmarine]

No Idea how much the fuel consumption in town but on a full tank of Mobil 98 (about 70$ nowadays), can get about 550KM - 580KM...

I think my car is averaging 10KM/L.... i think....

Geez dam* my car than

Full tank VPower costed me around 110 for full tank and get only 550Km in town.

8Km/L ( No Highway lar, with highway may be around 10km/L ).

[Chris]

My VW Golf GTI (1.8T) full tank about $70 goes about 550km. Think means also about 10-11km/l. Manual gear, small size but the body is heavy.

[roidan]

My camry 2.0 giving me onboard data of about 9litre/ 100km...

in other words...about 11km/litre

also when the uncle at the petrol kiosk pump until the tank nearly vomit...

about 590plus km range on the display...i believe if can squeeze a few drops more can get 600km range

dunno will it be any difference for the thailand made ones for the new batch..mine is still the JDM model collected in end march

but i dun do alot of citydriving on weekdays as i try to avoid the morning and evening traffic...even if i go to work on an infrequent basis, it's tpe sle bke kje all the way...sometimes just lock it at cruise mode and rest my legs when i see a clear road ahead

start stop traffic consumes alot of fuel