Sub 48k used cars

[deja vu]

Hi guys.

I'm looking around for cars in d sub 48k budget. Main concern would b FC n comfort. Though my main liking would b either a City Type Z or a B14(m), here's some other cars tat r still in my view. Hope u guys or owners can help tellin ur opinions bout them.

1. City Type Z
Pros: Looks really good. Reputably good FC history
Cons: Only available in Auto. But i was wondering if it would b a wise choice to plonk in a manual tranny from d 97-99 1.5 manual unit.

2. N. Sentra B14 (M) face lifted
Pros: Reliabily n low mantenence (My family has a history of owning Nissans). 1 of d biggest in interior size. GA16DE uses timing chain-save cost for timing belt
Cons: Looks bland in fact more 'Ah Pek' than most cars out there. GA16 block built tough but got feedback its prone to cracked block head. Soft rear suspension setup

3. T.Corolla AE111 last facelift
Pros: Looks better than Sentra but slightly bland than City. Toyota's strong reliability n chasis rigidness
Cons: Freakin difficult to locate a manual unit. Engine is not really a pure DOHC but its not really tat important

4. H. Civic 96-98
Pros: Sharper looking. Probably hv d best handling of d cars here.
Cons: Difficult to locate a manual unit n even if found its more likely to hv been trashed or modded. FC is just so-so n highest maintenence cost if not mistaken.

5. Ford Lynx 1.6 Ghia (M)
Pros: Rear passanger air con blower, looks nice
Cons: Not recommended by many due to difficulties in locating spares (I live in Pg). Heard tat FC is slighly worse than Civic

6. Sentra N16 1.5(M) (if i stretch my budget a bit)
Pros: Looks wise still good.
Cons: Rear leg room not really good if I'm driving (I drove my cousins N16 1.6A 1st version b4). 'Lifeless' steering feel when driving - floating

7. T. Corolla AE101 1.5(M)
Pros: Specs for d 5AFE engine is quite good especially FC. Still looks good. Plenty of accesories around to improve d looks.
Cons: Last batch would b 1995 (>10yrs). Not easy locating a 1.5

Hope u guys n si-fus out there can clear d mist in my decision making. Thx

 

[Zidane]

My pick would be a Nissan and toyota.

Honda ok. Just expensive parts compared to the above. But i think in terms of comfort, it is the best.

Ford.....Parts are a bit difficult. I owned a Ford Sampan 1990 before. Nice car. No complants. FC high but what do u expect for a 1.8. My only complaint is the difficulty finding spare parts.

 

[prodigy]

My pick would be the Civic. Maybe i'm biased coz i drive one but frankly, at that price, you get a real good looking car with decent performance. 120HP for a 1.6 Auto SOHC non-VTEC. Pretty comfortable too. While i don't see why should people be complaining about FC when they're getting 120HP from a 1.6 unit. Its not as bad as you think. My FC is equivalent to my colleagues 1.5 Wira auto.

And i agree that if you ever found one, its probably been thrashed but there's actually a few very good condition ones around. Key to finding one is to buy from housewife owners which probably don't thrash the car as bad as guy drivers.

Don't mean to condemn the other cars but i feel the Toyota to be very cramp at the back. Its almost like sitting inside a hatcback at the back seat.

 

[zan]

hi, this is my opinion

1. City Type Z
generally, its a decent car. not much to enjoy except for good FC and reliability. avoid 1.3 at all costs. look hard enough and you will find some good examples.
quite expensive to consider that the last City (code SX8) is about 10 years old.

2. N. Sentra B14 (M) face lifted
i do agree with this choice. the said engine is known for very good FC. looks tough and can feel it during closing any door. the last batch comes with ABS and twin airbags and highly recommended. almost 10 years of age so haggle for the lowest price.

3. T.Corolla AE111 last facelift
for a budget of below 48K, its not easy to get a facelifted AE111 (differs with diamond headlamps, differetn dashboard with twin airbags) as they still hold the price high...in the range of 60-70K.
toyota had stopped selling AE/EE111 with manual tranny since this facelift of 1998. all toyota cars are using softer suspension setting as selected by local franchise holder. toyota japn does provide hard setting but it wont sell in our country with many roads having irregular surfaces.

if really want to find one - look for 1.6 SE-G with ABS. its model code is AE111R-GEPEKEA. its dull nevertheless but it will provide you peace of mind motoring.

4. H. Civic 96-98
at last, price is coming down low for this Honda known as SO4. it is a good car, but it would be very hard to find one in original condition. mostly had been thrashed by previouss owners. its getting old too...

5. Ford Lynx 1.6 Ghia (M)
reasonable, if really must buy make sure you dont overpay as this car would be real hard to sell back. Ghia spec promises luxury.

6. Sentra N16 1.5(M) (if i stretch my budget a bit)
u have to stretch ur budget quite far as this car is selling about 60K per average.
its a good car, reliable, a little bit underpowered though. N16 had been facelifted twice over the past 6 years - guess new model would be around the corner. SIngapore already enjoying Nissan Latio as the replacement.

7. T. Corolla AE101 1.5(M)
AE101 1.5 is not of local Toyota specification. might as well go for 1.6 with SE-G spec and still enjoy road tax discount and slightly more powerful.

as altenatives, consider this also

1. 3 years old proton waja 1.6X which comes with ABS, airbag, EBD, traction control and auto aircond. price range about 35-44K.
strecth ur budget a bit and you will be getting a new waja to enjoy. waja manual is about 52K. same goes to gen2.

2. 6-7 years old E54 perdana V6 is about 45K. high FC for sure as well as few maintenace items like spark plug or timing belt. its auto gearbox is very popular to spoil ur day but for that kind of price, nothing beats it in terms of space and luxury.
no airbag but ABS is standard.

 

[Ingolstadt]

Of all the choices you've listed, i'd only consider the Civic 97-99. At least a more modern car.

Alternatives, as Zan stated, Waja is quite a good bet albeit the gearbox and power windows. :)

I would certainly have gone for a year 97-99 Audi A4. Twin Air Bags, ABS, very comfortable ride, tuck in a sports suspension and it will handle very very good for a FWD car. Costs around RM45k-RM60k. RM100 will get you around 550-600km or FC. Maintenance problems as you would expect your friends and relatives who never drove one might nag you? Don't worry, reality ain't so. Visit our site www.clubaudimalaysia.com/forum and you'll get more info and knowledge on how to maintain an Audi at the most minimal costs and yet, a good comfortable, worthed 2nd buy. Considering that you gotten yourself something that costs RM160-180k back then in year 1999, it's a real bargain to get it for RM40k+ now. (Compared to a City Type-Z which costs RM70k in year 1999 and still costs RM45k+ now..... with no standard safety features)

I'll give you an example of maintenance costs : Just changed my Air con fan, new set, OEM, RM480. My bro just changed his Vios' air con fan as well, RM800 (2nd hand unit) how's that? It's just a matter of where you took your car to, and we know where to introduce. :) Do they look good ? certainly ! With a few mods, it'll turn out like this :

 

[HidSeller]

toyota SEG good choice and realiable, just check the resale value ...

 

[Ingolstadt]

Wow, just stumbled upon this, check it out..... seems a good bet~ negotiate till RM40k-RM45k then get it ! (Ask for new timing belt change, ATF oil change, engine oil change, steering oil change and bring the car to an Audi specialist, Ever Auto near old klang road. :)

http://www.e-oriental.com.my/Carpage/audiA4.htm#

 

[Battousai]

WHAT? no protons? HOW CAN??????

 

[zan]

WHAT? no protons? HOW 'CAN'??????

NO 'CAN' coz proton is using 'CAM'PRO. not 'CAN'PRO.

so 'can' lah!

 

[prodigy]

No doubt about the class and quality of the A4. Continental cars will still show its build quality and interior even after many years while Jap cars might suffer abit from wear and tear. National cars...needless to say la.

Ingolstadt, thats just one example but if you look at it overall, conti cars will always have higher maintenance. In the first place, i do suspect your bro has been ripped. RM800 for a 2nd hand aircon fan? Thats way too expensive. I'm sure he could have gotten a much better deal elsewhere. Anyways, why i'm saying conti cars is more expensive to maintain. Try checking how much does a 2nd hand gearbox cost. How about windscreen. I mean generally its a bit more expensive and more rare. Of coz you guys might have some lubang for cheaper parts but not all mechanics would charge you all cheap price even though they can get the parts cheaper from their source.

 

[terry83]

hehehe ... of course i'll pick on certain examples mar... kekek but my bro weren't ripped. That mechanic's a friend. Gearboxes, windscreens.... are rare stuffs ler.... won't change always. to maintain contis, just change your whatever-fluids on time. thats it. yes, parts are not as abundant, but hey, its the same if you're driving a toyota ist/isis, honda frv, hrv, cf4, mitsubishi airtrek turbo, toyota mrs and so on..... those are rare as well... hence expensive, but people tend to misjudge it by brand, should be by model. IMO, getting the A4 is a good bet, maintenance ain't much, except that should check service record, then if those oil pumps, water pumps, air con compressors were more than 5-6 yrs old, change them whether they're working or not, tell the dealer you want a new set, request them to pay perhaps 10%-20% of the costs involved. then of course, timing belts. most are wear and tear items.
p.s. (sorry, ingolstadt here.... using my friend's pc .... auto login... forgotten)

 

[HidSeller]

just check the resale/second hand value will do ....

 

[deja vu]

Thx guys.

As u may hv noticed, I've completely ommitted Proton due to... well, history speaks for itself. No serious mechanical probs but its those almost-countless tiny niggling stuff tat drives me up d wall.

I agree tat A4 or almost any other used continental units r d biggest bang for d buck. Prob is tat, most would b at least 1.8cc n well like mentioned above, u'll need contacts in sourcing d spares. If I was living s'where in Klang Valley or down south, then I would definately place d A4 or 406 in my list.

 

[MitonCT26]

Ford lynx hard to get spare parts??? hhmm...i got no problems tough...oh..sorry...did not notice you staying up north...ehehhehehe...

On My pick on your car's list...you can get something like this:

1) Toyota AE111 Last Facelift
2) Nissan Sentra B14 or N15
3) Ford Lynx.

Not to say honda not good since i have omitted them from list, but i have been hunting for 2nd cars last year with limited budget too. what i have noticed is that most of the honda's....sad to say are pretty trashed or have been living past their prime. Good examples sell for a very high price while those pretty trashed ones are selling for a song.

Things to look for in honda Civic, the most important as it will be one of the most expensive items to replace:

their double wishbone suspension. check for odd noise and insist the dealer change all bushes, links, joints for you, or else, be ready with tons of cash to change all...hehehehe...

on the other note..if you got better budget...the EJ9 facelift looks good too...

 

[prodigy]

The 406 is actually a comfortable car to sit in. Used to sit in one of my friends 406 and its actually a very reassuring ride.

What dejavu said is right. Parts maybe plenty in the Klang Valley for the conti cars. You maybe able to find cheaper ones but if you live in Pahang or somewhere out there, you find yourself paying exorbitant price to maintain conti's. Thats why its always good to join those car clubs whereby they can exchange ideas on workshops and maintenance prices.