Need Help To Buy A Hatchback Car

[palliyaguru]

Hi All ,

I am planning to buy a hatchback car , I am very new to the field and my budget is max 1.9M ,

I want good economy car and also, it is important to have good resell market too

I have concern about couple of cars ,

Passo(2004) , suzuki swift (2004) , chevrolet cruze (2004) , viva elite (Unregistered)

I want to know what is the best vehicle from above or is there any other options available other than above,

please help me,

Thank you very much.

BR

Palliyaguru

[CARBON B4]

Out of the 4 options the suzuki swift (2004) is the best..

[Pericles]

Whats so great about the forum is getting a wide variety of views. I'd have no hesitation in picking the Viva. But new might require a waiting period.

Also for your price, that A-Star.

For that money you can even get a 2005 or better Gen2, tho I dunno about the resale. It dropped quite dramatically, but the 2005 or so cars are holding value ok after the initial depreciation.

[Batteries]

Agree with Pericles. Viva is a good car. Lot’s my friends has it. Suzuki swift is good car as well. But not that comfortable.

[cseguide]

except viva all other cars manufactured 2004 (used). So you have to compare 3 used cars with a new one. I don't tell used cars are not good as a new one. It depends on. But all depend on how well those cars used by last owners. so give big weightage to new viva over 7years used cars.

[miniace]

Viva Elite it is!!

MINIACE

[palliyaguru]

Hi All .

Thanks for your valuble ideas ,

I am looking for a Auto gear car , and also important to have good resell market,

Is there any possibility to have a technical problem when viva elite comes with Auto gear ?

And also what is the best out of swift 1.3 (2004) and chevrolet cruze (2004) ? (when we considering economy , maitaining and comfortablility)

@Pericles => I am sorry its not clear your second point to me , Did you recommended A-start (Auto) car is better then the Viva Elite (Auto) one ? and what car u propose me saying 2005 or better ?

Thanks again

BR

Palliyaguru

[Nirosha]

  On 12/22/2011 at 5:47 PM, palliyaguru said:

Hi All .

Thanks for your valuble ideas ,

I am looking for a Auto gear car , and also important to have good resell market,

Is there any possibility to have a technical problem when viva elite comes with Auto gear ?

And also what is the best out of swift 1.3 (2004) and chevrolet cruze (2004) ? (when we considering economy , maitaining and comfortablility)

@Pericles => I am sorry its not clear your second point to me , Did you recommended A-start (Auto) car is better then the Viva Elite (Auto) one ? and what car u propose me saying 2005 or better ?

Thanks again

BR

Palliyaguru

There are lots of information about Viva Elite (also same priced cars.) in AL. Better you search and go through them.

I don't think there is any issue with Auto Gear.

Edited December 23, 2011 by Nirosha

[Pericles]

  On 12/22/2011 at 5:47 PM, palliyaguru said:

@Pericles => I am sorry its not clear your second point to me , Did you recommended A-start (Auto) car is better then the Viva Elite (Auto) one ? and what car u propose me saying 2005 or better ?

Thanks again

BR

Palliyaguru

I meant the Suzuki Maruti A-Star. And I didn't say its better, I said its an option for your price range

the 2005 car I mentioned was the Proton Gen2.

Also see these two links for the pics

http://www.google.lk/search?hl=en&safe=off&biw=1366&bih=681&sout=0&tbm=isch&sa=1&q=maruti+a-star+vxi&oq=maruti+a-star+&aq=1&aqi=g6g-C4&aql=&gs_sm=e&gs_upl=9210l10365l0l14314l5l5l0l0l0l0l306l833l2-2.1l3l0

http://www.google.lk/search?q=proton+gen2&hl=en&prmd=imvnsfd&source=lnms&tbm=isch&ei=xQH0TtOrKcamrAeuxNDPDw&sa=X&oi=mode_link&ct=mode&cd=2&ved=0CBgQ_AUoAQ&biw=1366&bih=681&sout=0

[palliyaguru]

Hi

Thnaks for reply ,

@Pericles

After your last post , i search about proton gen2 , I saw couple of vehicles in Autolanka , it looks very good for that price , but my concern is

proton gen is not famous in sri lanka , there should be a reason for that , and only 5 units we can find at Autolanka also,

Will it be a risk to buy a proton gen2 ?

Can anybody please tell about proton gen2 if you know somthing , (about its condition , economy , resell market and maintainability)

Thanks in advance

BR

Palliyaguru

[Pericles]

  On 12/23/2011 at 8:05 AM, palliyaguru said:

Hi

Thnaks for reply ,

@Pericles

After your last post , i search about proton gen2 , I saw couple of vehicles in Autolanka , it looks very good for that price , but my concern is

proton gen is not famous in sri lanka , there should be a reason for that , and only 5 units we can find at Autolanka also,

Will it be a risk to buy a proton gen2 ?

Can anybody please tell about proton gen2 if you know somthing , (about its condition , economy , resell market and maintainability)

Thanks in advance

BR

Palliyaguru

http://www.lmgtfy.com/?q=site%3Aautolanka.com+Proton+Gen2

[Crosswind]

Gen2 is a good car to own but its not a Toyota or a Nissan so don't expect it to be famous. The fact that its not made in Japan doesn't help it to gain fame either.

Fuel Economy - Does about 8-9 km/l in the city, but I believe the one Pericles had, did around 10

Maintenance costs - Not too bad. Not as cheap as a Corolla but there are spare parts importers outside the agent too. Agent prices aren't too bad either.

Condition - Brand new imported cars to Sri Lanka generally hold their condition well. Reconditioned fleet cars from Singapore don't.

Maintainability - You may face minor niggles with the reverse sensors, security system and the electrical stuff. But the engine components and all are generally ok. Suspension might give away if you are too rough with it.

Plus points: Very comfortable car, sporty look, very good handling, brand new imported first-owner cars are generally well looked after.

Minus points: Bl**dy market perception in Sri Lanka about non-Japanese cars!, Suspension issue mentioned above.

[CARBON B4]

How about this Proton..... I have seen a few 4 door cars similar to this in Colombo, maybe the agents are bringing it down now ?

[Crosswind]

That's Satria Neo. Agents have brought it down. Costs about 3.5 Million brand new as far as I remember.

When u say 'similar 4 door car', is this what u mean?

When I had a chat with the service guys at the Proton service center guys, they mentioned quite a few issues with this particular model (Savvy), especially related to costs of engine parts (engine is designed by Renault), gearbox issues etc. So I wouldn't personally recommend this one.

Edited December 23, 2011 by Crosswind

[Pericles]

  On 12/23/2011 at 9:02 AM, CARBON B4 said:

How about this Proton..... I have seen a few 4 door cars similar to this in Colombo, maybe the agents are bringing it down now ?

Motormag reviewed this some time ago.

  On 12/23/2011 at 8:29 AM, Crosswind said:

Fuel Economy - Does about 8-9 km/l in the city, but I believe the one Pericles had, did around 10

Ours did 9 too.

[CARBON B4]

@ Croswind : I did not know exact name , but this Satria Neo is the car I have seen, definitely not the Savvy . They look totally different

At 3.5 Million is a little un competitive against the un reg swift sorts selling around the same price. Just read its got 125 bhp, Malaysia is flooded with these cars...

[The Don]

  On 12/23/2011 at 10:31 AM, CARBON B4 said:

@ Croswind : I did not know exact name , but this Satria Neo is the car I have seen, definitely not the Savvy . They look totally different

At 3.5 Million is a little un competitive against the un reg swift sorts selling around the same price. Just read its got 125 bhp, Malaysia is flooded with these cars...

But you don't get Lotus tuned suspension on a Swift and loads of tuning potential. Perhaps somebody should try importing them used and see if there is a market...

[LashNeo]

  On 12/23/2011 at 8:05 AM, palliyaguru said:

Can anybody please tell about proton gen2 if you know somthing , (about its condition , economy , resell market and maintainability)

I'm also in the hunt looking for an upgrade these days and Gen 2 is at the top of my list since it's probably the only mid sized sedan which is going at a reasonable price these days. Went to see on at malambe P**chi Car Niw**a last week. It was an auto manufactured in 2005. Went for a trial run as well. The handling and comfort of the car was good but it was not responsive and was not very smooth at shifting gears. I felt that it drags a bit before shifting at low gears. And the interior doesn't seem to be aging very well. The dashboard plastic was faded and it looked rather cheap. door handles also looked a bit cheap. But the body exterior, and engine bay compartments looked in good nick. all in all the car didn't feel entirely ok to me compared to my current ride so decided to continue on my hunt. But, the things that i mentioned maybe only relevant to that specific car coz, maybe it might have not been maintained well by it's previous owner. There are few members in the forum who actually owned this car like Peri who might be in a better position to give comments on it. I think you can find those if you search in the forum since this was discussed before.

My personal opinion is, after etching all those information in your head, you should check one yourself and decide after a good inspection. While waiting for my turn for the test drive, i remember several other people coming to checkout the same car, they were thoroughly satisfied with it but were reluctant to go further with there decision on buying it because of things like resale value, country of origin etc. I certainly am amused about this mentality of Sri lankan's. They just can't stop making decisions based on external factors. Why can't someone just buy something which he likes without thinking all these rubbish? after all it's your money.. not someone else's.

[MkX]

Well for that price you can get brand new Perodua Viva-Elite. The trend is that, the car is the choice for most who seek brand new but none Indian make Cars. I have driven Perodua Kenari quite often. And overall very good experience for the car at that size.

[Crosswind]

  On 12/23/2011 at 6:00 PM, LashNeo said:

The handling and comfort of the car was good but it was not responsive and was not very smooth at shifting gears. I felt that it drags a bit before shifting at low gears. And the interior doesn't seem to be aging very well. The dashboard plastic was faded and it looked rather cheap. door handles also looked a bit cheap. But the body exterior, and engine bay compartments looked in good nick. all in all the car didn't feel entirely ok to me compared to my current ride so decided to continue on my hunt.

Not sure exactly what u observed, but generally Proton vehicles with the campro engine tend to rev more than other vehicles before switching gears. I feel what you observed is quite normal for the auto-tranny version of the car. Perhaps a manual will be more suitable for you (if you are the type that doesn't mind manual trannies).

There are two trim levels which the Gen2 came in (as far as I know). One version was a full option with body colored door handles and the other version was without power mirrors and only front power shutters with matte black door handles. The matte black one does look a bit cheap.

My advice - always look for a brand new imported car, if u are considering a Gen2

Edited December 24, 2011 by Crosswind

[WranglerArctic]

I recommend the Viva Elite - few of my friends use it and IMO its quite a package for its price. The interior is quite good, ( i personally love the speedometer and the tacho ) and the engine has got quite a bit of power in it and for a small car its got decent leg space - only drawback is it isn't wide enough to maybe have a gorilla sized passenger sitting next to a similar sized driver. Also if this is your first car / you haven't used a car before it is comparatively safer to go for a newer ride than maybe something that has been driven for half a dozen years. But you will have to wait for it after ordering and as i have heard the agents are real a... holes.

[LashNeo]

  On 12/24/2011 at 11:15 AM, Crosswind said:

Not sure exactly what u observed, but generally Proton vehicles with the campro engine tend to rev more than other vehicles before switching gears. I feel what you observed is quite normal for the auto-tranny version of the car. Perhaps a manual will be more suitable for you (if you are the type that doesn't mind manual trannies).

There are two trim levels which the Gen2 came in (as far as I know). One version was a full option with body colored door handles and the other version was without power mirrors and only front power shutters with matte black door handles. The matte black one does look a bit cheap.

My advice - always look for a brand new imported car, if u are considering a Gen2

Hmm.. I think the one i checked out was the basic model. It didn't had power mirrors and power shutters were only in front. So, as i mentioned earlier, the one i checked out might not be a perfect example for a Gen 2 coz, the previous owner might have not maintained it carefully. So, i won't be giving up on my idea as yet. Have to check on some others as well before making a conclusion.

[miniace]

  On 12/22/2011 at 5:47 PM, palliyaguru said:

Is there any possibility to have a technical problem when viva elite comes with Auto gear ?

Perodua auto tranny are very reliable and highly forgiving. Try Elite EZi the top of the range car. Heard there is a Limited edition highest grade Elite on sale as well.

MINIACE

[palliyaguru]

Hi All ,

Thanks for your valuable thoughts ,

What is the problem with Toyota Passo (Except that fancy interior look ) ,

Nobody suggesting that car , is there any issue behind that ?

Thanks in advance

BR

Palliyaguru

[Ripper]

  On 12/24/2011 at 4:46 PM, miniace said:

Perodua auto tranny are very reliable and highly forgiving. Try Elite EZi the top of the range car. Heard there is a Limited edition highest grade Elite on sale as well.

MINIACE

One of my uncles got the elite ezi auto. He's pretty bad with anything mechanical so going for a used car at that budget was not the smartest thing to do.

So far he's quite happy with it. I too have driven it and for what you pay for a brand new car, it's pretty decent.

I'd say if OP is new to cars, not mechanically inclined, etc...it's better to go for a new car than a used one. So a Viva Elite should be right up on that list.

If he is okay with cars, knows mechanics and know how to sort stuff out...going for a used jap or even a non jap like a few others have mentioned shouldn't be an issue

[kelum_wj]

The new Kia Picanto 1.0L is 1.9m. But its the base variant.