A Car For 2mil

[RLan]

Hi all, I'm a new member to this forum. Though, I've been long time lurker at the forum. And I find information on this forum to be extremely helpful. Thanks all of you guys for sharing your knowledge, ideas an wisdom.

Now I'm about to buy my first car in SL. Though, I enjoy driving and all, I'm not much of a techie person when it comes to cars. So I hope you guys would be able to give me some hints for choosing a decent enough car.

- My budget is 2mil. (I don't mind spending little bit more for the right car.)

- A car with a recent YOM is prefered

- Interior should be decent (rather than old pastic look)

- Decent fuel economy (doesn't have to do 20km per litre, but somewhere in the middle would be alright)

- Reliability is important

- Resell value is not a major issue

- And yeah, should have decent performance (I tend to like bigger engines, 1.8, 2.0 and so on, please advice me on this)

After some looking around I've short listed following cars. Please let me know your opinion about them.

- Nissan Primera P12

- Subaru Legacy B4

- Honda Civic ES

- I like Mazdas as well but don't know which one to choose.

(Please do recommend any other car that you think should be good.)

I really appreciate your help. Thanks in advnce.

[Prami]

Hi all, I'm a new member to this forum. Though, I've been long time lurker at the forum. And I find information on this forum to be extremely helpful. Thanks all of you guys for sharing your knowledge, ideas an wisdom.

Now I'm about to buy my first car in SL. Though, I enjoy driving and all, I'm not much of a techie person when it comes to cars. So I hope you guys would be able to give me some hints for choosing a decent enough car.

- My budget is 2mil. (I don't mind spending little bit more for the right car.)

- A car with a recent YOM is prefered

- Interior should be decent (rather than old pastic look)

- Decent fuel economy (doesn't have to do 20km per litre, but somewhere in the middle would be alright)

- Reliability is important

- Resell value is not a major issue

- And yeah, should have decent performance (I tend to like bigger engines, 1.8, 2.0 and so on, please advice me on this)

After some looking around I've short listed following cars. Please let me know your opinion about them.

- Nissan Primera P12

- Subaru Legacy B4

- Honda Civic ES

- I like Mazdas as well but don't know which one to choose.

(Please do recommend any other car that you think should be good.)

I really appreciate your help. Thanks in advnce.

Welcome to AL forum. For comparing your budget (2m), you can move with Nissan Primera, its a very classy car. But the performance wise not good (pls correct if I'm wrong). So performance wise, go for Subaru Legacy B4/Honda Civic ES/Mazda BJ serious. But i think for 2m, you cant get Honda Civic ES.

[Ripper]

Welcome to AL forum. For comparing your budget (2m), you can move with Nissan Primera, its a very classy car. But the performance wise not good (pls correct if I'm wrong). So performance wise, go for Subaru Legacy B4/Honda Civic ES/Mazda BJ serious. But i think for 2m, you cant get Honda Civic ES.

+1 on the TP12... If you can find and HP12...so much the better

and it's a classy ride... good performance, lovely interior and not too big on gas also if you go light on the pedal!

there are to HP12 owners in this forum who should be able to help you with more info on the model!

Personally and this is just my sad opnion I think the P12 looks far better than the subarus, hondas and mazdas in the same price range!

Edited November 16, 2009 by Ripper

[fuzzo]

you criteria is a bit tough to satisfy as you are looking at a car that will do around 10 and want a bit of a kick out of it too.

the b4 imo is the best bet out of the list. it's sporty and really comfy. has the power when you need it. bad on fuel.

Edited November 16, 2009 by fuzzo

[MkX]

Personally and this is just my sad opnion I think the P12 looks far better than the subarus, hondas and mazdas in the same price range!

Yes Nissan Primera has the class. P11 is the best looking for me. It has BMs look. It is 3 - 5 Kmpl difference took me away from the P11 to EK

Edited November 16, 2009 by MkX

[Ripper]

Yes Nissan Primera has the class. P11 is the best looking for me. It has BMs look. It is 3 - 5 Kmpl difference took me away from the P11 to EK

funny enough...i was hunting for a good p11 camino meself before settling for the sprinter!

couldn't find a good specimen those days and went for the corolla...

far better mpg figures now but i wish i found a good camino

[LaZyBoY]

...I think the P12 looks far better than the subarus, hondas and mazdas in the same price range!

Seriously?

No offense to P12 owners but I think Nissan got it horribly wrong with the design of the new Primera, especially considering it's very well proportioned predecessor. Even the interior, roomy though it is, gets a thumbs down for the quirky arrangement of the instrument cluster. All of this is purely IMHO, so just calm down

To the OP, in your position and given your criteria, I would get the Civic.. probably the easiest to live with on a day to day basis, provided you don't buy a lemon. Good luck!

[MkX]

funny enough...i was hunting for a good p11 camino meself before settling for the sprinter!

couldn't find a good specimen those days and went for the corolla...

far better mpg figures now but i wish i found a good camino

If you talking about 3 - 8 months back, there were few cars. And How about the dark brown or purple, Gold colour alloys, G/H seiries, with a spoiler lady driven car. I used to look at her every day even it's little over my budged (could've streached).

Then there were few 300 and English plates Silver colour Caminos.

[Ripper]

Seriously?

No offense to P12 owners but I think Nissan got it horribly wrong with the design of the new Primera, especially considering it's very well proportioned predecessor. Even the interior, roomy though it is, gets a thumbs down for the quirky arrangement of the instrument cluster. All of this is purely IMHO, so just calm down

aah machang...beauty is in the eye of the beholder they say

i prefer the ultra simple interior in that car... on aesthetics the only thing i dislike is that odd looking rear end...

suppose PILA can chime in a bit on the HP12 cos he owns one! and so does ASH!

ASH was an ex HP11 owner and PILA owned a Civic RS if i'm not wrong!

and don't worry... i aint getting all hot and bothered over this not a fanboy and dont like em!

[nissmoz]

what is the difference between HP-12 and TP-12.

My openion is B4 is better than the TP-12. But dont know about the second hand market and repairs when it comes to Suberu.

[shanX]

If you talking about 3 - 8 months back, there were few cars. And How about the dark brown or purple, Gold colour alloys, G/H seiries, with a spoiler lady driven car. I used to look at her every day even it's little over my budged (could've streached).

The car? Or the driver? Or both?? LOL

[LaZyBoY]

aah machang...beauty is in the eye of the beholder they say

i prefer the ultra simple interior in that car... on aesthetics the only thing i dislike is that odd looking rear end...

suppose PILA can chime in a bit on the HP12 cos he owns one! and so does ASH!

ASH was an ex HP11 owner and PILA owned a Civic RS if I'm not wrong!

and don't worry... i aint getting all hot and bothered over this not a fanboy and don't like em!

Yep, they do say that.. again, didn't mean to knock any P12 owners.

I think deep down we're all fan-boys to some extent.. no shame in it really

Back on topic, have you considered Audi and/or BMW? The older A4 (1.8T) and BM 318i/320i/323i etc. should fit in your price bracket and satisfy some of your criteria, except for the "recent YOM" part.

[RLan]

Hi Prami, Ripper, Fuzzo, MkX, LazyBoy and Nissmoz,

Thank you very much for the quick feedback.

Ripper, what's the differnce between TP12 and HP12. Initially I didn't like the looks of this car but seems like it's grown on me. (Like the new BMW 5 series.) I've heard that Nissan Primera could get gear box problems (CVT). Is it true? Is there any other issues that I should be aware of?

fuzzo, I didn't mean it should do 10Kmpl. If everything else is alright I don't mind going bit lower on fuel economy. I do very much like B4, but I'm little bit worried that it's got boy racer looks. Personally I like understated power (like in M5's and stuff).

LazyBoy, Honda is where the weight goes. I had a Honda Civic Glacier (1994) in UK. Never had a single problem. Only sold it for a bigger car. I still miss that hatchback. I've been very much of a BMW fan. I've had E39, E46 and E36. E39 M5 is my favourite out of all BMWs (though I never had one peronlly). But those cars are damn expensive here. I don't like Audi A4s uness it's 2005 or later. And I've promised to myself I'd never buy an E46 unless it's an M3. (Nothing wrong with the car, it's the best handling car I've ever driven, it's just, I don't know.... something I don't like about regular E46 3 series.)

Any note on Mazdas?

[Ripper]

Hi Prami, Ripper, Fuzzo, MkX, LazyBoy and Nissmoz,

Thank you very much for the quick feedback.

Ripper, what's the differnce between TP12 and HP12. Initially I didn't like the looks of this car but seems like it's grown on me. (Like the new BMW 5 series.) I've heard that Nissan Primera could get gear box problems (CVT). Is it true? Is there any other issues that I should be aware of?

a friend had a p12...he upgraded to a V35 skyline and until he sold it...there were no issues except minor suspension repairs that come your way mainly thanks to our lovely roads!

CVT's generally dont give you issues provided that they are cared for like their makers intended.

some garage fellas add regular tranny oil instead of CVT fluid and screw up your box.

some folks don't know how often CVT fluid should be changed and with what sorta grade of fluid etc etc...

so IMHO most CVT related issues stem from there...

There are a few HP12 and TP12 owners here and hopefully they would chime in with better info...

differences between the TP12 and the HP12???

not an expert on this but for starters, the HP12 has a manual box as opposed to TP12's CVT! and steering is supposed to be a lot stiffer and the car has more bhp tot he wheels over the typical p12... someone pls correct me if i'm wrong..

the only known issue for the HP12 to my knowledge is that the replacement spares are some what scarce since there aren't too many running about!

[nilakicha]

I was doing some research for a car around the similar price, and happily landed at a Civic ES8 Vti, n luckily enough had nice aesthetics to go with, n decent alloys. Stafford did some work on it, n its in good running order now. The km's on the clock on Vti's apparently get meddled with for sure according to pp's at Stafford, no reason not to trust their sentiments on a car with a 2000 YOM.

Considering your budget, I suppose B4 is in your range, which will be about 2-2.2, you can surely bargain on that I believe. Personally, I've left the big agents realm cos they rip you off royally on repairs and spares. Servicing on Subaru I think is quite alright considering its Jap. Consumption wont be that economical, especially if its Turbo obviously.

My options were Toyota Vios and ES8 Vti, the latter which I definitely preferred, but re-sale goes down a bit. Sacrificed that for a lovely ride, good power delivery, and a good looking car.

Cheers Mate.

[Supra_Natural]

a friend had a p12...he upgraded to a V35 skyline and until he sold it...there were no issues except minor suspension repairs that come your way mainly thanks to our lovely roads!

CVT's generally dont give you issues provided that they are cared for like their makers intended.

some garage fellas add regular tranny oil instead of CVT fluid and screw up your box.

some folks don't know how often CVT fluid should be changed and with what sorta grade of fluid etc etc...

so IMHO most CVT related issues stem from there...

There are a few HP12 and TP12 owners here and hopefully they would chime in with better info...

differences between the TP12 and the HP12???

not an expert on this but for starters, the HP12 has a manual box as opposed to TP12's CVT! and steering is supposed to be a lot stiffer and the car has more bhp tot he wheels over the typical p12... someone pls correct me if i'm wrong..

the only known issue for the HP12 to my knowledge is that the replacement spares are some what scarce since there aren't too many running about!

The HP12 also is the only 12 series primera that has the Mighty SR20 (in this application its in Variable Valve timed SR20VE form, with 200 odd BHP). This is comparison to the TP12 which generally has the QG series 1.8 Liter motor with around 130-145BHP

[Ripper]

The HP12 also is the only 12 series primera that has the Mighty SR20 (in this application its in Variable Valve timed SR20VE form, with 200 odd BHP). This is comparison to the TP12 which generally has the QG series 1.8 Liter motor with around 130-145BHP

TP12 has a 2litre motor as well mate... i actually didn't know it came in 1.8

[Supra_Natural]

TP12 has a 2litre motor as well mate... i actually didn't know it came in 1.8

Oh yeah, forgot about that, we had a TP12 with the 1.8L motor. I stand corrected

[RLan]

Hi,

Ripper, that's exactly what I thought of CVT. It needs proper maintanence isn't it? So, HP12 is the only manual in Primeras? To be honest I prefer a manual but my gf and mom would want to me to get an auto

Nilakicha, I like Honda Civic ES8 very much. If I go for such a car what stuff do I have to look for? Vios is out of the question, it doesn't have enough leg room and uncomfortable in long distances. By the way, how is the fuel economy in ES8? I'm still not sure about B4. I love the performance part, but looks I'm not really sure. Cheers.

Supra_Natural, was Nissan Primera TP12 any good while you had it? Anything I should becareful of? Anything to look for if I'm buying one. How was the fuel economy. Cheers.

[MkX]

The car? Or the driver? Or both?? LOL

Haven't seen the Lady... I was reffering to the dark beauty

About the 3 cars in subject matter, I think below comparison is Ok (correct if its not in correct order)

Performance

Subaru B4 > Nissan Primera = ES8

Fuel Economy

ES8 > Primera > B4

Resell

ES8 > Primera > B4

Spear parts (ease of getting)

ES8 > Primera > B4

[fuzzo]

go for the b4...

it's got all except for the economy. leave the car standard and you won't be seen as a ricer.

[Pericles]

Hi,

Ripper, that's exactly what I thought of CVT. It needs proper maintanence isn't it?

Any gearbox, and any part of the car needs proper maintenance.

[Supra_Natural]

Haven't seen the Lady... I was reffering to the dark beauty

About the 3 cars in subject matter, I think below comparison is Ok (correct if its not in correct order)

Performance

Subaru B4 > Nissan Primera = ES8

Fuel Economy

ES8 > Primera > B4

Resell

ES8 > Primera > B4

Spear parts (ease of getting)

ES8 > Primera > B4

Since you asked to be corrected...

Performance

Subaru B4 > Nissan Primera > ES8 (especially the 2.0L versions)

Fuel Economy

ES8 = Primera > B4 (1.8L auto compared to civic 1.5 Auto)

Resell

ES8 > Primera = B4 (B4's are actually slightly more in demand, market is scared of the primera because it isnt a boring box.)

Spare parts (ease of getting)

ES8 > Primera > B4

Edited November 18, 2009 by Supra_Natural

[Supra_Natural]

go for the b4...

it's got all except for the economy. leave the car standard and you won't be seen as a ricer.

Couldnt agree more. I realize personal tastes differ, but Im puzzled as to Rlan imagines a standard B4 to look like a "Boy Racer" type car..... Especially in silver and as long as some idiot hasnt fitted ridiculous alloys/wings etc, It is a lovely and understated looking car.

Edited November 18, 2009 by Supra_Natural

[LaZyBoY]

Resell

ES8 > Primera = B4 (B4's are actually slightly more in demand, market is scared of the primera because it isnt a boring box.)

You sure about this? Far as I can tell, prices have and continue to drop like crazy good time to buy, I suppose..

Couldnt agree more. I realize personal tastes differ, but Im puzzled as to Rlan imagines a standard B4 to look like a "Boy Racer" type car..... Especially in silver and as long as some idiot hasnt fitted ridiculous alloys/wings etc, It is a lovely and understated looking car.

Can't argue with that

I wonder, is it the hood-scoop that's putting you off RLan?

The B4 is a brilliant car to be sure, I just wonder how practical it would be as a daily runner (i.e. his only car), if indeed that is the case. I'm sure most here will agree that if you're getting one you ought to look out for a manual, that said the clutch tends to be heavy and again, if it's going to spend most of it's time in traffic and on short runs it can get very tedious. If you're looking at this as your second/weekend car, then it wins hands down IMO.