Buying A Car

Discussion in 'Adrian Wong' started by Adrian Wong, May 17, 2005.

  1. Dashken

    Dashken Administrator!

    I think she prefers big. :mrgreen:
     
  2. zy

    zy zynine.com Staff Member

    E36 .. maintanance is not cheap you know :wicked:
     
  3. diabolik

    diabolik Newbie

    woah, BMW E36 still not big enufff arr??

    well, Adrian never specify his budget on maintenance mar.. that's why suggested his g/f to go E36... but it's not as high as most ppl think, really.. even the routine maintenance for E46 is quite cheap, and E36 is even cheaper, routine oil filter + oil change cost u around RM 150. E36 also rarely have any problem compared to E46, but yea, it's a bit too old though, considering BMW is now offering E56.. :D

    But, for both E36 and E46, if something falls apart, then good luck.. :p gear box is gonna cost u 30k, original sterlling with airbag will cost u 12k... ++++.... etc etc.

    Nissan Sentra year 2001++ 2nd hand seems best suite her need, u'll hardly get any other fairly new japanese car that falls under her budget. Optra 1.8 2nd hand is going super cheap too, I wonder why. Cefiro 2.0 year 98/99 falls slightly above your budget as well. Sonata 2.0 2001++ is slightly above your budget, but should be acceptable considering that it's a 2.0 car. If you are lucky enough, you might be able to find a decent Kia Caren, that should be 70K++, though it's not a sedan.

    It really depends on how much initial downpayment that you can afford to pay, and what is the monthly payment that you are willing to fork outta your income. if it's gonna cost u 1/3 or more, then you gonna find it quite tough to survive, considering the maintenance, petrol, parking, insurances, etc all require $$$$....
     
  4. Adrian Wong

    Adrian Wong Da Boss Staff Member

    Thanks for the suggestions!! :beer:

    I will definitely look over them with her. Hopefully, we will find something that she likes and can afford. :mrgreen:

    If you have any more suggestions, please do let me know. :thumb:
     
  5. Chai

    Chai Administrator Staff Member

    DYKT: The new 3 series is E90, not E56? ;)
     
  6. zy

    zy zynine.com Staff Member

    E56 ? .. since when there is E56 :haha:
     
  7. Adrian Wong

    Adrian Wong Da Boss Staff Member

    LOL! What ever E-model it is, a Beemer is out of the question! :haha:
     
  8. Adrian Wong

    Adrian Wong Da Boss Staff Member

    Okay, just to keep you guys updated... :mrgreen:

    I've spent over a week taking Jenny on test rides and stuff like that. The end verdict?

    A Hyundai Sonata 2.0i is the car she's looking for.

    The problem is we just missed a GREAT deal on a '05 Sonata just a week back. :wall:

    So, I'm now looking out for a '03, '04 or '05 Hyundai Sonata 2.0 for her.

    If anyone has any leads on a good Sonata for sale, please do let me know. :pray:

    Thanks! :mrgreen:
     
  9. elton

    elton WhAtSuPdOc

    Wow finally, nice car and not a bad choice too :thumb:
     
  10. AAY

    AAY ARP Reviewer

    Alright, you found a car!

    Not to dampen your success, but there are a few things to note about the Sonata:
    1. The 2.0l is hopelessly underpowered for me. When I want to pass a car on the highway I like to get the passing done quickly and I always have to force the tranny to kickdown... I suggest you test the 2.4 as well and see how much torquier it is (if you can stretch your budget some :p)
    2. In the US and in Korea the new Sonata has been launched and it isn't just a facelift...it looks to be an all-new car. You might want to find out when it comes to Malaysia...who knows, if you can wait a little maybe they'll clear out the '05 models...
    3. If they're still giving out the same single-disc/cassette Hyundai-branded radios, they suck really bad.

    On the other hand, about a thousand or so kilometres in an '01 Sonata has made me quite like Hyundai...
    1. The car has a pretty comfy suspension (which makes it a little less fun if Jenny likes testing the grip limits of the tyres, but makes it a very relaxed highway cruiser)
    2. The interior quality is leaps and bounds ahead of Proton (who, short of maybe Cherry or Asia Motors, isn't?). I saw some attention to detail in taking a Sonata dash apart - there were felt-like strips at all plastic rubbing surfaces to prevent squeaks and rattles.
    3. The ergonomics of the car are quite decent - little touches like having the bootlid on gas struts so your bags don't get squashed, boot and fuel lid release buttons in a convenient place on the door, etc.
    4. If you're the DIY type, Hyundai America publishes their service manuals online - everything's pretty relevant but for the chapters on the engine.
     
  11. zachig

    zachig Newbie

    I'm happy you've decided which car to buy. Good Luck in finding a one for sell. :thumb:

    Nowadays, I'm looking as well to buy a new car instead of my old "Fiat Uno" (model: '95). My first choise is "Nissan Almera Perfect 1.8L" (model: '01). Some other choises are "Subaru Impreza New Age 1.6L" (model: '01) or "Toyota Corola" (model: '00). ALL AUTOMATIC GEARS.
    I'm also thinking about "Volkswagen Bora" (model: '00 or '01). But, I'm pretty "locked" on the "Nissan".

    Do you have any suggestions???
     
  12. Adrian Wong

    Adrian Wong Da Boss Staff Member

    Really??? When we compared the Toyota Altis 1.8 against the Hyundai Sonata 2.0, we found that the pickup with the Altis was poorer than the Sonata. When I pressed the pedal, the Altis hesitated before picking up while the Sonata immediately responded. :think:

    Then again, these are second-hand cars... and well, in Malaysia, 2.0L cars are considered very powerful. Remember, we have been using 1.3L cars all these while!!! :haha: :haha:

    Oh yeah, the new Sonata. Looks more modern than the current Sonata. With the new Theta engine that's supposed to be more powerful and fuel-efficient. :drool:

    HOWEVER, I spoke to the marketing manager of Hyundai-Oriental, the distro of Hyundai cars in Malaysia. He says the new model will be available only as a 2.4L car and it will cost something like RM 160,000 (~USD 43,000). :shock:

    We can buy two second-hand Sonatas for that price!! :haha: So, the new Sonata model is definitely out of question. :wall:

    BTW, there appears to be some differences between the '02 Sonata and the '03 Sonata models. Apparently, the massage chairs are not standard in the '02 models so some will come with them, some will not. Also, the '03 Sonata comes with an oil cooler while the '02 Sonata does not. But I'm not sure just how important this oil cooler is.

    In addition, someone told me that the '02 Sonata is a CBU (Completely Built Unit) which means it was imported directly from Korea, as opposed to newer Sonatas were were built locally from CKD (Completely Knocked Down) parts.

    Anyway, all we can find are relatively good condition '02 models. The '03 models we saw so far were all in bad condition. No idea if they were all mistreated by their previous owners or if they were CKD cars and suffered from bad manufacturing? :confused:

    In any case, the search continues... tomorrow when we head down to Selayang to search for more Sonatas. :pray:
     
  13. Adrian Wong

    Adrian Wong Da Boss Staff Member

    Not sure about the Almera model. Is that the same thing as our Nissan Sentra? :think:

    Jenny's brother just bought a '04 Nissan Sentra 1.8. Nice car, although it's rather cramp at the back. :think:
     
  14. Chai

    Chai Administrator Staff Member

    Nope, Almera is not sold here, something like the old Altima class.

    Yeah, acceleration from standstill and acceleration from high speed is completely different. Even the Sentra 1.6 is very good from standstill, but anything above 60km/h is :hand: Same goes for the X-Trail, but a lot better than Sentra though.

    I miss the torque-ky Volvo 940... :haha:
     
  15. zachig

    zachig Newbie

    Thanks guys! I didn't know that the "Almera" model is not sold in Malasia. Anyway, I've looked around in "Google Images" and found out that the "Almera" is very similar to the "Altima" model.

    That's why I going for the 1.8L.
     
  16. Adrian Wong

    Adrian Wong Da Boss Staff Member

    Not sure how much difference there is between the Sentra and the Almera but on the Sentra, 1.8L feels just nice. So, I would expect the 1.6L to be a little underpowered.

    Oh yeah, I just remembered something that the marketing manager told me.

    The Sonata comes with two catalytic converters. He suggested removing one of them. They actually do it at their own workshop.

    Removing it apparently gives the car a boost in power and I reckon, fuel efficiency? :think:
     
  17. Majormaggot

    Majormaggot Newbie

    well if u remove it u'll probably not pass emissions test, if u have that over there(and the exhuast will smell funky coming out the tail pipe. Plus removing the cat will give a boost in power and a lil'bit in fuel economy.
     
  18. Chai

    Chai Administrator Staff Member

    This is why the air quality is extremely bad here...

    1.8L could be a little underpowered for Almera. I drove the old Altima before, 2.0L is just nice though, not very powerful, but good enough for city driving.
     
  19. Adrian Wong

    Adrian Wong Da Boss Staff Member

    The thing is we are not even required to have catalytic converters. And we only need to remove one.

    There will still be one catalytic converter so the car should remain pretty "green". Certainly it will produce less toxic emissions than our local cars who don't even have catalytic converters.
     
  20. Majormaggot

    Majormaggot Newbie

    !!! not required to have a cat?!!! well if were me i'd rip that stock cat, slap in a low restriction catback system(u should always think about the environment) and add a nice intake on it, that should make it sound just perfect.

    -Major
     

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