Originally posted by Ah Wei:
Hi XinYi,
Like I always advise my friend who are P-plated, don’t ever try to buy a car cos the insurance will ‘kill’ you. I got a friend who bought a 4 years old Lancer 1.3 (Value at 50k) when he’s a P-plater, and his insurance NTUC quoted him is S$2500!!! Finally he got his insurance from Nanyang and it cost him S$1900. Still expensive for a 2nd hand car.
So, my advise will be use your dadÂ’s or brotherÂ’s name (who had more driving experiences, if any) when buying a car so that you will at least save 50% on the car insurance. If not, wait till your P-plate is over before buying a car.
Anyway I might be able to offer some help here cos I drove a few of the cars u mentioned before, and , I used to own a 98 Nissan March before I change to my current car. I was driving an AUTO March then. Nissan March is a good car, although just 1 litre, its one of the best among its class. The only setback that I have is the petrol consumption. Maybe itÂ’s an auto, thatÂ’s why the fuel efficient is not very good. Maybe Manual will be better. I sold my car, which has 5 yrs 2 mnths left then for abt 34-35k. Oh btw, my insurance was abt S$800 +. Road tax is based on the cc of the car, thus a 1000cc Nissan March road tax will definitely be cheaper then a 1300cc, and a 1500cc civic. Road tax of March will be abt S$600 a yr.
Conclusion of a MARCH: Good 1000cc engine car (but buy the one from 98 onwards, the uplifted version cos got leather seat, 4 powered windows instead of 2 from the 96-early 98 model). Suitable for ladies. Cute and easy to park. Cheaper insurance and rd tax. DonÂ’t like the fuel consumption of my Auto Transmission March though. And the car just nice for 4 people. 5 had to squeeze a bit, unless, all small size ladies or guys.
Lancer: as mentioned, cost more than the March, in term of rd tax, insurance etc. The 1.3l Mit Lancer kinda lack power cos the body frame is designed for a 1.5l or 1.6l engines. Nevertheless itÂ’s a good car but with the amount of money you paid, I would rather you go for a March. A slightly less than 5 yrs old 1.3l Lance should still cost you around 40k if IÂ’m not wrong. Just like my friend, if you are a P-plater, the insurance should be ard the same as my friend, as I mentioned on top.
Conclusion: Good car but under powered for a 1.3l. Might be more worthwhile to get other make for the amount paid.
Civic: On paper, Civic has the best engines among Japanese make, which I believe most pple will agree. That mean of cos, that the pricing will be tip top as ell, hahaÂ…Â…Â… a 5 yrs old civic (the most basic model is EXI) will definitely cost more than a Lancer 1.3, and so is the insurance and rd tax I think. A VTI and SIR will cost you much much more. And unless you are very rich, try not to think abt them. Also, not advisable for P-plater to buy a good car, cos minor incident sure happen and will make your heart very very pain if your car is too expensive. I haveÂ’t had the chance to drive an EXI before but did try the SIR before, so canÂ’t really comment on the performance.
Conclusion: Honda is well know for Vti engine, not Exi though. But an EXI should be good enough, but then like I say, itÂ’s the most expensive among Japanese made car. So be prepared to spend more if you choose a civic. The road tax of a civic (1.5l) should be ard S$900 a year.
Mazda 323 (1.3l or 1.6l): Okie canÂ’t really comment on these cos havenÂ’t tried any of them. But of cos, the 1.3l will be quite affordable but heard feedback that it lacks power. The reason is same as lancer 1.3l. The frame is made for bigger engine capacity. No offence to Mazda driver, but Mazda cars are not know for their good engine or performance, its more for affordable and value for money. Of cos, unless you are talking abt those more hi-end models, then itÂ’s a different story.
Peugeot 207: Also not to sure abt this car but think this model is rather new, so you wonÂ’t be able to find that is 5 yrs old I think, correct me if IÂ’m wrong. Also, its different from the rest of the car you mention cos itÂ’s a Continental car, and continental car is know for their heavier frame and stability. One think to consider also is the spare parts. Guess itÂ’ll be cheaper for Japanese make parts then European. Also, the more common the make and model of the car, the more popular the parts will be, the cheaper it will get. ThatÂ’s one reason why a lot of pple buy Proton. Cos they can easily go into Malaysia to change the spare part as they are very cheap.
Lastly: I will not advise you to buy a 10 yrs old car as well. Cos new cars nowsaday are very cheap, and so is the 2nd hand car market. I’m sure you can get very good value for money car in the 2nd hand car market. But of cos, it’ll be better if you get a friend who knows the market well to go with you, so you won’t kena ‘chop’ by 2nd hand car retailer.
2 more advantages I can tell you off hand is that a less than 10 yrs old car (you may be paying slightly more), but after the COE expire, you will have one scrape value sum. And, you can use this scrape value sum to buy another car then, so itÂ’ll be a continuous process. 2ndly, the engine itself of cos. Imagine a machine runs for 10 years, thereÂ’s bound to be a lot of wear and tear, as compared to a 5 years machine.
Well have been typing a lot, hahaÂ…Â…. But nevertheless, hope the infor I gave helps in someway will do. Cheers~ and good luck in your search for your car.
Mazda engines are pretty reliable, I've seen several 8 -9 yr old cars that handle pretty smoothly, no major overhaul made. My own car has clocked about 180 thousand km and it still runs very well, my gearbox however is another story.
Anyway wats gonna be the budget for ur vehicle out of interest?