Korean made vehicle, your views please!

[Riceracer]

The problem is most pro korean cars people have not owned a jap car before. They are not in a good position to pass remarks on this issue. I started driving with cheaper jap cars like mazda, suzuki because I thought it was stupid and didn't want to pay a premium for a toyota or honda. Ahem.. actually was no budget. Corolla was 10k more than a 323 in the 90s. Yes my 323s served me well and pretty reliable for like 6yrs. When I finally had budget to pay for a toyota corolla and goodness I suddenly realised how lacking my mazda 323 was compared to corolla. Corolla engine was much smoother, better economy, quieter, rides better etc. I suddenly realised why they were best seller in class despite a full 10k more than a 323. You won't know what you missed until you owned both. A 5 min test drive at your local AD can hardly tell you about that car. You have to own one and really know about a car.

Edited January 23, 2009 by Riceracer

[Mikeyeo]

alot of my colleagues and friends shun away from the thought of a korean made car.

 

alot of remarks like:

 

"will spoil very easy"

"japanese better"

"waste money"

 

personally i think Koreans have come a long way and has made its mark worldwide. And i guess if you give china made cars another 10 years, it will succeed too.

 

but there is one thing i hate about korean made. The depreciation. Urgh.

 

Allow me to share my experience when I was shopping for a 1.6L car in mid 1980's. At that time, the selling price of 1.6L Honda Accord was S$73K and the 2nd generation 1.6L Hyundai Stellar with Mitsubishi enginewas S$42K. The problem with the latter was that it does not have power steering and steering was heavy when parking. The metal used for the bodywork was very strong and heavy.

 

I happened to meet Komoco's Managing Director (MD) then who is still now. He made a comparison on the yearly depreciation cost between the 2 cars and the scapped value.

 

Eventually, I was convinced into buying the Hyundai Stellar and the (MD) even did the entire internal insulation sound proofing and undercarriage with Tuff coat free of charge.

 

I was only in my mid 20's and as the car was cheap, I cleared the loans in 2 years. I maintained the car very well by sending for regulation servicings and if I encountered any minor faults, I sent the car to Komoco workshop. I used the car for 10 solid years without major problems and scrapped it and got back my scrapped paper value.

 

Though the technology of Korean vehicles have improved tremendously now and I would say at par with continental vehicles standard, it showed that even the Hyundai cars in the 1980s are equally reliable.

 

I am just waiting for Komoco to bring in the Genesis coupe and I will buy one. The latter model has been very popular in the States.

[Maffie]

The problem is most pro korean cars people have not owned a jap car before. They are not in a good position to pass remarks on this issue. I started driving with cheaper jap cars like mazda, suzuki because I thought it was stupid and didn't want to pay a premium for a toyota or honda. Ahem.. actually was no budget. Corolla was 10k more than a 323 in the 90s. Yes my 323s served me well and pretty reliable for like 6yrs. When I finally had budget to pay for a toyota corolla and goodness I suddenly realised how lacking my mazda 323 was compared to corolla. Corolla engine was much smoother, better economy, quieter, rides better etc. I suddenly realised why they were best seller in class despite a full 10k more than a 323. You won't know what you missed until you owned both. A 5 min test drive at your local AD can hardly tell you about that car. You have to own one and really know about a car.

 

I never knew that toyota or honda were premium brands... they are all just cheap japanese cars at the end of the day. Nowadays, even cars like mercedes and bmw also not enough. You get BMW 320, 520 etc, ppl will still trash you for getting a base model or that it is a 4-pot. If you get M3 or even M5, normal people also cannot tell. If you want face... the only way to get it is a ferrari or a lamborghini now i'm afraid.

 

Saying honda/toyota is more premium that hyundai is like saying a knife is more deadly than a baton during nuclear warfare - arguing at the bottom rungs.

 

With regards to you mazda323 being worse off than a corolla: That's because of a 6 year improvement in technology? Some car manufacturers improve their models a bit every year, with sometimes a facelift in the 3rd-5th year. I assure you that the interior of the current Mazda 3 is at least comparable to the current toyota altis.

[Kb27]

The problem is most pro korean cars people have not owned a jap car before. They are not in a good position to pass remarks on this issue..

Many older people have owned Jap car before venturing into buying a Korean car...such as me.

At that time, Kor cars are still in their infancy and quality doesn't appear as good.

 

But we are talking about some 20 yrs later and things have changed very much.

 

However, the old mindset still remains and not many people can have an open mind to see and compare with their eyes but rather depend on closed mindset from long ago.

 

I have no brand loyalty other than the car must be reasonably well screwed together with an attractive price. Yes, today I owned a MIK car with no regrets.

 

We may have the same conversation some years down the road for MIC cars.

 

 

 

[Riceracer]

I never knew that toyota or honda were premium brands... they are all just cheap japanese cars at the end of the day. Nowadays, even cars like mercedes and bmw also not enough. You get BMW 320, 520 etc, ppl will still trash you for getting a base model or that it is a 4-pot. If you get M3 or even M5, normal people also cannot tell. If you want face... the only way to get it is a ferrari or a lamborghini now i'm afraid.

 

Saying honda/toyota is more premium that hyundai is like saying a knife is more deadly than a baton during nuclear warfare - arguing at the bottom rungs.

 

With regards to you mazda323 being worse off than a corolla: That's because of a 6 year improvement in technology? Some car manufacturers improve their models a bit every year, with sometimes a facelift in the 3rd-5th year. I assure you that the interior of the current Mazda 3 is at least comparable to the current toyota altis.

 

I think you are confused. Read properly.... I said "I didn't want to pay the 10k premium to get a corolla over a 323, never had I said they were premium brand" Don't jump the gun when you see the word "premium" I had a used 82 323 and a new 323 in 94. I later bought a used 93 corolla in 96. I was comparing a 94 323 against a 93 corolla so they belong to the same generation. Maybe you're rich but please don't show off here. Toyota and honda are premium to poor people like me. I paid 98k for my 323 and corolla was 108k. I couldn't afford the additional 10k

[Riceracer]

Many older people have owned Jap car before venturing into buying a Korean car...such as me.

At that time, Kor cars are still in their infancy and quality doesn't appear as good.

 

But we are talking about some 20 yrs later and things have changed very much.

 

However, the old mindset still remains and not many people can have an open mind to see and compare with their eyes but rather depend on closed mindset from long ago.

 

I have no brand loyalty other than the car must be reasonably well screwed together with an attractive price. Yes, today I owned a MIK car with no regrets.

 

We may have the same conversation some years down the road for MIC cars.

 

Read my earlier post. I had a 2006 matrix. Isn't that new enough? I was comparing mazda and toyota of the 90s. Of cos koreans have improved over the last 20yrs but so did the rest of the world, including the infamous italian reliability. My opinion is MIK has narrowed the gap with MIJ but there's still a gap. Me too have no brand loyalty. I'm just stating my experience with them. I have no regret having that matrix. It was cheap and spacious that's why I bought it, but it's no jap standard.

[Mdfaz]

u tell me what cake.

 

you must be some dum-witted boy. no worries, wun be replying to any of your stupid comments here.

 

 

Edited January 24, 2009 by Mdfaz

[Riceracer]

Allow me to share my experience when I was shopping for a 1.6L car in mid 1980's. At that time, the selling price of 1.6L Honda Accord was S$73K and the 2nd generation 1.6L Hyundai Stellar with Mitsubishi enginewas S$42K. The problem with the latter was that it does not have power steering and steering was heavy when parking. The metal used for the bodywork was very strong and heavy.

 

I happened to meet Komoco's Managing Director (MD) then who is still now. He made a comparison on the yearly depreciation cost between the 2 cars and the scapped value.

 

Eventually, I was convinced into buying the Hyundai Stellar and the (MD) even did the entire internal insulation sound proofing and undercarriage with Tuff coat free of charge.

 

I was only in my mid 20's and as the car was cheap, I cleared the loans in 2 years. I maintained the car very well by sending for regulation servicings and if I encountered any minor faults, I sent the car to Komoco workshop. I used the car for 10 solid years without major problems and scrapped it and got back my scrapped paper value.

 

Though the technology of Korean vehicles have improved tremendously now and I would say at par with continental vehicles standard, it showed that even the Hyundai cars in the 1980s are equally reliable.

 

I am just waiting for Komoco to bring in the Genesis coupe and I will buy one. The latter model has been very popular in the States.

 

I'm very familiar wit stella. It uses mitsubishi drive train and because of its mitsubishi root, they are reasonably reliable. BTW mitsubishi is among one of the worst in reliability among the MIJ cars. Reasonably or acceptable standard doesn't mean they are good IMO. But you are right on they were CHEAP, that's why they sold well. Stellar was one of the best seller around. How would you think if they had sold for 73k like accord? They would probably be more rare than rolls royce.

 

May I ask what did have koreans innovate or improve in term of automobile technology? Just to name a few, do they have Dynamic drive, Dynamic stability control, adaptive headlight, night vision, city safe, DSG gear box, bi xenon? Their only advancements are probably from carburretor to fuel injection and some VVT stuff which they didn't invent. Same goes for the jap. All these innovations come from conti car makers. To say korean is on par will conti is very far stretched.

 

I used to work for a company with a few company cars that we shared among the staff. They were hyundai excel, proton saga, nissan sunny and honda concerto. All these cars were subjected to same abuses by company staff. Hyundai excel was the worst in the whole lot, it deteriorated faster than the rest. Even the saga held up better than it. Although it deteriorates, things were falling apart in the interior and the under carriage sounded like things were going to fall apart. But it still continues to run. But that doesn't mean it was as good as the rest.

Edited January 24, 2009 by Riceracer

[Blue850r]

Indeed Toyotas and Hondas are the Japanese premium brand, just like Hyundai of Korea. European cars are a separate group. Can' mix discussion of HDB vs Landed House.

 

Premium Jap cars are also better than 3rd tier entry model Conti brands.

[Marcng]

yes korean cars are lousy.....i want to change my korean car but dunno which suit me...seems the car is cheap now....

[Friendstar]

The problem is most pro korean cars people have not owned a jap car before. They are not in a good position to pass remarks on this issue. I started driving with cheaper jap cars like mazda, suzuki because I thought it was stupid and didn't want to pay a premium for a toyota or honda. Ahem.. actually was no budget. Corolla was 10k more than a 323 in the 90s. Yes my 323s served me well and pretty reliable for like 6yrs. When I finally had budget to pay for a toyota corolla and goodness I suddenly realised how lacking my mazda 323 was compared to corolla. Corolla engine was much smoother, better economy, quieter, rides better etc. I suddenly realised why they were best seller in class despite a full 10k more than a 323. You won't know what you missed until you owned both. A 5 min test drive at your local AD can hardly tell you about that car. You have to own one and really know about a car.

 

 

u said very well

 

but try driving avante vs altis 08 for 3 months

 

tell me which one better k?

 

 

[Friendstar]

This is misleading. Car price are tied to OMV. For example a Latio OMV can be 17k now while Kia Carens also abt 17K, and they are selling about same price. Stream or Mazda5 OMV at abt 22k so selling higher price. But when comparing resale, everybody will compare Carens directly with Stream or Mazda5, saying lousy resale value due to MIK blah blah blah. Compare must compare with same base.

 

Anyway with the market now, whether MIJ or MIK there is no taker unless you want to bleed badly. Buying a MIK ride will save you some bucks to ride out the bad times.

 

 

 

fully agree

 

most people don't compare OMV when they sell their vehicles

 

so they blame korean resale value

[Best_ctzn]

yes korean cars are lousy.....i want to change my korean car but dunno which suit me...seems the car is cheap now....

Think I am lucky. I owned a jap car before, and got a korea car when its quality has improved much over the years.

 

Not to insult, those who got MIK years ago tends to do so becasue jap cars price then hit the roof so some of them bo pian got korea cars so have this car of second best opinion. So do most of the jap cars owners from that era. It's like, I get korea car surely because I cannot afford jap cars, not becasue I appreciate its quality or lack of.

 

And truely, korea cars then have a quality gap with the jap cars. And if you cannot accept this compromise, then you will not think too highly of korea car now.

 

But for new car owners now, there will be not much hesitation to take a korea car. To them, anything that fit their budget also can since quality is now comparable. There is no fear of stigma associated previously.

 

And most importantly, they choose korea cars not because they can't afford jap cars since it has dropped to very affordable level. But rather, because the quality gap has narrowed much, or even reversed, they take korea cars for its better values. Simple analogy is paying a 1.6L car price for a 2L car.

 

To those who got a lemon korea cars over the years or just few years back, I say try to give korea cars another chance. The improvements are obvious and saving too. A colleague of mine who used to condemn korea cars after got a Accent years ago, changed his tune after seeing and sitting in my Carens, and Avanti, and latest Sonata. I myself is also very vey impressed by the Sonata which I sat and drove recently - very very quiet with adequate power and easy to drive. Even revved to 4k also very soft sound!

 

[Yr1985]

Always like the Sonata ever since that Jaguar type model, sat in a Sonata and Camry cabs really feel similarly solid feel and quiet ride. Their technology has catch up, but not our people's opinion...

[Riceracer]

fully agree

 

most people don't compare OMV when they sell their vehicles

 

so they blame korean resale value

 

Korean low resale is because of low demand in local resale and overseas markets. Korean cars have quite bad export value that's why many 03-05 ones are still running around whereas most same age jap cars have already been exported. Exporter offers only about 3k for a 2yr old 12k omv matrix. A 11k omv 2yr old MIT vios could fetch as high as 10k. Two year ago a same age one could fetch as high as 15k. Other reasons are high fuel consumption and reliability issues. Don't take my words for it. Next time you visit an external motor workshop, ask any experienced mechanic about jap vs korean reliability. Most of them should give you an unbias and objective answer.

 

Many buy MIK cars because they thought they are value for money such as myself, but with their poor consumption, higher maintenance cost and poor resale. It usually ends up losing more money. My matrix was 55k new and sold it at 24k after two years. Replaced a drive shaft, two batteries, both lower control arms and all engine mountings after 35k mileage. This car was driven mostly by my wife. Consumption was 9km/L which is acceptable to me. Some other owners told me they got 7-8km/L only.

 

However with the sky high yen and low korean won now, it could be viable to take a look at korean since their price should be coming down and jap car prices have already started to go up.

[Riceracer]

u said very well

 

but try driving avante vs altis 08 for 3 months

 

tell me which one better k?

 

I wish I had this opportunity. Unless avante was something like 40% cheaper than corolla like in the past, think I'll past.... Anyway not shopping for car now.

Edited January 24, 2009 by Riceracer

[Best_ctzn]

Korean low resale is because of low demand in local resale and overseas markets. Korean cars have quite bad export value that's why many 03-05 ones are still running around whereas most same age jap cars have already been exported. Exporter offers only about 3k for a 2yr old 12k omv matrix. A 11k omv 2yr old MIT vios could fetch as high as 10k. Two year ago a same age one could fetch as high as 15k. Other reasons are high fuel consumption and reliability issues. Don't take my words for it. Next time you visit an external motor workshop, ask any experienced mechanic about jap vs korean reliability. Most of them should give you an unbias and objective answer.

 

Many buy MIK cars because they thought they are value for money such as myself, but with their poor consumption, higher maintenance cost and poor resale. It usually ends up losing more money. My matrix was 55k new and sold it at 24k after two years. Replaced a drive shaft, two batteries, both lower control arms and all engine mountings after 35k mileage. This car was driven mostly by my wife. Consumption was 9km/L which is acceptable to me. Some other owners told me they got 7-8km/L only.

 

However with the sky high yen and low korean won now, it could be viable to take a look at korean since their price should be coming down and jap car prices have already started to go up.

 

Agree with you on the first part in good times. But when times are bad, jap or korea cars also nobody want, so better take one that has lower initial cost.

 

When consulting motor workshop mechanics, better to ask specific model. Think accent, matrix especially got many bad eggs. But try asking for newer Sonata and others might give different picture. But as a whole, they will tell you korea cars are bad becasue of their past experience which weighed much more. Also, it is easier to go with the flow than to give a different opinion from others whereby might be painted a lousy or out-of-touch mechanic.

Edited January 24, 2009 by Best_ctzn

[Riceracer]

Agree with you on the first part in good times. But when times are bad, jap or korea cars also nobody want, so better take one that has lower initial cost.

 

When consulting motor workshop mechanics, better to ask specific model. Think accent, matrix especially got many bad eggs. But try asking for newer Sonata and others might give different picture. But as a whole, they will tell you korea cars are bad becasue of their past experience which weighed much more. Also, it is easier to go with the flow than to give a different opinion from others whereby might be painted a lousy or out-of-touch mechanic.

 

The problem is most newer car owners go back to AD for repair and servicing because of warranty issues. So not many external workshops have dealt with these cars. I gave up my warranty from day one because I didn't want to pay AD's high price. I never needed warranty claim when I had my jap cars so I stop going back to AD servicing for >10yrs already.