Which COE car should I buy?

[Jamesc]

If got budget buy used car, if got more money buy new car.

Both also must buy from jamesc.

[Ct3833]

15 minutes ago, Sunset73 said:

@Ct3833 Pray hard the conti don't break down................

 

Thanks. I have set aside more than enough repair budget 😀😀😀

[Mkl22]

52 minutes ago, Ct3833 said:

Thanks. I have set aside more than enough repair budget 😀😀😀

W212? good friends father in law W212 with 7G, quite some niggles. had the gearbox rebuilt. coolants leaks etc. every 6mths will have something to fix, other thn typical oil change, brakes etc. was 1 owner, bought from dealer. unsure if mileage was tweaked.

Edited June 29, 2021 by Mkl22

[Ct3833]

3 minutes ago, Mkl22 said:

W212? good friends father in law W212 with 7G, quite some niggles. had the gearbox rebuilt. coolants leaks etc. every 6mths will have something to fix, other thn typical oil change, brakes etc. was 1 owner, bought from dealer. unsure if mileage was tweaked.

mine w212 CGI, 5 speed.  nearly 4 years on , so far no major repair.  But driving an old car have to  expect to have some repair at some point in time. 

Edited June 29, 2021 by Ct3833

[Volvobrick]

2 hours ago, CarNutz said:

Recently had a interesting observation. A COE W211 E200 has same depreciation range as a COE Civic FD. Other than for obvious reasons,the Merc triumph the Civic in terms of driving enjoyment,safety,image,features and overall refinement. That's the beauty of our unique local car scene.

I don't think driving an old Merc has a better image than an old Jap car leh..... Maybe worse image. Drive old Jap car = prudent. Drive old Merc not here not there. 

[Hamburger]

In general, a well taken care conti, especially a merc/bimmer is just as reliable as any jap car. 

Don't spread fear lei. 

If I could find a good unit, I would choose it over a bnb jap/kimchi car, no doubt. 

[Mkl22]

13 minutes ago, Hamburger said:

In general, a well taken care conti, especially a merc/bimmer is just as reliable as any jap car. 

Don't spread fear lei. 

If I could find a good unit, I would choose it over a bnb jap/kimchi car, no doubt. 

its not spreading fear. like i mention if a w211 merc is so great and in demand, then why is it priced like a FD civic as a COE car,  when it was double its price when new. there has to be much higher cost of ownership, besides the roadtax and insurance. and this comes in the form of repairs. 

also dont just look in singapore. look at the US car market. old camry and japanese cars still command relatively higher value vis their selling price vs the Mercs and BMWs. it is what it is. on average contis generally are less reliable and cost more to run.

Edited June 29, 2021 by Mkl22

[Volvobrick]

12 minutes ago, Hamburger said:

In general, a well taken care conti, especially a merc/bimmer is just as reliable as any jap car. 

Don't spread fear lei. 

If I could find a good unit, I would choose it over a bnb jap/kimchi car, no doubt. 

Some makes/models are just less reliable - got a friend who had to replace entire wire harness for his (less than 10 yr old then) W211.  And my ex boss had his exhaust falling off on the road (I think also W211) when less than 2 year old.  Probably W211 was the worst.

[Mkl22]

I always hear the weirdest problems typically more on conti. Wiring harness issue largely only happens to conti. Talking about stock unit. 
Hardly hear any problems with Japanese wiring harness, maybe with the exception of Nissan. Which has been b**tardized by Renault! 

Edited June 29, 2021 by Mkl22

[Ct3833]

so far i have not encountered major problems with either the Altis or the  E200, but to say that I expect no problems  would be a wrong expectation . I am prepared to pay for a few thousands for any major repair that may happen along the way, it will still be a lot cheaper than buying a new cars. I wont feel sleepless about any repair cost that may happen, in a worst case, I just write off the car, how much loss would I incur ? 

if one have to worry about repair issues or repair cost  of  a conti car, then go for Japanese brands, there is no point living in fear. Like some bros here have pointed out, driving an old conti does not give one with any Atas feel after all. It is a nicer to drive point a to point b car to me. 

Edited June 29, 2021 by Ct3833

[CarNutz]

@Ct3833 I think u have the right approach to older car ownership with realistic expectations and experience. To me No, driving old Conti doesn't give atas status. It's is nicer stable drive from A to B. To some,it is a classic drive with the brand's heritage and history. Can they afford new? Some can but prefer not to I guess. Jap cars generally have lesser weird problems along the way but still need to give it TLC. Wear and tear parts affects both contis and Jap/kor. Nothing new. Most importantly,if one is crossing over to contis from Asian makes,it is good to be prepared financially and mentally 🙂

[Hamburger]

Maybe my threshold for repair bill is higher as I am convinced that a merc/bimmer with an omv twice of a Jap bnb car is double and needed more TLC. 

For me its all about the drive and the feel which is more important and is intangible when put in comparison between the two. 

 

[Beregond]

3 hours ago, Hamburger said:

In general, a well taken care conti, especially a merc/bimmer is just as reliable as any jap car. 

Don't spread fear lei. 

If I could find a good unit, I would choose it over a bnb jap/kimchi car, no doubt. 

but cannot deny the fact , it will cost more to have a well taken care conti

compare to a well taken care jap.😊

[Jamesc]

Honda seller mark up his FD Civic so high

then people say Merc depreciation so low!

Next time I also mark up my Jap car price high high

and people will buy my conti say cheap cheap.

[Confusedboi]

Wow didn’t know COE merc E200 is same depreciation as COE FD2  civic that I’m driving. My car depreciation is around  8k a year roughly..  Bought dec 2019, COE till June 2024

Edited June 29, 2021 by Confusedboi

[Hamburger]

22 minutes ago, Beregond said:

but cannot deny the fact , it will cost more to have a well taken care conti

compare to a well taken care jap.😊

It depends. I used to have a Honda ody RB1 that sucks big time in maintenance compared to my past conti. 

And even Toyota has its fair share of broken tranny but in general, yes, still a safer bet. 

But spare parts wise, conti price would surprise many with their not so high cost, especially merc/bimmer. 

[Beregond]

1 minute ago, Hamburger said:

 

But spare parts wise, conti price would surprise many with their not so high cost, especially merc/bimmer. 

ya nowaday benz and bimmer parts drop alot already .

but the workmanship and time to work on them still much higher then a jap .

esp oil leakage and coolan leakage issue.

[Jamesc]

I now know to tell my customers.

If they buy Honda I will say very reliable and parts and labour are cheap.

If they buy Conti I will say now Conti parts drop a lot already and depreciation same as a Jap might as might enjoy the ride and handling.