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Curious to see... Abit different from sg wan. No used cars. Whoa, Honda City got HB version. Proton Saga still around after so many donkey years. Proton R3 concept looks like a sup-up Mitsubishi Colt. LoL They get to see the Lotus Eletre siah. Nissan navara pickup looks more modern and better than the Nissan passenger cars. The GWM presence is big over there. I don't really know the Perodua car models. All running on Toyota engines?

https://mothership.sg/2020/08/malaysian-drive-old-proton/ Hi, I'm Ken. This is my experience of a 27 years old Malaysian guy on driving an old Proton car in year 2020. Ever since graduating from my university on 3 years ago, I've been driving this car as my daily car. Time to sell this old Proton for a new car that is more suitable for someone of my age? Not yet. The car I'm driving is just a 1999 Proton Saga Iswara 1.3 Aeroback. An old car that is as normal as you can get in Malaysia. Not a BMW, Lexus, Audi, Nissan GT-R or any other luxury cars. Owning a new car in Malaysia can be expensive considering the price of a new car per average monthly income ratio. By average, I would say it is easily over RM500 per month for the upkeep of a new car in Malaysia even if it is an entry level car. By average, what was needed for the upkeep of this Proton Saga Iswara per month would be around RM300, inclusive of fuel, maintenance and any random repairs. Yup, that would be around RM3600 per year and it should roughly be enough to keep my car running for a year. It doesn't demand repair every single month of course and those are the months that I can save up more. What have I learned from driving a 21 years old Proton as my daily car? Well, at first during my early days of driving it, I do get a lot of negative feedback from it as it was in quite a poor condition before I restored it. Many recommended me to take up a car loan for a new car instead of wasting my money to fix up this Proton Saga. It is a good thing that I din't or else I would still be paying at least RM500 per month for the 9 years car loan installment at this moment. I haven't even include the costs for fuel and the yearly insurance costs which isn't cheap for a new car. My current income is eligible to sign up for a RM50k to RM60k car loan from a bank but why spend so much per month to pay for a new car that I use as a daily point A to B transport? Not only that, a car value depreciates quickly per year, even faster than the amount that you are paying in a year for some cars. Say if I buy a car for RM60k under a 9 years loan, by the time I finished repaying the loan, the car is probably worth only RM20k by then. RM40k lost in depreciation and I have not even factor in the amount that I've lost in paying interest rates to the bank. Instead of tying myself up under a loan commitment, I'm better off driving this old Proton Saga and save up all the extra money per month. What I can get with the extra money would be flexibility as it can be invested, given to family, saved up for the future, for property, etc. Obviously compared to my similarly aged peers, I look like the sad poor guy who drives an outdated old Proton Saga that his family handed it down to him when others are driving shiny brand new cars with latest technology. Some will even say that I am risking my life because of the poor safety features in this car. Hmm, does that mean that motorcycle riders are battling against life and death daily as they ride out? Or maybe your parents or the older generations are risking their lives too during a few decades ago when they are driving cars like this? I can't say there is a 100% guarantee in road safety regardless of what car that you are driving but having a nearly empty bank account per month due to high commitments is a guaranteed risk in personal finance management.

Remember the statement I wrote in this previous article about the BMW 5 series M-Sport accessories? I stated that there are those that dream of owning a M5 but can afford a 525, 530 or that sort so they add on the M-Sport bodykits so that their car looks more like an M5 instead of looking like the bread and butter base models. This are people working within their means, and so is this chap who's now selling his Audi Saga 1.3A on a Malaysian buy-sell site. This chap is really working within the scope of what he can afford as he has decided that his Proton Saga 1.3A is actually an Audi. Lots of work, money and time was spent on making this 'Audi'. He must have sat down and thought really hard, "Since I cannot afford that A4, I will build myself one". Check out the front end with the LED daytime running lights, that 'Nuvolari' front one piece grill, driving lights and that split front spoiler like the one on an A4. I suppose this meter cluster with its 'P' and some other lights is the car's MMI (Audi Multi-Media Interface). The car, as I stated above is being sold on a Malaysian buy-sell site. I believe the owner realised that whatever he did to the car will not turn it into an Audi. Anyway, if this was really an Audi this is the dumpiest looking 'Audi' ever made and the only time you'd see me driving the Audi Saga is if my life depended on it

We've been showing you guys all those supercars and mental Mercedes but not many sensible cheap cars. So today show to you a photo of the Proton Saga above, which is an affordable car for the masses. Especially during times where the economy is still sluggish, COE prices high and every penny counts. The Saga would offer ample room for 5, a boot to store your shopping from the Carrefour or Giant across the Causeways and good fuel economy. But I think that's it about the Saga. We'll talk about the newest BRABUS instead as it looks a trillion times better looking and we all need to dream a little as reality bites. BRABUS has decided that the new Cabriolet version of the E-class needs to have its 6.1 liter V8 shoe horned into the engine bay. This engine is based on the base Mercedes V8 which BRABUS adds its own internals and fabulously machined cylinder head as well as those horsepower making camshafts. This time the engine is still slightly smaller than Mercedes' AMG 6.2 liter variant used in the AMG variants of Mercedes Benzes. It still makes 462bhp without the help of any forced induction and in a way is like the AMG engine mentioned above. Torque is about 615Nm, of which all of it is available at 3,100rpm. Quite low for a normally aspirated engine. The horses and torques allow the cabriolet to achieve a 0-100km/h in 4.7 seconds. Now the fun thing about a cabriolet is that it brings you that freedom of driving with the wind around you. Knowing Mercedes, the cabriolet would be perfectly designed so that the wind does not buffet too much around you or allow those old people (or any people) with wigs, hats or caps to drive without the worry of their 'headpiece' flying into the countryside. So you add this useful fact to the interior that BRABUS has handcrafted for its owners and you can appreciate open top driving in bespoke quilted leather that is plastered throughout the cabin. Yes. Being an E-class Cabriolet, it seats 4 in full comfort. There is no need for the rear occupants to chop of their legs at the knee to fit in the rear like some supposedly 4 seater coupes. It also has a BRABUS designed bodykit with those side fender vents that add an air of aggression to the standard cabriolet. This is obvious, as those who end up BRABUS versions of a Mercedes are usually slightly more flamboyant than the usual Mercedes customer. Now isn't this piece of news better than reading about a Proton Saga?

Nowadays car ownership in Singapore has gotten a little more expensive due to the Certificate Of Entitlement (COE) fee moving slightly upwards. Those that wanted a S$60,000 car may find that it costs S$70,000. Add this fact with rising ERP charges, the parking charges and an economy that is still reeling from a global meltdown the total cost of owning a car has risen. Some would walk, take public transport but to those who still yearn to own their personal set of transport would still browse through car magazines, internet motoring portals (like this one) and push their faces into the glass in front of a car showroom. Drooling at that car that they could afford a few months ago but cannot afford it with the jump in car prices. But of course this occasionally happens. So those that remember or those that keep track of COE fluctuations just say that it is a fact of life in the Lion City. But to those that need a car to purchase in the near future, the increase in price would have to be overcome regardless of the price hike. So what are your options then? You buy the cheapest car in the market. This may mean that you end up buying a car that is made in China. This is actually a bad thing in my opinion. The reason is that the cars are really what they are. Cheap cars. I recently sat in a Chana (one of those million or so Made in China brands around) and I have to say that the plastics were all hard, switches have the tactile feel of something from the mid80s, the fittings are slightly crude and it looks unbalanced with a large body on caster wheels. So its not worth it to rush out and go crazy about owning one. Of course a Chery sports (or coupe as Chery says) hatch looks its part but it ain't there yet. Now it has a small 1.6liter engine, with a heavy 1300kg body to move. This actually does nothing to help fuel economy and handling. You get a 'coupe' that isn't fast too. And add the fact that you want something cheap but actually isn't in the long run it would be a bad purchase. Unless you just buy it for the looks that is. So you now jump to a Malaysian car. You look at a Proton Saga. I suggest you don't look at a Saga. It looks dumpy with its funny proportions and high roof line for a sedan. While it is cheap, spacious for its price you need a bit of looks to at least feel good about yourself when you're driving it. And if you're driving it you have to look at that drab looking hard plastic dashboard and steering wheel. You also have to sit on seats that are flatter than the runway at Seletar airport. What you do need to consider in the budget car range is a Perodua Myvi. Of course it has been around for a while and that its cousins the Toyota Passo and the Daihatsu Sirion/Boon has recently been upgraded in Japan. And the point that it is a cousin of the Passo and the Sirion means that it is actually a Japanese car built in a factory in Rawang, Malaysia. This is a good thing. You get the same people in charge of quality handing down the operating procedure on how a car should be made. The fittings in a Myvi is pretty good and panel gaps are decent too. The quality of the dashboard (slightly redesigned from the Passo), while slightly thin to the touch is surprisingly good. The switchgear feels tactile (for its price) and everything is within reach. As you get into a Myvi you find that it has a high hip point. This means that you just step in and out of the car with ease. The doors are big and open wide, the hatch is easy to use and rear seats fold down making space for you to go shopping at IKEA and load up those large items. Oh yeah. The dash looks good when its lighted up at night. When you look at the design of the Myvi you find that it has more rounded front and rear bumpers that actually make it look less chunky than the Passo or the Sirion. It looks better in my opinion. In fact the Myvi looks like the newer generation of the cars mentioned due to this so if you buy one it is still contemporary looking. As for ride and handling, it is pretty good. The car is naturally light (sub 1000kg) and this shows in its nippy handling. Don't treat it like a Honda Civic Type R though, as it isn't. It would understeer early due to its 175/65/14 sized tires and that slightly too tall body (somehow all new hatchbacks seem to be a little MPV like). But it is nimble and easy to maneuver on city streets. However hustle it around corners and you will find out that the seats are flat and you have to hold on to the steering wheel for dear life. Do not put leather or those P.U seat covers as this would make it worse. The 1.3liter engine it comes with has 85bhp or so and it adequate to get you places. Crusing at 110-120km/h is very possible and still economical. The brakes are on the spongy side and lacks feel but does its job. This is the only real gripe I have with the Myvi as I do a lot of highway driving and it isn't that confidence inspiring for me. But it would do okay for a city car. I think the Perodua Myvi is worth the purchase as you get Japanese engineering, good build quality (if not fantastic material quality), reliability and unlike the other cars mentioned above, it feels more sorted out. It is a cut price Toyota or a cut price Daihatsu. And this is a good thing if you want something cheap and something decent to own for the next 5 years. Just don't listen to that guy called Clarkson in that BBC TV program where he rants and complains about the Myvi. That guy does not have to suffer with COE and ERP like you do.