MPV review

[MMM]

Hi,


Was hoping to get some MPV reviews here.

We are currently driving a honda odyssey. Gg to be 5 yrs in Jan 2010. Given the structure, it made us think if we should change our car this year. I enjoy the odyssey alot for the stability and driving feel. I dun mind holding on but all those maint problem will surface as the car get older. Also, I feel "worse off" if we trade our odyssey for something else.

Hubby on the other hand appear to be open to any MPV. He is more attracted by price factor being typical accountant.

We’ve 3 kids, pils, maid so that makes 8 or 10 of us (including my parents) if we go on a outing. My P2 and P1 are adult size but the 4 yr old will require her own space in few yrs time. So the leg space must be there. Though on weekdays, it’s just the 2 of us.

So far, we saw the following :
* Toyota picnic which was gg at $70K+. Can’t imagine we bought it at 115K!!! before our odyssey. Importantly, the car hasn’t change much over so many years. So wonder when is the next big change coming up.
* Honda odyssey gg at $90K+ for the new model. Hubby is hesitant abt paying so much for a car which I also agree but there are other considerations as well.
* Volkswagen Touran - apparently too small for us
* Nissan - We reviewed Nissan MPVs/ cars previously but we don’t like the driving feel eg. steering wheel that don’t feel like it has power steering.
* Toyota Estima - Due to minor accident we had over the weekends, we are currently driving the toyota estima (courtesy car). Rather spacious but looks big and intimidating. Also, given the height, don’t feel very stable. In addition, the turning radius is rather wide. But otherwise, quite do-able but not sure what is the price tag.
* Chery MPV - But some agent told us that there is no resale mkt and his customer had to write off the car after 3 yrs as the condition was really bad. Hubby was attracted by the price tag.
* Korea MPV - Given a choice I am not open to it. Our 1st car was a korean saloon car and we had so much problem with it. Constant surprises month after month and alot are said about petrol consumption. It’s a car for the rich given the petrol consumption.

Anyone tried any other MPVs (besides wish and stream) and find it good? Hubby also saw a daihatsu MPV on the papers but I’ve not seen it.

[allseasons]

Hi MMM,


I can't give you a review on any MPV, but I was hoping anyone also share experience with car both for MPV and for small family...

I am thinking of getting a car for our family (2 adult, 2 children), below or up to 16cc is enough. Preferably not too expensive, easy to maintain (not keep breaking down) and not consume too much petrol.. Any suggestion? :idea:

[MMM]

Hi allseasons,


Can’t really advise you the specific model etc… but I think the general rule of thumb is as follows :

1) Go for japanese car eg. Toyota or Honda as they tend to be more reliable and fuel consumption is more efficient too. Eg. there are sayings that Korean cars belong to rich man as they can afford to pay more for petrol.

2) Given the price of new car currently, if affordability is not a concern, I think it’s better to get a new car. Given it’s new, there are lesser maintanance issue so long you upkeep the car regularly. You also do not have to worry about the "history" of the car or face concerns for those of a 2nd hand car.

3) A car is a liability so weigh if you really need a car or can make do with public transport

4) Consider resale value. Japanese car like toyota and honda tend to be good in that. Continental car are bad for resale value. But recently we observed that spore cars nowadays opt for scrapping rather than selling given the price of new car. No one is willing to pay much for 2nd hand car.

5) Don’t stretch your car loan to full 10 years. Chances are you might not drive the car for 10 years. The LTA has a structure on car value. Eg. the scrap value drops significantly when the car is 5 years old, this prompts alot of owner to consider selling at the 4th year. Our current car is 7 yrs loan and at this point we sell, we will get back "alittle bit" of $ rather than having to top up to pay back the bank loan. We thot it would be good if we ever get a new car, we will get a 5 yrs loan in the future. Continue to pay same $ of instalment but get a car cheaper than our current so there are some savings this way.

Our 1st car was a Hyundai Elantra which we got after I passed my driving. Cars at that pt was very exp. I recalled paying S$35K for a 7 yr old Elantra!!! But the worst was, I had expensive surprises every other month, we were also left stranded at car parks or along the road several times. We joined AA that tow our car for free. We learnt alot about cars from our 1st car having faced so many problems. This sound harsh and no offence to korean car owners. Given our bad experience, where possible, I will never go for korean cars.

Last but not least, COE is all time low. So you can probably visit the showroom during weekends to look at the various brands and models. That is rather fun : )

[allseasons]

Thanks MMM. Yeah, we have been considering for 2 years about getting a car.. :?


4. But recently we observed that spore cars nowadays opt for scrapping rather than selling given the price of new car. No one is willing to pay much for 2nd hand car.

What is scrapping?

Honda is much more expensive compare with toyota. I am thinking of getting a new toyota either vios (1.5L) or altis (1.6L). Any comments about these car? What are the differences between 1.5 and 1.6, is it the power or the space in the car? Sorry, i am really blurr abt car.. hehehe

[MMM]

Hi,


Every car has a scrap value. There are some formulations behind it and it is driven by PARF and COE. At the point of scrapping (de-registering the car), the are some values left for each car. That is the minimum value that the dealers are willing to pay you if you sell your car to them. The value is very much driven by the age of the car. Pls refer to the link below.

http://www.onemotoring.com.sg/publish/onemotoring/en/lta_information_guidelines/de_register_a_vehicle/PARF_COE_Rebates.html

1.5 and 1.6 is engine capacity. Eg. the higher it is, the more \"powerful\" the car is. But of course the road tax is also alot more expensive.

Honda is potentially more expensive because it is made in Japan (my impression and there is also the Yen impact since Yen is pretty strong now) while alot of Toyota cars are now made in Thailand. I suspect their PARF value differs too. One observation however is that the price erosion of Honda is less steep than those of Toyota. Honda sort of hold the selling price. Both are reliable brands. Try to test drive it you may feel the difference too : ) Personally we find that Honda cars provide a better driving experience. But Toyota is not bad either.

[ChiefKiasu]

MMM:

...Every car has a scrap value. There are some formulations behind it and it is driven by PARF and COE...

Woohoo... MMM... you know more about cars than I do. Anyway, market has it that the Toyotas these days are not as good as when they were made in Japan, no offence intended for our Thai friends. I'm not sure how true that is, but I gave up on Borneo Motors since quite a while back. Can't stand the take-it-or-leave-it mentality that seems to permeate most of their sales people.

I used to drive the 2.4l Mitsubishi Grandis... gave up after 4 years. It was a good car, but the gas consumption was horrendous.

[heutistmeintag]

More models for your considerations -

Volvo XC90
Mercedes R series
Audi Q7
Citroen C4 Grand Picasso
Toyota MarkX Zio
Honda Elysion
Mazda CX7
Subaru Exiga
Chrysler Grand Voyager
Chevrolet Captiva

if you dun mind MPV/SUV crossover
Subaru Tribeca
Mitsubishi Outlander

I drove a Honda Stream 2.0 for 3 years before "upgrading" to Ody as my kids had grown taller and I have to ferry up to 8 people during some weekends. I am happy with my JDM Ody (200 BHP) and think will use it for at least 5 years. My considerations were based on price, reliability, number of people I need to ferry and driving perfomance. Another important consideration for me was that the Ody is low profile (almost like a sedan) and my old parents could get into it easily. You know, some MPVs are like monsters. lol

Personally, I think Picnic is bang for the buck but I didnt like the plain jane design and I was ignored at Borneo Motors when I was there to book the Picnic. However I would suggest going around and check out the cars. Watch out for MPVs that are under-powered and crampy rear (3rd) row seats.

[allseasons]

Waa… MMM, you really knows a lot abt cars. Cool !! . Yeah, most of Toyota now are made in Thailand. How abt small sedan by Nissan? Any comments abt this?

[MMM]

:oops: Maybe talking to various car dealers and having had 3 previous cars helped?


Hi Heutistmeintag,

Odyssey is really a great car. It feels like a sedan rather than MPV. We had the same consideration as you too for ease of entry. We are driving the estima these few days while our car is at wkshop. At 110KM, my hubby said the steering wheel starts to vibrate. We had this experience with the picnic as well. Also as it's higher, it feels like \"flying\" so it feels rather \"dangerous\". But the kids are really fascinated with the sliding door!!!

We drove the new picnic just before the odyssey. So we don't really mind gg back to picnic. Hubby is looking for cost savings if we decide to get a new car. He don't want to pay another 90+k for a brand new odyssey. Unless he cannot part with the driving feel. He kept complaining abt the estima. Being typical accountants, car are viewed as cost and so long it meet the need, he don't believe in paying for branded car even if we can afford.

Have you heard about Daihatsu Terios? Hubby said it's only 60K +, can seat 7 and only 1.5cc. I've not seen it. We saw the Touran at his friend's recommendation but it's really squeezy behind.

Hi All seasons,

Try asking the Nissan dealer, they will definitely tell you. Japan made is a \"selling point\" so if it is, they would more than happy to tell you.

Hi Chief,

Yes Borneo motors sales people were very cocky. But they are better now given the economic issue. The honda sales guy threw in his personal commission when we bought a car. But borneo sales guy don't seem to do that.

[scoobydoo]

Hi MMM, I guess the Ody can be considered the best in it’s class, so it will be hard for the others to match up. I agree that the BM SE are cocky, if it wasn’t for the 10K difference, I would have gotten the Stream instead of the Wish.