Best value saloon car under $100K

[Alheych]

Worst value salon car will be the current Vios. Overpriced, made in Indonesia, old engine. The rest of countries already upgrade the engine to dual vvti plus better specs.

 

It's appalling that this car, which has the EXACT same engine as the first generation Vios in 2002, still costs more than a Mazda 3. Anyone who buys one is paying at least 30 - 40% of their money into the badge on the grille.

[Vinceng]

It's got to be the Ford Escort at SGD$8,500 nett ,...

 

 

 

Back in 1972.

[Audi2016]

My vote goes to Kia K3 and Mazda 3.. even if you have to stretch a bit, it's worth it.

 

The rest of the pack are way behind.

[Lotr]

I would have agreed with you, I always have the opinion of Toyota as a reliable brand ... but not after 2 of my friends have problem with their brand new Altis less than 3 months of owning the car this year..

 

First had faulty alternator ... got it replaced at BM within the day after reporting the problem.

 

Second had gear box problem, BM has not have the spare part and he has to wait 6 weeks for part to arrive .... and BM say need to send car in for 3 days to replace the gearbox.

 

I am totally shock of the Toyota quality these days. .... both cars are less than 3 months old when detected the above-mentioned problem.

 

hmmm ... I had the corolla (G9) for 4 years and wish (1st Gen Facelift) for 9 years, no issues with engine, gearbox or anything major.  Just had to change the suspension and air con condenser for wish.  Difference is nowadays most toyotas on the road are Made in Thailand.

[Lala81]

Talking about value, I would choose attrage.

 

Then k3.

 

But k3 is really heavy.

 

Elantra basic model looks like slum

 

The worst value to me?

 

Almera.

I saw an Almera that day. The reason I noticed it was that the muffler box and exhaust were shaking as its being driven. Lol macham like lorry

[Keithchue]

I would have agreed with you, I always have the opinion of Toyota as a reliable brand ... but not after 2 of my friends have problem with their brand new Altis less than 3 months of owning the car this year..

 

First had faulty alternator ... got it replaced at BM within the day after reporting the problem.

 

Second had gear box problem, BM has not have the spare part and he has to wait 6 weeks for part to arrive .... and BM say need to send car in for 3 days to replace the gearbox.

 

I am totally shock of the Toyota quality these days. .... both cars are less than 3 months old when detected the above-mentioned problem.

that is small case, compared to mine

Yup. Used to be the most value buy 2 generation back. Less than 10 sec car. Hot seller. Now rarely see the new Vios. Every time I see one, is a Malaysian plate.

ma first car was a vios...the first generation one, in red.. super reliable...no issues, only replace shock absorbers and general servicing throughout 6 years of ownership, hate to let it go, but have to

[7hm]

I'd go with the new Elantra or the good ol' Mazda3 Deluxe

[Benarsenal]

For me, in no particular order:

 

Hyundai Elantra

Kia Forte K3

Honda City

[Spurman]

below 100k? better take BMW. now where got car below 100k? After COE went north, even cheaper japanese Mazda 3 went above 100k. Perhaps those that you are looking at are Korean cars. There are still possibility that it is below 100k.

Cheese.

 

Cheapest prob japanese car leh.

 

Attrage n note... n that lancer. All below 90k one. And 80k.

 

So whos cheap

[Jq1988]

Can try Suzuki ciaz

[r1der]

My personal view:

 

Honda City = from AD, has traction control, spacious, low fuel consumption, has GPS, bluetooth, 8-speakers system. You can also find spare part easily in Singapore or Malaysia. However, it only has 2 airbags, rear drum brake and the spec wise is not as good as Honda City in Malaysia or Thailand. Kay Motor has skimped some of the options, such as 6 airbags, rear air con and auto climate control. Still, it has sleek exterior which is suitable to youngsters or those type-r wannabe. So, I think City is a better choice than Vios (overpriced), Almera (dated look, no traction control,  handling not as good as City), Lancer (higher fuel consumption, 2007 design, going to be 10 year old design), Axio (from PI so has to be extra careful when choosing the trusted one, senior citizen car in Japan, slow pick-up) and Attrage (smaller cabin, weaker engine). But if you ask me if there's other choice than City, then I would suggest Axio (it comes with 6 airbags, traction control, Toyota safety sense!) or Attrage (the cheaper price of course!).

 

If you ask why there's no Korean brand in the list, I'm sorry as I have not driven any Korean car and I'm more inclined to Japanese car (as I've driven mostly Japanese cars  ). But don't get me wrong. Based on the feedback that I heard, I think Korean car has improved a lot in terms of specs and reliability. It's a good choice since it's a lot cheaper than Japanese car with better specs/ accessories. However, I'm more particular when it comes to finding spare part and servicing as Japanese car wins hand down in this area, mainly due to abundance spare parts from Malaysia and Thailand and longer brand establishment compared to Korean car. But if you die die ask me to choose, then I would say it's either K3 (cheaper than Elantra but older design) or Elantra (new model, 6 airbags, traction control and many many more. Well done Hyundai!)   . 

 

Models that shouldn't be in the list as the price is more than SGD100K, but may drop to to less than SGD100K when COE drops in the near future:

 

Toyota Altis = What can I say, it's a good and safe choice. It's spacious and has nice exterior. Spare part can be sourced easily. However, it comes with only 2 airbags, no traction control, no rear air con etc which is kinda disappointing.

 

Nissan Slyphy = No GPS, no bluetooth, no driver electric seat, spec is comparable with Altis, but it's the cheapest among 3. Good thing is there's rear aircon. 

 

Mazda 3 = has 4 airbags, traction control and slightly cheaper than Altis. Exterior looks sleek and stunning. However, the cabin and boot space feel smaller than Altis and Sylphy. Although it's a Japanese car, the spare part is more difficult to find and more expensive too.

 

Conclusion: If you're middle aged uncle and want a reliable and easy to maintain car, get Altis. If there's budget constraint, get Sylphy. If you feel you're still young and rich enough, get Mazda 3. 

 

 

Edited May 14, 2016 by r1der

[Fuelsaver]

I would have agreed with you, I always have the opinion of Toyota as a reliable brand ... but not after 2 of my friends have problem with their brand new Altis less than 3 months of owning the car this year..

 

First had faulty alternator ... got it replaced at BM within the day after reporting the problem.

 

Second had gear box problem, BM has not have the spare part and he has to wait 6 weeks for part to arrive .... and BM say need to send car in for 3 days to replace the gearbox.

 

I am totally shock of the Toyota quality these days. .... both cars are less than 3 months old when detected the above-mentioned problem.

me in shock yet not shock; expecting such issues sooner or later when no more MIJ, not to mention jap econ not as good, w may result in further cost-cutting. also of late seeing altis within 1 year on sgcarmart.

 

anyway, i'm inclining toward MIK hyundai. i think they b next good old jap car equivalent in the current n next few yrs years, n hopefully stay that way.

[Fuelsaver]

Hi TS, in my opinion, the Hyundai Elantra appears to be good value. However, i havent test driven the car. Just based on my desktop research on specs vs prices. Currently, i have a Hyundai Tucson, 2006. Most likely will renew COE.

Japanese cars tend to have better resale value, simply because more people will buy it in resale, with less worry. Newer Korean cars have improved by leaps and bounds through the years. Used to drive an 2004 Kia Carens, which would rattle a little somewhere all the time. No major faults, just the interior plastics. Almost drove me crazy.. Compared to Japanese cars i had before, the Korean cars tend to have a little more vibration transmitted to cabin after few years. I have to replace the engine and gearbox mounts, when that happens. I believe the newer cars should be much better now. Maintenance for Korean cars are generally similar to Jap. Parts are actually cheaper, if you buy them yourself, vs Jap. Hence, my opinion is Korean cars are having good reliability. YOU need to like the car. Everything else doesnt matter as much! :)

bro, check w u, u think tucson worth renewing? mine's 08. though fc not fantastic, but drive is comfy n parts can get fr stockist cheaper than jap.

 

personally find it a waste to scrap cos interior like new n no issues w engine, gb n coolin system.

[evidence]

Did anyone visited the showrooms to see n test the below 100k cars?

Edited May 14, 2016 by EvidenceProtocol

[Sunny]

each time I see vios rear lamps, reminds me of starwars

 

 

anyway sub $100k...my vote to elantra :p

[Nzy]

Did anyone visited the showrooms to see n test the below 100k cars?

 

Yeah. I did. Went to see accent and K3. K3 got air con vents at the rear. Any other sub 100k sedans have aircon vents at the rear?

[Kazuya]

1) Mazda 3

2) Honda Vezel

3) Honda Fit 1.5 RS

4) Hyundai Elantra

5) Kia Forte K3

 

 

Don't be swayed just by the slightly cheaper Korean models, their FC is not as good as Mazda 3 or Honda. Over 10 years, the cost of ownership is more or less the same. How about Diesel cars? Ever considered? I saw Renault having some good promo on their Megane GT-Line Diesel.

Edited May 14, 2016 by Kazuya

[Nzy]

1) Mazda 3

2) Honda Vezel

3) Honda Fit 1.5 RS

4) Hyundai Elantra

5) Kia Forte K3

 

 

Don't be swayed just by the slightly cheaper Korean models, their FC is not as good as Mazda 3 or Honda. Over 10 years, the cost of ownership is more or less the same. How about Diesel cars? Ever considered? I saw Renault having some good promo on their Megane GT-Line Diesel.

 

Its not whether they are cheaper or not. They have more features and are better than the Japanese. Unless you don't want/need the features. Even if they were the same price, I'll still consider the Koreans. Reliability wise, I feel the Koreans are better already based on my own experience. Or at least on par. Won't be worse than the Japanese.