Budget of $80,000; Which 4yr old sedan or SUV to buy?

[1fast1]

Get what I got. A 2011 Renault Megane RS 250, bundled with a renewed COE. A nice cheap and tolerably quick manual performance hatch. Can enjoy heavy footed driving a little bit without worry of losing licence. You should also have money left to spare. 

You have to hunt for a good one though. French cars don't stay reliable unless looked after well. 

Edited June 11, 2021 by Turboflat4

[Kopites]

15 hours ago, Jamesc said:

Look for the water mark on the left back and front screen where they peel of the PHV sticker.

I always ask them to rub out as much as possible so the next customer cannot tell.

Hard to remove?

No wonder on the road seeing so many has sticker overlapping that front and rear spot.

[Kopites]

16 hours ago, DOBIEMKZ said:

For SUV, I suggest Honda HR-V/Vezel, provided it is non-PHV.

Not easy to get a non phv vezel.

My opinion is to get those prior to SLA registration vezel. I registered my ride in back in April 2016. Only then i started to see white phv vezel (LCR/uber) and gradually moved on to more other colours. I retained my reg now though.😄

Non white prior to SLA (SK..) should be lesser chance of a PHV ride. No foolproof as owner might subsequently resell or use it as PHV.

 

 

Edited June 12, 2021 by Kopites

[Kopites]

Toyota sienta. Your budget and also easy access to your child seat.

Just be careful not to get a phv sienta.

Getting a borneo sienta should be safer I reckon than PI sienta.

https://www.sgcarmart.com/used_cars/info.php?ID=997706

 

[Dafansu]

budget with loan or full cash. can consider new kia k3, shuttle. 

[Brass]

11 minutes ago, Dafansu said:

budget with loan or full cash. can consider new kia k3, shuttle. 

Shuttle is a legit good idea.

There is no car as versatile as it below 100k.

But must be careful about pi.

[tudorpapa]

17 hours ago, Toeknee_33 said:

@tudorpapa 

If you don't mind being mistaken for a PHV driver every now and then, the Prius seems to fit your requirements if fuel efficiency is your top priority. 22-25km/L is possible. Boot space also reasonable and easy to load cos of the liftback design. C-HR is a little claustrophobic and has a small boot. The others would be the Honda Shuttle Hybrid or Vezel Hybrid (not a choice if you hate a hard bouncy ride).

There is little difference to maintaining a Hybrid vs a normal car. The Prius is renown for its reliability. Your brake pads/rotors will take a very long time to wear out, actually, due to its regen braking system. Only proviso is the replacement battery ($3k?) if it does konk out but it should easily last 120-180k km.

When you are shopping for a used one, ensure you dont end up with a ex-PHV car, though. Mileages can be tweaked and seats can be re-upholstered to disguise that fact.

 

 

Yeah. I am not particular about if it is a PHV car a not. So yeah, to me is just a transport for my work and family. Thanks for the recommendation. I have arranged a viewing and will be checking out today.

[tudorpapa]

15 hours ago, kobayashiGT said:

 

Well I won't recommened Honda Vezel Hybrid, I have encounter quite a few with gearbox issue. 

Prius is a good choice, another car that can consider is the Sienta Hybrid. It looks ugly, but get the job done. And it have auto sliding door. your in-law will be happy whenever you fetch them. You don't believe you can ask @Jamesc 🤣

My good friend who is driving a Honda Vezel has no problems. Dunno if it is only your experiences. But I don't like the sloping roofline of the vezel that gives the rear seat a bit of a claustrophobic effect. 

[tudorpapa]

13 hours ago, Didu said:

Agree with bro @Fcw75. Since fuel efficiency is high in your consideration, I guess not having unexpected surprises leading to repair cost should also be in your consideration too.

• A new set of wheels gives you that peace of mind.
• The 1.2L Attrage should get you about 18km/L 
• It comes with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay which many 2nd hand older does not have
• Built-in Cruise control for better fuel efficiency
• If you only need to drive for 6 yrs then sell, there'll be more value on this car at that point than one with zero COE left.

 

this makes more sense, but the car looks small thou. 

[yellowshaun]

Firstly, can u share your daily mileage clocked? Cause the Vios/Cerato/Elantra/Sonata can clock about 14km/l. So we know whether you really need a hybrid...

17 hours ago, kobayashiGT said:

Well I won't recommened Honda Vezel Hybrid, I have encounter quite a few with gearbox issue. 

Prius is a good choice, another car that can consider is the Sienta Hybrid. It looks ugly, but get the job done. And it have auto sliding door. your in-law will be happy whenever you fetch them. You don't believe you can ask @Jamesc 🤣

Interesting but great recommendation! The Sienta Hybrid, if you dont mind the lack of power it's like the cheapest hybrid you can find? Just same issue la, need to be able to secure a non-PHV car =D Can observe the leather seat degradation on the left passenger side and compare against the right. If the car got brand new leather seats installed, then i would smell a rat =D

Go test drive both the Sienta Hybrid and the Attrage, both have decent FC though not so powerful la!

Edited June 12, 2021 by yellowshaun

[yellowshaun]

1 hour ago, tudorpapa said:

Yeah. I am not particular about if it is a PHV car a not. So yeah, to me is just a transport for my work and family. Thanks for the recommendation. I have arranged a viewing and will be checking out today.

There's a big reason why almost all of us told you not to get an ex PHV car. It's likely the mileage of ex PHV cars have been tampered with, eg. 300,000km dialed back to 100,000km. You need to be a detective to discern if so as you may end up forking a hefty sum for massive repairs given the amount of road it has covered. Unless you have already set aside like $10,000 for a massive overhaul when getting a cheap ex PHV car?

When I bought my first car, I wasnt sure that I could do distinguish an ex PHV, so I just went to buy a brand new one.

Edited June 12, 2021 by yellowshaun

[yellowshaun]

1 hour ago, tudorpapa said:

My good friend who is driving a Honda Vezel has no problems. Dunno if it is only your experiences. But I don't like the sloping roofline of the vezel that gives the rear seat a bit of a claustrophobic effect. 

I speak to PHV drivers quite often when i used to take multiple times a week. The Vezel is a very rattle-y car, alot of rattling sounds. In local slang we call it "lok-kok."

One of my reservice buddies works for lion city rentals' fleet management. He agrees that the Vezel is not designed to be a PHV car (more a family car), and as a result it requires alot of repair when driven as a PHV. The Corolla Altis in comparison, is more friendly maintenance wise when used as a PHV.

There is a high probability that any Vezel Hybrid in SG is an ex PHV, so do set aside a sum of money for a big repair should you get one. Also factor in the cost needed to rent a car while it is at the workshop.

[Mkl22]

4 hours ago, Turboflat4 said:

Get what I got. A 2011 Renault Megane RS 250, bundled with a renewed COE. A nice cheap and tolerably quick manual performance hatch. Can enjoy heavy footed driving a little bit without worry of losing licence. You should also have money left to spare. 

You have to hunt for a good one though. French cars don't stay reliable unless looked after well. 

Mai la… as an only car for TS, it’s not a good proposition. 🤣

[Maxus-MIFA9]

20 hours ago, tudorpapa said:

If I have a budget of $80,000 and I would like to buy a used car still left 6 years and above. What would you guys recommend? 

I will travel quite a bit for my work so will prefer something that is fuel efficient. Preferably a Sedan or a SUV. Need to put a stroller inside the car. 

I am considering a Toyota prius, But I never driven a hybrid before so I dunno about the maintenance and the upkeeping. 

 https://www.sgcarmart.com/used_cars/info.php?ID=1004028&DL=2469 

Anyone have a better recommendation? 

 

If you can budget $80k, go and go for a brand new car with at least minimum 3 years maintenance taken care off.

Hyundai Avante or Kia Forte

 

[diming87]

You can consider BMW 216D Active Tourer. I bought a 4 year old Touran Diesel. I’m achieving at least 900km with $77 of Diesel. 216D should be able to do the same. 

[zhongliangong]

Sure - the prius with TNGA has a good ride and cornering too. Had a taxi driver give it a slightly spirited drive on chancery lane. I'm not averse to driving taxi/PHV cars - I'd be happy with an Opel Astra Estate Diesel, E220d etc.

The Prius used to be the ugliest car on the road, but we've worked through the 7 stages of grief by now culminating in grudging acceptance, and the new pig-nosed BMW M3/4 series has now grabbed the title for itself.

If mileage is mostly highway, the fuel consumption of the Mazda 6 might not be too much worse. It does have an even better ride and cornering. And a much nicer look and feel both inside and outside the car. Something like this is 72k for 6+ years left https://www.sgcarmart.com/used_cars/info.php?ID=999866&DL=1307

If this was 2022 - I'd say Camry Hybrid 2.5L. But it's still around 100k mark. Road tax aside, it's incredibly fast in real life - as seen when I tried to cut one. 

Would not get an attrage(dy) since it's super slow to accelerate. Seen even experienced grab drivers wait a long while for gaps in traffic before daring to merge. I've rented one and spent half the time stomping the gas pedal. (Same for last generation Nissan Note no-Power, e-Power sounds more promising but might be a bit higher than price range)

[Fcw75]

38 minutes ago, Picnic06-Biante15 said:

If you can budget $80k, go and go for a brand new car with at least minimum 3 years maintenance taken care off.

Hyundai Avante or Kia Forte

 

Both above his budget of 80K bro.

[Soya]

3 hours ago, tudorpapa said:

Yeah. I am not particular about if it is a PHV car a not. So yeah, to me is just a transport for my work and family. Thanks for the recommendation. I have arranged a viewing and will be checking out today.

Lol....u sound like a (unscrupulous) used car dealer's dream customer 

Be ready to be sold a "1 owner (Lion City Rental), low mileage (odometer clocked), new paint (repainted coz accident b4) Vezel. Previous owner was a retiree/teacher/housewife who only used the car to send kids to school n go to the spa."