Proton S16 for $11,990 driveaway- Good or bad for the market? (1 Viewer)

[seremify007]

Rather than the usual rate this car kind of thread, we all know it's going to be a crapbox. Yes my family has one of these milo tins on wheels with a small engine, but what we're asking here is Good or bad for the market?

On one hand, it offers a brand new car (with supposedly new car warranty and reliability) for a low price, but then it skimps on several key features (disc brakes all round for example, only offers single airbag). This is very reminiscent of the old Hyundai Excels when they first launched (i.e. cheap, nasty but hugely successful at gaining marketshare) but at least it again offers the budget conscientious drivers (e.g. students) a way of getting into a new car and not having to worry about the potential for rotten eggs in the used car market... on the presumption Proton has stepped up their game in building cars though Shouldn't be as bad as a used car requiring an overhaul I'd say.

So what does BoS think?

If you don't know much about the Proton S16 or Proton Saga as it's otherwise known (bear in mind Australian specifications are considerably superior to Malaysian specifications- beats me why this is... lots of conspiracy theorists are willing to argue it out though on paultan!), check out the following links:

Official site: Proton Cars Australia - S16 - The New Sedan

Reviews/Comments:
Proton S16 - Proton goes sub-$12,000 | GoAuto
http://www.caradvice.com.au/40739/proton-s16-announced-as-new-low-cost-sedan/
Proton S16 cheapest car | Review | carsguide.com.au

My thoughts on the subject
- Good that cars are more affordable as it drives overall market prices down
- Bad that it skimps on key safety features, but then I reason it as saying it's still safer than riding a bicycle in traffic or something to that effect
- After driving one it's perfectly suitable for small commuting (e.g. to/from school, to/from shops, etc...) but I wouldn't want to do anything long distance or extended highway driving in it
- It's pretty tinny when you knock on the side of it!
- I'd consider used cars but chances are in the <$12k bracket, there isn't a whole lot of high quality examples which are going to be much safer than this car whilst still keeping maintenance costs down.

 

[quik.]

12k offers a wealth of used cars to choose from, personally a warranty that limits the work I can do to the car myself (to save $$$) + the depreciation from buying a brand new car would not be worth it at all

 

[Azamakumar]

I'd avoid it based solely on the depreciation come resale time.

 

[seremify007]

Did Excels get hit badly by depreciation in their first few years relative to other new cars in that segment? I remember some significant issues which needed recalls to rectify back in the day...

 

[Azamakumar]

I imagine. Hyundais aren't renowned for their reliability, though I must say excels would have to be up there for bang for buck used cars. Regardless, the badge is going to hurt the resale more than anything else about that car will.

 

[seremify007]

I was talking to my gf about the Proton S16 and how it was the cheapest car on the market... she thought the Holden Barina was. So we went to Holden and asked for the driveaway price for the cheapest Barina in manual- $13,990 for this week only, and $16-17k come next week when driveaways are no longer included in the price. Yay for free sunroof but after hearing this, I don't think that the S16 is such a bad deal after all.