Starting To See A Few New Protons Around

[Pdaz]

The Proton dealer on sukhumvit down past South Pattaya has been open for a few Months now. I've been in the a couple of times as my GF was interested in buying a car (she ended up with a Jazz)

I've seen a few 'Savvy's and 'Satria Neo's' around town and the Neo looks like a well proportioned and sporty 2 door car.. Also pretty unusual for the Thai market there is even a twin cam VVT model with manual trans, sprts seats and body kit available. It must be the only 'hot hatch' type car here that doesn't cost 2 mllion+ baht..

I know that in the past Proton have received a fair bit of stick over their quality or older jap based designs but seeing as the own Lotus and are popular in the UK they might be a viable alternative to the boring Jazz/Vios/etc 4 door shopping boxes...?

[stingray]

The Proton dealer on sukhumvit down past South Pattaya has been open for a few Months now. I've been in the a couple of times as my GF was interested in buying a car (she ended up with a Jazz)

I've seen a few 'Savvy's and 'Satria Neo's' around town and the Neo looks like a well proportioned and sporty 2 door car.. Also pretty unusual for the Thai market there is even a twin cam VVT model with manual trans, sprts seats and body kit available. It must be the only 'hot hatch' type car here that doesn't cost 2 mllion+ baht..

I know that in the past Proton have received a fair bit of stick over their quality or older jap based designs but seeing as the own Lotus and are popular in the UK they might be a viable alternative to the boring Jazz/Vios/etc 4 door shopping boxes...?

Yes i totally agree. Every girls want a Jazz, because it's "stamped" in their brain, from their families, brothers, or their friends. Shoppingboxes is the correct word for this plastomat cars. I personally like the Neo. Neo is a Plastomat as well, but it looks at least more like a car. Design is good. engine is powerful as well. It looks silmilar as the Alfa Romeo Selespeed 3 door or the Volkswagen Scirocco, but the Neo is 70% cheaper. But i don't think it's 70% less in the quality. so for a 5++k i would consider to buy a Proton, why not?

[Grant]

I personally like the Neo. Neo is a Plastomat as well, but it looks at least more like a car

Agree, I like it. Especially for that price

[HDRIDER]

Hi

I dont like it, just the name scare me off, look at the old ones around, this one will get old as well

[beano2274]

Hi

I dont like it, just the name scare me off, look at the old ones around, this one will get old as well

The older ones did not use Lotus technology, the newer ones have.

See many of them in Bangkok, actually saw the promotion sport one with all the kit on and

looked fantastic, but not for sale.

[Pdaz]

Yes the old Proton Sagas you see in Malaysia don't seem to have weathered that well cosmetically.. But they are still chugging along.. so guess despite being agricultural and basic they have a resonable lifespan.

I'll agree that the interior of the basic Neo isn't very inspiring.. But the CPS model has leather, ABS and two airbags... A better level of equipment than Honda/Toyota. The build quality of Honda has always had a great reputation but I must admit I was disapointed with the interior of my GF's new shape Jazz.. It's been a while since I had been inside a Honda and I guess I was expecting more.. The switchgear is fine as are the materials.. But just seems very plasticky and un-exciting.. Guess they are just basic shopping type city cars are can't be expected to be plush. But after sitting in the VW Golf and a couple of other 'Hot hatches' in the UK a few Months back the difference was very apparent. Shame that the Civic type R, Suzi Swift GTI or even the Fiat 500 Abarth aren't available here at a reasonable price..

So despite the niggling doubts there really isn't anything on the Thai market to compare with the Neo..Is there ?

2 door hatch, 1600 cc-16v-VVT, 125hp, Multi link rear suspension, Leather, ABS, Airbags, Sporty looking - 650k Baht.. or 499k for the basic 1600 (similar looks less power and accesories)

Nearest I can think of is the Mini - 2.4 milion.. Yes a much better car but not worth the 2mil premium IMHO..

Guess I'm just kinda bored with a truck and want to try a back to basics sporty hatch.. might be like having an XR2/3 or early Golf Gti again ? They were cheap and cheerful but fun drives in their day..

Edited May 15, 2009 by Pdaz

[HDRIDER]

HI

I see what you mean, but what car do you think have the best resale in about 3 years, Proton, Toyota, Honda??

Lotus have never made the best cars, remember Lotus Europa my God all sort of problems, also the Esprit.

[Pdaz]

Guess resale is way down my list of priorities.. Drive it for 2 years and part-ex it for whatever I fancy then.. There is very little depreciation here anyhow.. Even 10 yr old sh1tboxes still go for 300k.

Yes I know what you mean. I had a lotus esprit in the UK and a TVR too.. Both low volume cars and though fun to drive not always reliable and bits did tend to fall off.. All par for the course if I had wanted less fun more build qual I would have bought a Honda.. Guess it's all down to priorities.. but just thinking of the cheap fun factor and may be a good base car to modify and play around with..and as I have said b4 I hate small capacity autos and 4 doors.. All the other manufactures only offer auto for their larger capcity cars.. Civic 2.0 is only availble with auto. same from Accord 3.0 and Camry 2.3/3.5 ... oh and they have four doors too.. Only other option is to buy old 2 door civic.. but most have been bu88ered by shoddy Thai mechanics and modifiers.. I'm hoping that new Proton will be more reliable and cleaner than 10yr old civic...

Edited May 15, 2009 by Pdaz

[katabeachbum]

Proton Savvy was just in a test in Bangkok Post with 11 other small cars. Engineered by Lotus. Came in last, beaten by Koreans, Japs, Euro you name it. But if you want a 2-door manual and cant afford a Scirocco, ok

[LeungKen]

Please may I nudge this thread back to Protons, as I have a good friend interested in buying one, or similar.

cheers

Ken

PS Or are we to believe we have no Proton owners on Thai Visa

Edited to add postscipt

Edited May 15, 2009 by LeungKen

[Pdaz]

Proton Savvy was just in a test in Bangkok Post with 11 other small cars. Engineered by Lotus. Came in last, beaten by Koreans, Japs, Euro you name it. But if you want a 2-door manual and cant afford a Scirocco, ok

The Savvy is in the sub-mini class and has 4 doors. It's just an economy runabout.. It's very cheap and cheerful starting at 399k baht.. Don't think it's meant to be competition for a scirocco..

Actually I looked at the Scirocco at the Motor show.. And I'd buy one. value is good.. But only the Auto is available here with the least powerful engine.. No point.. It's almost imposible to find a performance oriented manual car with a large capacity engine unless it's very old or had an engine/gearbox swap.

You can search the internet ads for days.. auto, auto auto

That's why the Proton peaked my interest..

[kudroz]

I bought a Proton Savvy a few months ago as a secondary car to my Honda Accord 2008 2.4 EL Navi. The Savvy is a fun car to drive, I sometimes prefer to take the Savvy for a ride just because it's light, small and cheerful. The fake automatic transmission is a bit annoying, but I got used to it after a short while. Proton's customer service has been great, in many ways better than Honda's.

It's a cheap car and for trips around town it's fine. I'm a big guy and I've got ample space in the Proton.

Edited May 15, 2009 by kudroz

[HDRIDER]

Hi

Customer service? you should not need it for a new car, should you. My number 2 car is a Toyota, Probably the most boring car in the world, never ever anything wrong with it.

[katabeachbum]

Actually I looked at the Scirocco at the Motor show.. And I'd buy one. value is good.. But only the Auto is available here with the least powerful engine.. No point.. It's almost imposible to find a performance oriented manual car with a large capacity engine unless it's very old or had an engine/gearbox swap.

The Scirocco 2000cc direct injection turbo delivers 205hp from factory. In Audi Q5 350nm torque from 1400 to 4000 rpm. Chips it to 280 hp. gearbow 6 or 7? speed DSG. Thats a more efficient gearbox than any manual gear in the world. You just miss the foot operated clutch. At a very reasonable price for an imported car. Its just to small for me

[BSJ]

Proton have produced some forgetable cars in the past, but we don't live in the past!

With the new direction the factory have taken it would be a foolish person who didn't at least consider them.

[HDRIDER]

Proton have produced some forgetable cars in the past, but we don't live in the past!

With the new direction the factory have taken it would be a foolish person who didn't at least consider them.

Hi

Your right, but look at the price drop. new GEN 2 High line is 629.000 Cash, used one with only 10.000KM seen to 460.000 and i am sure you can get that price down, will like to see the price drop in about 1-2 years time, or you could say you have a car for life, because you will lose to much if you sell it. but the new one look great

[culicine]

Proton have produced some forgetable cars in the past, but we don't live in the past!

With the new direction the factory have taken it would be a foolish person who didn't at least consider them.

Hi

Your right, but look at the price drop. new GEN 2 High line is 629.000 Cash, used one with only 10.000KM seen to 460.000 and i am sure you can get that price down, will like to see the price drop in about 1-2 years time, or you could say you have a car for life, because you will lose to much if you sell it. but the new one look great

Yes there is one here: http://www.one2car.com/CarInfor/cardetails...90224&row=2 478K

I certainly wouldn't buy one new, but they should be good value second hand near new. Th real question will be reliability and has it improved over the last several years. But I can say the gen 2, to me, looks better than any car in its class at the moment. If its as reliable as honda/toyota, and you plan on keeping it quite a while, buy a newish second hand one. Test drive recommended fist though! haha

[PeaceBlondie]

My British neighbor bought a new 4-door Proton maybe 5 months ago, and likes it.

Lotus always had the best engineering but bad build quality.

[hakku]

There's not much Lotus in these cars and I think lotus would be ashamed if they were allowed to. The only lotus expertise is in the suspension so that makes it drive quite okay instead of hopeless. The rest of the car is junked together. They are NOT popular in the UK contrary to what someone else wrote earlier. They are cheap, they're nasty, they're plasticky. Any other car is better and comparing it with a Honda Jazz is an insult to the Jazz.

My 2c

It is a cheap way of getting from A to B but so is the bus

[stingray]

There's not much Lotus in these cars and I think lotus would be ashamed if they were allowed to. The only lotus expertise is in the suspension so that makes it drive quite okay instead of hopeless. The rest of the car is junked together. They are NOT popular in the UK contrary to what someone else wrote earlier. They are cheap, they're nasty, they're plasticky. Any other car is better and comparing it with a Honda Jazz is an insult to the Jazz.

My 2c

It is a cheap way of getting from A to B but so is the bus

So Proton is plasticly? What are the boring Vioses and Jazzes? Are they from steel? I guess it's all the same s .... Just a different style and for private purposes i would buy only the Proton. Especially the Neo would be my favorite, because not everyone like 4 door family boxes. Neo is 2 door. What opinion you have for 2 door sporty cars? Only a 15 year old Honda Civic with a low powered 1.5 liter carburetor engine and they still over 200'k in the used car market. Crazy isn't?

[tigerbeer]

i bought a civic a couple years back and have had shit customer service throughout. window switches had to be changed twice. something wrong with suspension when brand new and had to change all 4 tyres within 6 months. suggestions of a lawsuit was the only way that we got them to replace 3 of the 4 tyres.

nothing wrong comparing a proton to a honda. truth of the matter is that the Jazz is still a lot higher priced than a Satria Neo. not rocket science eh?

[JohnGotti]

its not rocket science to realize that its going be cheaper/better to buy from a company that does much higher volume. sounds like you just got unlucky.

[Wonderboy]

See many of them in Bangkok, actually saw the promotion sport one with all the kit on and

looked fantastic, but not for sale.

I was lucky. This far only two of those in Thailand. I got the one they exhibited at the Motorshow in Rayong. So far I am very happy with it. Bought it almost exclusively on looks. Maybe the sensible thing would be to buy a Honda/Toyota/Nissan, but this one looks so much better and for the price it was not hard to decide at all. Not more than 300km with it yet, so a little early to judge the build quality. Has 3 years guarantee so cant be that bad...

WB

Edited May 19, 2009 by Wonderboy

[Wonderboy]

There's not much Lotus in these cars and I think lotus would be ashamed if they were allowed to. The only lotus expertise is in the suspension so that makes it drive quite okay instead of hopeless. The rest of the car is junked together. They are NOT popular in the UK contrary to what someone else wrote earlier. They are cheap, they're nasty, they're plasticky. Any other car is better and comparing it with a Honda Jazz is an insult to the Jazz.

My 2c

It is a cheap way of getting from A to B but so is the bus

I might be wrong on this, but I think Lotus only was involved with the Neo. Exactly what they did I am not sure, but they claim "Handling by Lotus", so I think it would be at least the suspension. About plasticky, I would say it depends on what you compare them with. Not more plastic than what you find in a small Honda or Toyota. I an no particluar fan of Proton designs, but the Neo got me hooked. A Jazz might be a good car, but safe it is not. You are prone to fall asleep any minute driving it. It is just so dull and boring...

WB

[aussiebebe]

Does anyone have any experience of a Proton Persona NGV? I'd be interested to hear anyone's experience of them.

When compared to other 1.5litre engined car manufacturers, why is only Proton offering a factory-fitted NGV car? Are they more expensive for insurance?

[katabeachbum]

Does anyone have any experience of a Proton Persona NGV? I'd be interested to hear anyone's experience of them.

When compared to other 1.5litre engined car manufacturers, why is only Proton offering a factory-fitted NGV car? Are they more expensive for insurance?

Proton has many years of experience with CNG/NGV since almost all Kuala Lumpur taxis are Proton running CNG.

Insurance in LOS for new car is based on vehicles value/cover only.

Chevrolet Optra and Mitsubishi Lancer are other B/C segment cars offered with factory CNG. Toyota Corolla Altis too, now also with automatic.

[Pdaz]

Well after ummming and ahhing for at least 5 minutes I bought a Neo CPS.... 650k 2 airbags, ABS, leather.. VVT 1600cc.. 125 hp.. 2 door... Cheap as hel_l really. No it's not a Honda as far as build quality.. But for fun, handling and a decent manual gearbox it beats my girlfriends Jazz by a mile.. Even she she prefers to drive the Neo.. It't jusy much more of a drivers car... Certainly in europe it's no match for a Golf or a Clio.. But this is Thialand where the the one eyed man is king.. Who cares about resale. I just want a gearbox and two doors.. sounds great when the VVT kicks in at 4200 rpm..

Next stop..

four branch manifold, lower coilovers and a free flow exhaust..

enjoy your boring box... Lotus has had a lot more imput than you'd expect...

[INTJ]

Looks good

[culicine]

PDaz, you can get the neo with 125 hp engine and a manual?? It's not listed as an option on their website. That engine is only with the auto box. Did you have to order that especially? You 650K price is higher than thopse listed...have you got any interior pics? Nice looking car...

[tigerbeer]

The Proton Exora has also made it to Thailand. Good value for money and definately more worth than buying the overpriced Honda Freed.

will take a serious look at it for bringing the family around town and for school runs when i get done paying off my Honda CIvic next year.

Edited December 7, 2009 by tigerbeer