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Local vs non-local cars

As i was preparing for my examinations for the coming week, i decided to take a little break by doing some online car-surfing and look through the various new models available in the Malaysian market currently as i was planning to purchase one myself next year. As i was looking through a Myvi online brochure that was readily available at the Perodua website, my wife asked me something that must have crossed many to-be car owners and car enthusiasts alike; “Which is better? A local car or an overseas brand?” Now, though i have no definite answer for that age-old question, i do have some opinion in regards to the local versus non-local car debate.

Comparing the same model and class

A lot of potential car owners these days make the funniest mistake in comparing different car models to one another. A good issue i read in an online car forum the other day would be that a fellow (with good intention) heavily compared Perodua and Naza. According to his statement, quote; “Naza cars will suck your money dry and is not worth it. Just go for a Myvi lah since it is cheaper and malaysian made” (source is left out due to agreement with author). At first i was taken back by such a straight forward notion at such a great brand, so i dug deeper into the reason in why a person would go to such length to describe a company. I found out later that he was making a comparison of the Naza Citra (a 2.0cc compact mpv) to the Perodua Myvi (1.3cc supermini hatchback). When you look at the big picture, of course the Bigger compact MPV would cost more and consume more fuel in comparison to a supermini hatchback. So, when comparing brands and cars, I’ve learnt to compare same models to make all justification fair

Services and Spare parts

When it comes to the issue of spare parts and servicing, the verdict for local versus non-local cars would be heavily one sided. Oversea cars are known to always carry with it a complication in finding spare parts or costly servicing fees and the lack of servicing centers. With that said, this doesn’t mean that cars that are not locally assemble are a hassle to own. When selecting a car, be it local or not, servicing centers are usually stated by the car salesman or the car dealer. If it is not mentioned, make an effort to find a trustworthy servicing shop nearest to your location for convenience. After all, why go through all the trouble of getting an overseas car to not care about it, right?

Price versus Quality

The Chinese culture has a saying that goes; A cent for every piece of quality, which basically means that you get what you paid for in terms of quality. Pay more = Higher quality. Though it is well phrased, this saying does not fully illustrates the automobile industry in our country. Local cars are known to be as durable as any car manufactured else where. In fact, I’ve personally seen cars that costs anywhere around RM100k and above that has the manufacturing quality of a local car and vice versa.

In other words, local or not, the end choice and opinion will always lie in the hands of every potential buyer out there. Sure our local cars may be lacking in a few minor issue here and there, but the final verdict for cars worldwide is that the quality and rating of a car is in the eyes of the beholder.