[philipcyl]

Hi,

i own a trouble free waja 2001 blue auto. I have been using it for 3 years
now almost trouble free.

I read about the kangoo's petrol consumption and i know the waja probably
uses more petrol than the kangoo. So, if there is any kangoo owners who
want a waja with the knowledge about how the petrol consumption is higher,
we can maybe make a 1 to 1 exchange.

I am really keen to try the kangoo but i don't have sufficient budget for
it. The only other way is to sell my waja to end users instead of to car
dealers. In that way, i can have enough money to get a kangoo - of course
not the new ones.

So, if you know of anyone who is happy to make barter trade - a one to one
problem free kangoo exchange with a one to one problem free waja, please
let me know.

Thanks! my sms 016 2029005

[chkwong]

Keep your waja, since you said yours is quite trouble free.

[philipcyl]

you mean kangoo can be quite problematic? If that 's a honest experience I
really appreciate that.

Yesterday I went to see a kangoo and was immediately impressed by the
spacious interior. Very tempting. How 's the air cond by the way? I need to
fetch foreign friends around quite a bit. SO 2 things that will be a
nightmare are

1.) aircond not cold enough
2.) the car stalls in the middle of the road

With the regular service, I must make sure that these 2 things must never
happen.

Thanks

[chkwong]

The interior is very very spacious and practical. Full size adult size
with proper 3-point belt. Air cond was rather lousy. If Kangoo is your
preferred choice, you might as well get a new unit. It got rear blower.
The 1st gen here don't have it. Almost bought one few years ago, but the
air cond was a big let down. Otherwise, it's quite a comfortable vehicle.
I would rather buy new than 2nd hand for conti cars.

[philipcyl]

Yes, if air cond is not cold, it goes quickly down my list. cold air cond
is a must in a hot country as far as i am concern.

guess i will have to hold on with my waja and bear the heavy petrol
expenses at the moment. if only natural gas is made available in every
petrol station. my waja problems will be quickly solved by just fitting in
a ngv tank.

also eying the avanza and kembara.

[enoch007]

Hi Philipcyl,

If I were you I`d anytime keep the Waja as its way much more reliable
than the Kangoo or any continental car for the matter of fact. Waja`s
average fuel consumption is about RM 0.18 per km whilst the kangoo should
be about RM 0.14 but you`ll definitely end up spending a lot more than
the RM 0.04 gain per km on maintaining your Kangoo due to the exorbitant
cost of spare parts. Besides, its a known fact that most conti cars,
especially 2nd ones, tend to suffer from reliability issues due to the
complexity in vehicle design and the advance features incoporated in the
vehicle so you`ve got to be prepared to punch card at your specialist
workshop frequently. Also do not forget that most conti vehicles tend to
have less than satisfactory air-cond performance so you`re really asking
for trouble swapping your Waja.

I own a conti car but as much as I enjoy the ride and handling, I hate
the maintenance and the air-conditioning system. Ofcourse you can do a
total makeover and fit in a brand new high capacity air-conditioner but I
feel it`s not worth the hassle and the money unless you`re really so
passionate about that particular vehicle.

[philipcyl]

enoch007

THANKS so much for your honest observation. Especially, when it is coming
from someone who owns a conti. Yes, i did take the trouble to test out a
kangoo today. And yes, the experience was great as far as the comfort and
controlling of the car is concern but definitely not happy with the air
cond.

Now, from your feedback, it seems that maintainence can be problematic
also. Wonder why that part of the problem continues until today. Some
people blames it on the difference of weather conditions. But i have a
feeling it must be more than that. Even in european countries, they go
through hot seasons too.

[enoch007]

No prob, you're most welcome! Well regarding your question on why the
reliability of continental cars tend to suffer over here, its basically
because of two things.

1.) Most conti cars are fitted with a lot of electronics and features not
found on Japanese cars so there's more room for things to go wrong.

2.) There is not enough local expertise to maintain continental cars.
Official dealers to have the relevant equipments needed but their charges
are quite exorbitant which drives away customers from frequenting them
after the warranty period is over. This is the root cause of the problem
as customers take their vehicles to outside mechanics who know nuts about
the vehicle and mess it all up in their means of solving a small problem.

Once a vehicle is messed up, its basically an endless journey of trouble
for the owner which sooner or later would give up on it and sell it off
pasing the problem to the 2nd owner who is not only ill informed but most
likely not as financially well off to maintain the car causing it to
deteriorate further and finally end up being sold of as scrap for a dirt
cheap price. Sad to say but thats the truth of what happens to most
continental vehicles over here.

[philipcyl]

enoch007,

Thanks. your reasoning makes sense. it is a real pity because a conti does
have difference in terms of comfort and handling.

In my quest to find cars that saves fuel, i am now looking at the honda
city. The problem is I have already chosen the waja 3 years ago and it was
quite expensive then. Now, it doesn't make good fianancial sense to trade
in and top up for cars which i could otherwise afford 3 years ago if i
hadn't chosen the waja. but i guess that is hhow life is.

[enoch007]

Hi Philipcyl,

Hmm....yes the Honda City makes more sense especially in the area of fuel
consumption but then again you'll loose a lot of the handling that you
currently enjoy on your Waja. Honestly, the Waja's handling is as good as
many mid range conti's but the only problem is its slightly underpowered
(especially the auto ones) for you to enjoy the handling to the limits
and thats why many people fail to see the Waja as a nice car.

In actual fact the Waja was based on the Renault 19, Opel Vectra and
another car which I can't recall at the moment. I drive both the Waja and
R19 quite often and personally feel the Waja handles much beter. The only
difference is the R19 has a wonderful engine that gives you an instant
kick the moment you step on the throttle and this helps you to truly
enjoy the handling of the car whereas in the Waja's case (especially the
auto ones),the lack of surge from the engine tends to make one drive in a
more civilized manner and thus the true potential of the car is often
unrealized unless one knows how to play with the gears.

I understand your concern on getting a more fuel efficient vehicle but
you've seriously got to sit down and weigh the pro's and cons before
selling off your Waja even for a 2nd hand City unless its a direct swap.
This is because if you do a thorough calcualtion, you may realize that
what you save in fuel may be just enough to offset the loss you end up
with due to trading in your car or worst still even less than the break
even point.Of course if you're thinking of getting a brand new car its a
different story altogether.