Decent car for starter: 1997 Proton Wira 1.6XLi
It is all started in 2005 when my uncle bought a second hand 1995 Proton Wira 1.5 GL where he proudly show it to my family member. Like most of the millennial kids, I'm naturally grow an instant liking to this particular model of the car. It does give me the urge to own it someday as a remembrance of occasion. Coupled with the 'WiraEvo' craze at the time, what not to love!
It is all started from this car, circa 2006
Fast forward to 2016 after I've finished my secondary school, the urge to own a Wira still there. I were actively looking for one in pristine condition. Then it was a fateful day where my uncle decided to sell one of his Wiras and I was immediately put a deposit. It was a fuss free purchase experience. Now let's get back to the main course.
Pros
-> Punchy engine. It is powered by a SOHC 4G92 engine which is quite powerful at the time. Thanks to SOHC configuration, it have a good acceleration and very rev-happy too. Pretty great for daily use and occasional adrenaline rush.
Powered by a 4G92 SOHC engine paired. Sweet engine!
-> Fuel consumption. Surprisingly, it have a very good fuel consumption for an auto car in the 90s. I managed to get about 400KM with RM50 worth of fuel (RM2.20 at that time) provided that I drive it long distance which was absolutely great. Probably due to the fact that I have the engine overhauled after I bought the car and the use of low viscosity engine oil were the contributing factor to it.
-> Spare part is dirt cheap. Parts for this particular car is so easy to source and at a relatively affordable price which is great as I don't have to waste my time and effort to source the part to repair it.
-> Easy to work on. It is a DIY friendly car and I usually maintain the car myself as I sort of handy with car. It does not really take much effort to maintain it if you were willing to get your hand dirty.
-> Very smooth automatic gearbox. The gearbox have a fuzzy logic function which means that the gearbox adapt itself and shift the gear according to your driving style. (I could be wrong, please correct me lol). Ease your right foot and the gearbox somehow behave like a cvt in third and fourth gear as you hardly feel the shift shock when you drive it.
-> Decent ride and handling. The use of multi link suspension at the rear does give the car a firm and good composure on the highway drive. It is quite comfortable too as I hardly hear my rear passenger complain when driving on uneven pavement in 'Pain Borneo'.
Cons
Not every car are perfect in any sense so here are the cons of the car
-> Auto gearbox. Although I praise the gearbox for being smooth, it tends to fail prematurely like many other 1.6 auto. Replace the clutch packs and a set of o-rings coupled with the addition of ATF cooler would surely improve the longevity of the gearbox by a long shot.
-> Questionable QC. Among of the reason why Proton were criticized badly in their early day. Power window tends to break down easily even though it an easy fix. Meter tends to go wrong as well along with many other imperfections but my biggest gripe was the rust on the bonnet and the roof. First batch model wira until 2000 model tend to rust easily and it cost quite a bit to replace the roof as it require a good welding work and dismantle a lot of stuff.
-> Easy to get stolen. Unfortunately it is quite easy to get stolen as most of them only want the wira for the parts. So please be careful especially when parking in obscure place.
-> Horrible aftermarket upholstery (Personal). The door cards and the seats were entirely upholstered with a zebra-esque pattern upholstery and my friends keep chiding me on it as if it was a zoo LOL🤣. It is a pain in the ass to remove the upholstery as well. Among of the reason why I did not put the interior picture as well!
Simply loves the sleek look of the car
Q. Do you enjoy your car throughout the year of ownership
A. Absolutely! Aside from the imperfection of the car which I did not really bother much (except for replacing the roof), it was a great ownership experience to drive a national pride and it was kind of a jack of all trades kind of car too as it can be practical and great for day to day commute with a good reliability provided with a good maintenance.
Q. Do you still keeping it as for now?
A. Unfortunately no, the car involved in a bad accident and I sold most of the remaining functional part of the car to cover the loss. It was the most heartbreaking moment during my ownership with the wira. I ended up getting myself a Honda SM4 afterward. That would be another story for another time.
Q. Would you encourage younster to get themselves a used Wira?
A. Why not? It is a good budget car for starter. However please take a good research when you looking for one. Rust, undercarriage, interiors, engine and gearbox should be inspected when buying it. No matter how great the condition it is, please be prepared to for out at least a couple of grand for the preventive maintenance and wear and tear parts since it is a used car.
To conclude, it was a great car for those who wish to own it for a period of time as you don't have to paying loan for a new car which would depreciate over the time. A proton Wira does depreciate too but for a 20+ years car it depreciate at a minimum rate and you might probably sell it at the same price when you purchase it. However, exercises to manage your expenditure and personal finance was still important too as many unexpected things bounds to happened without we knowing it.
(P.S. It was my personal opinion, please enlightened me if I was wrong)
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Hara Michiyo
0
Good review, thank you for sharing
4 Jul
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Celery Chu
0
It's really a old car
2 Jul
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elvis chai
0
I got a WIra before, And I think it could be the best car I ever owned
30 Jun
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30 Jun
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