Owner Review: A perfect car to daily commute for around RM3,000 - Proton Savvy 2005 (Manual) 

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Basic information

Proton Savvy 2005 (Manual) 

Reasons why I bought this car

I needed a daily driver as my current car will be used by my brother to go campus as well as his daily commute. With a limited budget and not wanting a hire purchase loan, I have opted for cars that are not too old and is able to purchase in cash. Then Proton Savvy came under my radar. 

Car selection process

• I had a budget of RM10,000.00
• Models that I have considered include: Proton Saga BLM, Proton Gen-2 

I wanted something cheap and can be brought by cash, and soon I surveyed the market and come through Proton Savvy. Many non-car enthusiasts would not even know Proton Cars launched the Savvy back in 2005 and that's because the sales were so poor and were out shadowed by the legendary Perodua Myvi. 

User experience

• I have already done 3,500 km.

Proton Savvy's resale value was one of the worst I have ever seen, you can probably get one now at RM2000-5000 depending on condition (got mine for RM3K+), and I think it was a misconception that a French engine is deemed unreliable and expensive to maintain. I wanted to clarify, Proton Savvy comes in 2 transmission option, one is the automated-manual transmission(AMT) and the other is a 5-speed manual. Yes, the AMT is such a pain in the ass to maintain as there is much more parts needed to service and parts don't come cheap. The manual which I am driving however, works like a charm. But one bad apple can spoil the bunch, and somehow the AMT Savvy has destroyed the whole resale value of the Savvy,  then there are also some "smart" people which badmouthed it before even doing some research on the car. 

Pros & Cons

Pros

• Extremely good fuel consumption 
• Superb handling 
• Comfortable and spacious for a hatchback

Cons

• The Savvy has a lot of sensors and those sensors need periodic cleaning. TDC sensor for example. 
• Manual car loh, traffic jam is a pain in the ass. 
• The whole Savvy production has a lot of paint defect, a lot of them has paint crack after just 5-10 years
• The headlights material is probably one of the worst in Proton lineup at the time, almost all Savvy's light has turn yellowish

Ratings

Total Score: 4
Performance: 5
Quality & Features: 2
Space: 5
Ride Comfort: 4
Fuel Economy: 5
Price & Cost: 5

Summary

Now that I've owned one and bringing it up for its first touge, the Savvy took the twists and turns of Hulu Langat like a hot knife through butter, taking corners confidently and handle itself so well. Yes straight line speed 150KM/H max (1.2L D4F Engine), but my goodness this car was built for the corners, find a Savvy and test drive it, then you'll understand what I said. 

Lastly, any interesting events?

As I mentioned above that this car has a lot of sensors, on a fine day itself my car couldn't start. There is no engine lights on or anything, the car can be cranked but it can't be started. towed the car to the nearest workshop and scanned OBD turns out that my meter lights were burned and need to change one of the bulbs in the meter, after that the car can be started perfectly. The foreman told me that the error from the ECU is preventing the engine to be start for safety measures but I guess that's how the French works. Impressed by the safety measure. 

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