USED CAR: Perodua 850

Perodua is very much a small car specialist and builds some excellent vehicles in this class. Its Kancil, Kenari and Kelisa are amongst the best-selling cars in Malaysia and this has allowed Perodua to enjoy a certain degree of success, mainly because of the company's excellent reputation for building reliable compact cars and selling in much larger numbers than Proton in recent years, notwithstanding the success of their Myvi.

As Perodua recently announced that the Kancil will be discontinued sometime in 2008, perhaps it is  timely to take a look at the Kancil 850 (I am not looking at the Kancil 600 as I find it to be too basic and the engine beyond acceptable for the average family of today in terms of power and consumption) for those who may contemplate buying a used one in future.

The first generation Kancil 850 is now some 11 years old and it still can be a worthwhile used buy as long as you know what to look out for. The asking price has never been this reasonable because since the launch of the Myvi, many Kancil 850 owners have traded up to the new and bigger model, thus flooding the used car market.

Interior space is surprisingly good in the front, but the back seat is pretty cramped for adults. Boot space is fairly small, but can be increased substantially by folding the seatback down. Ride comfort and general levels of noise are not good as after a few years the rubber mounts and rubber linings have all deteriorated and most first owners would have opted not to spend money renewing these items.

One important fact is that these compact cars are not really suited to long distance Malaysian family trips, as you have to work their little 3-cylinder engines hard to keep them moving uphill along Cangkat Jering and across Genting Sempah. Even worse, when you load up the car with 4 or more adults. In situations like this, the car’s little engine takes a lot of strain and all the components are worked extra hard as compared to a midrange sedan like a Corolla, Sunny or Proton Wira. Low gearing and light weight means it gives more performance than you might expect, but you do have to work at the gearbox to get decent acceleration in undulating territory.

The Kancil 850 was sold with both a manual and an automatic transmission. The manual box is a nice little 5-speed unit but the automatic transmission only comes with three forward ratios and can be pretty noisy and strained on the highway when just passing the speed limit.
 
Now if you have decided on this car to purchase, the sourcing will not be difficult as there are many on the used market. Spares are generally easy to find. Prices aren't too bad, though they can be high in relation to the value of an old car that's now only worth a few thousand ringgit. Many junkyards still have parts and half-cut versions, which come with a variation of turbo-fed engines and interestingly comfortable interiors. Mechanics will find working on these little cars a pain because there's not a lot of room under the bonnet. For anything more than minor jobs, it's often better to simply remove the engine for proper access to it.
 
The tiny Daihatsu-based engines in all Peroduas are well built and inherently reliable, but can suffer at the hands of drivers who thrash them along to keep up with the traffic and when used for midnight city racing. When you find a car you like (make sure that it is not modified or have been abused by the previous owners with ‘go-faster’ bits), check that the engine starts within a second or so of turning the key, even when cold. It should idle at a steady speed, though the 3-cylinder layout means it’s never super smooth (so don't expect too much). During the test drive, feel for hesitation when accelerating and look for black or white smoke from the exhaust when you are getting away from the lights or working the car hard up a hill.

After the drive, look for fumes from the oil filler when you remove the filler cap. Also feel for excessive heat in the engine bay. Try some fast changes down through a manual gearbox, feeling for hesitation and listening for crunching sounds. Check the clutch isn't slipping during fast take-offs.

Have a good look over the complete interior, paying special attention to the condition of the driver's seat and the floor mat in front of it. Severe wear on the pedals, seats and handles would indicate heavy mileage. Look over the lower parts of the body, including those that are out of sight, for rust, but the cars are normally given a good coat of protection at the factory. If there is excessive rust, then there might have been accident damage. Now for the magic statement. The price. A 10-year old Kancil 850 automatic with just one owner and no accident damage should be going for around RM9,000 at this time, which makes it a good first purchase or second family car.