Will you do this? Just share yr views, thanks...

Ah Wei SG

Dear all,

Hi....... i always wanted a car that is relatively sporty and fast to certain extend, but can't afford it cos of many factors like insurance, pricing and maintenance etc.

Today, out of curiousity went to test drive the Ignis Sport for fun, esp hearing so many good reviews about it.

To my surprise.......... the car is really a cheerful little car, and can sure outrun many cars ard. Rammed the rpm to 6000 rpm at gear two and already reach 80km/h plus. Not too bad for such a performance car. Quite like it, even though its not in the league of other performance car but the price as well.

Now the headache part is, I'm considering if I wanna buy this car, cause theorytically I am driving a better car now, and below are the factors that I consider comapre this two cars. My current ride is a 2nd hand 2001 Civic 1.5 Vti ES8 (Auto). Money wise about the same cause the car price drop significantly now so basically, the price of maintaining these two cars is about the same. So pls do not factor in price issue. Even insurance is about the same.

For the change:-
1) Old car (3 yrs 7mnths) change to a brand new one.
2) Sportier car (suits my age 25-30) , and four doors become two, haha.....
3) Faster car , more powerful then the civic ES8
4) If to keep my civic, need ard $1000-1500 for a big servicing cause of wear and tear.
5) All in one package, with sport rims, body kit, fog light all in already )thus save some money when got the car).

Against the change:-
1) Consider downgrade? (no offence to SIS owners, just opinion to some)
2) Big car change to smaller car.
3) 5 seaters become 4 seaters, troublesome if have kids in a few yrs time.
4) No doubt civic slower in pick-up, but more comfy over all, esp long drive.
5) Spend quite a sum of money on lips, for lights, spoiler, 16" rims and other accessories.

So guys and gals, will you guys change a 3 yrs old ES8 for a brand new IS if you are in my shoe? Appreciate all feedback.

Thank you.

ak0 SG

IS sport is a nice car.. insurance also not high.pocket rocket. suzuki also has a nice small and warm forum... the only bad thing is its three door. the package come with fg light sport rim and sport sit le.
if the 3 door does not bother u,its nice to have that car.

Theatre Of Dreams SG

from a lil boy's pt of view...

i've always loved this car from the start. never driven it, but it's no secret about its sweet performance, which is more or less derived from the jwrc racing version. thumbs up for its aesthetics, not loud, just nice enough with those kits, flared wheel arcs, and white rims.

problem is, you gotta have that passion for this ride. it costs abt 70k right? with this money, you have several other options of much spacious cars, altis etc. that's why i say, you gotta have the passion for its uniqueness, and not fret & regret afterwards about its limited space.

still, in overall, a really desirable car. have the looks and the performance to match. unlike, ermmm, mazda? heez no offence...

Praetorian111 SG

If you have the spare cash why not??

[email protected] SG

Yes I would. I drove a Swift GTi for awhile and I loved it. The SIS is probably like the Swift GTi, but improved, so I would certainly get that car if I could. Like u said, it’s really cheerful. I’d smile everytime I see a Swift GTi even now.

wbucket SG

Do you have the money? Insurance, I was thinking maybe 1k more than what you are paying now. Plus buying a nice car is always going to cost you, first year value drop and so on. So don't think about saving money, cause you don't.

Downgrade? Both are from different catorgory, one family, one sport, so it is just changing car groups. SIS is also a 5 seater, my kelisa can sit in 5 adults (including driver) of average 70kg, SIS can't? Thinking about kids? If you don't have fun now, you never will.

I think the only concern is the 4 door become 2 door. Definitely troublesome for passenger to get in and out. Both driver paying, so driver's comfort is the only important factor. Anyway, the car has a decent resale market, so take good care of it, then you can always sell it off a few year later and "upgrade" to other cars.

SIS, youth rally car model, actually it is consider performance car, but of a different cat again.

Ah Wei SG

Hi, thanks for the feedback........ and here's a few answer to the qns.......

i) I don't have much spare cash honestly cos just renovated my house. But the fact is that thanks goodness i do not have to come out any cash in switching the car. In fact, due to my low loan on the civic, might still get a couple of thousands back.

ii) Oh, the insurance for my civic and the IS is only SGD50.00 more, the civic more. Which came as a surprise to me as well.

iii) The ignis can seat four comfortably, and only has four seatbelt. The back center can squueze but that passenger will suffer. No seatbelt though.

iv) The price of the Ignis dropped till 63,500 only. If its in the region of 70k, i will definitely not consider it as the VTI-S manual only 75k, heh.......

v) And yes, my thinking is, if i dun drive a 2 door car now, not much chance already. I'm currently married and plan to have kid in 2-3 yr time. Time running out i guess, haha............... can't afford a better sport car at this moment anyway.

vi) Oh yes, is the SIS really consider PERFORMANCE car? some say its a coupe, some say its performance, some say a 3 door sedan, haha......... too many versions.

ANyway, at this moment of time, I'm still thinking......... heh...........

mach10 SG

Ahh, planning to have kids 2-3yrs time... beware, one day ur wife hot, den u tio, baby come out crying.
Thats when u blame your two-door. you never know about woman, when the change their minds, swifter den Suzuki...

ak0 SG

join the suzuki forum ,u will noe the car better and also ask for their advise.
http://forum.suzukiclubsingapore.com/
nice people in there.

roadrunner SG

Since u havent got a kid y not go 4 it. 2 doors is not a problem coz most of the time u'll be the driver.he he

ceecookie SG

but the Recaro race seats in the IS seems outdated...whats with the netting....

tailslide SG

not quite the replacement for the gti. the actual one should be coming later on this year. the swift 4 door is already available on the market now.

ignis sport and civic vti are built for a different purpose altogether. the ignis, while offering good performance per dollar, hardly matches up to the true bred hot hatches nowadays. in another aspect, it doesn't fall under the category of a family oriented vehicle either.

the civic on the other hand functions pretty well as a family car. while not as nippy on the accelerator as its predecessors, it does provide sufficient functionality for everyday commute.

i'd keep the civic if i were u. first, i dun wanna be caught neither here nor there in the hot hatch category. secondly, i dun have to worry bout making mother in law (or worse, your pregnant wife) going into a contortionist act each time she takes the back seat.

[email protected] SG

hmmm hey will VW bring in the 4 door Golf GTi to sg?

wbucket SG

I guess the first point already decide for you. Having that extra cash is going to be important. Even if you go a few thousand back, you wouldn't be able to down too much for SIS, meaning you have to take a bug loan for it and be stuck with it until it breaks even. Meaning with kids, also cannot sell. Think about it, with your loan on your present car so low, so when the kid cames, the car's installment should already be done, so that extra cash can go to the kids, "bird's saliva", "old ginger" (for your wife).

As for the place, any center passenger of the back of any car will feel uncomfortable. That is a fact. But are you buying a car to fetch people around? Driver's feel is top consideration.

Anyway, SIS is a model design for the youth rally tournament. So technically it is still a sports car. Until cars like Colt turbo, you see it in any race before?

My conclusion to you is do you have the MONEY to spare. Simply and straight.

mach10 SG

U like power? 2nd gear, 80Kmh @ 6000rpm no good enough. u can do better with a Vios 1.5 VVT-i. no need "sports".

But too bad its a normal sedan... Good thing is save $$ on price and petrol. car parts oso cheap... want it nice juz do up a little... tt car can fly also...
All da best!

tailslide SG

last i heard? yeah. think they'll be bringing that one in Wink

wbucket SG

2nd gear, 80Kmh @ 6000rpm sound great on paper, but as a driver, you should know it is the feel that counts. It is the feel he has when he tested SIS. Whether there is a need for "Sport" or not doesn't really matters. If it doesn't please your 5 senses, who cares if it is fast or not.

Anyway, from Civic to Vios, that would definitely be a down-grade. No point considering.

Ah Wei SG

Mach10,

Hi, thanks for your input as well. I test drove the Vios before also, an auto one at BM as its the only car for test drove. Did it on behalf of a friend, who end up getting the manual one after consulting my advise as auto one is really weak (no offence pls, but comparing it with my civic the transmission is sure rough). I know that the manual one is cheaper (than the IS), and definitely more powerful than the auto and my auto Civic, but as you can see, the number of Vios out there as compared to an IS, is like ratio 20:1 ? Maybe.. if I was to change a car, will make my car a not so common one on the road. Also, IS is more powerful than the Vios cause of the short ration between the gears.

Actually a few yrs back, Civic is not so common still until of recent one-two yrs, when the car price drop, then Civic start to get common. And I do agree with Wbucket for sure. To change a sedan to a sedan (Civic to Vios), its really a comparable downgrade. No offence once again as I find Vios a decent car too, just stating the fact and feel from my point of view. So I wont consider a Vios at this moment of time.

Wbucket,

You are right, its the feeling that counts. I always like fast car, and esp so after driving my brother SS2. Now got more kick for it. The feeling on the IS is nowhere close to the SS2 but for the price, I find it more than terrific, haha, especially the responsiveness of the IS. If Im still single, then maybe I wont think this much. My advise for those single driver who loves to have some trills. Go for the IS, its a good buy, esp now that its at 63k region. One yr ago it was ard 71-73k I believe. And yes, the car is not so common. Smile

Anyway, I just realized something today. While driving on the road this morning (at Woodlands), I saw an accident. The back of an Opel Corsa (hatchback) got badly smashed. It woke me up a little. Imagine if I have a small kid sitting right at the back of the IS, and it was involved in this accident (touch wood), I really cant imagine the impact on my kid. Maybe a hatchback is still not so good afterall for a family man, just my 2 cents worth.

Still like the IS, but after this morning, guess the urge to change to an IS has dropped at this moment of time. Heard COE is coming out soon, and we shall see how it goes, no hurry at this moment of time, at least I still have my civic around.

Anyway, once again thanks all for your kind input. Cheers~!

Ah Wei SG

WHat!!!

Champion motors raise the price of the IS by one thousand dollars after the weekend?!?!?!?!?!

The latest COE is not even out yet? Why the adjustment? Check a couple of other cars from other brand but nobody increase leh, why is this so?

Hmmmm.............. sianz~!!

mach10 SG

Haha, good thing mine is no vios... picked one test drive... 2nd gear can actually go at 90kmh drag... not too bad...