Anyway, here are some of our conversations that I find interesting. Edited to be in the nicest tones;
Friend : Why are you so angry with them buying Mercedes? Would you be happy if they were to buy other makes, lets say Honda or Toyota?
Me : I'm angry because at times like this when leaders were asking us to spend wisely, they go on and buy new luxury cars. I wouldn't say I'll be happy if they chose other cars but maybe less angry. But why luxury cars like Mercedes and not Toyota?
Friend : So what you're saying is that they should have not change their cars at all even with all the problems they are facing with the Perdana? There's no definite answer to your question. Maybe they are McLaren-Mercedes fans? or maybe they love Germans technology? You have to ask them-lah
Me : They could have at least start by ordering an audit on the service and maintenance charges, file a complain with Proton, send their cars to Puspakom and check with other state government if they are facing the same problems.
Friend : That's true but come on-lah, if you are driving a Perdana for 4 years would you replace it with a Perdana again? I'm sure you'll want to try other models. I put half the blame on Proton. They should have come out with bigger range on executive cars. At least people could change their Perdana to let's say Proton Gemilang. So then there's no reason for them to change to other makes at all.
Me : Why didn't I think of that? But still they had just been using it for 4 years. I know people who has been driving their Perdana for more than 5 years without any major problems. Maybe they should also check on how their drivers are driving the car. Car abuser maybe? haha
Friend : Could be, since it is not all of their cars saddle with high repair bills. Anyway, we should not look at the years numbers, instead we should look at the clocked mileage. Your friend might had only clocked less than 200k mileage trips during his use of the car. On the other hand, the Perdana used by the state leaders might have clocked doubled than that in their 4 years of service. So again maybe that's the reason for that.
Me : That's my point. They should have send it for checks. Maybe the reasons for high maintenance is because of the high mileage whereby they had to change certain major parts. I'm sure if they were to use the Mercedes just like they have been using the Perdana, it would also incurred the same costs or more. Some parts you need to order from Germany, okay.
Friend : Okay, I get it. But what about the safety issues? The Mercedes has ABS, EBS, Airbags and what not. Perdana is surely lacking in that department.
Me : True. Proton just need to improve on that but I'm sure since the Perdana are meant for government leaders, they would have given them the best quality control and parts or other safety enhancements that we do not know of. Anyway, I've never driven an E200K. Is it really fuel economical compared to Perdana?
Friend : Well, depends really but I do think so. The technology is up to date and powered by a 1.8 litre supercharger delivering good horsepower and torque so it should get up to speed quickly, less strain to the engine and allows smoother driving which at the right driver should translate into better fuel consumption. Certainly not in your hands.
Me : Okay but what about overall costs? Purchase price, maintenance, fuel etc. Would it be really be cheaper in the long run?
Friend : I'm sure their state economic planning unit has done the research and calculations . Perhaps some of the researchers have made a long term test drive to prove their claims. Maybe they also got a good deal on the price, guaranteed buy back rates and thrown in some good warranties.
Me : At around 240+k per car, they better be. Mind you they can get about 31 Perdana for that price and that at retail price. Government orders would be far cheaper.
My friend's remarks left me thinking deep. My mind was full of questions and I need to find some justification. So here's my "neutral" summary based from the discussion and news reports;
1. Long term but don't know how long, the E200K is cheaper to run than the Perdana more so if you use it frequently and over long distances.
2. Mercedes gaining free publicity while their rivals are cursing their luck. I hope they could come out with more studies like this. Perhaps comparing BMW 320i and Audi A6 over long term periods. Who needs Autocar?
3. If the federal leaders can't do anything about it, the floodgates will open and spills to other states. They would really need to re-check their policies.
4. Proton you better buck up and deliver us better cars and wider range of models, especially for those upper class customers.
Now where's the Cycle & Carriage phone number, we need to book one fast. Like I wrote, its proven and endorsed by the state government to be cost effective in the long runs. Be a prudent consumer so don't wait and haggle with your calculator. Take out your cheque book and head over to the nearest showroom. Buy now before it runs out of stock. Happy National Consumers Day!
