1995 Proton Persona SEi review from UK and Ireland
"Seriously underrated when they first emerged and a good reliable if unfashionable buy today"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
Odometer failed @ 85000 miles
direction indicator unit fell out 110,000
wiper mechanism failed @ 90,000 miles.
General comments?
I bought this car on my brother's advice as he rated it as good value for money. Thinking it was some kind of Malaysian Lada I was in some doubt, but went ahead anyway.
In all the years I have had the car it has been driven hard, very hard and I have only fully serviced it twice in 140,000 miles, but I have changed the oil and filter every six thousand plus cam belt changes. It has never failed to start or get me where I'm going thanks to its road tested Mitsubishi ancestry.
It is sitting on my drive now about to be dispatched to the scrap yard after I discovered the garage who first changed the rear pads at 135,000 miles hadn't actually bothered to put the pads in and the value of the car doesn't warranty the expense. Regrettable. I'm having to say goodbye to the best car I have ever owned. I have abused it and it has re-payed my neglect with stunning reliability - I have paid only £120 for non consumable items.
It's a lovely performance engine too with 113 ps which I redline incessantly and the adequate handling is best matched by all round Michelin Energy tyres. It just comes back for more.
The failure of the garage means I know just how far a pair of Proton pads will travel on a thrashed car - 160,000 on the rear with the front doing 120,000 miles.
Don't trust the dealers though, they have to invent work on these cars.
My car goes to the scrap yard after years of abuse with its original cat (despite spending its life in lead polluted SE England), original shockers, gearbox, brake disks and at least two original pads.
Bad points:
Carpets and interior upholstery don't match the metal quality.
The ride is a little hard, but this suits the more potent 1.6.
In 1985 you would say the handling was on the good side of fair.
What do I buy now?
I can spend 1000 on a 60,000 miler with high confidence it will do 100,000 miles with little or no servicing.
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| A lot of car for little money |
| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | Yes |
| Year of manufacture | 1995 |
| First year of ownership | 1997 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2003 |
| Engine and transmission | 1.6 Manual |
| Performance marks | 8 / 10 |
| Reliability marks | 9 / 10 |
| Comfort marks | 5 / 10 |
| Dealer Service marks | 0 / 10 |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 9 / 10 |
| Overall marks (average of all marks) | |
| Distance when acquired | 24000 miles |
| Most recent distance | 160000 miles |
| Date of Entry | 18th December, 2003 |