1996 Proton Tiara review from Malaysia

The drive shaft found damaged the second day I brought the car home.

It was leaking every heavy rain and the rear seat soaked with water.

The engine top cover gasket leaking causes the engine oil to spill all over the engine.

The engine is noisy and rough.

Difficult to start the car in the morning.

I bought my Tiara last November 2002 and I am the second owner. I bought it for RM9100 since it was in the original condition without any touch-up from the used car dealer. The exterior was poorly taken care of and so was the interior. The rear and front bumper seems to nearly fall off.

What I did was, when I drove home the car, I washed it clean, the whole body and the inside, though there are still scratches and stain spots all over it. I repaired the bumpers myself and checked some of the engine component which I know a bit about. I have changed the drive shaft which cost me RM265 each (L & R) and the front engine cover gasket unit.

I recently noticed that somewhere near the carburetor unit there is petrol leakage. When I drive to and from work from Sentul to Subang Jaya with the air-conditioning on... it costs me RM10 for 3 trips to-from-to work... there is a water leakage found at the rear of the car which causes the rear seat to be soaked with water whenever there is heavy rain.

Further more, the engine is sounds rough and noisy though I am inside the car with all windows closed driving 100km on the freeway. I read some of you guys comment, which claiming that the car is smooth and quiet... correct me if I'm wrong. I was thinking to overhaul the engine and lower the car which right now looks like a 4 wheel drive! Please advise.