tough decision

i went with my parents today, to visit car showrooms of a few brands in ubi. i must stress first and foremost that, all this is being done for our "research" and not necessarily implies that we're getting anything new in the near future.

the sole distributor for toyota was first. then chevrolet, and kia. yes kia. in summary, the 3 toyota models we'd caught sight of were all assembled in thailand, i did a test-drive on the chevvy Aveo 1.4L with my parents in the back (hey it's my first time test driving anything), and kia... well they have models which are more... economically friendly. the picanto is a 1.1L with rear windows that are (still) manually wound, and the side view mirrors also manually adjusted. at least the sporty spiffy Cerato looks more appealing. at a higher price.

here's my headache. i'm not expecting any suggestions or alternatives to it, just putting it here just so you can see my point of view. or for myself to see my own POV for that matter...

• my parents are considering trading in the current car because it's not economically viable to keep it any longer
• they are looking for a new car that doesn't cost too much
• they prefer to deal with sole distributors as opposed to parallel imports
  
• probably something 1.6L or lower
• might consider a compact
• mum rathers we not get "another" mitsubishi, because the existing is already of that brand
• basically they are looking for something cheap and good

from those factors, the car brands available have been reduced by a lot. makes things easier by process of elimination for me then...

• european cars out of the question as they cost practically 10x
  
• Hyundai don't last long
• Mazda are gas guzzlers
• Mitsubishi... read above
• Nissan (only if it's a March... someone doesn't like Sunny)
• Daihatsu (come on...)
• Suzuki doesn't stick with daddy
• Perodua cars are too small
• Proton don't seem to have too bright a future
• Ssangyong only has big cars
  

so what's left really? in terms of least to most preferred, affordability notwithstanding:

• Kia (not too sure of this even...)
• Chevrolet
• Toyota
• Honda
• Subaru (questionable even for the 1.6 TS due to price)
  

if there is still a 1.6L Honda Civic available it might still sound good enough. might be better any day than a Toyota.

guess we'll just have to do our homework somemore...

i wonder how much would this lancer of ours be worth in 2 years...

my legs are aching now. just cmae back from skating in east coast. no seriously. late at night, skating alone there. it's not as if it's deserted... i was there with rach for a bbq of hers with her friends. given that i'm not too familiar with them, i popped out a bit on my wheels. by the time i was done my knees were wobbly and i was sweating bucket loads. hrmm... maybe not that much but i did sweat a lot. ah well... good exercise for me.

*it's ok don't need headache with me xD*