You can tell a lot about a person by looking at the car they drive, I'm not quite sure what that says about me!
We used to joke that the typical Proton owner was retired, never took it out of second gear and always wore a hat.It was no mistake they used to sponsor the BBC 'Come Dancing' ... Read review
Advantages: moderately inexpensive Disadvantages: low trade in value
...to joke that the typical Proton owner was retired, never took it out of second gear and always wore a hat.It was no mistake they used to sponsor the BBC 'Come Dancing' competition.
Being a thertysomething family man, I certainly didn't fit the target market.
Proton emerged in the late 1980s as an economy brand 'family' vehicle manufacturer, making rather boxy five door hatchbacks im Malasia, using Mitsubishi power and ... ...
I've owned my Proton Persona 1.6 almost from new (I am pretty sure it's an XLi, one down from an SE) , I can't even remember when I bought it, but it's a 'P' reg, which is 1996, I probably picked it up in 1997. I traded in my previous car, and continued to make the same payment (about £200 a month) over an extended time.
Unusually, I let it go full term, and so after a few years it became my own car.
You can tell a lot about a person by looking at the car they drive, I'm not quite sure what that says about me!
We used to joke that the typical Proton owner was retired, never took it out of second gear and always wore a hat.It was no mistake they used to sponsor the BBC 'Come Dancing' competition.
Being a thertysomething family man, I certainly didn't fit the target market.
Proton emerged in the late 1980s as an economy brand 'family' vehicle manufacturer, making rather boxy five door hatchbacks im Malasia, using Mitsubishi power and suspension units in a 'home grown' chassis. They called it the 'Triple valve'.
They targeted the car strictly on 'value for money' and enlisted a range of dealers who had previously sold other economy brands such as Lada, Skoda and the likes.
The trouble with this is, sooner or later, someone else will bring out a car at a lower price, and your advantage will be lost.
The PERSONA was an attempt to move upmarket, the square edges were replaced by much sexier curves, the build quality improved considerably, the good news was they held on the affiliation with Mitsubishi.
It still bears the 'look and feel' of a far eastern car, unremarkable, conservative, and with a look which is more generic than inspired.
Still - rather that than some machine that screams 'STEAL ME' to any passing ned!
I've owned my Proton Persona 1.6 almost from new (I am pretty sure it's an XLi, one down from an SE) , I can't even remember when I bought it, but it's a 'P' reg, which is 1996, I probably picked it up in 1997. I traded in my previous car, and continued to make the same payment (about £200 a month) over an extended time.
Unusually, I let it go full term, and so after a few years it became my own car.
The price I paid was immaterial, I was caught out when the cost of new cars fell considerably, the trade in value dropped to practically nothing, to replace my car now with one of similar age, mileage and features would probably be well less than two thousand pounds.
Why then should I take the trouble to give a five star rating to what is virtually a worthless piece of transport? - simple; it costs me practically nothing to keep it on the road.
My current PROTON is the third one I've owned, the previous two were triple valves. My father owned a couple, he, ironically, has now gone for a Skoda.
So it isn't going to turn many heads, nor is it going to impress the ladies (so the wife is happy with that!) the main advantage is that it keeps on going, and going, and going.
The specification is pretty reasonable, 5 door hatchback a 1.6 litre fuel injection Mitsubishi power unit provides a perfectly sensible amount of 'oomph', a five speed gearbox, - I've got a full set of low profile alloys with ABS disks front and back, power steering, four speaker radio, driver's airbag and a 2+1 fold down back seat. It can easily manage 70 (or a good deal more If I wanted to) on the motorway.
There is a rear spoiler on my model, this serves practically no purpose whatsoever, except that it makes the tailgate a little on the heavy side, do it has to be physically pushed up, instead of the usual swing into position. I'd remove it, except it would leave a series of holes which would let water in, and lead to rust!
Actually, rust isn't something I've been bothered with - the car came fully wax treated, and on it's second birthday it got a full treatment. Other than the usual stone chips and slight scratches that come about as a result of normal daily use, the paint work is as good as the day I got it.
My model was 'one off' the top of the range, I don't have a sun roof (given the weather we have round these parts, that isn't exactly an issue) it's missing a couple of cup holders (I don't drink and drive, so do I care?) and I've only got electric FRONT windows.
Would I buy one again, and would I be happy to suggest to anyone else it was a good buy - well that rather depended on the confidence you had with the dealer.
The franchise which sold my father and I five Protons at various times eventually closed down through retirement, the only other local Proton dealer was one of those 'bargain basement' outfits, and after a pretty ham-fisted attempt to give it a routine service I've never taken it back!
Instead I take it for the annual service to a tyre fitter who gives it a once over before the MOT- so far I've never had to replace anything more exciting than routine oil changes and a tyre or two.
The Persona has no vices to speak of, however it doesn't take a front-end knock well, I was unfortunate enough to borrow a 1.5l model without ABS, and made an error of judgement coming up to a set of traffic lights, and front-ended it on a stationary car - my vehicle was about nine inches shorter after that, however the damage was substantially cosmetic, and was repaired by a local body repair shop. The car I went into was practically unscathed.
So - buy one with complete piece of mind, but bear in mind the funny brand will be harder to trade in than many better known marques.
**** EPILOGUE ****
At around 66,000 my proton's water pump failed and I needed a new timing belt. At that stage I was advised that it needed £200 of repairs, and very reluctantly I decided to part company with it. I ended up selling it for £75 on Ebay as a 'spares/ repair job' and bought myself a small Suzuki people carrier.
Given that it cost me less than £1000 a year to run, I felt it owed me nothing, and on reflection, would say that it's probably one of the most economical cars I've owned.
**** Postscript ****
The £75 ebay deal fell through, but the purchaser was good enough to phone me and say they wouldn't be able to pick the car up, and refunded my fees - so I can't complain.
I ended up replacing the faulty water pump with a pattern part (total cost £110), although didn't bother doing the timing belt.
Re advertised on Ebay, got an offer of £250, but before the transaction took place I was offered the £350 I asked for it in a local newspaper, so I was quids in. That was a week ago, and I never heard back from the purchaser, so I can only presume they were very happy with the deal.
Advantages: GREAT RIDE , GREAT VALUE Disadvantages: NONE
...AM A DEVOTED FAN OF PROTON CARS.
I HAVE FOUND MINE TO BE; ECONOMICAL, RELIABLE, AND OVERALL GOOD VALUE FOR MONEY.
I DECIDED TO UPDATE MY OLD PROTON FOR THE NEW LIMITED SPECIAL EDITION.
AFTER CHECKING OUT THE SPECIFICATIONS I WAS AMAZED TO FIND SO MANY EXTRAS BUILT INTO A COMPETATIVE PRICE.
THE MODEL I CHOSE WAS THE 1.6 LXI 5 DOOR HATCHBACK.
THE PRICE WAS £9,299 FOR THE LISTED MODEL, AS I HAD NO PART EXCHANGE I WAS ABLE TO NEGOTIATE A BETTER ... ...SILVER OR OREGANO GREEN
FOR THIS BASIC PRICE YOU GET;
4-CYL OHC 16 VALVES AND A TOP SPEED OF 111.8 MPH
ABS,CHILD PROOF REAR LOCKS, DRIVER AND PASSENGER AIR BAGS, ENERGY ABSORBING BUMPERS, ENGINE IMMOBILISER,SEAT HEAD RESTRAINTS,HEATED REAR WINDOW, LAMINATED WINDSCREEN,REAR FOG LAMP, REAR WASH / WIPE, SIDE IMPACT PROTECTION.
FOR COMFORT.
LOTUS DERIVED RIDE AND HANDLING, PAS, ADJUSTABLE STEERING COLUMN,AM/FM RADIO/CASSETTE, CENTRAL LOCKING, CENTRE ...
benjamin 04.08.2000
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Ciao members have rated this car review on average: very helpful Review of Proton GEN-2 Persona
Advantages: Cheap, econmical vehicle Disadvantages: Interior trim is not hard wearing
...engine out of an MPI proton for only £100 quid with only 32,000 miles on it.
The car drove very well, no bangs or groans even with the mileage.The gearchange was nice and smooth.Brakes work very well.I had a non PAS model but didnot miss it as the steering is already light.The only fault i had with the car is that the rear suspension bushes went and the rear tyres scub at an alarming rate(another fault but more common at high mileage).It cost over ... ...days cos its a pig of a job).apart from the engine management light sometimes coming on(disconnect the battery and it goes away).I would recommend this type of car.its wont win any awards, but it doesnot cost a lot to run and you get over 40mpg even on short runs.My car had a hard life but ran it for over a year and found it to be very reliable, after all the car itself it based a Mitsuibisi and there are very reliable machines ...
bazza1603 09.12.2000
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Ciao members have rated this car review on average: very helpful Review of Proton GEN-2 Persona
...low budget i found the proton range of cars to be in my price range.
I bought the first proton i viewed from an old gentleman outside of London, although i wasnt impressed at first when i viewed the vehicle my older and wiser! girlfriend said i should buy it and i only have her to thank now.
The thing that put me off initially were the looks of the car especially the interior , but have since found this to be an amazing little car for the money, ... ...gallon) it also has plenty of space in the boot and also has split rear seats which utilises the space very well.
All in all i would recommend this car to anyone and i look forward to buying my next proton which will hopefully be the more modern persona. ...
markwood 05.06.2001
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Ciao members have rated this car review on average: very helpful Review of Proton GEN-2 Persona
Advantages: Dont mock a budget car as it is the best thing I have driven. Disadvantages: Handling could be slightly better and the features on the car.
...dont get me wrong, the proton has the reliablity and security but yesterday came to the test of the safety of the car. I was involved in a head on collision by a young lad that looks as if he has not been driving long speeding down a steep hill after storms.
The roads were very wet still and this lad came down the hill between 40 - 50 mph in a 30 mph limit and lost control when he saw me comming up the hill. I had only just turned up the hill and ... ...a head on collision. The Proton is about to be written off by the insurance company as the engine was seriously damaged. I and my passenger only came out of the crash with servere wiplash but the car was not in a good condition. The force of the impact traveled through the car and damaged the boot and put the car out of place. We could still get out the car as the doors could still be opened unlike the other car. The drivers door bacame entagled ...
christopherbrown 16.06.2001
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Ciao members have rated this car review on average: helpful Review of Proton GEN-2 Persona
Proton is not the most glamourous or exciting manufacturer of car and when I bought it I was not convinced that I would like it. I have had the car a few months now and I love it. The car has a Mitsubishi engine which is as reliable as they come, done over one hundred thousand miles and still going strong. It has always started first time even after leaving it standing for a few days. The fuel economy for the 1.3l engine is the same as my last car ... ...is a bit basic, but you get used to it and it has enough little cubby holes. I recommend buying a Proton to anyone and everyone. I love mine, its reliable, it cruises happily on the motorway and is great round town. I will definiately buy another. ...
nzpostie 12.07.2000
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Ciao members have rated this car review on average: helpful Review of Proton GEN-2 Persona
