Lowyat.NET: Latest topics by roocarroll

Ranger Raptor

roocarroll — Sat, 17 Feb 2018 11:52:42 +0800

Ford have put an expression of interest form on their website so they are at least thinking about bringing it in to Malaysia. The big question, as always, is the price.

Bluetooth Keyboard for Tab4 10

roocarroll — Sat, 27 Jan 2018 23:07:43 +0800

I recently bought a Tab4 10. I want to get a Bluetooth keyboard/case for it. I can get one of Amazon and get it shipped here but is there a better option to get one locally?

Do You Name Your Cars

roocarroll — Sun, 07 Jan 2018 11:26:58 +0800

Simple question, do you give names or nicknames to your cars?

Phone with the best camera for 2k+-

roocarroll — Tue, 02 Jan 2018 23:16:21 +0800

My wife is using an iPhone 5s and wants to move to Android. She is used to the great build quality of Apple and their great camera. The camera is the highest priority for her.

We saw the Sony Xperia XZs today and she seems keen on it. With the current promotion it's RM2,199 with some free gifts.

Personally, I don't like the design and the specs are mediocre. Is there a better phone out there for a similar price? Her budget is 2k but she's okay to go over a little.

Chromebooks

roocarroll — Wed, 15 Nov 2017 14:22:38 +0800

Does anyone know of any shops in KL selling Chromebooks? I'm interested in the higher spec Samsung Chromebook 3. I've seen it for sale on Lazada but I'd rather go to a shop and check it out before buying.

Lenovo Tab 4 10 launch

roocarroll — Wed, 01 Nov 2017 18:39:24 +0800

Any ideas when this is going to be launched in Malaysia?

I'm hoping to get one before the end of the year.

Double Story Gated and Guarded

roocarroll — Tue, 03 Oct 2017 00:19:00 +0800

I'm hoping to get some suggestions of gated and guarded houses between Mont Kiara and Kuen Cheng 1 primary school. My budget is less than 2m. I'm trying to find somewhere quiet (not beside a highway). I'm pretty familiar with the condos in this area but not so familiar with houses.

Car Detailing

roocarroll — Mon, 21 Aug 2017 00:09:30 +0800

I want to get my car detailed. I want it to shine, inside and out. Can anyone recommend a shop which can do it? Preferably in KL/Mid Valley.

Modifying Car Seats

roocarroll — Mon, 14 Aug 2017 19:50:06 +0800

I got my new Forester last Friday. On Saturday, I discovered that the seat is too narrow for me. I'm 188cm and weigh about 80kg. The side bolstering on the seat digs into my back and legs. It's the same with the front passenger seat. I can sit in the back very comfortably but it's a bit weird for me to sit in the back while my wife drives.

Can anyone recommend a car seat shop which can modify the front seats to remove the annoying bolstering?

Sri Langit, Seputeh

roocarroll — Wed, 09 Aug 2017 01:48:56 +0800

I viewed a couple of units in this condo today. It's a very nice place and in a great location.

I'm just wondering if there are any downsides to this condo or anything I might have overlooked?

Tinting Advice

roocarroll — Thu, 20 Jul 2017 00:30:30 +0800

I've decided to buy a new car. The salesman promised free tinting but I'm not sure if it's worth getting cheap tinting from him. I can buy tinting on Groupon for RM200.

My question is, is it worth spending more money to get 3M or some branded tint or should I just take the free tinting from the SA?

The RM150k Question

roocarroll — Thu, 13 Jul 2017 18:53:02 +0800

I run my own business and during a conversation with our accountant today, she mentioned that we could reduce our annual tax bill by buying a new car. However, the car has to be less than RM150k OTR.

If you could buy any new car up to RM150k, what would you buy?

Bus from KL Sentral to Singapore

roocarroll — Sun, 09 Jul 2017 16:44:22 +0800

I need to go to Singapore for a meeting. I'm hoping to take an early morning bus so that I can sleep on the way down. Does anyone know if there is a luxury bus service between KL Sentral and Downtown Singapore?

Kiaramas Ayuria Vs Armanee Terrace 2

roocarroll — Mon, 19 Jun 2017 22:15:29 +0800

I've been looking around to buy a condo in KL. My budget is RM1m - RM1.2m. I've narrowed it down to two condos; Kiaramas Ayuria and Armanee Terrace 2.

To be frank, I prefer Armanee Terrace 2 but I wanted to get some feedback from the property sifus on here first.

Kiaramas Ayuria has a better location (Mont Kiara) and better facilities but the units themselves are just average. The size (1605 sqft) is good for a family but nothing special. I'm not a huge fan of Mont Kiara because of the high density and traffic.

Armanee Terrace 2 was a stalled project for a few years but it's fully completed now. The units are fantastic and are huge compared to 'normal' condos (2600sqft). The big balconies and duplex layout make them very homely but the maintenance fees are expensive (RM700 Vs RM500 in MK). The facilities are pretty standard.

Both developments seem well maintained.

Any feedback is appreciated.

Buy from Developer VS Sub sale

roocarroll — Thu, 15 Jun 2017 23:13:07 +0800

I'm new to all of this. My wife and I have decided to buy a condo. The developer still has some units for sale at a discount and there are sub sale units on the market. What are the pros and cons of buying from the developer Vs sub sale?

The Perfect Car?

roocarroll — Tue, 30 May 2017 22:52:42 +0800

I'm thinking about getting a new car. I'd love to get a later model RX-8 but it's impractical for my lifestyle. If I got that car, I'd need another one for my wife to take the kids to school in and since I already have two cars and one parking space, more cars isn't the solution.

Ideally, I'd like to get something that drives like a sports car on the weekends when I feel like blasting up to Fraser's Hill or Genting but drives like a Camry for when my wife is driving the kids to school. It's got to be comfortable enough for a family driving around town and also get decent fuel economy. I'd also like it to be somewhat reliable (no Peugeots).

Does such a car exist? Is there anything that comes close that doesn't cost the same as a high end condo?

Weird Noise

roocarroll — Sun, 21 May 2017 13:58:43 +0800

I seem to be having car trouble at the moment. My Ranger went off to Ford yesterday after the check engine light came on.

I also have a 2011 Accord. I noticed a weird noise the other day. It's like being followed closely by a motorbike. It starts at 70kmph and gets louder the faster I go. I assumed it was something stuck in the tyres or some rubbish stuck under the car making a vibration but I couldn't see any problems when I checked.

The noise seems to be coming from the rear and I don't think it's anything to do with the engine since it's not there at low speeds even at higher revs.

I guess I'll have to take it to my mechanic but before I do that, is there anything else I should check?

Tesla - The Biggest Car Company in the World?

roocarroll — Tue, 09 May 2017 11:58:47 +0800

In April, Tesla's market value surpassed Ford to become the biggest car company in the world.

It's an amazing feat for such a young company.

Later in April, we learned that Tesla had sold 22,000 vehicles in the 4rh quarter of 2016 bringing their sales for 2016 to 76,000. Land Rover have sold 600,000 Evoques in the last six years. Honda sold 100,000 cars in Malaysia in 2016, just in Malaysia. Tesla sold 76,000 cars worldwide and they are the biggest car company in the world according to the stock market.

Tesla is projecting to sell 500,000 cars in 2018 pretty much all based on the Model 3 which will sell for $35,000 putting it in range of the average American consumer and would line it up in the C Segment to compete with the Civic and Altis if it were to come to Malaysia at that price.

They are also talking about launching a self driving 'semi-truck' in September of this year. If they can pull that off, they will cause huge disruption in the transport industry and carve themselves a huge market.

The thing is, all of Tesla's value is based off expectations of future sales and technological advances.

Ford sold 1.35m in the first half of 2016. Tesla sold around 36,000 vehicles in the same period.

Grab Maths

roocarroll — Tue, 18 Apr 2017 11:31:50 +0800

I went out for a drink with a buddy last night. I didn't want to drink and drive so I took Grab there and back. It's a very good experience and so much better than the taxis here. I got chatting with the drivers and they were telling me about driving for Grab.

Working full-time, you can earn around RM300 per day. Of that you have to give Grab 20%. That leaves RM240. Grab also pays out incentives of around RM120 per day depending on where you are etc. We are now at RM360 per day. Around RM60 of that goes to petrol so we are left with RM300. That's not bad for a days work but it does require you to work very long hours. One of the drivers had been working since 6am and was dropping me off around 9pm.

Despite the long hours, you can earn money 'Grabbing'. If you work 20 days a month, you can make RM6k. Not bad.

I also asked them about the mileage they are doing. The driver who dropped me off was doing it full-time. He wasn't sure but he thought he was doing between 8k - 10k km per month. At that rate he'll be doing 100k km per year. Suddenly my eyes were wide open. The normal life expectancy of a car is around 200k km. Perhaps you could maintain it very well and drag it to 300k km but that's still only 3 years of full-time Grab.

If you had to replace your car every 3 years at almost a total loss (who is going to buy a car with 300k km on it?), you are making way less than you think. Based on a Nissan Almera which seems like a popular car for Grab drivers, that's around RM70k for 3 years or around RM2k per month for the car.

If we add in maintenance, insurance, tolls etc, we aren't getting much change from RM3.5k.

Let's look at the working hours again. 20 14 hour days in a month is 280 hours per month. Divide that by 8 hour days and you get 35. To make RM3.5k per month, Grab drivers are working the equivalent of 35 days per month in a 'normal' job.

It's still great money for someone who doesn't have much education and it's a great route to earn for those who are willing to put in the hours but it's definitely not as lucrative as the initial figures suggest.

Renault Vs Peugeot

roocarroll — Tue, 28 Mar 2017 09:20:40 +0800

I've seen the new Koleos advertised. It looks fantastic but in my mind, Renault and Peugeot are the same thing; unreliable and expensive cars from France.

Is my impression correct?

Is Renault better than Peugeot?

Are they both rubbish?