General Comments:

Just bought our fourth Myvi (after a Nippa, 4 Kelisas and a Kenari and two Daihatsu Sirions).

Purchased as a second car to back up our 7 seat MPV, and as a sister car to another Myvi run by our Parents - as reported under Myvi 2010.

We have been so impressed by Perodua over the years, and particularly the excellent Myvis, that we decided another one was the best idea, so found this immaculate 46,000 mile, 2007, 2 owner car on eBay and won it for £1480.

We have covered around 200,000 miles in Myvis and know how reliable they are - and know their (minor) faults.

As expected, there are a few minor issues on this Myvi, which match all the others we have owned:

1/ The doors lock randomly due to the rubber shrouds on the interior light door switches being too stiff to allow the plungers out far enough to activate the interior light, so the car thinks the doors have not been opened/the car unlocked by accident, so re-locks them after 30 seconds. An easy 30 second fix of pulling the rubber shroud off the four door switches so the plunger activates fully. Sorted.

2/ The driver's door electric window switch packs are poor and the contacts corrode; many were replaced under warranty, but corrode again. Ordered a used one to fit.

3/ Boot lid riser struts lazy, do not lift the boot but do hold it up if assisted. We don't mind this, but could spend £30 on eBay to buy better struts, which are a 2 minute fit.

4/ Exhaust manifold heatshield rattles, but are fixed in seconds by winding fuse wire around the washer of the mesh fittings to remove the looseness. Sorted.

5/ Where the bonnet shuts on the plastic stops, the style of stop breaks the paint of the bonnet underside; some Kurust and thick paint has sorted it.

6/ A few cabin rattles were easily sorted, as they were down to the top dash speaker covers, which needed a touch of double sided tape, and the glovebox lid, which needed the catch bending slightly.

Even though this car was not serviced for 4 years with oil as black as pitch and thick as gravy, had rusty discs and was in desperate need of some mechanical love, it ran perfectly on the 130 mile journey home, without any fault codes on diagnostics, or any odd noises or smells.

These are superbly engineered cars, using the last-gen 1298cc VVTi (DVVT in Perodua talk) Toyota Yaris engine, which is chain driven and uses cables for throttle and clutch, so avoids a cambelt and unnecessary electronics and hydraulics. As such, home servicing is an absolute doddle and everything is accessible even by parking the car with one wheel up a kerb - the oil filter can be easily found and removed/fitted without ramps, tools or removing any covers.

I have replaced the very badly eroded original spark plugs, replaced the air filter, engine oil and filter, cleaned the throttle assembly, lubricated the throttle cable and return spring, checked the battery, coolant and brake fluid, checked tyre pressures, lights and all electric functions, replaced three wiper blades, flushed the washer reservoir, adjusted the handbrake (adjuster is a 10mm bolt inside the car) and repaired a broken engine to body earth strap. All simple DIY jobs, and a pleasure to do as it really is one of the easiest cars to work on.

The car is now running like a watch and stands me at around £1550 for a modern, low mileage, quality Japanese engineered car with air-con and loads of space.

I'll sort a machine polish and full valet, fit some parcel shelf lifters off a Sirion, upgrade the H4 bulbs to Philips Xtremes, re-gas the air-con if needed and attend to a couple of stone chips soon.

For now, it looks new, drives perfectly, has loads of power and no rattles, squeaks or smells. We know we'll love owning it as per the previous Myvis, and it has already drawn loads of positive comments on how smart it looks.

If you can DIY service and sort the minor foibles that occur, the Myvi is a superbly reliable, comfortable, well equipped car with no cambelt to change, top drawer engineering and very low running costs. The road tax is £125pa and the MPG around 50.

If the minor issues were cured, the sound insulation and outer door (dust) seals improved and side airbags standard, it would be a perfect car.

As it is, it is pretty damned close for a town car, and the purchase price and running costs make it amazing. We've covered over 200k in Myvis now with no costs other than servicing, tyres and brakes - and no damned costly cambelt either! Out of warranty now, this is the first time I've paid for a window switch (£35) and may cough up the £30 for new boot struts one day - but that's IT; no other failures, no clutch, no bushes, nothing other than 10,000 mile servicing, which costs less than £50 for DIY or £120ish at the garage.

I'd certainly trust a Perodua Myvi (which uses Japanese tech) over a Dacia Sandero (which uses old Renault tech) all day long. We test drove one and it has better safety, ESP and a better boot, but the Myvi crucifies it in every other area.

Here's to the next long ongoing report...

Faults:

Nothing major:

Cigarette lighter/12V outlet not working since 2008.

Power window's (other than the driver's) motors are weak. Can go down, but struggled to go up. Replacement of power windows motor costs RM350++. My sister "SEALED" 3 power windows as a result.

Wiper changed once.

Battery changed once.

Tyres changed once. Goodyear NCT5.

Alignment balancing needs to be done every 9 months.

General Comments:

This is generally a good car. No other gremlins, other than the above. Engine and gearbox; no issue at all (touch wood). Very fuel economical: 35l of fuel good for 550km max (15.7km/L) and averaged 430km 70% City/30% highway. (12.3km/L).

Car's 100% stock standard as it's a girl owner (my sister). We serviced outside when the 2 year warranty was up, as Perodua authorized service centres are a ripoff (poor after sales service).

GREAT resale value. Retained value: 64% 5 years/ 75% 3 years. Losing out only to Toyota Vios and Mini Cooper S.

OVERALL: Highly recommended car. Headroom and rear legroom are better than the latest 2nd generation Myvi "Lagi Best". Though engine and boot space are almost identical.