my first ever car - reliable, can rempit/chillax everywhere comfortably with its superb sound & ac system, the drawbacks were the horrible fuel consumption and the lack of ABS the issue you have might be related to the bushings, never had that issue in my car but it was serviced before
Currently owning one as project car.. Auto 1.3 has been converted too FLX bodykit (front end/back all the way) stroker to 1.6 (ori 1.3) and couple of light mod 😊 overall very satisfied with the car (bought it at just only 5k)
This was my first car to drive when I had got license back then in 2011. It was my dad’s. It was light as plasticky as you know. However a year on the car’s temperature kept rising and the engine stalled a number of times after a simple car wash without washing the engine bay. Apparently it was caused by water gushing in through the bonnet. Another time the gears couldn’t engage. All of these problems incurred despite the car being serviced on schedule at Proton. At that time the mileage was less than 90k and yet the service advisors would say things like “benda biasa ni kereta lama”. I was appalled at their response. Honestly I’m glad the car was sold a few years later . But I miss it sometimes as the car’s seats were rather plush and comfortable for a car of this segment and if compared to the myvi of that time but the QC and after service was really bad.
Many thanks for the ownership experience feedback bro!! Sorry to hear it wasn't a good one, but yes, I'm not surprised, the cars by Proton from this era left a lot to be desired indeed.
Oh man i remember as a child these were horrible, the auto gearbox was rough, the door was flimsy, tin kosong on the highway. I hated it. When first sat in a myvi (of the same era), it felt much better, smoother
Agreed. The (then) new Myvi was a huge wake-up call for Proton when it came to the Saga, and Malaysians weren't shy to jump ship to Perodua at all! I remember this vividly 😁👍🏽
Yo Chris I think your accord 3rd brake light is out, saw you zooming after LDP toll kepong bound today. Anyway the BLM Is a good workhorse, most IAFMs are, the blistering cold ac is a feature every maker must follow!
Oh dear, busted. I was zooming eh, damn! And here I thought the SM4 was one of my most understated and below-radar-low-profile cars, hahahaha!! Thanks for letting me know bud, I'll get it checked out tmrw 👍🏽 🙏🏽😊
No matter how bad the quality was , 2nd gen Sagas from the BLM all the way to The FLX SV is my favourite generation, i love the way its drives , and that Campro IAFM engine is really something , after 2.5k RPM that “V-tec” power kicks in , my god that was fun
My parents used to own Saga BLM Manual M-line (same spec as in video) back in 2008, an upgrade from the aging Saga Iswara, I used to hate this car design because of its bubbly shape and plasticky interior. But this car handled very well for a long journey and light offroad road, the boot space is big enough and suprisingly very spacious compared to the current Saga VVT MC2. During 10 years of ownership suprisingly it never breakdown, only basic maintenence such as the aircond compressor, battery, absorbers, tires,spark plug and basic oil change, anything else never changed. To put it simple its a very reliable car for its price. The fuel consumption is horrible because of short gear ratio for example cruising at 5th gear, 100kmh already at 3000RPM but everything else is good. Unfortunately my parents had to trade in this car for their dream car during 2009-2010 era the Honda City GM2 Funfact: the Saga VVT, MC1 and MC2 share the same chassis design with Saga BLM, the A pillar and front windshield is the same
Fantastic! Thanks for the great feedback and ownership experience! Yep, the saga of the Saga continues, a car for the masses that's basic, cheap to maintain and built to last 👍🏽😊
@@ChrisWeevilGarage indeed, keep it simple and it will last long although some prefer Perodua (which is also super reliable) but we shouldn’t overlook the Proton Saga too. If only Proton keep producing Preve with improved gearbox and turbo it also will be a long lasting car, the design itself is evergreen and the technology is still good by today standards
I have this, saga blm, 1.3, manual, 2008 model, still runs great until now, also great car to drive in city, fuel safe, also in highway also....the speed also boleh tahan
Hi chris. Actually there are many spots where you can beat the red light and its legal. The signage says BERI LALUAN. But 70% of drivers (I assume) do not know this, even some of traffic policemen too. One example is the traffic light junction in front of Plaza Imbi turning left heading to Lot 10. Anyway, I love Saga BLM. Too bad, design was not by Proton but LG Korea (I don't know why) on modified Savvy platform. This car was a huge jump in terms of technology compare to the Saga Mk.1 (saga mahathir, megavalve and iswara). And its super cheap now. Really worth it.
Thank you for the great feedback bro, much appreciated!! Yeah, it was only the second all-new Saga after the first one in 1985, so the tech-jump must have been amazing for the time. This one still feels pretty robust tbh, and will keep going for quite some time I reckon 👍🏽😊
@@ChrisWeevilGarage I agree with you. While campro is not magnificient in power delivery and fuel consumption, its pretty much reliable and being DOHC - strong top end too. And with plastics everywhere around the cabin is even worse that first saga/iswara. I wonder why
Although this was the "plastic fantastic" era of Protons, this generation of Saga wasn't trying too hard to be something it isn't. No nonsensical "space age" interior like LMST or Gen 2. It's just trying to be a decent car for the masses. And it did well, a car that is generally reliable too. Although the manual shifter in BLM's seem to be really sloppy though, unlike the manuals in the Gen 2 and Waja. The FLX has a newer Getrag manual and the shifter on that is much better.
Had a similar issue before, though on a different car.. Maybe check the shifter cables or the pivot bush under the shifter boot? One of the cables might have kinked, or the bush has fallen apart, because the throw on that shifter is quite shocking
The only thing I don't like about the saga blm is that there is only 1 airbag and no ABS and EBD but the rest is ok and i really wanna keep this car forever
Howdy. My late dad bought this secondhand for his 3rd car.. Absolutely love it. But the Akashi Kikai gearbox is.. ya something.. but then.. The FL.. manual came with Getrag yo. Try them.. kinda nice.
Thanks a lot for the feedback bro, much appreciated!! Yeah, there was another comment about the Getrag being a better gearbox too. Tq for the info 🙏🏽😊👍🏽
Correction here: BLM and FL manual gearbox supplier are actually from Aichi Kikai - one of the Nissan's subsidary. Akashi Kikai is the main supplier of Perodua manual gearbox.
Hi Chris, nice video! Can you share your opinion about the BLM fuel consumption? Is it economical and how about the gearbox, is it good enough to drive as a daily car? Thank you :)
Thanks for watching, glad u enjoyed it bud! 🙏🏽😊👍🏽 I can't comment on FC cos I only drove this car briefly before returning it, and I've never owned a CamPro, however, based on some of the other comments from owners here, apparently it's not too great.
Get a manual Saga for a peace of mind, the fuel consumption is horrible especially when cruising at highway speed because of short gear ratio. 5th gear at 100kmh already at 3000RPM
Yeah, this first BLM dials so minimalist, I'm barely driving this car past 100km/h ... And air cond components in these cars are notoriously vibrates....
Shift stick transmission is appealing. Very rare to find in newer cars. If not wrong, last 2 generations vios is the last sedan to offer the transmission. How is the campro engine reliability? Heard a lot of repairs required.
Indeed true! New manual cars have all but disappeared these days. I don't really know about the CamPro engine, never owned a Proton equipped with one. This particular Saga has had a a lot of work done recently though, almost rm5k worth 😮
These non turbos CamPros are generally reliable if well looked after. Of course you need to upkeep with your maintenance. Oil changes and such. Timing belt does need to be replaced every 5 years. Main downside is the CamPros are not good with fuel consumption compared to Japanese engines. But you get an engine that is quite happy to pull with the mid to high RPM ranges.
Driven one before, has same shifter issue, my dad's wira shifter feel better lol. It's not a bad car, other than crappy shifter I just had issue with stiff pedal especially the brake, even the FLX and my current 2022 Saga has stiff pedal for both throttle and brake compared to other protons like the 2015 Iriz that I've driven.
My family own this Saga BLM back in 2009 before selling it. The handling and air-conditioning was quite good but the quality interior and engine was totally bad after 6 years the Saga and 1.3 emblem was melted becoz they make from rubber not hard plastic like previous Saga iswara. The dashboard makes weird noise when driving like loosing screw's the fuel consumption are totally bad compared with Nissan Slyphy.😅 For me totally not recommend 👎
My philosophy, if u like it, want it, then buy it, cos it really doesn't matter what others think, you're the one that has to live with it, no one else, hahaha! I'm not a big fan of the Neo tbh, I could never get comfortable, the driving position was weird for me, due to my height. I preferred the Satria before it. But that's just me! If u like it, get it bro, #yolo! 😊😊😊👍🏽
A manual BLM is a decent car especially if its a spare pump petrol and drive vehicle. In laws got a top spec auto, and although it always worked when needed, I never liked the transmission that held gear 1 too long before it dumps abruptly into gear 2, flimsy gear knob button and rear plate number light cover that breaks too easily, fuel consumption is just 350km/tank which is not really economical for a car of this category even when launched, and the boot springs that never quite strong enough to hold it up even at the slightest tilt.
@@ChrisWeevilGarage I remembered feeling quite short-changed shortly after they got this coz Proton later revealed the updated FL then the better FLX all within 3yrs (car was bought in 2010). But I suppose that's not the car's fault. Personally I would choose a 1st gen Persona (or a waja) manual that should cost about the same price.
Yo Melfred, surely by now u know that I'm not a used car dealer! I just like to feature old skool cars on my channel, hahaha!! Anyway, this car is currently at Kenzone SS6 Kelana Jaya, u can Google the location 😊👍🏽
Driven this model and spec before for a short period of time, I love it is simple car just start the engine, put on the gear, release the parking brake and go. Unfortunately fuel consumption a bit too high.
Idk what they did with this manual gearbox that made the shifter feel so sloppy. It's just as bad as Peroduas of the time. Somehow at the same time the Gen 2/Persona, Waja, Neo has decent shifters. The FLX manual had a different gearbox by Getrag and the shift feel is much better.
@@germaineliew2012 yeah, someone did mention here in the comments that the shifting became much better after they started using the Getrag transmission 👍🏽😊
My first car I bought with my own money was a Saga FLX SE 1.6. The only two problems with the car is it's high fuel consumption and lack of footwell blower. Other than that, it was actually a good car. The same year I bought the Saga, I also bought a Savvy, and the difference is night and day. The Saga is quite better than the Savvy, like how the plastic interior is better to touch in the Saga.
I've driven the 1.6 FLX SE with courtesy of my friend for a day. It was underwhelming due to poor tuning of the CVT by proton back then. Acceleration is sluggish, the advantage is when cruising the highway speed it's at a slightly lower RPM compared to the 1.3. However if it's taken to a proper tuner the 1.6 potential can be unleashed by a proper remap.
I think this model is going cheap nowadays.. good value if one doesn't mind slightly higher fuel consumption.. maintenance wise not too expensive easy to repair..can handle long distance driving in comfort..maybe max 120kmh after that feels less stable and refined..rm7k sounds good..
indeed, the was a time with 12Yrs SAGA BLM & 16Yrs Myvi 1st Gen. I decided to sell of 12Yrs Saga to keep Myvi due to inferior of everything except handling. Can't complain with entry level car i guess
