A general guideline to avoid financial strain when buying a car is to ensure that your monthly car payment does not exceed 15% of your take-home salary.
This means that the total car price should ideally be around one year’s worth of your salary, factoring in maintenance, insurance, and other running costs.
Recently, a sales agent’s recommendation for a woman earning RM2,500 to purchase a Proton S70 has sparked heated debate online.
In a post on Threads, @evabelgot asked for advice on the most suitable car for her salary.
She explained that her financial commitments include paying off her education loan and providing financial support to her family.
“I want to ask, what is the most suitable car for a RM2,500 salary, considering I only have an education loan and financial support for my family as commitments?”
She also shared that while some people told her the Proton S70 is a good fit for her salary, others insisted that RM4,000 is the minimum salary needed to afford it.
“Many say the S70 is just right for a RM2.5K salary, but others argue that RM4K is the right salary level for it.”
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“I’d like to know how much you pay monthly and how much deposit you put down. I want to hear from people’s experiences.”
Her post quickly went viral, with many Malaysians criticising the sales agent for suggesting the S70 to someone earning RM2,500.
“Hold up. You make RM2,500 and someone told you to get an S70? You’re joking, right? I make RM30,000 and drive a City. Please get a Bezza or Axia instead,” said @t20_life
Another user broke down the real costs of car ownership and why the S70 is unrealistic for a RM2.5K salary.
“If you really need a car, a Bezza or Saga with basic specs will do. The S70 is too expensive. With monthly instalments plus other costs like petrol, TnG, maintenance, and servicing, you’ll need to set aside at least RM1,000 per month just to maintain the car—that’s already about 50 percent of your net salary.
“Honestly, I wouldn’t buy a car unless it’s absolutely necessary. Besides safety, I believe that a car should ideally take up no more than 20 percent of your salary—unless you truly need it. Otherwise, you’ll just be working to pay off your car,” said @h1jabae.
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“That agent is ridiculous. Does he think that someone earning RM2.5K is supposed to spend their entire salary just to pay off an S70 loan? No need to travel? No need to enjoy good food? That’s just setting clients up for financial struggle. It’s like a noose around their neck.
“With that kind of salary, it’s much better to go for an Axia or Bezza. Save up at least 10 percent for the down payment, and don’t forget to set aside money every month for servicing and road tax—that’s about RM1,300 per year, no way around it,” advised @sitisanasitu.
