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If you ask me about which car to go for, if you have a budget of less than a million, these will be my choices. 1. Proton Wira - reason: you can get a newer car. Parts are not an issue at all, because most of the internals are swappable with Mitsubishi Lancer. Build quality is not bad. Don't be fooled by idiots who say 'Maleshiya ne... apo oka honda naa'. 2. Mazda Familia/Ford Laser - reason: I have seen many cars that are 25+ years old. NONE of them hold on to their build as much as Mazda and Mazda Fords do. Even after 25 years and 300,000kms on the clock, these cars just go on. 3. Toyota Corolla Wagon - another good workhorse. The sedan version (E100-series) is well over a million, but you may be able to find a wagon (what they call elephant back), with basic options for around that price. That's another car that just goes on and on 4. Doctor Sunny - Oldest cars in this list. If you can find a well maintained one, this is also another car that can take abuse Other honourable mentions are Toyota Starlet and Nissan March. Now let's come to your list: Daihatsu Charade - Wouldn't recommend because its an old turbo diesel engine. It's good if it works, but if the turbo packs up, good luck Ford Festiva - It's actually a Korean car made by Kia. Back in the 90s, Kia was an upcoming company. They made good cars, but your challenge will be finding spares. I doubt even ebay will have spares that you need. Mazda Astina - Again, spares will be an issue. Especially if someone decides to drop a rock on to the rear windscreen Nissan Y10 and AT170 - Both are decent cars, but I wouldn't pay 950k for these. Way too old That leaves the two Mazdas. From your list, those are the only two cars I will personally consider. Check whether they are carburetor or EFI. Always go for an EFI car. Old carbs are a real pain in the ass and there are no carb mechanics anymore. Auto or manual doesn't matter. If you are happy to drive a manual, go for it. Duplicate CR also doesn't matter if you are buying a car for personal use. Give a lowball offer. It's a bit tough to sell a car with a duplicate CR, but not as tough as people think. Most important is the condition of the car, so go for the one which is better maintained. Do you have photos of these two cars? can you post them (you can cover the number plate). I'd like to see whether they are BG5, BG6, BHA or BH6 or even BJ5/6.

Hi Guys, What are the differeces between Toyota Townace NOAH CR41, CR42 & CR51. and Which model has the high market. Also mention the market prices for those(for CR41, CR42 & CR51 English No's - .....such as GX-XXXX, PA-XXXX, Unregistered). Some Petrol NOAH's converted to Diesel these days also changes the Reg number, How can we recognise these type of NOAH's. Will it also get the Diesel Noah's Price?.Also Some NOAH's have Crystal Lights, are those different model in NOAH? ......Need Full Explanation. thanks

I think @The Don helped another member to import a Volvo engine from UK last year. @sampath gunasekara

Just adding my 2 cents here- 3.8 for the Insight is a Little bit too much IMHO it comes with and old school CVT so you don't have to worry about DCT if you do get it make sure you get the battery tested at agents (applies to all hybrids anyway) The GP5's are pretty cheap nowadays if you can nail a good specimen for a decent price it's a good deal...go for one with proper records so that you know that maintenance has been properly done. Not all Vezels, GP5's develop DCt. as @iRage mentioned its due to driving conditions . I have 2 friends who have been driving a Vezel and GP5 since 2014 without any issues at all. this is not a bad idea either there are properly looked after 141's also consider the Axio 161 (non hybrid that came in 2012-2013 bought by govt servants on permit) generally ok car that you can get for around 4 Mill. During the last permit rush there were many out there and most of them were in really good condition.

Depends on what you want out of your car ? Just to add to what the others have said before - If it were my choice i'd go for the Mazda simply for the following factors. 1. Toyota's are overpriced in SL and the Premio is on the top of the overpriced list - yes they are usually very reliable but paying exorbitant amounts of money for what is a essentially a decade old car is not something I'm happy with. 2. Due to the whole resale mentality Premios and Toyota's are subject to a lot of fakery by Buyyas (Buying and Selling people) including running on open papers, poor maintenance , odo-tampering etc. 70% of the time if you go to buy an Allion/Premio/Corolla you'll find out the seller lives in Kohuwala, but the last entry on the book is a doctor from Badulla and the guy will say ' meka ape aiyage father in law ge car eka' and that he mistakenly threw away all the maintenance records and emission certificates.

About the Aqua : Actually the Aqua is a pretty decent car (the issue is not with the car but the people ho own them as it is with most cars in SL). I have always stated that the Aqua (standard variants) have a very nice frame that is nimble and makes you want to just throw it around bends and have fun. it is a lot funner car to drive than the Vitz. Its only let down is the vague and lifeless steering (which is common to 99% of the Toyota models out there). The G Sport (Now called GR Smport) is completely different. it has stiffer suspension and a few extra welds to make the body tighter and most of the issues with the standard Aqua are fixed. The standard Corolla 141 is a decent car. It is is well put together and is more suited for the SL market (as they were all brand new imports and the car itself was designed for export markets). Only black mark is that it lacks a certain refinement in the materials used when compared to the Japanese market models (you will see that the plastics are a bit harder...padding on the upholstery and the fabric of the seats have a slight difference to what the Japanese amrket variants owuld have, etc...) . the early models were assembled in Japan, later on in Thailand and the last batch in Pakistan. THe Pakistani ones feel a lot more substandard than the Thai variants (there is barely any difference between the Thai and the Japanese manufactured variants). Only hitch with the car is Sri Lankan's stupid mentality that cars assembled in Thailand are crap (which is a myth...what they see is a difference in refinement which is driven by the operational environment of each market). Also, since most of these cars were brought under permit via the agent you will be able to find a decent speciment with proper service records from the agent. The Honda DCT issue...well the issue is not with the DC but how we use cars in SL. Our creep-stop-accelerate-creep-stop-gun it type of driving does not go well with the DCT (not just the Honda one but with most other DCTs). So because of this it does not mean every Honda with a DCT is going to break. If you try to find a gasoline variant of the Vezel, Grace or even Fit; then the DCT issues will not be there as they did not come with the DCT. The gasoline variants came with a standard CVT. Its just that you won't find that many gasoline variants around because they were not cheap enough for car sales people to import and make a thundering profit. In fact I would personally say go for a Gasoline model of the new Hondas (or the Hondas from the era you are looking at) because some of the electronics were not entirely well "designed"and had chain reaction of errors popping up in Hybrids (the gasoline variants are lesser prone to this) Honda Insight...hmm..the Hybrid system does seem to be a bit hokey in these things as opposed to the Prius (and other toyotas) of the same vintage. Also, don't believe claims on mileage...

Buses cannot be imported under permits I don't think they even have higher duties Sell the permit use the money to fund the bus

You can easily find a well maintained car. But finding a good premio- Not so easy. It’s advisable to buy a car from a well known person if you are looking to buy a premio.

I don't think that's even possible. ? Why would a doctor need a bus?

Do some research, plenty written about them online and even on AL forums. Good cars, great fun but they are all old now and some will have been abused. The majority you will see on the market are conversions so you need to make sure the job was done by someone who knows what they are doing. If done properly, this is not an issue. Original cars are super rare, I'm guessing there's a maximum of 20-25 GC8 chassis WRXs & Stis of all generations (1 through 6) in Lanka, possibly less. Make sure you get any prospective purchase thoroughly evaluated by someone who knows these cars, ideally by two separate parties to be extra careful. Lastly, if fuel economy is a concern, please buy something else.

Guys If somebody knows a SR42 for sale reg or un reg, Pls mail me. Even if you have seen one in a car sale do let me know. Thanks

running on GAS is cheaper than Diesel now

Hey guys, I have planned to put a Original Gas Conversion for a Townace KR42 Petrol,2001 model. But it's over 140K on clock. Is it possible to do the conversion on this engine? or will cause any problem on engine. And How much will cost to do a Original Gas Conversion(Cylinder Type).& Where? Pls reply. thanks

There should be loads of those at my mechanic's garage back in Mathu let me check and see. Give me your contact number so i inform u if ur serious abt getting a kr42 engine

hap i need a kr 42 petrol engine pls let me know of the mechanic or an engine tnx

U have to go put a round at delkanda. They had quite a few original Noah's striped out. I got my conversion from Fuji Lanka or something like that

Thanks to you both.. Hi Vshiznet, I think we can't buy a Original NOAH(SR41 or SR42) in Srilanka. But Some CR41 & CR42 are running with above accessories as SR series have, So here we are only importing the bodyparts and engines of SR series...? . Also Do SR series comes in petrol versions too..?(with better suspension).And How much will cost to a best diesel conversion. also to convert 3C EFI to 3C intercooler turbo. You mentioned that NOAH also comes in liteace versions, wht r the different in those? is it cheap to buy?. By the way I'am also seeking a Diesel NOAH..But all the mechanics said that NOAH has very poor suspension, So I have no choice in NOAH except SR series.(your opinion please). Also Can I Identify a Diesel Conversion in NoAH (by the Engine no, Reg no or something.....)without having the help of a mechanic. Need ur advice. thanks

Oki the diffierences CR41(1996-1997) = 2c(2000CC) engine non efi. Comes in townace and liteace versions. The automatic gear leaver sets near the wiper control. Only difference is the suspension and the front grill. CR42(1998-2000) = 3C(2200CC) EFI engine. Comes in same versions as CR41. But the front buffer, shell , lights and dashboard are different. The automatic gear leaver sets to the dash board. KR41 = The same as the CR41 but it has a carb petrol engine. KR42 = The same as the CR42 but it has a efi petrol engine CR51 = Same as CR41 but with full time 4WD. CR52 = Same as CR42 but with full time 4WD. The Original Noah SR41 = Turbo 3C(2200CC) non EFI engine with better suspension, crstal lights. power shutters, power mirrors, sun roof , Full rear glass, full bucket seats, different dash board , Dual AC, Cluster with a RPM mete.....ETC SR42 = Same as SR41 but with a 3C intercooler turbo EFI engine. (This engine rocks) My mechanic back home has done over 70 successful petrol = Diesal conversions. I myself have done a 3C tubo conversion and it rocks. More infor needed let me know.

CR 41 manual 4 door flat roof original diesels are the most sought after. The CR 42 comes with a slightly different front buffer, dashboard and mostly auto. The GL versions are a bit more plus but always come in auto. You hardly see the actual Noah version which is the original passenger version with a luxury interior and softer suspension while we usually get the delivery DX versions with seats fitted locally. The CR 51/52 are 4WD versions. Usually a bit cheaper to buy. But runs of fulltime 4WD. Unregistered diesel versions are in the range of 3 million. Converted petrols (KR versions) can be messy depending on how well the conversion was done. I have seen people asking for near original diesel prices but they are pretty hard to sell. The H/J/PA regd ones make the better buys ranging from around 2-2.3 million considering the earlier numbered ones which would have done a good 150k here go at over 1.7 million