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For me the best automotive related youtube channels are, Chrisfix- IMO Chris is a Legend when it comes to DIY videos.His clear presentation is top notch and to the point.Been following his "Driftstang" project from the beginning and I am totally hooked. Gears & Gasoline- This is relatively a new channel and from a tuner perceptive their videos are excellent. It attracts tuner cars from all over and let them take through an overview of their respective build. Highly entertaining and top notch video editing. More importantly the channel covers all the aspects of the automotive industry. Project builds,Tuning, Walkthroughs, Maintenance, to name a few. Eric the Car guy- If you are extremely into mechanical aspect then this is channel for you. Eric is a guy who will completely tear down the engine and explain every single part in detail.

I don’t think that you want a manual for the fuel economy. But anyway manuals make the driving more engaging, but sometimes a bit annoying, specially in a hilly area with traffic. But most of those cars are imported with automatic transmission (cvt or automated 4 or 5 speed gearboxes), you’ll have a very narrow margin of finding a good one. Most cars with manual transmission are probably (but there are G grade 121s available) a base or a lower grade of that model, so you’ll get lesser options and less demand (I know two people who struggled to sell their G grade manual 121s). With increasing traffic I always advice you to go with an auto. So I’ll share my experience with the models you mentioned. Lancer CS3 - This is one of the most comfortable cars in this class. I once rode as a passenger in a 1300cc variant which had done over 200,000kms with horrible maintenance, and that car was really comfortable on bad roads than 121s and Axios. The seats are soft and rear end has independent suspension which would be much better in comfort and cornering. Go for a one with those teak panels and all the options, as the base grade with grey plastics looks dull and too much plasticy. 121 - had one for 7 years without any issue. Solidly built and more comfortable than a Vios or Yaris. Easy to drive with light steering and good lower end torque. Very reliable and good fuel economy. Highly recommended but the problem is there are only a very few number of good examples left in SL. If you go for a well maintained car, you’ll be on the safe side on maintenance. Better to drive than most of the newer Toyotas such as Axio, Allion and Premios. Vios - Manual version might be the best in terms of acceleration among this bunch. Thailand made with horrible leather seats and cheap looking interior. Good fuel economy. Good ground clearance. Engine is the same one from the 121. Might be equally reliable as a 121 but, build quality is not up to the standards that of a japanese, as you get more rattles and creeks from interior parts with the time being. Yaris/Belta - No nonsense basic car for daily use. Belta is a bit better in comfort side than the Vios or the Yaris. Cheap looking interior, but reliable and very economical. I personally find that the design is awful. Mazda Axela or 3 - Best handling and driving pleasure of the bunch. I test drove one to check whether it fits my requirements. For me the ride is a bit harsh and the seats are sporty with less comfort oriented. Interior space also lacks if you are closer to 6 feet. Another problem is the low ground clearance. It definietly feels sporty but not smooth, so I went for a Toyota as I prefer comfort over sportiness at the moment. But the Axela has some options that are yet to available with newer allion and premio models such as tiptronic transmission and rain sensing vipers. Axela has the best look of the bunch.

Amen to that. I like chrisfix...his stuff is easy to understand for amateurs like me. Gears and gasoline has some awesome videos too. As for Scotty and John Cadogan, well they are a little too opinionated and personally I find scotty annoying. And he over generalizes things. Cadogan is more tolerable : hes just your typical grumpy Aussie.

That is an absolute beauty. You should stop talking, admire and sing now. " Red red wine, you make me feel so fine,You keep me rockin' all of the time" COngratz!!

Already 2 years completed under my ownership and odo is now 123,500km. Sorry for not updating the thread for a while. No special maintenance work carried out within the period, other than replacing the battery and few bulbs. Saturday I had some troublesome experience at Kandy. I could not shift gear from “P” to other positions. Immediately contacted Mr.Sisira Kumara (Service Advisor at Unit#d Mot#rs) and gentleman was very kind to help me over the phone giving instructions as follows, even it was a holiday for him. (1) Press the button on gear knob and check for some free play when it press. (2) If so, use shorter screw driver and remove two screws on gear knob. (Long screw driver cannot use here due to placement of CD changer) (3) Pull the knob up and then you can see white colour small plastic parts falling down. (Brittle) (4) Remove gear knob and now you can press the middle rod by your finger and can shift gears . So I could manage to bring the vehicle to Colombo without a trouble. The issue was due to damaged and ruptured Gear Shift Sleeve. It is a white colour plastic sleeve looks like a roll plug. Mitsubishi part number is MR581866 (Sleeve, Gear) and cost was Rs.1,109/=. Hence this sleeve replace and problem solved.

Hey Don, I met Sisira about 2 years ago when my axle broke right on top of the Pepiliyana bridge on a Sunday evening (peak hours as it was the last weekend before Christmas). It was a hell of time as the bridge itself was under repair and only one way traffic was allowed while the busy Christmas season was around. The traffic actually queued up to Gamsaba Junc as well as Pepiliyana Junc and apparently traffic cops too turned out It was Sisira who volunteered and helped me even though he was almost off for the day and about to leave. We struggled a lot and had to lift / push the car in order to release the traffic. Since then he has been handling all my repairs up to date and I have no complaints so far. Very reasonable charges and quality job. Very simple and honest guy.

And I will start by sharing information about a mechanic who has been my family's primary mechanic since 1996. His name is Sisira and he mostly works by himself in a little garage in a Pepiliyana road (just after the bridge on the right if you are travelling from Gansaba junction). He's good for all forms of mechanical repairs in petrol and diesel vehicles (engine repairs, brakes, suspension etc) but not so good at diagnosing electronic issues (ECU, sensors, check engine lights etc) as he is old school and does not have a scanner etc. He is also not good for automatic transmissions. You also have to tell him the quality of part you want replaced, and better yet buy him the goods yourself, as if you let him buy parts, sometimes he will try to save you money (all good intentions) and buy cheaper parts. But he has never scammed us by inflating the price of parts he has bought on our behalf, which I think is fundamental, as most other guys I've been to have pulled that scam on me. But the most important thing is this. In all this time, I've not had a single item stolen, swapped, broken by him in our family cars, and he has gone out of his way to get our cars started at home. So we have no hesitation of leaving our cars there, and we rarely have had to take them back (like all there has been a few mistakes, but sorted out quickly enough). His charges are also very reasonable, and I often overpay since I think what he asks is too low.