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And I'd give my small nut to see his face when he realizes that his wife can shatter all those carefully structured requirements to small bite-sized pieces and get what she wants with a pout which promises his peace of mind would be just gone for the foreseeable future if she doesn't get her way

Not really, no. Most regulars around here are just a bunch of guys who enjoy driving and discussing anything related to automobiles in general... driven by passion instead of reason, pleasure instead of practicality, beauty instead of purpose, experience instead of theory, romance instead of cost-benefit analysis... you get the picture Well, going by your requirements and approach to cars in general I think you'd be quite happy with a 1st owner company maintained Perodua Axia 2017 or newer. That's the closest you're going to get to owning a brand new car for your budget atm

Hey man - no worries I mean when I saw your Original post and the whole 'Applicants should have 25+ years experience in.....' vibe I just could not resist It's cool that you've cleared out your stance. My man @Hyaenidae - that is impressive sh*t. Yeah well - the thing is the members in this forum are a lot of like minded people which is the nicest thing here. There are many of us who are not at all professionally into Automobile engineering etc but are just purely guys who have the seemingly unfathomable obsession with cars - the type of people who remember their co-workers by what they drive than their name or what they do, people who can identify an obscure Japanese car by looking at its light, people who know what type of car would suit a different purpose ...people like me who dreamt of being a mechanic as a kid but drifted far far away and ended up writing code (ok...now I mostly write excel formulas and make Presentations). I know some people in this forum in person and they're some of the nicest people around. Some of them provided sound mechanical advice and guess what I even got some really good opinions from the people in the forum when I wanted to fix a glass roof for my courtyard. There's no discrimination, no kunuharupa, and this forum is a pleasant place as opposed to other more popular forums and facebook automotive groups - which honestly make me cringe a bit when I interact with bus mudalalis who've bought Civics, kasippu mudalalis with Allions etc) In short it's a forum of like-minded Automobile Enthusiasts. Yeah - I guess this is where IT guys with a passion for cars end up - and as opposed to other professions we spend a hell lot of time with internet access so that adds up.

@Vega I believe @Hyaenidae 's suggestion is a good one. The Axia isn't a particularly special car to drive (I actually feel the Alto 800 of the same vintage with the manual gearbox is a far more enjoyable car to chuck about) but it'll tick most of your boxes. My view is based on a month using the Axia as a daily city run about so it might not be enough to give you the insights you need as I don't recall if i ever took it out on the highway for an example so can't comment on something like highway cruising stability etc. but it's decent little car. There's very little to go wrong. @Hyaenidae is also right about the sites member profile ? I don't think we've had many (any?) active qualified mechanical engineers, mechanics or technicians here right @iRage in the last 14 years i've been around that I can remember off hand. Lots and lots of IT guys though, make of that what you will?

I had a passo for some time (KGC30 model, 2013), it shares a lot of commonalities with the vitz so imo, the ride height is good, fuel efficiency is around 10-12 in city and around 14-17 outstation( depends on the road and conditions). Maintenance ofc was cheap as it was a newer toyota model that only i used so other than a battery replacement, a tune up and tyres there was nothing to be replaced other than regular service with proper oils at agents. Car has a good turning radius and has a more simplistic dashboard. You get standard new car features like power mirrors, ABS, airbags, VSC, smart key etc (if you get the Hana grade). Engine comes mostly in 1L 1KR_FE(which does have a noticable vibration in idle but not as bad as in the vitz, could be because of less wear on engine mounts or whatnot). The car has an eco idle mode and currently you can find a second hand one of simillar grade for about 2.6 mil. (late K or early CA numbers). Full insurance costs 62,190 at C*y*inko V*P. Service at agents cost roughly 9500-12000 depending on the lubricants needed and detailing. leg space and cabin space is a lot more than vitz and its a pretty decent ride for everyday use. Yaris/Belta also uses the same 1KR-FE engine except its a compact sedan. Never used one but you do need to know that these cars are well over 10 years old so there is going to be considerable abuse, some decent mileage and wear. You cant expect it to not have some occassional repairs. Considerably a comfy car for a normal commute. Axia seems to be the newest car you can get for your budget. most of the axias on market are post 2017 so they are considerably new. Perodua is a pretty decent car manufactuter and the brand does hold its value well in the second hand market in sri lanka. Viva's that were brought back in 2010 still go for close to 1.8-2Mil so compared to the deprecitation of other non JDM cars id say its good. The aircon is pretty decent and the car does come with factory fitted alloys and a few extras. Never owned or used one so i guess a person who owned one might have a better say on this. If you are referring to the beetle swift then yes, its a good car too. 2008 model back in 2010-ish gave it up but the car was well on its track. The car comes standard with auto climate control and extras like steering wheel controls etc for the JDM version. the engine is a 1.3L tho but the pulling power is decent. U get a standard CVT gearbox and interior space, seats and luggage wise its a no brainer that its good. Did notice that it idles a little high on hot days and the car does seem to miss gears occasionally (could be just a one off case of a defective car for me). service is almost the same as any other car at A*W p*tstop. but this too is a pretty older car considering most of them within your budget would be 2008-2010 models. Fuel wise its around 9-10 in city, outstation around 13-14 Havent owned pugs or a fit so i guess other users will elaborate on them. Aqua though is a tricy car. Its low so you are going to hit potholes and bumps with a screetch a lot more often. The car is well engineered, and the interior space is decent. has a lot of features like SWC, TRC, auto headlight washer etc and even LED headlights(depends on model). Car does around 11-14 in city and outstation its mostly around 17. the engine is 1.5L so you can expect more power compared to a vitz. downsides would be the expensive maintenance and the problem of having to find mechanics with knowledge on hybrids if something goes haywire. The car is full of electronics and the regular makabaas engineering myt not cut it. Battery replacement is cheaper now at aronud 390K done at TL. back then it was around 410K on grey import batteries. But considering all this if you are not a heavy user, i guess a regular petrol car would be a better choice. the fuel efficiency wont make that much of a difference on your pocket when you add up maintenance. My final adv would be for you to search for each of the car you narrowed down on autolanka. you might find threads about the common problems in them and make up your mind for a choice.

Hello and welcome to the forum. The Kelisa is quite a decent hatchback. Used to be my wifes daily driver - trouble free little car based on the Daihatsu Mira. Overall no complains at all. It's a small hatch so you have to expect it to behave like one - not super luxurious or very refined but quite decent. The car is quite nimble and handles well. The EJDE 3 Cylinder 1000 cc engine is very noisy and tends to vibrate a lot. It has around 55 BHP which is quite enough as the car is small and light. Manages hills and all without breaking sweat. The interior is quite spartan and functional, the interior build quality feels a tad bit cheap (understandable considering it's a budget hatch). Interior bits are prone to wear out a bit sooner than Japanese cars. The car is extremely simple mechanically - any decent mechanic can fix it and so simple that some minor jobs can be done DIY as well. Spares are freely available - either at the agents or at a few panchikawatta shops. Some parts are interchangeable with other Daihatsu/Toyota cars as well (For instance,break pads are the same as on the Daihatsu Hijet) The biggest issue usually is the engine mounts tend to wear out quickly - maybe due to the excessive vibration. Original Mounts are comparatively expensive so most people tend to use cheap third party mounts which just last a few months and the car starts vibrating like crazy again. That's something to look out for when inspecting. A little bit of vibration is normal but if it acts like if the car has had an epileptic fit the mounts are bust. Even this is a straightforward fix. Since the car is about 15+ years old you need to look out for other more generic issues such as corrosion, poorly done accident repairs etc. Overall the car is extremely simple and easy to maintain. What we had was one with Automatic transmission and it consistently did 10KMPL - nothing more nothing less. I'm not sure about the market price right now 2003 would probably be around 1.3/1.4 Mil? Do a price check and of course you can always bargain.

@Vega since you said let's stick to cars, i'm not going to address that quote above ?? Regarding your point about used cars, I hate to break it to you, but no matter how much due diligence you do, you're always rolling the dice buying used. So given your aversion to risk or the need to minimize or mitigate why not buy brand new?

damn i can only think how hard it will be for you to choose a wife

Excellency, I believe I'm not worthy to provide my humble opinion for thy request. I am but no engineer -though I'm aware of issues . I hath but owned one car that falls in your excellency's budget of the proximity of 3 million, which is the Honda Fit GP1 which hath been extensively discussed. Would your excellency care to do a search for that particular car? There are many more models I could suggest to your excellency but sadly I'm not qualified to be worthy to provide input. The current car I own exceeds thy budget hence I'm unqualified to be honored in providing an input for your excellency. Please pardon this humble peasant.

Well - you have quite a structured approach and that's good. If we take your list The Sedans are about 10+ years old now and in the case of the Lancer you might find a 2011/2012 model - overall the lancer is a good car. Avoid the Belta as it's overrated and prone to exchange hands like a 100 rupee note due to the whole good on fuel myths. When it comes to Yaris - you still might find very sparingly used car because some of them were bought on permit and are still with first owners - I personally knew a couple of such cars and were in pristine condition when they were sold off last year. Manuals are a bit cheaper and being a very uncomplicated car so it won't be a big hassle to maintain. The only thing is to find a Good honest car which is easier said than done. I have no experience on Fords or any other euros but the general consensus is they provide more bang-for-the-buck. From the hatchback list - the NEWEST you can get is a Perodua Axia and I fully agree with the views expressed by the others - We've had a Perodua Kelisa some years back and it was quite a decent car and Peroduas aren't too far behind their Japanese counterparts. You could also consider the Kia Picanto and you might get one still under agent warranty. A 2010 Vitz would be a very simple easy to maintain car but then again hard to find an unmolested version (common problem with the popular Toyotas) . 2010 ish Swift will be a fun-to-drive car. Of course it may not be the most practical in case you think of it as a family vehicle - the rear seating area is a bit cramped and boot space is minimal so if the whole purpose is to use as a family car then it might not be the best choice. The Fit (GP1 I assume for that budget ) is a decent car barring the well documented Oil burn issue: You get a lot more car for that budget it has Cruise control, a LOT of space (Once transported a couch for 90km) handling is good and with sports mode on quite a fun to drive car. Overall though - if you don't really travel long distance and you just want the car to be there in the background getting you from A-B without too much fuss AND since it's your first car the best option would still be an Axia even though it may not be the most comfy or exciting. Agent will always have spares and there's Perodua spares aplenty in Panchikawatta too. A car made specifically for the market with agent involvement as opposed to a Grey Import is usually a good starting point for a new car user. If you head over to the Honda Civic 2018 (1.0L Turbo Grey Import) thread you can see that we've been debating the exact oil to use at services for the past 2 years now ....

Word.

@wathsala_adhikari aren't these cars at different price points? The Camry i though would cost far more than the others

Of the above vehicles the Civic is the more engaging and all rounder cars to have. Decent performance...decent comfort..decent creature comfort. Only hitch is finding one that is not riced up, but there are quite a few decent ones around. The Camry is spacious and large and has a very soft and plushy ride. But it is as enjoyable as a sofa sinking in a pool to drive. The bluebird G11...well decent and comfortable ride...but personally I feel it to be a bit cheap. If it was my money I would buy the Civic.

Ah! I didn't think about sound deading and vibration minimization! Good tip!

@Vega props for the structured & logical approach you've taken to finding your first car? Just an observation but have you left a margin to factor out the confirmation bias in the responses you receive? @gayanath usually offers empirical evidence to back up his claims but the rest of us are guilty of serving up opinions which to a large extent are subjective. Of the cars you've shortlisted i've only owned the Fiesta - search the forums; i recently replied in great detail about my ownership experience of the Ford.

@iRage @AbeysinghE @HaeylM @matroska Sorry guys, was busy with stuff. Yes guys I have the following list of cars that I came up with. I would like to know if it fits my needs though. Not an easy task as I experienced to find one that works with the budget as well as well-maintained. Sedans Yaris, Belta, Lancer SC3 and others mentioned by you guys - but difficult to find for the price a well-maintained car, and too old - most cars have been heavily used and not well maintained ? Any suggestions? Ford Fiesta 2011 - some say this has issues with transmission Peugeot 407 Hatchbacks Vitz - at least a 2010 Perodua Axia Suzuki Swift Peugeot 308 Honda Fit/Aqua also on the list - although the NiMH and especially Li-Ion battery decays and I do not commute frequently so I wonder if this fits If you guys can say pros and cons, driving experience I always appreciate it much! I know we cannot find the perfect match but something that can last for some time. Thanks much!

Teaser: https://i.ibb.co/6YQjLx7/DSC-2376.jpg

In a situation like this if the car owner had full insurance, would the insurance company cover the loss for the business? or should the business be insured?

Okay...well...I do not meet any of your eligibility criteria for provision of advice For starters..you need to do your own leg work. You cannot expect forum members to hand you the solution and you just buy it (although I must admit there are a lot of posts with that attitude these days). In general: 1. Go through other threads for car recommendations on the forum. 2. There is a thread called How to buy a second hand car in SL. It will give you a comprehensive list of what to do, what to check and by whom. 3. A car should be (and is) a personal preference. What car models interest you ? At the end of the day..it is your money and you are the one who has to live with it day in and out. Would you be happy with dating a girl you have never seen in your life before that your parents told you to date ? OR Would you be happEIR dating a girl that you met on your own and fancied ? 4. Market price...this is something you should do your own homework sadly...once you figure out what you fancy..check the classified and maybe even drop by a few cars sales to see what the asking rates are and we can discuss about what the actual going rates are (they are different).

Firstly dayum your demands! Buddy there are plenty experts here but there's no way you can meet every demand you have listed. This price category has been repeatedly discussed more than a few times so i reckon u go through the forums. As far as my recommendations go id say an entree level hybrid kei car might be your best bet. For your pricepoint you should be able to find one with a fairly low mileage and with a 2 year warranty apart from running costs and your fuel economy should not be that bad unless you abuse it. They are prone to faults under extensive engine load like if you are carrying some heavy cargo upcountry but they are pretty good for city driving. An alto would start at 2.4-2.6 and you should be able to find a decent Wagon R or equivalent for 2.7-3 Mil. As for a much more decent car you are looking at a 8+ year old car and that would be a Fit GP1( never owned one, but driven and its pretty smooth), Passo/Vitz(Owned and can recommend), or a swift (Much older 2008, used for a while back and can say its pretty worth the pricepoint). As for a sedan you are looking at a car well over 10 years and with some mileage on the clock. Honda Civic ES5, Corolla 121 (old but awesome car), Mazda 3, Nissan Sunny Fb15,N16, N17, Tida, Lancer (2008-9). All these cars have their own ups and downs, theres no perfect car but thats the whole point of owning a car. The experience you gain of taking care of it and giving the attention it needs. And the on and off mods that make you happy.

Continued from previous post....

Yes...practice proper lane discipline (easier said than done)..follow road rules (don't get on junction boxes unless you can pass through, or stop on pedestrian crossings) and extend common decency to others without expecting any acknowledgement/appreciation/anything in return. Plan your trips so you avoid going back and forth several times a day (sometimes for the smallest of things). Use public transport, bikes or walk as much as you can. Stick to local shops/markets as much as you can.

I've seen most of the accessories in the cars at these places with little pieces missing or damaged. For example, oil stick with top plastic part broken. When they finally get their genuine buyer they will go on correcting these shortcomings, thus making the buyer believe that he is getting what he bargained for. This must be a part a of their "magic".

Members, Part exchanging first started by Salgado motor sales in Negambo far back 1940s. Today there are people who has little extra undeclared funds starts, buying and selling motor vehicles. Due to high margin of profit. PK Niwasa started and there are few thousands living on this industry. Must get a inventory and mark all pars can be changed from the sales point. There is a leading importer in Colombo who imports few hundred vehicles for a month. before the tax hike. Vehicles are send to outstation sales outlets belong to him. Drivers used to change batteries tries on the way if they find extra fuel also sold. At last the said importer used a high wattage Electric SOLDERING IRON with a seal to melt all the tires and the battery. Drain out all petrol give only for one trip. Every month he had different seal with the month. That was the end of that They indulge in all sorts of activities to make few Rupees and cents, Some new mushroo unregistered car dealers also had got used to this habit. This is Sri lanka integrity is not there among most of our citizens. Most people get up in the morning to whom to hoodwink. Sylvi Wijesinghe.

Some facebook posts indicate that it was #100 of 147....not sure if that is true...no matter what number it is..it is a huge loss to automotive history

So I have this habit, I go up the hantana range to a secluded spot way up in the hills and fly my drones, I do it almost every 2 weeks in my montero sport. Since my car is in the garage being painted, i took the family Montero v98 Seems the ground clearance is lower than the Montero sport that I managed to peel or off the rear bumper costing 90k for the fix, a ledge that I cross frequently Dad has been swearing since morning now. This is gonna be a fun weekend

OH NO!!!!! The Lotus !!!! What happened ? Hope no one got injured