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Showing content with the highest reputation on 08/03/2020 in all areas

  1. Left field suggestion: The E70 X5. The 2009 & 2010 model years are very solid, well equipped as well. The ones that came before 2009 had engine head problems (I cant seem to remember exactly but it has to do with the VANOS/Valve lifters and its expensive) and the ones after 2010 are facelift and complex. There was one for sale a few months back asking 6 mil. White car, rwd and having the N52 3L inline 6 engine which is the most reliable engine option available for that generation of X5. But it had a shot out TC module and a leaking rad which the owner had trouble sorting out due to the restricted imports and financial situation. Last I checked he got a customer so not sure if its still there. Good car but rare to find in lanka. But I hope you have already acknowledged, "Most reliable BMW" is a relative term and doesn't mean it will be simple and reliable like a jap vehicle. It still has issues like interior trims peeling off, breaking, suspension parts taking a hike, sensors giving out, seals giving up and letting oil leak from every orifice. I say, get an E46. Keep a minimum of 150 - 200k for any nasty surprises during initial ownership. Look for a car with service records. Get a professional inspection from car checks or the agents (Prestige). Do some preventive maintenance with a good specialist shop like Milroy or Ultimate Motor works (I think Berlin Motor works is also good) after buying (mainly seals related and try to sort out major electronic issues if any, also be mindful of rust). Nice looking car, holds value really well, great to drive, easy to work on and alot of information is available on the internet about fixing, modifying and maintaining them. A guy I know got lucky, sold his E36 318i and got himself an E46 328i last month and I think he might end up forgetting his girlfriend judging by the amount of pictures he uploads daily. You will still get that BMW prestige and also, you can keep the remaining 2 - 3 million in the bank. Buy a suit, a nice pair of shades, a good detailing session for the car, a nice set of exhausts and some M-tech accessories, some yoga classes, a night out with the wife or family, an investment maybe? After all, who doesn't like saving a bit of money?
    4 points
  2. You think Tacoma is stronger than Hilux? I don't know I was never a fan of American made vehicles and love the Hilux more.. Me personally love the Tundra over Tacoma as I've seen few million miles Tundra on the internet. I do have few complains on its driving characteristics but overall nice truck. But as for heavy duty work I doubt it can beat Ford / Chevy/ Ram in the same class. As for the Honda Ridgeline, One of our family friend bought and told me "American wahana gannawata wada hondai Japan wahanayak ganna eka neda". I smiled and said nothing. Didn't want to destroy their happiness telling them that Ridgeline is the second most American vehicle. Even the Corvette seem to have less components from US than the Ridgeline.
    2 points
  3. That applies to pretty much all Japanese CVTs. Toyota tried to make it more interesting with the new Direct Shift CVTs....but nah...yes...the launch off is ok..but beyond that it is still the rubber strap pulling whiny unit. Yes...the Euros have a certain level of refinement...however you will be surprised. Quite a few of the Japanese manufacturers (and even Koreans) are doing a lot of their preliminary design and final tuning work through their European divisions. So it is interesting to see how some of the typical cars renowned for their boredom and cheapness have actually changed. The Corolla and Yaris were quite surprising. Even the Mazda 3...so like JB (not 007..the other one...the one that sings) said.."Never say never" Interestingly this is also causing an issue for the Japanese manufacturers in their home market. Toyota is have seen a bit of a dip in their popular models like the Crown and Corolla for being too youthful and sporty. Same goes with the Yaris (which is why they feel a need for the Aqua in the same segment...apparently the Aqua will be focused more towards the lazy type of driving)
    2 points
  4. As far as I know the rear camber in the aqua is not adjustable, check if yours are. Almost all the newer toyota hatches have a small toe out , and negative camber , could be that but can't be serious as yours Before changing tyre sizes do a wheel alignment including camber and caster. Check all bushings, meanwhile use a used tyre set or something until you make sure the tyres wear equally.
    1 point
  5. Is this a front tyre or rear tyre?
    1 point
  6. If you are that unsure: Best advice you'll get = Don't. Its a dirty business and not for the naive or unconnected as others above have pointed out. Buy some land in a desirable area instead. Or better still, buy a rentable commercial porperty. Case in point: Recent (July 31st 2020) exit of a major investor in a tech-hotel-real estate company: Sold her shares to her Dad @ Rs.11 after paying herself and the other shareholders a dividend of Rs 8 per share the previous year. How did the company pay the dividend- via profits one would think? No. They took on more debt. She double dipped, and walked away with around US$ 3 mil I believe after the dust settles; leaving the company debt to asset ratio at over 1400% (wrongside up). How did the Dad finance the purchase of her shares? Why, via the dividend she signed off on of course...Smart move for the family. For their smaller shareholders= Too bad, wise-up next time, type of senario! Am I bitter? Yes. Can I do anything about it? No. Its all legal. The family jointly owns 75% ish of the said company. So they decided what they wanted to do about the dividend, and how they wanted to source it and pay it out. And now they have at least USD$ 3 mil in free cashflow outside of the company to invest in their next venture. Can people talk about this type of daylight robbery publically / Do they? No. Only stupid people like me would do such a thing...
    1 point
  7. Aiyo I saw that in May or June! The owner must have been a tuk driver in a past life ?
    1 point
  8. Spot, CVT is one of the best transmissions system, but the problem is, when they are installed on cheaper cars they tune the transmission to choose a gearing where the engine works at the most economical point rather than making most of its power capability. The thing with Japanese cars we get in SL is that we rarely get the top end models. For example majority of the Mark IIs which came down were with the 1G-FE instead of the famous 1JZ turbo, Mark X were all 2.5L, dont think think any of the 3.0L models came down. Same with the Crown, I don't think any of them had the 3GR or 2GR. Plus I'm not sure whether we get any Crown Majesta or Celsior in SL.
    1 point
  9. Yes...but the Tacoma, Tundra, Ridgeline are all designed by the American branches of these companies. My college room mate had a Tacoma (which he bought after trading in his Toyota Pickup truck....an old Hilux)...and that thing was like the Hilux made a bit larger and more stronger. So they are pretty awesome
    1 point
  10. Oh no, they most certainly did. I was under the impression that all Raptors were tuned by Henessey after seeing that episode! What Mr. Orangutan said was that in the US they sell a F150 every 35 seconds, because they're cheap, but this is no ordinary F150, it's a Raptor tuned by Henessey.
    1 point
  11. Or any thing with CVT unless you crawl in the morning and evening or may be the highway runs
    1 point
  12. I thaught it looked FUGLY on paper until I saw a few on the roads. From the front and side view it has a nice road presence. It's the back which is terribly Conservative like an old camry. Also agent offers only 1.5Tbut it comes with all the bells and whistles. Compared to the cramped interior of a x1 and CLA this is a much nicer place to be in. Also I agree with you on the new mazda3. Looks great but current price is close to 10mn and the only locally available spec is the 1.5 skyactiv from the previous generation which is 118hp. A friend of mine has one and I took it for a drive. While it loves to be revved it doesn't feel as punchy as the 1.0 turbo in my civic and doesn't feel as refined going over broken roads either. Could it be the switch to the torsion beam? Because I owned a previous gen mazda3 for 5 years and it handled better and felt smoother. But the interior and feel of the switchgear is absolutely gorgeous and feels like you are in an Euro unlike civic and corolla. Crisper steering too.
    1 point
  13. The reality is that even if u spend millions on these ancillaries to coat or protect another ancillary ( paint) , we travel on public roads shared by people owning vehicles of value 10000 rs to 60mil rupees on a given day, nothing can save you from a scratch or a ding or even a stone chip. So my suggestion would be do a simple wash and a high quality wax, pay the rest for insurance.
    1 point
  14. Well if you are looking for a decent family car toyota is not a bad idea. Whatever people say the brand Toyota has earned its reputation as a top carmaker due to its durability and its value for money. The million mile toyotas are nothing new and usually averagely maintained ones can last on its stock engine for some good time. I have friends who have corollas and vitz's that have run well over 200k and are running with the same original engine, only regular oil changes and service are done. For example the passo (2013 kgc30) i got was one of the best purchases i made. I used it for 7 years with no repair on anything other than replacing its battery after 5 years, a tuneup after 5 years and a tyre change. It is true that there are a lot of abused toyotas lying around but there is an equal amount of well maintained ones that also go for averagely good prices. Same goes for the Axio, Other than regular oil change, new tires, battery and tuneup the car is pretty much trouble free for now. Did some extras like a headunit, led fogs, HID etc.. but still the car drives pretty smoothly and fuel efficiency is well held. People who own Toyotas would agree on the same and which is why they demand a little on their cars. As for depreciation, its hard to tell but in general the popular models hold its value well. For example 2007/8 vitz cars go for almost the same value as a fit GP1, Corolla 121's still stay well above the 2 mil mark even though its a 20 year old car. People might argue that the buyer base is bloated but the car sure serves your purpose if you need a reliable car to get around town with averagely good comfort and good value. Most toyotas even though not made to be used in Sri Lanka do well on our roads, Exceptions maybe with camry etc.. ) If you are more about having fancy tech or features you might want to consider to opt for Hondas, they come loaded with options for the price point of a base or X grade toyota. But the reason behind tarnished honda reputation is partly in the fault of misconception. The cars are well made and designed but some models were not meant for sri lanka's weather condtions and roads, thats why the engine oil burning on GP1(ones in japan were recalled), The DCT issues on Grace, FitGP5, Vezel etc happened. This created fear on people who are looking to buy them secondhand, but Civics and Accords are great cars with good comfort. As for Mitsubishi, I am yet to experience it and hoping to do so in future, From what i hear the car is more about the driving feel and enjoyment than driving a soft and quiet car like a toyota. Not gonna comment on this brand but the reviews and expert opinions from here say that is actually a pretty good brand for a car/Jeep. To answer your question 1) Toyota - 141, 161 (axio 2013ish), Allion(2007-9), Premio (2004), Nissan- Bluebird G11( check for dashboard issue and wheel hub), Sunny (2011-14), Honda - Civic FD(check for hybrid battery), Accord (euro) Mitsu- Lancer EX, Outlander(older model) 2) hard to tell but expect 2-3 laks of depreciation if the car has passed its initial depreciation. Ex: If you buy a 2013 axio for 3.9 Mil expect to sell it for 3.8 or 3.7 at least sometime in future, Depending on how the economy goes sometimes our EFFED up community appreciates prices in cars and they sell them for no loss or profit. 4) Passo 2013 model 9,500 - 11,500 LKR at A*W (castrol magnatec 5W30 Oil and all other original lubricants, New oil filter), Axio 161 - 11,500-13,500 LKR at A*W (Castrol Magnatec 5W30 etc.. ) , Air filter for Toyota around 1500, Oil filter around 1250 and Cabin filter close to 2000. Battery replacement if needed (13,500 upward maintenance free 3K/Lucas), Tyres each cost close to 11,500 Dunlop, Hifly(chinese and not recommended at all, costs i think 6,500), So generally expect to spend 10-14k on a toyota sedan to service with good lubricants. Insurance costs close to 72,000 for Axio. ( I haven't had to replace any parts so not sure abt costs for parts nowadays) (https://lexusenthusiast.com/2019/02/22/matt-farahs-lexus-ls-400-reaches-1000000-miles/#:~:text=The million-mile Lexus LS,break the million-mile mark. https://www.motor1.com/news/347462/second-toyota-tundra-1-million-miles/#:~:text=It's the second known Tundra,the mechanicals weathered the mileage. ) - Million mile toyotas for u to read -
    1 point
  15. The answer is simple. Don't put your money in the share market, even when the share prices are attractive (now, for example). That place is infested by manipulators and its a good time for them to play their game with stocks that had a good reputation in the past (like large banks). Invest in a land instead.
    1 point
  16. hi guys Used 0w20 mobil one for the first service. I then felt the viscosity is to low for Sri Lanka's climate. So I moved to 0w30 mobil one from my second service. I follow the service schedule on the computer. Now after four oil changes 19000 km on the clock there is no issues so far. By the way I buy the oil from independent seller and the filter from Stafford and get it changed at my local service centre while im watching. I dont believe paying a premium at the agent also not knowing what they have done and not done. Cal me paranoid , but this way I exactly know what's in the engine.
    1 point
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