Crosswind

Not a Skoda.

Not a Skoda. Let me give another hint: It aint Japanese, it aint Korean. In fact it wasn't originally manufactured in any Asian country.

Ok here's one from me. Hint: They got just a handful of these in Sri Lanka and I don't know if any of them are in running condition.

Goes to show that they can't fool the Autolanka members easily. Yeah. In the Pinto memos, the estimated cost to rectify the flaws was $121mn, but to pay off accident victims and people who die from the collisions, the estimated cost was $50mn. Based on this, they decided roll-out the Pinto with the problematic fuel tank. Tata had zillions of other problems with the production of Nano - shifting manufacturing facilities, public protests, delayed design, cost overruns, delayed production to name a few. So I bet they didn't even bother to test the damn thing. Yeah... they would have definitely 'missed' a lot of things. And you really don't know how many cars really caught fire and how many owners were paid off by Tata folks to hush things up.

Yup that's what I read too. Afaik they found this design error, after many excuses, blaming the customers many times and quoting 'isolated incident' for every Nano that caught fire.

The very first incident of Tata Nano catching fire was when the family who purchased was driving it home from the dealership. At first, Tata blamed the guy who bought the car saying that he had some electronic items in the car, which caused the fire. Later, when other cars started catching fire (including cars which were parked), Tata got back saying that they are investigating these 'isolated' incidents.... You be the judge!

Minor modifications to the car are changing the engine from 2-cylinder to 3-cylinder, changing the braking system, changing the steering system and changing the wheelbase. Also changing the price tag from $2000 to $6000. BTW, the manufacturers of tiny cars including the Nano, are getting in to Europe because of a loophole in the regulations. These are classified as quadricycles, not cars. The safety tests and regulations are pretty lenient for quadricycles compared to cars. But Europe is currently reviewing the laws for quadricycles because of the influx of tiny cars such as Nano, Chery QQ, Reva etc. So u guys know that we ridicule you. I'm glad cos I thought you guys are too dumb to know that. What makes you think that Nano will make us change that perception, when u guys come up with one crap after the other? For example, did you know that one of the four powerset trains purchased from India last month, stopped right in the middle of its its very first journey and just wouldn't start? So much for Indian engineering. I am pretty sure prison cells offer space, comfort and value too. But I can definitely ridicule it without getting in to one. Good. so what caused the fires? If this guy is from the agent, I wonder if I can take him to Consumer Protection Authority, for giving out misleading information

Believe it or not, Daihatsu does have official sales of Boon in Sri Lanka (there are some in daihatsu.lk website too - I don't want to quote links cos I don't want to do free marketing for them). So they should be having with the necessary service equipment. Toyota does not officially sell Passo in Sri Lanka (afaik Passo is a Japan-only version). Having said all that, I have experienced quite a bit of bad service from their parent company - related to mobile phones and electronics equipment. Once I was so satisfied with their service, I wanted to smash a 32 inch LCD on the service manager's head. If that's an indication of the company's attitude towards customer service, I would rather take a Dai to a baas unnahe than to the service centre.

Toyota Passo is same as Daihatsu Boon. In fact, Passo is manufactured by Daihatsu so it makes sense to take it there.

nothing. they are too dumb to even get out of the burning car.

Not all good cars have to be expensive. We Sri Lankans have a weird way of thinking, don't we? If you have a two-decade old pile of metal and if it has a Toyota badge on it, you can still sell it for over a million Swift is a pretty good car as far as I know. Low on maintenance, good on fuel. Good on leg room too. It's actually a very good choice for your budget.

Conversion from auto to manual is not something recommended by many Read more: http://forum.autolanka.com/Index.php?/topic/5295-changing-the-gearbox-from-auto-to-manual/page__p__74959__hl__%2Bconvert+%2Bauto+%2Bmanual__fromsearch__1#entry74959

Does your van have the original engine? Once I came across the same problem with a Caravan used by the company I was working for. The cause was finally identified as the van having a replaced engine incorrectly coupled with the gearbox. I don't know the exact mechanism but apparently the gearbox wasn't suitable for the engine. Eventually got the gearbox replaced and the van started acting normal. It's worth an investigation. Hope this helps.

She'z a beauty aint she? I love that interior and the engine room seem to have everything u need. Don't u already have matching gauges for your dashboard? But what the hell is she doing with a pair of Morris Minor side mirrors? While you are shopping, look for the mirrors too. I don't know if Sri Lanka will be any cheaper than Aus. But these are few places I know: Sports pack arches (You don't have the sportspack wheels though) - Eranda (Narahenpita), Sarath (Near Kelaniya Temple), Sometimes with Iqbal (Panchikawatte) and Suzuki Lanka (Kurana). Twin exhaust - No idea to be honest but you can probably get it done from Elcardo Smiths Gauges - Your best bet is Sarath. When I had my Mini, it originally came with Smiths gauges but I got rid of them in favour of Japanese 3-meter gauges cos I fixed a whole dashboard and they were looking like an outcast. Think about this before u get the gauges. I sold off My Mini a couple of years back so I need to find the contact details. PM me and Ill send them to u when I find them.

Tata Indica , Hindustan Ambassador :lol:

Again, no personal experience but a good friend of mine had one and I have been a passenger in it quite often. Apparently it has the same engine as the godforsaken Nissan Serena and he used to curse it. I too, can vouch for the overheating issue as I myself have experienced it.

Forget the Indian ones. It's much more comfier than many Jap cars. I never had any major problems with the car for the past 2 years (apart from a fuel consumption issue attributable to injectors and EFI tuning) so I didn't have to go spares shopping. Don't worry about the engine spares cos the Swift spares fit in perfectly. As for body parts, I've seen plenty in Darley Road and Delkanda. One plus point is the same car was sold in Australia as Holden Cruze (Only difference is the Holden Badge), so those who import knocked off car parts from Aussie bring down the Holden Cruze parts which fit in perfectly to Chevy Cruze.

Most of my knowledge in this area comes from sources such as Wikipedia and obviously they are questionable. What I actually meant was Nissan still sells a car named Sunny in these markets but like u said, they are Sentra or Pulsar rebadged. Not Sunny as in the B-Series car. BTW, apart from the body, was there a major difference between Sunny and Pulsar any time? Here's Nissan Africa website which has a page for Sunny - http://www.nissanafrica.com/en/web/header/header_1852.htm

For a few markets like Phillipines, Mexico, Africa and Sri Lanka as well, Nissan still manufactures Sunny. But I'm not sure if its made in Japan.

Your question is a bit unclear to me. Those who register for VAT are not individuals but businesses (which includes sole proprietorships) who are eligible for charging VAT from the end-customer. In any case I haven't actually dealt with VAT for leasing purposes so I don't know whether it's possible to claim VAT if you are leasing a vehicle. Anyways let's assume that you are running a business with the required minimum taxable turnover (LKR 2.5mn) and this is the general procedure. Before registering for VAT, you need to go to Inland Revenue and get a TIN number. That's what we call a tax file. You need to take your BRC copy, Form 40/41/48, any import export licenses, NIC of the directors etc. Please take originals and photocopies. If you are an individual, you can still register for a TIN number. Just take your ID and a copy with any import licenses/permits that you have. Once you get the TIN number, go to the second floor and get a VAT form 11. Now this one has to be signed by the GS and the Divisional Secretariat. You need to fill it up and take all the documents above (BRC, Form 40/..., ID copies of directors, monthly bank statements, details of import export activities and any other supporting documents that you have and submit the form. After a few decades, they will issue the VAT number for you. Once you get the VAT number, you can charge VAT from the end customer and deduct any VAT that you pay. VAT Branch phone number is 2338924 The following PDF gives a good intro about the who VAT system. But some information (especially taxable goods, exemptions and VAT rates can be outdated) http://www.inlandrevenue.gov.lk/taxtypes/VATguide.pdf

Chevy Cruze, which is common in Sri Lanka, is rebadged Suzuki Swift/Ignis. I (virtually) own one. It's a nippy little car with lots of nice features. Pretty good for Sri Lankan roads too, because of its height and slightly taller design. Body parts could be expensive. Although the car looks identical to Suzuki Swift, its actually a couple of inches shorter and body parts do not really match. Look for things like centre antenna, original body kit, original interior, which can add value to the car.

Something doesn't look right about that car. First up, its a 1992 model with a GW-Series number. Afaik, GW-Series came in 2000? so that needs an explanation Secondly, the fart exhaust (age old trick to cover up engine noises), the paint job and the engine that seems to have run through a laundromat, looks like a typical sale job. and its a Tercel after all... I wonder if that price isn't way too much for a Tercel (with a different name). PS. My apologies if I broke any forum rules

I would love to get hold of an EP82 but I doubt if anything in good condition is available within my budget.

Ok guys, to update you on my car hunt, I have considered the following vehicles so far. KA-Series Hyundai Accent (Korean). Looks ok and runs ok. Comes below 10 301-Series Suzuki Jimny - Exterior looks horrid but the thing runs fine. Comes at a stretched budget. Around 12 JX-Series Maruti Wagon R. Runs fine as far as Marutis go. Appears to be in the best condition of all the cars I've seen. Comes around 11.5 Brand New Maruti - Need I say more. And I have to wait for 6 months. Price is 9.9 JW-Series KIA Rio. Battered and bruised. Price is 4 + lease Comments are welcome. Cheers!

I'm pretty sure both should be avoided unless there's absolutely no other option.