Supra_Natural

Perhaps do some research, before shooting off an opinion? The R & D was not done in the UK, that's not how car manufacturing works these days. The Civic especially was intended from the start to be a global car.

I actually wouldn't mind making the bet, I personally feel that as long as the cars are maintained properly (not with makabaases obviously), they will do ok. The fact that the agents' offshoot company is also bringing the Civic down should add a certain level of confidence. For all we know, they might end up officially importing it soon enough. But really only time will tell. Everyone (including myself) was super convinced Hybrids would fail but they seem to be soldiering on, even the older ones. Now the VW group 1.0 liters that are coming in on the other hand....

I strongly disagree with your view of the Civic. Long term durability of course remains to be seen but I do not think Sri lankan conditions will have a major effect on the Civics if the maintenance is done properly. This is not a Ferrari, in every other aspect it's a fairly conventional car, just the engine that is novel and even that had had a LOT of development work put in, as Honda couldn't afford to mess this one up. I've driven one extensively and it does not feel overweight or underpowered and drives basically like a 1.6l Civic of the previous generation did, with a bit more mid range response. Guess we'll have to see what happens with time. Plenty of us (myself included) were predicting doom and gloom when Hybrids first started coming in en masse too. But for the most part even the older ones seem to be doing ok.

When I bought my 2 sedan the sedan was from Thailand and the Hatch from Japan. I sat in and poked around both extensively before deciding on the sedan. As iRage said, there is no difference in build and assembly quality, both are at a very high standard. I doubt the shock mount issue will recur as they said it was a manufacturing issue for certain parts and such things are sorted out on the run when they come to light. Anyway it appears quite early and the warranty will take care of it.

Personal opinion, Autoglym all the way. Super Resin Polish is a good regular use polish/wax (despite the name it's not a traditional polish, but it does have a very slight cutting effect which does really well for removing swirl marks etc. If you want even glossier then the HD wax is where it's at (at a price though). One coat of each gives a finish that must be seen to be believed, lasts quite long too.

Which idea? If it's the importing, I've already expressed my opinion above. If it's getting a car locally and modifying it, then there are quite a few options that you can find but the ideal car will take time and patience and keep in mind that local prices are high and such cars are on the rare side so you'll have to plan and budget accordingly. What sort of budget do you have in mind? options off the top of my head that you can find in Sri Lanka which fit your criteria of 2 door, 4 seat and rear wheel drive with mod potential, of which there are currently examples for sale in SL at various price points: Toyota KE25 2 Door Toyota AE85 Levin/Trueno Mazda RX7 FC/FD Mazda RX8 Nissan 300ZX Z32

No argument there, but that's the reality of the SL car market isn't it? You or I would probably spend that money and get a better deal on a used car but for the majority of people new or unregistered is what they want because "peace of mind is important" (I've heard those exact words many times).

There have been a few issues here and there but no blanket recall AFAIK. I had a problem with my front shock mounts which turned out to be a defect and that was covered under warranty. It was apparently a problem with that batch of parts so a few more cars were affected. Providing a warranty for extra cost is really upto the individual agent, some will, some won't. Also keep in mind that these "Importer warranties" are as much of a lottery as the mahajana sampatha, they have so many exclusion clauses that they've covered their ass for everything, so I really wouldn't count on it.

Are you looking for the 3 hatch or the 2 hatch? @Nirosha

The Mazda 3 hatchback was never imported by CM. It was only the sedan that was imported. And it's quite standard for an agent to refuse warranty on a car not imported by them, because even the manufacturer will not extend a warranty on a car that is sold it a market other than the one it was intended for in the first place, too much risk for them. This has always been the case with JDM cars brought here, by and large if you get a good example in the first place you won't have any issues. The agents will still fix them.

What else can you buy for that price (new) with the same size and feature set though? Also, they don't come from Japan so the yen has nothing to do with it.

Best of luck mate!

A few issues suffered by one particular engine can't really condemn an entire company to the bin. Honda have spent a lot of time and effort on this generation of Civic and it is reportedly the single largest development program in their history, aimed at correcting the criticisms of the last model. I'd really like to know what you consider a better alternative at the price the Civic goes at, also have you driven one of them yet? I have and I was quite impressed with the overall package for the price, which is why I'm puzzled by your negative outlook.

No one can import a car older than 3 years, whether they are agents or importers or street corner mudalalis. There are some loopholes here and there but none of those are reliable. Nitrous Oxide is legal and is used during drag racing events by some competitors.

I have to ask, where do you get all this information that you spout so authoritatively? "Honda is not having a good rep regarding engines in resant times" you say, care to provide some sources? Pretty much every engine Honda has made in the last decade or more has been perfectly fine in terms of durability based on any source I can find, maybe you've found different info? The 3 pot is actually quite smooth in use and if you didn't actually know what it was you'd not be able to tell it was different from an average 4 cyl. Honda like most Japanese makers does not adapt a technology until they are quite sure they can make it work reliably, unlike the euros (and especially the VW group). Between the two, I would still bet that the CIvic will be a better long term prospect than any VAG 1.0l turbo.

It really depends on many factors including usage pattern but most importantly maintenance. If someone uses good quality oil, changes it on time, does not take shortcuts with scheduled maintenance and does not abuse the car too much, 100,000 KM is nothing for a modern engine. Well most modern engines anyway. The 1.0 Litre turbos may be a different story, but then again now that Honda is using them, there is a chance that they've worked the durability out already.

JPS Espirit is with the De Silvas of Alliance Finance and it has been with them for well over a decade. I believe they bought it from the original owner. Car was quite recently given a freshening up and has been seen on the road occasionally.

Every time I think we've finally reached the bottom of the barrel, we just keep digging deeper. Sigh.

When was the last time you replaced your vehicle battery? Has it been checked regularly? Sounds like your battery is dead so I would check that first.

Great that you have enthusiasm, unfortunately your idea will require a LOT of time, effort and cash that might be better spent saving up and getting an Evo that has already been converted (plenty of them around). To answer your questions, if you want an Evo 7,8 or 9 you will be looking at purchasing a CS series lancer or Cedia (the japanese model, which is the correct base for the Evo). The CK can serve as a base for 4,5 & 6 and the body and structure are completely different between the two generations. However it is possible to fit a later evo engine and drivetrain into an earlier car and it has been done before here in SL. But generally the best advice is to do a conversion from the correct evo model generation as the base car. As far as I know there are no "Junkyard lancers" of the CS generation "with a crap body for about rs 500,000". Not going to happen since the used market in lanka is very strong and cars of that age have not really depreciated that far down (and probably won't in the near future). A CS lancer is still going for well over 2 based on a quick study of adverts. CKs can be had for less so you can look at that and convert it into a Evo 4,5 or 6. Also keep in mind that the authorities are cracking down on modifications at the moment so you currently are at risk of having all sorts of trouble with the law if you heavily modify a car. Honestly your best bet is to pick up one of the numerous already converted Evos that seem to be on the market these days and spend your time and efforts bringing it up to A1 condition and then enjoy driving it.

Won't do anything for the registration book, which will still be Daihatsu.

Very interesting and certainly not in line with what is generally seen in service here. For Mazda (and Nissan, Subaru, Acura, Mitsubishi) to rank lower in vehicle dependability than BMW, Mini and freakin' JAGUAR means that there is something that the data is not telling us. Must look into this more. One thought I have is that people tend to report minor issues like not being able to figure out infotainment systems also as problems in these surveys. Still this raises a good point. EDIT: Did some reading, the above mentioned issue with the JD power survey has been noted by other sources too. Infotainment issues are also considered "Problems" on the same level as mechanical issues. https://www.autoblog.com/2016/02/25/jd-power-rethink-vehicle-dependability-opinion/

Well I have 3 of them at the moment (a 2014, a 2015 and a 2016) and so far they have all been fine. So I don't know what to tell you, other than the importer was lying as they usually do.

First time I've heard of an Aqua doing 25 KM/l, was this when you were pushing it downhill? Joking aside, under what conditions were those figures obtained? Because I know several Aqua users and I've even used one myself for a few days and the average they have done is at best 17-18 KM/L in the city, certainly not 25.

The majority of what you mentioned that appears to have failed in the cars you used appear to be cooling system related. It is a known fact that cooling system components need to be replaced with age, especially so on euro cars. Vacuum hoses are also age related failures usually and not really deal breakers. The N47 timing tensioner issue now has an upgraded part I believe.