Sierra Charlie

In Sri Lanka? ?

Congrats on the new purchase @IndulaC. Quite a nice ride there mate!

Ah, this is pretty interesting. Owning my Galant for 6 years now. Never a dull day with this car. What you're looking for is the version before mine. But still, it was ahead of its time in terms of its suspension, how everything was put together, etc. Obviously, any specimen from 1989-1990 would be having at least some issues, especially when it comes to interior bits and general upkeep. But then again, it's to be expected from a car pushing 30 years. There are still some cars owned by passionate owners. Such cars come to the market once in a while. If I were you, I'd also consider some of the other options mentioned by the others.

Wow! Came on AL after a long while and I'm not disappointed. This is absolutely brilliant. Keep it up @kusumsiri. What a legend!

I honestly don't care about petrol consumption. If you drive like me, it would probably do like 6-8 a litre. With a light foot, you might do something like 10 a litre. I honestly don't know. But I do know that you can drive the car gently. During one of those elongated fuel strikes, I managed to stretch my km/l ratio by a massive margin by not revving more than 2000RPM, planning my overtakes and driving off gently from traffic lights. As for interior mods, there are a few that came from the factory. The Momo steering wheel is one. The other biggest interior OEM item is the factory Recaro seats. I like to keep everything original. So if I'm to ever change my seats, those Recaros would most probably be it. The car comes with 4, 6.5-inch speakers and two tweeters. Factory fitted audio system is pretty darn good. In different variations, you can find a 'touch A/C' or digital A/C controller. I have rotary controllers. There's also a dashboard gauge cluster known as the 'high-vis cluster'. Both these are rarely found in Sri Lankan Galants. But I know folks who have done/thinking about switching to either or both of these.

?‍♂️Should have been a little clearer. When I said econoboxes - this is personal opinion - what I meant are the Axios, Corollas and the likes that many folks call 'luxury' cars these days.

Well, Galant is my first car and I still own it after 6 years. Since then I've driven quite a few cars. But none connects as the Galant does. So much so that I'm planning to get a second boring car just to drive in Colombo. It's been one forgiving car so far. I usually drive it like I stole it. You should take it on a winding, well-paved road. Absolute bliss! Even with just front-wheel drive, it goes where you point it at - very little understeer. Comes with rear-wheel independent suspension. Not many of the econoboxes of today have that. The car has enough power to overtake those annoying 40ft container trucks two at a time in Kadugannawa and generally a blast to drive around. I've found all the parts I wanted from Sri Lanka, including a set of Tein Coilovers, the OEM spoiler, the OEM Strut bar and an OEM Momo steering wheel among so many other sensors and bits and pieces. It's not a Toyota. So finding the parts take some effort. But a few of us are dedicated enough that we have a running list of vendors who carry parts for the car. Get a Galant with the 4G63 SOHC engine. Should you want to put a 4G63T (the one found in the Evo) in it, it's a very straight forward swap. If you want to go mental, go get a VR4. There are a couple of cars with the 4G63T swap. Once done, it's a very potent sleeper car.

?How informed are you about this? In terms of reliability, it's pretty much the same as the regular Galant or the Legnum. Some parts are obviously difficult to find. The Manual 8Gen weighs about 1450KG and the Automatic weighs about 1500KG. Weight varies a little if the car has AYC.

Don't know whether it's still here. But there's a P90D.

Add to the list a couple of 8Gen VR4s. These are proper sleepers. Under the bonnet is a 6A13TT engine which is a 2500CC, V6 engine. Yep, the TT stands for Twin Turbo. Power goes to all four wheels. Mitsubishi says 'supposedly' that the engine puts out 276HP. These cars are from the era of the Gentlemen's agreement between Japanese car manufacturers. So chances are the actual figures are probably 15-25 ponies north of this. Drives as if the damn thing is on rails, like literally. Great acceleration and very, very unassuming looks. But, boy when it gets going, it does get going.

Cops didn't fine me. I said I replaced the windscreen. It was slow-moving traffic. Else they wouldn't have noticed it. As for the eventual getting of this sticker, I can't remember what I paid. This was some 3-4 years back.

Happened to me. Didn't have the sticker when I got my car. Was copped specifically on this in Warakapola. You actually don't have to take the glass piece. Just lodge a complaint at the nearest police station, take a copy of the complaint and submit it to the RMV.

So missed me much @trinity? Been following this thread for a while now. The only problem I've been having was the shortage of popcorn at times.

+1 on this. My Galant is on Tein Streetflex coilovers designed for the car and original Super Advan SA3R alloy wheels. Both are found in Sri Lanka. Also, a myriad of 'හොයන්න බෑ' parts are found and some are gotten either on the cheap or for free. So, parts can be found. It takes a little effort.

Construction is finished. Just took the route last week. But if you're afraid of heights and if your clutch balance (if you're driving manual) is shit, this route can be quite hair raising. It took me about 40 minutes from Mawanella to Gampola. Look out for vehicles coming down on the hairpins. Due to the steep incline and steep banks in the hairpins, even small vehicles can't keep to the lane.

Same here. Will drop a DM later.

Heya, are you in Gampola? If so, we should meet up. I go there often to my in-laws' place.

Probably food for thought. I had a similar issue. Was tearing my hair to figure out what. Turned out it was the front number plate mount. The damned thing started rattling only at a certain frequency when the RPM was around 2000. It was very hard to replicate when the car was stationary. Had another similar issue. Turned out to be the bonnet support rod rattling against the radiator mount. Since you have done a lot of things, reckon the noise might not be from something as simple as this. But do check. Elimination is better than costly repairs.

@varotone Glad to see a comprehensive guide to buy and restore a classic. Takes balls to make a decision like that in this day and age and in a country like ours. @Davy's advice is pretty comprehensive. I think you should keep looking instead of jumping the gun. These cars are not exactly sold off like hot cakes as far as I know. Good luck with the project. In there's any way that I can help, will do so gladly.

Been using a set of GoodYear Assurance since 2016. Pretty good tyres. Road noise is a little worse than when they were new. But overall, can recommend.

The 141 is a common model. You should be able to find the light either in Delkanda and/or Panchikawatte.

Sort of question I'd love to jump in and answer and obviously extend my passion. How about a Galant?

ignition coils are not a rare item. You should be able to find easily. I bought from Delkanda a few times. You might have to take a sample though.

Mate, whatever said and done, a car is a piece of equipment. I know people get very attached to it - me included - but it's not worth losing your sleep over especially on something as easily avoidable as this. The law doesn't allows for cars to be sold on open papers. Be sensible here and seek some other options.