VTEC

Hello.. Am flirting with the idea of getting the new Hilux 2018/2019 or the Ranger and wanted to get some input from someone who knows their 4x4 and trucks and also the pricing and weird tax structure and luxury taxes etc. Currently have a 2008 Invincible 3k turbo (fully loaded at the time) been using it for 7 years and have no complaints, rock solid, runs like a bull and is probably one of the best vehicles I've owned. I was looking at the Rocco initially which is the fully loaded one sitting above the Revo (Not sure of the difference between them) and then Toyota Lanka also offers the Hilux Fully Loaded one as normal import and permit both. They don't get down the Rocco but claim their fully loaded version is the same as the Rocco. Both from Thailand but a huge gap in the prices. Rocco grey import is about CIF $36 to 37K USD but I was told the agents are offering it at CIF $25k both being 2.8L Turbo. Importers are not sure if the luxury tax will be applicable and if so how much. Then there is the the Ford Ranger - Wildtrak and the Raptor. Raptor is probably an overkill for me and the Wildtrak sits well with decent specs and cosmetics but it comes in a 2L Bi Turbo (Not sure what that is) and so the luxury tax may not be applicable, but the CIF on grey is higher than the Toyota Rocco! Haven't checked with the Ford agents yet. Anyone who has looked into these options and have bought recently and can share their valuable insight in terms of specs, the differences, reliability and also aprox pricing (even on the permit) would be much appreciated.. Thanks

What is the recommended fuel type for the CHR 1.2L Turbo? 92 or 95? A Google search didn't help much...

Hi can you post the location of where you got the alloygators done? Will be helpful to many in the forum.. thanks.

This happens to my Hilux Invincible imported from UK quite a bit just randomly. From what I have gathered, this happens when something intereferes with it's signal or frequency etc or whatever you call it, a car passing by or a device nearby triggers it and goes off. A couple of times it kept on going, and a car came by and parked next to it and it stopped. Showed it to Toyxxx Lanxx and they were unable to figure it out because it never goes off randomly when you show it to them! They feel I was making it up ? It's not very frequent so didn't bother with it anymore but if someone has figured out a remedy do post!

I am not sure you can compare the new Civic with the A1, both are totally different sizes, category and pricing. If you really want to stack it up, it should probably be the A3 hatch againts the Civic hatch/sportsback. The Civic probably is roomier, wider and longer with a larger foot print and a bigger boot than the A3 hatch but similarly if not closely priced.

Hi guys thanks for the valuable inputs. As many of you have advised and after speaking to a couple of people also, the best route would be to go through the agents. Yes like iRage mentioned will loose a few bells and whistles, but it'll be peace of mind at the end of the day.. and the agents for Audi aren't bad as some of the other euro agents known for their lack of care... Between the CHR and Audi even though both being priced similarly, the Audi probably has more value in terms of CIF pricing than CHR on which you end up paying more duty.. the safest route would be the CHR, bigger crossover, Toyota badge, hack it to death.. but for some reason leaning towards the Q2, bit smaller that what I would want but was quite zippy and nimble when test drove.. and the Audi Premium badge ofcourse. Interestingly whislt researching these 2 came across the CRV too which apparently the 2WD 5 seater seems to be good buy at 8.5ish. much bigger and a practical cross with very good options/features... Making my choice a bit more difficult..

Hi, So was considering the Q2 since the past 5 months and have not been able to make up my mind. It's between the CHR 1.2L and the Q2 or maybe even the A3. Any advice from people who are owning either one? Also I've seen many grey Q2s and A3s being brought down by importers from Japan, South Africa and Australia.. These are priced similar to the agents price around 8mil+ but have more features than the agent imports like the virtual cockpit etc. Do you ll think the ones from the agent is still worth it paying the same price but getting lesser features than the grey imports? Also the agents won't service the Grey's according to them.. any downside on the Grey's? A little bit of advice from someone who knows about Audi's would be much appreciated. Torn between the CHR or the Q2. And if Q2 whether to go with the Agent or Grey Import. Also the fact that one can also get an A3 Sedan fully speced grey import for nearly the same price. Thanks in advance!

Hi Aslam86 do you mind sharing the contact of the person or company you got the Brand New battery from? Would help a few folks here. If it's against the rules would appreciate if you could PM me. Thanks.

Would really like to get some feedback from the 1L-T Civic owners on performance and fuel consumption. If it does 8-10/Litre in Colombo traffic it's pretty good I would say. Did go for a test drive and it felt pretty well built with good materials, and was pretty zippy (I wasn't driving though). It's got some decent reviews overall, and the sports hatchback seems to be slightly more expensive than the normal in Japan (I stand to be corrected). Brand new price in UK being close to 22k to 24k pounds, I think 6.5 mil is a decent price. It's not meant to be a cheap car the ways it's price has been positioned.

Are you sure your car sale "friend" is getting down the 1L automatic? Would you mind sharing some details if not againts the forum rules or msg me if so...

I can bet none of the poster advising against it own a vezel.. just hear something and spread the tale.. our srilankan trait. There are no issues in the vezel apart from the normal ones which are prone to all cars..unlike the xtrail which actually have the gear prone issues which needs to be replaced.. It's a wonderful vehicle in it's class and maintenance is the same as any Honda hybrid.. yes there are plenty around, and the reason for that is because it's one of the best available for the price and crossover category.. I would definitely recommend it for what it is worth and intended for..

Experienced the exact same thing at the Meereehana Jubilee Post Roundadout Shed. Felt cheated for a proper 1000 rupees. http://forum.autolanka.com/topic/15647-petrol-stations-you-should-avoid/page-7?hl=%20petrol%20%20shed Seems to be a play by the employees practiced at shady sheds, credit card or cash makes no difference.

Just to create awareness to be vigilant of the ceypetco station at the jubilee post mirihana roundabout. Maybe not the station but one of the attendees seemed a crook. Resets the pump when ur not looking or engages you so your not focused on tha pump reading and immediately starts filling the bike behind and U've got no choice but to pay up the exaggerated amount since they don't want to hold up the que. Happened to us twice. Was not happy when asked for a receipt. Never going there again.

Hi, could u post the details of this Meegoda and Kurunegala guy / shop please?

Like iRage said, not all UK imports have issues and likewise not all Thailand imports are issues free. One of my relatives bought one the Thai imports and it looked all good from the outside, nothing to complain. But just 2 days on when he went for the service at Toyota they found all sorts of problems. There was a certain dent underneath affecting the suspension, sort of a knock and the gear oil tube (don't know the exact terms) was leaking. The repair estimation was about 250k+. Luckily he was able to return it and get his money back since the seller was known to him. Ive seen Cabs in Thailand and I can tell you that generally they are nt looked after that well. I would presume personal UK vehicles to be looked after better than the Thais. Also the UK cabs have a certain high quality feel than the Thai counterpart, and the Highest grade "Invincible" have more options too. The UK cabs which are brought down in 100s by all the big car sales are the worst of the crop. Mostly the highway patrol vehicles and ones used by other government / construction companies for very cheap prices. You can know some from the stickers and other badges on the cabs (if not already removed by the car sales). These are removed and the double cabs re-painted etc. Some of them even convert the low end HL2 ones to look like HL3 and Invincible. This the reason you find UK cabs in such bad shape because you would have seen them in these big car sales. We had a look around these large car sales too which had a whole load of cabs when we were looking for our cab and we felt the same as you did, the cabs were pretty bad. But when we started looking at the UK personal imports we found them very good. Specially the ones with service history etc. We finally found one in very good condition, with complete service history, all manuals cd etc and also personally used in uk. Mileage was authenticated through the mot tests and other websites and if personally used in UK it's pretty low. There was a a tiny bit of rust here and there nothing major, just with normal usage (our Japan imported van had much more visible rust than this,) but got it certified by Toyota and its not the corrosive rust which ppl tend to think. It's a thin layer which can be scraped off even the Toyota guys agreed, the rust issue has been inflated. Though maybe true in some vehicles. What I mean to say is if you look around and avoid the sales which import junk you will see that there are pretty good UK double cabs available. specially the invincible which is pretty good. else get some to look one for you in the UK and get it down. that way you are assured of the condition too. Cheers.