matroska

This is off BYD Sri Lanka's FB Cover page right?

Nissan Sunny FB15 - common car, Nissan prices have not skyrocketed as opposed to other brands. Common car with ample parts availability. Fairly comfortable, and not bad-looking (personal opinion) For your need this is the simplest and most painless option. Get a mechanic or a dedicated place to examine the car. Do some bargaining your budget should be enough. Resale should not be an issue either. An EX-Saloon (grade) with the 'old shell' should set you back around 3.2 Mill at max. Keep some cash for any repairs (car is around 25 years old now) and you're good to go. A manual would be possible. Auto's are touching 4 Mill now and some of them are converted (and prone to issues)

This would be the way to go - I hope OP has taken the car to a proper mech and done a compression test. What I hear is that in the past people almost always tried to repair/rebuild engines. In recent times with the availability of recon engines garages tend to go for the more easier -'replace' method. Replace should be a last resort. Of course these are not 'new' engines they're usually engines taken off wrecking yards. Having said that I need to mention that from what I have seen when I was engine hunting for the Starlet usually (i cannot stress the importance of the word usually - yes there could have been an engine a sumo wrestler used to throw at his opponents )a 15 YO Engine that has run in Japan and a 15YO engine that has run in Sri Lanka are in entirely two different conditions

Correct! Over to you @iRage

ok then have a go at this

I was going to go with a brand that has a LEGACY in the rallying circuit. But I realize it's not the same. Next guess is deduct 40 from the number of the beast and you have the model? Maybe he was driving slow cos he was a bit nervous? What if you are driving a hearse and suddenly someone taps your shoulder and says 'malli drop me off here thank you' ?

This sadly is the Honda agent's mentality - they are still living in the EK3/EG8 age - I may have said this before but when you take it to them they are always like this is normal The "Hub" and Sta****d are at two ends of the spectrum. I personally have not been to the 'hub' but my friends have. And from their experience, they are somewhat paranoid . Customer : 'I noticed the oil level has dropped slightly' Hub : 'Your engine is done for replace the Engine. Replace the gearbox and replace the windshield wipers' at the agents Customer: ' My engine oil level is at zero, the engine is overheating and there's smoke coming out of the engine bay' St****d : ' Aiyo that is normal sir, here pour some kerosene into the oil filler' and proceed to throw a bucket of water to cool down the engine. To replace my brake pads and the coolant tank I went to this place in Yakkala who mostly deal with Honda's - I'm generally happy with the little work they did will not mention names as per forum rules.

Correct both of you. It's an X-Class Merc (X250d)- based on the Navara chassis. there are a few in Sri Lanka. I'll give it to @sathyajithj99 ! Take the floor.

visually very similar but the small clue is in the mirrors. Triton Mirror our suspects mirror. I will add another clue - the marque is not quite famous for pickup trucks and this particular models' chassis is based on another very common pickup truck.

Here we go - I can start dropping clues as we go along

The State owned manufacturer would be BAIC. the car in your pic would be a BAIC X55 ?

This is the biggest clue. Simca took over Ford Europe's factory and started making the Vedette which was also marketed as a Ford.

@iRage - please do the honors and take the stage. Gummy and I discussed this car before so me answering it would not at all count 🙂

You will probably not get 15KM/L on a normal Internal-combustion petrol car. Maybe in a tiny kei-car but those come with very little rear leg space. If you do mostly weekend outstation driving the best option is to go for a slightly large(ish) Sedan. A corolla 141 will be a safe and solid bet - will do 10-12 KMPL on a long drive. Hybrids make sense for daily drivers but why go through the hassle for a mostly weekend driver. Allions Premios are a bit overpriced but if you can find one in your budget then it's a good choice. Other options - Bluebird Sylhpy G11, Lancer CS3/Maybe an EX. If you must go for a hybrid - The FIT GP1 feels a lot more nippy and fun compared to the Prius. - The Prius is comfier, and has more rear leg space and the rear seats are better - the GP1 has the magic -seats that can be lifted up so they're not the most comfy. But it's a very practical car specially to haul stuff and it has insane interior space for its size. - Things that commonly go wrong in the GP1 are *usually* cheaper and easier to fix than in the Prius. [please focus on the words commonly and usually - I don't want to be sued ] -Prius is better on fuel.

from a particular maker who is more known for their reliable diesel engines, specially in a local context.