iRage

but is there much choice in terms of a 4 pot that i decent to drive as it is in the same budget range ? unless one goes used....

What you say has validity...but your reasoning for compromise of sfety and performance applies only when you do modifications pointlessly and aimlessly like a majority of Sri Lanka's so called car fans who are ricers. Yes..in stock form the car is configured to be safe and economical to the best of its ability. However, NOT optimally. The car in stock form is configured to meet the regulatory and consumer requirements in the best possible way. This means the manufacturer has to balance all performance and functional aspects of the vehicle. This is coupled with the fact that the components used are components have the minimal specifications that will meet the given requirements (i.e. the above balance); after all no one will buy an over engineered car because it would be too expensive. So looking at it...this way....in stock form cars like the Vitz, Fit, etc, have significant body roll and this contributes to under-steering and can be dangerous..can the manufacturers drastically reduce body roll ? Yes...they can and in special models they have ! But the stock Vitz and Fit still has the softer, body-rolling suspension because it gives the best between comfort, performance and price. Adding strut braces will improve handling/steering and will have NO compromise of safety; tests have shown that it will drastically reduce the chances of a roll-over in an emergency maneauver. Does Toyota had strut bars to the Vitz ? No..only on the higher grade models.Why ? Original strut bars which are TRD or CUSCO adds 30,000-50,000yen to the price tag of the car. Considering the type of people buying the low-end Vitz and what the car is used for, putting that extra 30K-50K to the price tag is not worth it because a lot of buyers will get turned off by the price. These cars have appalling braking distances and the type of brakes they have are susceptible to heat fade making the car dangerous if you drive and brake constantly on curvy roads. Can you improve this ? Yes....and Toyota has with special models with better ventilated brakes, etc.... Out in the market there are plenty of performance and upgrade parts made by third parties that are far better than the stock parts. Manufacturers themselves use these parts for special models. They do not put them on standard models because although it improves the performance it compromises on the customers' requirements of cars like the Vitz which are budget friendly city vehicle (thus breaking the balance I mentioned earlier). We Sri lankans have this stupid mentality that stock parts are the best (in reality even the manufacturers do not make these parts, they buy it from other manufacturers). So upgrading the vehicle with these proper parts is a value addition. In Sri Lanka the issue is 90% of the people "modify" their cars with sub-standard Chinese parts that are untested ripoffs. Then there is the actual modification itself. When a proper car enthusiast does a proper modification, it is a carefully planned project that will be done with a lot of research so that it will not compromise the safety and performance of the vehicle. Then the modifications themselves are done with people who actually are skilled and know what they are doing. These modifications will improve many aspects of the car. Granted it will compromise things like fuel economy, ride softness, etc...slightly; but then those who do proper modifications do so because for them improving certain other areas of the car whilst reducing fuel economy and ride softness is acceptable (as long as the car's safety and functionality is not compromised). Now..the issue in Sri Lanka....90% of the modifiers are ricers...they just stick things on the car just so that it looks "patta". To make it worst they use cheap parts (for example cheap Chinese "allow" wheels that break in to pieces if it hits a curb at 40kmph). Then there is the senseless and unplanned fitment of random parts and modifying existing parts, look at the beat cans..what the hell do they do ? NOTHING except piss everyone off...but our ricer boys get their panties wet over these. Then they go and make stupid changes like cutting the original springs to lower the car (dangerous as it gets) which completely changes the telemetry of the steering and the balance of the car. Then they go and add various things like huge spoilers without thinking of how it effects the car (the added weight of the plastic they stick on and what kind of lift/drag it creates. Lets not forget...we live in a country where we take a car that has crashed and flattened to a pancake; fix it up and then proudly use it like we hit the freaking jackpot. Bottom line is....if you do modifications/upgrades like the ricers in SL do..yes you spoil the car. You might as well throw the car in to a junk yard. But, if you do a proper planned modification with proper parts, you will not compromise the safety of the car nor its intended functionality (manufactures themselves do it and manufacturers sponsor popular third parties to do them as well). You will change some of its attributes like kmpl; but you will gain something else in return and will be a value addition.

Here is some motivation: Story is here : https://www.craft-web.co.jp/blogs/suzuka/17_11/ Another mod with stock like wheels on Modelista low down springs Stock vs low down : https://minkara.carview.co.jp/userid/255681/blog/39252747/ Another: another one (might be too aggressive for you in SL) https://cartune.me/notes/wRu8bXXWVp https://cartune.me/notes/Pqo6rJRzHW https://cartune.me/notes/p1xcQjURFr https://cartune.me/notes/pZ4jlbnqWO

The best way to go about it is to lay out a plan that is correlated with your budget availability...see what you can afford at what point in time and then see what would actually give you more function than form (eg. wheels would be form, suspension would be function). So you might want to start by getting the braces....it would really tie the car down (especially the rear end) then perhaps go with the wheels....and then )...then go for the coil-overs/springs (some like to go with the shocks first then the wheels. You can get used/refurbed TEINs etc...from Japan at a decent price..or go for something like D2 or GEKHO which have local agents). As for the comment about fuel efficiency...well...it can go either way....but most likely it might go down a bit...yes you do have a lighter wheel but now you have a larger foot print on all four wheels with a better grip... So basically your list would have the following - Strut braces - Wheels - Coilovers / Springs (if you go with springs you probably could afford to buy them with the braces...) - Brakes (better ventilated disks and pads) - Front splitter/rear spoiler - Swap aiRintake - Swap exhaust <becareful about this one...our cops have no idea what they are doing and harass people for this>

Well..not in SL because 90% of the people who can afford them buy it for show-off or to soften their tushies....LCs going off road is quite common in Australia, South Africa, Tanzania and Malawi.....also, the UN takes these things on harsh terrains every minute Those mods are pretty sweet though.

Yes...take progressive steps... 150K...hmmm...that would get you certain brands of coil overs and MAYBE A strut bar as well (might be hard to pull off all upper and lower ones...) Wheels...do not go for 90% of the Chinese ones around. Go for a decent licensed reproduction or used branded wheels. Only hitch is you will have buy tires as well and that might put you over the 150K amount if you decide to go with the wheels first. So perhaps start with just the strut bars ? Once you get done with those...you might want to start adding things like strengthening braces and bars for the body.....you get door lock jams, fender strengthening frames, etc....you can even go to the extent of putting performance focused engine mounts, polyurethane bush kits, etc....but I think those would be over kill, especially considering the cost. This is a personal belief....many people would disagree with me on this....once you upgrade your suspension...think about upgrading your brakes as well. With the better suspension you will be inspired to brake later and harder and good brakes would be nice. Some would say not necessary because you are not increasing engine power...but my view is its not always about power. You brake later and harder you need brakes that will not fade with heat and will grab properly. So think about some good ventilated disks and some decent pads for the front. With the rear...well..not much you can do with drums...although some manufacturers do have performance inspired shoes for drum brakes.

Well...how deep are your pockets ? 1. You might want to start off by putting on some strut bars (upper and lower). You get decent after market ones at a reasonable price as well as more expensive ones like Cusco, TRD, etc... 2. Coilovers would be an added benefit...if not there are lowering springs. Either way..go for decent brands. 3. You might want a wider wheel with tires with a lower profile. Stock wheels I believe are 14" with a width of 6" ? You might want to go with what the GR Sport and GR variants have which is 16" or 15" that is 7-7.5 inches in width. Granted your fuel economy will suffer as your engine will slightly work harder to get the car rolling. 4. If you want you can go with a air intake and exhaust upgrade and let it breath a little better, but getting a proper system will not be worth the money for the performance gain ....

Hmmm....never gone to Kandy in the Mark X....so no idea....but on open roads it was pretty efficient. Did a run to Sigiriya a few times plus Galle to Hambathota on normal roads and fuel efficiency was pretty much the same as doing the Galle highway (within the same range...so not horrifically bad.) In fact on work trips everyone preferred to take the Mark X because it was a lot more comfier and as efficient as everyone else's X-Trails and Lancer EXs and Allions

The Skyline sedan/coupe gets a face-lift with engine/, hybrid system and ProPiot tweaks...I love the fact that they went back to the Nissan logo instead of the Iinifinity logo for the Skyline Best part ! We get to see another 400R ! It won't be as crazy as the original 400R but still nice for nostalgia sake...yay for 400+hp Japanese barge sedans ! Nissan has dropped the 2.0L Merc 274 and is going with the Vr30DDTT for the gasoline variants and VQ35 for the Hybrids. The standard gasoline variants will have about 300hp (stock output of the VR30DDTT) and the 400R will have the same engine tuned up to put out 400hp. #NissanSkyline #400R

In the Mark X....when doing 100-120kmph.the gearbox shift to 6th and the engine just purrs at like 2000 - 2500 rpm....whilst the smaller engine capacity cars do have to work a lot harder. The RAV4 got about 12 and the 3rd gen CRV got about 14 heavier by about 50 - 75 kg, shaped like a box. Large engines are pretty good at cruising...but not good at sitting in city traffic. Smaller engines are reverse (albeit with modern tech the gap has significantly reduced)

6/8 of a km = 750m per liter 18/20 of a km = 900m per liter... But then again..we are talking about litter...so I suppose it depends on the type of litter ? But to be honest....the Mark X with a 2.5L V6 pretty much did 6ish in the city and I drove in the thick of traffic from Battaramulla to Wellawatte and back everyday....Galle runs did about 16kmpl on average

The T stands for Turbo...so G-T and S-T means grade G or S - Gasoline Turbo (So NO G-T does not stand for Grand Tourer like some would say it is) So the actual grades are G and S. So you get G Hybrid and S Hybrid. G-T and S-T for petrol variants. Then you get various special/limited packages now and then with names like G-Modus or something something and other names. G is the highest grade and comes with a lot of things like LED lights and signal Audi style turn light blinkers as padded and stitched upholstery, etc.... either as standard or offered options (whist the S standard items in the G are options and options for the G are not offered). However, a lot of these accessories/features can be taken off or added on when ordering the vehicle and sometimes special packages mix them up. Here is an options excerpt from the CHR catalog....somethings you can figure out by looking at the pictures. Others...use the Google Translator app and translate...Sorry..the differences and permutations are way too many to list out over here. I know a lot of people say G grade has this and that and X grade another set...but if they knew anything about Toyota's dealer and manufacture option methods then they will know saying that is ridiculous. http://cdn.toyota-catalog.jp/catalog/pdf/c-hr-u/c-hr-u_201708.pdf

1. No ! It is NOT the same engine as the Corolla Sport or CHR ! The 1.2 engine in the Yaris Ativ is the NA 3NR-FE engine....CHR and Corolla sport comes with the Turbo Charged 8NR-FTS. About the quality difference....no..thing of the past. Since the mid to late 2000s the build quality is on par with those manufactured in Japan and other regions. The main difference is because of market requirements they use different types of materials and different features to fit the budget. Yes..the Belta/Vios/Yaris sedans were made in Thailand (Indonesia, Vietnam and Phillipines are also in that list). So when people say the Thai built vehicles are bad, etc.. they are still stuck in the days of the Kijang and Soluna. Same applies for other manufacturers too...our morons were happily buying Fit Arias thinking it was made in Japan. Same with the first releases of the Honda Grace :). Refinement wise....the Ativ has improved a lot with more soft touch surfaces, etc...but granted..there are also more stripped down variants with hard plastics and surfaces. In this day and age there is no mass produced car that you can call Made in AAAAA country. At the end of the day...multiple components come from multiple places...

About R grade cars....this pretty much comes from any car that has a "Repair History" associated with its registration. It used to be strictly reserved for cars that have had damage and repairs done on accidents that would have compromised the cars "frame". Frame includes the inner skeletal structure, floor pan and other major support components like cross beams, etc...so if any impact/accident on these components are repaired the repairing shop needs to record it with the Japanese Transport authorities against the registration of the car (in some cases the registration plate needs to be removed during repairs and will be given back only after the necessary paper work is filed..removing the plates is another complicated affair). Thus if a car has a "Repair History" on it that means it has had a significant accident thus loses value. However, things have changed more now....now..most auction houses classify cars as R grade if significant modifications to the car has been carried out and is not stock. So a perfectly fine GT86 with an undocumented rocket bunny body kit installation (sometimes even documented ones) would be classified as R grade.

What @vag2 and @Twin Turbo said is somewhat inaccurate 1. With the new generation Vitz, etc....even the JDM models will be called Yaris. So where the familiar Vitz is concerned it is not going to be called Vitz in Japan whilst the global model will call it Yaris; from the next model on-wards the whole world will call it Yaris. The exception are the S.E.A markets where the Yaris will be just a hatchback version of the "Yaris Ativ" (previous generation was a hatchback of the Vios with a different front-end see pic 1) 2. The Yaris Ativ is....well...For starters it is not destined for Europe. It hasn't been marketed in Europe so far because it does not meet the safety and eco reg requirements just like the VIOS/Belta stopped being so in Japan a long time ago. For the same price point and market segment these mature/developed markets have far better models that fair a lot better than the VIOS/Ativ. The Yaris Ativ is merely the Vios (sedan..see Pic 2) which we all know; with what Toyota calls a major facelift (pseudo platform upgrade). In some markets it was re-branded as the Yaris Ativ for a new lease of life to a dying horse and in some markets its still called Vios. So the Yaris Ativ is still the old Vios and is still based on the P150 platform (see pic 2). The vehicle comes with the same old 1.2 and 1.5 engine variants with some tweaking to meet better eco standards and fuel efficiency with some structural improvements and safety add-ons (in some models). Granted there are some suspension improvements and the interior has been improved. Most people think it is a new car and sales people sell it as a new replacement model to the old Vios because of the drastic difference. But it is just a facelift on the old Vios. Mechanically you will be safe and sound in finding replacement parts as it shares the old major components with the old model and a whole host of other popular Toyota models. Your issue will be body parts...since it is not a JDM model you will not find body parts at the usual Japanese body parts shops and you will be, for the most part be, at the mercy of the agents to find replacement parts. Alternatively, you will have to find a place that brings down parts from Thailand/Malaysia/Singapore/etc... But that has always been the case with quite a lot of brand new models like the Corolla 141, etc...People have managed with these models for quite a long time. This should NOT be a deal breaker. As for the car....well....over here in Vietnam the VIOS is a popular taxi car and most of the old model has been replaced with the newer one. For the most part riding in it feels more refined than the old one and the interior feels less plasticy and well appointed. Granted it does not have the detailed touches of a Japanese market model but is pretty close. The Airport taxi guy I take has been using one for the last year or so and last time I checked (1.5 months ago) the guy had put nearly 90K kms and the car was still in pretty good shape and he had NOT done any major repairs except for the usual pre-emptive services (which he has to do at Toyota for the warranty to be valid) and things like brake pad replacements and a new pair of shocks (cmon...90K in one year is a LOT). So...its not a bad car and a pretty decent new lease on an old car. Now...can you find better alternatives ? Well...how much is this thing ? Pic 1: Pic 2 :

Hmm..in the good old days we had AL members living in far off areas (or going through far off areas) check cars out for other AL members who were looking for cars. You know..kind of do the initial inspection to see if it is worth for the buyer in Colombo or some other place to make the visit and start moving things along.

The newer Mazdas have an interesting thing that makes it feel "Zoom Zöom". It first came about with the 6 in the early 2000s. Even whenit is riding slow if feels very active and sporty and without even knowing it you are actually speeding and zooming around. It sort of died down with the Hybrid Axela (because of th Hybrid trying to be conservative)

Both nice cars....haven't driven a CX-30 yet....but the 6 is pretty nice and the build feel of the CX-30 is no different. Not sure how the driving dynamics would be like of the CX-30 with the wider and longer body, but the CX-3 was actually pretty nippy....

Yes....most of these things are a legal requirement now (various auto-braking systems and acceleration prevention systems, lane control mechanisms, etc....the legal requirement is there because of Japan's aging population. There is a huge spike in accidents where old people accidentally pressed on the wrong pedal and could not control the accelerator and brake pedals and did not have the physical flexibility and peripheral vision to steer and maneuver the vehicle accordingly...

Is it the white one ? It did look rather sleek with the larger wheels...in the interior looked decent in the pics but the body does look rather knackered....so the 62,000km might have been rather harsh 62000kms...you have to wonder if it is the second set of tires that the car is running on..if not the original tires have been well..used to the bone... . Did you see this one that is on Autolanka classifieds ? http://www.autolanka.com/view/mazda/6/73774.html Granted the 2.5L is much more fun to drive....and yes..as long as the the structure is in tact the outer panels can always be fixed up properly (get it checked properly at a car checking place or the agents...do not just go by what you see on the surface). At the end of the day...a sparingly used 2L is always better than a harshly used 2.5 at a higher price

Could have been a car that was imported under a gift permit or something. Those permits were somewhat common in the mid 2000s and our car sale guys were using them lwhen and where possible to bring down older cars. See if you can find any document that shows what the import date was. So it could be one of them....it could have been an auction vehicle. But never the less...check check and cross check..if possible even the records with the RMV for anything fishy...unfortunately the customs and import/export departments might not be very helpful in giving any info (although the records should be retreievable on asycuda)

This was imported by CS Car Sales as the original advert from a long time ago says CS Car Sales The car in question has subtle visual differences, so unless someone did some modifications/upgrades to the CS Car sales unit, this is a different vehicle Also..I am pretty usre it would have been more than 10mil after it was first released even a slightly used one was going for the same price of a brand new car, 5 - 5.5mil depending on spec. (.base price was about 4.2mil and ironically the same price these days). WHich in LKR terms would have been about 7mil and when adding tax that would have easily been double ?

For most Toyotas things like spark plug changes, throttle body clean-ups, etc...are in the 40k- 45k km maintenance schedules for normal usage conditions. For harsh usage conditions it is a little bit lower....

The wheels are from a wide body....

Just so you know..when he says do not bother if you feel nothing wrong is not entirely accurate. Depending on the mileage of the car you would want to do some pre-emptive maintenance which will include those things; which means do not think that those items should only be done if something feels wrong.