backpacker

As far as I know cost of a parking lot in urban areas of Japan is quite high. So where do you park when you are out of Japan?

Hi JC Jimny seems a very desirable vehicle for a single guy like me who is going to be in SL for only a month to travel around. But as you said using a 15-20 year old vehicle once you come to SL for vacation is not really pleasing. Renting is the better option but rent of decent vehicle with good ground clearance is going over the roof nowadays. Rav4, Sorento, Montero Sport will set you back 1 lakh per 2 weeks easily if you get it from a rental company than a individual. But renting is the sensible option as although I buy, no one is going to use it for rest of the year.

Once I had an idea of buying a vehicle in SL. But I live in Dubai and will use the car when I'm on vacation only. After some careful consideration opted not to buy and continue to rent. My budget was also within the same range. I was interested in following models. Suzuki Jimny: Good ground clearance, capable of offroading with low end torque, decent fuel economy, not so comfortable, two door Honda HRV (2000): styling, good ground clearance, good cargo capacity, difficult to find a well maintained one around 100,000 km Pajero IO: styling, good ground clearance, good cargo capacity, GDI engine might give problems Xtrail (1st gen): styling, good ground clearance, good cargo capacity, pricey (2.7-3.0M) Happy hunting !

@crosswind yeah, should search for a individual who rents car. who knows, might get a discount in the long run @sathyajith99 4000 per day for a 121 is too much in my opinion. that place in pita kotte gives you the same for 3000 @rumesh88 can't drive a sedan through these roads without scraping the bottom. the rent for sportage is 4000 and vezel is 4500, that's why I opted for a vezel

Thanks for informative replies Gents, Usually I take vacation in April and December (2 weeks each) and last time rented a 2014 vezel from a place in pita kotte for 60k. I had to stay 1 week longer and paid the rent for the additional week on daily rate basis which amounted to 31k. So rent for 3 weeks was 91k and at that point I thought it's always better to have my own car (let me know if you are aware of a rental car company which offers better rates). But it will have to be parked for the rest of the year. I too agree with your opinion of not buying it considering a.) the NPV of 3 options mentioned by crosswind b.) maintaining a 10-15 year old car without having much know-how c.) compelled to use an old vehicle throughout next 5 years Watchman: yeah 120k per year is not much for a middle eastern salary, true that.

Guys, I'm a young engineer working in Dubai. Usually I come to Sri Lanka twice a year (2 weeks each) for vacation and whenever I come I have to get a rented vehicle for my travelling. On average it costs me around 120k per year for rented vehicles alone. Considering this money drain and my plan to work in Dubai for next 5-6 years, I'm thinking of buying a vehicle for myself. Following are my requirements, concerns. 1. Fuel efficiency is not important, 8-9 km/l is enough 2. Need to have good ground clearance as I will ride on it roads less traveled in the hill country. But I'm not a serious offroader 3. Should be easy to maintain, repair as I don't have much mechanical knowledge and don't want to be stranded in the middle of nowhere 4. Usual occupancy will be 2-3 people 5. Should be auto gear as I have never driven a manual ever since that last ride at RMV Werahara 6. I will probably sell it after 5 years, so resale value is a matter Vehicles I'm interested in are, Suzuki Jimny (3rd gen.), Honda HRV, CRV, Pajero Junior, Pajero IO, Nissan Xtrail (1st gen.). So which one of these are better considering my concerns? Appreciate your valuable comments P.S. If you ask why I buy without continuing to rent a.) For the next 5 years I will have to spend 120x5 = 6 lakhs on rented vehicles. b.) However, if I managed to buy it around 2M there will be a opportunity cost of 160x5 = 8 lakhs (considering FD for 2M at 8% interest) c.) Insurance cost will be 25x5 = 1.25 lakhs d.) I allow 3 lakhs for maintenance and repair over the next 5 years e.) I assume I won't make a profit or loss by selling it (in real terms) after 5 years. So its a vs b,c, and d (6 lakhs against 12.25 lakhs). Odds are against my decision of buying one for myself. But there is this feel good factor by owning a vehicle in SL which cannot be measured. This will be my 1st vehicle in SL.