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Status Updates posted by AVANTE
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What does everyone here think of the new locally assembled Hyundai Grand i10?
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@Gummybr Ferentinos are quite good, I put them on my car from Continentals and I still get comments on how the car feels like a cloud (although that may be also because I spent a shit ton on rebuilding the suspension when I got the car)
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@MaleCortana wouldn't it be a bit of a concern if the tires are cloudy smooth/soft ?
I would most likely say it is due to the rebuilding of the suspension. When all those bushings and stuff gets replaced, you lose a lot of vibrations and noises as the new bushes would absorb them a lot better than the old hard and brittle ones. -
@iRage that is possible yes, I'm not complaining
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Came across a 2008 Mazda Axela that the owner claims 'is used as a 2nd car for driving pleasure'... Come on now, are they really THAT good? I get they are fun and sharp to drive but how good is it really, that one justifies it as a 2nd car? It's an automatic too. How much sharper or better are they to drive compared to a Lancer, Civic or Swift of the same year? Or is it just hype?
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So...got a 2017 Mazda 3 2.0L over here as a rental car in Vietnam. We have 3 days left here and I had to give up the Fortuner a few days ago.
As before the 3 just begs to be rev'd...at low revs it feels slow and lethargic and just has this stiffyness in the pedal that makes you want to just stomp on it...when the revs reach like 2500-3000 it just zooms. The ride, even though the car is hacked is still nice and firm yet soft and still has that active feel to it.
What I do not like:
Steering is too light.
Seats..the fake leather is just yucky
The tiptronic gear box in manual shift mode is annoying...its bad enough that it is lethargic to shift up..it is 1000x more annoying shifting down when it jsut decides to jerk (not predicatable at all). So yeah....keep it out of manual shifting and sports mode
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So why are K12 Nissan March models & 2005-2010 swifts known as 'beetle' models? They don't even hint a bit at the VW classic or the modern beetle & it's not that they look like the insect. So where did this name stick to these cars in this island?
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@iRage Therapy session is now over
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Let's hear some stories. Has anyone had their car breakdown in the worst possible way or moment? On the way to hospital, Middle of a jungle, In a junction, etc.
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@AVANTE I'm not judging man ? , Homo originally meant "human". Then some of the homos decided to explore where no homo has gone before, The rest is history ??.
@Hyaenidae I do like a good bonfire in the evening :)
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I was on a road trip with some uni friends on a picturesque coastal road in Shikoku island Japan, when suddenly the Fan-belt on the BMW E36 broke.The next garage was about 50km away, which was reached with the car on a Tow truck with 4 travellers inside. That delayed the return trip by half a day. That night was a heavy Typhoon with highest rainfall for Shikoku in 50years, and road to Honshu (Main island) was closed. We had to take refuge during the night in a local police station, who took very good care of us!
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There's a 1984, (32-) G wagon going for 40mn. I had to ask the owner if he had put the 0 there by mistake. Mad lol.
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Personal sightings 1.4mil km hilux, Not sure on the engine(s)
Caravan VX 90s
1.7mil km first owner
5 engines, multiple turbos, same gearbox manual.
owner died while washing the van. A tour guide.
Now sadly sold off, probably passing off as a 200k km caravan.
0.7mil Caravan high roof, second overhaul, same engine manual still with first owner, old school service owner.
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Well, about the G wagon, It's quite rare and one of a kind vehicle. So high prices are expected but 40 mill is the money for importing one from UK or SA.
Still it's pretty rare, there might be more Ferraris in the country than G-wagons. So a collector would consider this even at 10's of millions.
I happen to know a Hiace LH172 with 1.4mill km on the clock, first owner and original gearbox. Engine overhauled once few years back (well after 1mill mark). Used for hires all around the country. The owner (a family friend) once discarded a relatively new tire used as a spare wheel due to dry rotten rubber, never has had to use it. That's reliability for you.
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Out of curiousity (& boredom of waiting for a guy to turn up): What is the most boring car you guys have ever driven or being in? For me it's the 2008 Toyota Yaris/Belta. So boring that me sleeping in the front seat everytime is guaranteed feature of the car!
Driving wise- the wagonR is just a practical, 4 wheeled loaf of bread.
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Well...different manufacturers have different ideologies that they build in to their cars. Honda and Mazda have always been in to the spirited driving experience. Toyota's idealogoy has been to be conservative and trustworthy A to B transport. In Japan people do not buy a Toyota to be flamboyant or anything (except for the flagship models). Even the Century....it is quite understated in everything. The disconnected, light steering where you have no idea where the wheels are pointing, the quiet numbness inside the cabin has always been there....even with the Mark X....the steering was light (relatively)....even with the Carina and the old Corollas and the AE85...steering is light (by default). It is just that in the past these cars had a certain thing about them that we forgave the light steering and the dead-ness. However, what is interesting about Toyotas is that you change one small thing the car changes completely. For example....take the Aqua....really nimble and chuckable frame but delayed and disconnected steering....put a few extra welds and a few strut braces the car changes. My BZ Touring....when I put the thin wheels it feels light and imprecise...but when it goes back to the Toms wheels the steering gets a nice weight to it. Same with the AE85. This is the same reason why in the past Toyota was able to make a fun variant of standard cars like the Corolla and the Carina...
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@alpha17 the beetle feels a bit more planted (less body roll) than the jeep. Both are similarly fun to drive and a manual is just the cherry on top of the cake! The clutch on the indian variant is a bit weak tbh (feels like stomping on a beetle when I use the clutch? but that doesnt bother me)
Honestly tho, I'd prefer a nice teak interior with a neat layout from time to time (toyota)..but can never think of sacrificing the fun aspect.
The vezel steering was decently precise but numb of course, but that sound when you put it in sport mode! I was feeling a bit rebellious with a bit of eurobeat playing in my head as I rowed through the paddle shifts..only to see that I finally reached 100kmh ? same would go for the grace & Fit but I'd believe the fit will have relatively less body roll. Would be nice to test drive the new Civic!
@iRage after your reply, I'm going to pay some attention to the Aqua and see if it's worthy to drive because I do love the looks of the G-touring & Urban variants! Is the G-touring just a different dress or is it a slightly different Aqua to drive?
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Like I said...you drive the Aqua the body feels nice and nimble like you want to just chuck it in to the corners. At low speeds the steering is fine and precise although numb and then at speed you feel that the steering is a bit too lagging.
The the various G and S tourings and packages are simply the standard grade with dressup kits and accessories...not much of a different. The X Urban is also the same but with a slightly different suspension setup for the height.
If you want to feel some real feel..you need to look at the G's or the GR Sport. Those come with extra welds, upper and lower strut bars, stiffer suspension and wheels with a wider foot print. Makes a HUGE difference. As an option TRD offered special steering bushes, etc..
I don't think there are many GR Sport Aquas in SL. Saw one that had the badges being done up by a certain doc but not sure if that is a legit one or not. There are a few G's around though.
If not...get a standard G or what ever grade and mod it.....strut bars, suspension kit and steering bushes, etc...
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Lots of starlet GT/glanza Vs have an improperly closing bonnet. Why?
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@MaleCortana Cars don't come with spacers out of the factory. It is something that the moders do. It was first done in drag racing cars way back during the muscle car days. It was a quick and cheap way for the kids to make the car move faster by reducing air drag in the engine compartment as well as ram in extra air.
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@iRage That's definitely something I didn't know, thought high performance versions of normal cars would come with them XD
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Oh no...manufacturers do not put spacers even on their GT and Touring Car championships...they just mod the bonnet with additional vents and do up dampers and such...at least so far I have not seen manufacturers use bonnet spacers.
The only time I have seen manufacturers use anything to lift the back end of the bonnet is in pedestrian safety systems (they make the hinge end of the bonnet pop up to make the bonnet sit up straight so that it gently catches pedestrians in a collision)
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Anyone else know about the green Challenger Hellcat that had toppled a Canter lorry in Kaduwela? R.I.P
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Maybe the younger generations are going a bit overboard with this fanboying thing over here? The stuff we see on SM are getting worse day by day. Even the local schools are queuing behind these "well modifayed" buses for annual trips.
Even the village elderly club annual Anuradhapura pilgrimage gets one of these rajina or a patikki with led lghting system.
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The 'Nissan Leaf Srilankan owners club' is the most depressing FB page ever. Lots of good & reasonable people, all waiting for the messiah to descend from the heavens with a set of affordable & brand new batteries. Some even selling their cars by openly saying it can only do 50km on a full charge
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Srilankan Engine swap favorite toyota 2C comes to mind. Thay haul around antique Cortinas and 504s so why not a leaf ?
I think the EPS runs off the 12V battery, so there wouldn't be much of an issue. Leaf drivers never used AC so no one will miss that.
Meanwhile, I've seen a mitsubishi minicab MiEV converted to an ICE driving around. It even had the little letter E under the dash in the license plate. Again that must have all the mounting points needed since a similar gasoline variant was available.
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@alds tiv mentioned his Leaf's AC was always running sooo.... there's still hope ?
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2 guys asked if we were selling the car and the offers sound handsome too. Wish the RMV was faster in delivering the car's book before any real depreciation occurs lol (it's been nearly 1 and half months)
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Are both of them quoting the same price and from your area? Because earlier when I advertised my 121 about 3 people came from your area saying various reasons but all were offering the same price. One is saying that he sold his Axio blah blah blah so he needs a good car for his family immediately. But that bugger didn’t want to see the records or even the book. It was clear that all of them were sent by somebody to grab it by discouraging me by quoting low price.
Anyway if the price is right don’t mind about selling it!
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This is an important topic to talk about: people these days (the majority in my perspective) don't give much value for service records & your enthusiasm/knowledge of the car. The offers had a 25,000/- difference but what you mention has happened before for our Stingray 3 years ago. Our area is notorious for that too!
There is this broker network (basically an underworld mafia except they deal with vehicles, not hitmen) they know alot about a car, tell them the color/area/number plate and they will go 'aaaaah that car? It had this problem, and that problem'..scary but true: when I came here from abroad, I was not the most social, so I didnt know many people. So imagine my shock when people come asking "hey did you sell your vezel? You had a stingray before this nah?"
They even talk like pedos sometimes : "hey machan, this fellow? He is a good lad. He even has a vezel now, a genuine example" (note that this is the first time I have ever seen them)
Good thing you understood the situation when it came to your car. If it's an enthusiast car like an Alfa, BMW, Mark II, Mercedes, etc.. your service records will be worth it. Meanwhile when it comes to a toyota, honda, or any typical jap, they just go 'supiri car eka, enjine 100%, tiyer 100%, gud condisan' and it gets sold ; which disrespects anyone who tries to keep documentation/records of his/her car.
Believe it or not, none of our previous cars had their service records checked during inspection.
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Was driving through Kurunegala today with the fam and noticed a classy blue MG ZS EV (look at that name lol) for the dank price of 6.9 million. Nissan Leaf & i3 territory..what do you guys think? Truly is a beautiful SUV from the front & inside.
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Imagine being able to convert a classic car into a clean, fast accelerating machine with the same tough & old feeling and the same non-power steering setup, coupled with a clutchless manual tranny. You'd only miss the sound and feel, but in return you get a lesser headache-inducing, clean & reliable transportation which oozes of pure nostalgia.
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I'm restoring a 1985 Honda Hawk CB250T.
It's undergoing engine rebuild and I'm unable to find brand new pistons for it, but I found new Piston rings, seals, gaskets.
Pistons could be ordered from abroad but they are chinese and expensive. Lol
What the previous owner has done is polished the pistons and installed new rings. Which isn't a long term solution.
Now I'm being advised by some people to find pistons from some other model that have the same dimension, take it to a lathe, and get the top part/crown carved to accommodate the 3 valves (Suzuki Gn125 pistons fit but the head is made for 2 valves). My mech said he has never tried that because he thinks it's impossible. I need insight guys.
Is this feasible?
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Actually keep the tire on then, at least till your Dad gets used to riding a bike again...
Its a wider (more control) and if it slows down the bike then great! (Assuming the bike is for your Dad right? Well then, not a bad option!!) Not saying your Dad is a bad rider but its probably been a while that he's been on a bike and even though he might think he wouldn't need to re-learn any of his lost skills the truth us he will probably have a bit of a learning curve!
?
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That's a good way of looking at things! Impressive
Last time he rode was nearly 2 years ago, and well he isn't the luckiest rider tbh but can manage. This bike is supposed to be like a weekend toy for him for short stints and backroads. I myself am trying to stop 2 wheelers and shift to cars itself for good as riding on a daily basis has scared me good.
With outstation narrow roads and sometimes coupled with traffic and all, it's almost a dire necessity to have a bike. Can't take your car everywhere so easily and quickly.
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Are there any sports cars/supercar owners in autolanka or are they not exclusive enough to join the AL club?
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Yes, I remember there was a few owners in here, and just like they said, most of them are silent. I agree with you AVANTE. Now most people are going for sports cars or super cars just to show off, but not to enjoy. It seems that the window we had to enjoy driving has certainly narrowed during the past few years. Now the roads are flooding with tuk-tuks, WagonRs, Altos and of course Scooters driven by ladies(Those ladies always twist the accelerator to the max when something happens and ends up climbing lamp posts and trees with the scooty) which reduces those moments to enjoy driving. I mean with this amount of vehicles, there is no point of owning a supercar without a place to floor the throttle...It’s pathetic
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@alpha17 Not just supercars..buying anything with 2 doors seems like a bad idea these days. Seeing all the S660, copens & RX8s up for sale for months with no caring owners to take them home. Even in my life, everyone around me talks about anything & everything thats not a car, which makes me a weirdo.
And like you said..the road is flooded with 2-wheeled/4-wheeled 'appliances' that depreciate like heck..so no one appreciates a good car anymore.
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Drove a Renault Kwid yesterday. My head was nearly hitting the roof with no real seat adjustment, steering is numb & delayed, accelerator took a while to react, engine sounds like an A/C compressor, overtakes were scary, body roll is immense & no airbags..how come manufacturers make death traps like this and just let it pass? Overall it was depressing & terrifying. Wonder how the Nano, Redi-Go & Altos drive.
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AVANTE,
Correct my next door building owner bought 4 or 5 Nano new cars when they came to our country first month and started a taxi service.Three cars had problems before thy clocked 30000 Kilometers. All were major repairs he at last got rid of them. and bought three Micro small cars they were much better, But drivers used to miss handle the hire fee. He at last got out of taxi business. Now he is using his car as a Ssangyong Rexton. He is very satisfied of that car, He run 2500Kilometers. for a month, only thing his complain is the service cost every 45 days due to heavy usage to his business in Wariyapola.
Sylvester Wijesinghe.
Sylvi.
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With RX8s depreciating and some nearing high mileage, hasn't anyone done an engine swap project so far?
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Its worse in the rx8 as they run a rich mixture first few minutes into the idle, due to emissions issues, got worse with generations.
My uncles had a Savannah and a Fd late 80s and 90s, he used to tell when they flooded they pulled the fuel pump relay and turned it over for few min, then plugged it in and she started up.
Later ones needs a lot of jargon to start up again, pulling out plugs, crank angle sensor blah, I remember some older members mentioning the whole rain dance
never bothered to remember the procedure entirely
To add, the insane revving takes an early toll on the engine ancillaries, and they are quite thirsty as well.
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@speed8 all that trouble isn't worth it for the sound, although it's a next level audio treat, like an F1 car. Also, if you love the looks like me and alot of people, engine swapped Rex is the way to go. They have a nice interior and handle well too.
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Is it still legal to drive a LHD car in srilanka? Even if it's already registered?
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Is there really a difference between sri (ශ්රී) and dash (-) numbers?
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Can I get more females if I add the EU star logo?
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Seeing how vezels can be had for 3.6mil and xtrails for under 5 mil. I think it's safe to say modern cars are now glorified electronic appliances
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Anyway, there are some car electronics which are really useful when you get used to them. Some of them are not that useful, in-fact, they just ruin the experience.
I find the Smart Key system in the Toyota(there are slight differences from other manufacturers) very useful. I don’t need to pull out the key at all. Then the adjustable lumbar support. It seems like just another marketing gimmick, but it really help me in long journeys, as it rectifies the back pain occurred during long journeys. The park sensors, adaptive high beam, adaptive cruise control(if highway travel is frequent) are useful in day to day driving, specially in long journeys. Another thing is the reverse tilting side mirrors.
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Toyota smart keys....oh boy...they got good only after huge huge huge pain the ass type failures....again..look through one of my old post where I talked about how my kid got locked in thanks to the Toyota smart key. When it first started coming out (12-15 years ago) it was a stupid key. But yes...now they have improved a lot
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So I was at a friend's home and his dad (about 60 years old) came over and was talking about the Lancer he bought brand new in 1980 (11-6005) and had used it on an all-ceylon tour, trips, occassions, wedding car, what not and still talks about it like a missing family member.
The stare and smile he & his wife gave me when I ran a quick license plate check and told him the car was lastly in the hands of LOLC and could *possibly* be running, was priceless! He has now made it his mission to find that car and bring it back home if it's still out there. Little things like this make life wonderful!
Lancers & Lankans go together like paan & parippu it seems. Never got a proper chance to drive my dad's 2008 GLX. Oh well, someday.
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In UAE, Lancer (here Lancer EX) can be seen as we see those Premio and Allion on SL roads. They had a strong fan base thorough out the world, but mitsu didn’t update the models. They continued the Pajero and Lancer for about 10-12 years without any major changes, and killed them.
Toyota also does a similar thing, but they do some minor changes to keep the models fresh. Premio/Allion, Land Cruiser 200 runs on a 13 year old platform. But they do some minor changes without doing any major changes to the chassis, body and interior.
Can’t believe killing the Lancer off the line..It had a really cool Rockford Fosgate audio system, which punched way above their class like Mazda 3 had a Bose one. And I think that Mitsu could have continued the same Lancer EX for another few years with minor changes..Too sad..
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Where I come from (Kuwait),the Lancers were used as fleet cars & taxis due to their affordable price tag, simplicity & practicality along with the Corolla & Yaris. The Pajero, PajeroSport & Galant V6 had good demand while the the 4G Eclipse were picked up by a few lady drivers due to the curvy shape (only a few cars were speced with the 6G75 3800cc V6) A handful of hardcore tuners bought the evo and they maintain good value while the rest of the cars are up for cheap grabs (you can get a 2010 solar yellow eclipse with 100k mileage for 550k odd rupees)
My dad drove his GLX for three years as a company car, pumping super petrol since it was paid for by his company lol. Would cruise at 140kmh and yet it was stable and comfy, AC was very chill and the most memorable part as a kid. It had a beige interior & those 6-spoke silver alloys. My dad taught me to drive, took me to my first car show, my first school day, taught me how cars work & about other car models..all in that GLX. I'm an evo fan thanks to that car. It basically made me the car guy I am today.
Also, sorry to burst your bubble @Hyaenidae but manufacturers are killing off sedans for a good reason so no lancer sedan, even the evo XI is rumoured to be a hatchback based on the Renault megane. The crossover makes more sense..just like the auto transmission, fake air vents, electronic hand brakes & 4 door coupes make 'more sense'.
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Had nothing to do so I watched Jackie Chan's thunderbolt (1995)..man that's a terrific nostalgic trip for any Mitsubishi fan I'd say.
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Out of curiosity: if a car gets its engine upstroked from 1500cc to 2000cc (evo & wrx) & the book isn't updated, will it be a big problem? Is there a way the law can get to such cases?
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@GYCLIFT excuse me?
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@alpha17 you mean by 200cc for no tax? Cuz almost every Evo & subie has their engine increased by around 400-500cc :0
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Saw a 2001 Volvo S60 for sale. Owner says '450,000/- worth of repairs done on gearbox, wiring, suspension, etc... and that due to an ABS modulator issue & money urgency, he has reduced around 400,000/- more from the original price...Ouch, poor wallet.
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'good condition'
'Immediate sale!'
I don't understand what you're talking about. Yeah it doesnt have a signal light & cracked seats with a cheap crap steering cover. My plan to use it like a japanese vehicle has backfired...but hey, it is in good condition & for immediate sale!! Good no? What more do you want in life?!?!?!?
BTW if you love euros...may I suggest a W124 E-class? Bulletproof cars, fun to travel in (Even the backseats were an awesome experience!). Also, respect is a standard option of the car. The last generation of good-to-own mercs before they became electronic headaches whose repair bills shadowed the true value of the car.
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W124 is one of the most over-engineered cars in history. But my all-time favourite id the W140 S class in a black paint without any modifications, which has that unbeatable “mafia boss” look?
Most probably that euro would be a W211 (which are not as reliable as the pre 1995 models) or W212 (reliable, but have to pay around 10million for the face-lifted version, which has the best look for a Merc ever!). The f10 520d is also a car that catches my eye, but famous for the timing chain issue, So If I have around 8million, my choice would be a W212 pre-facelift + Chevy Cruze or a Swift (Jeep model?) for round the town driving.
For that Volvo, listed for 975,000, I think the whole body has to be replaced?
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W212? Reliable? Really?
It does look cool, agreed. But I can never stop myself from looking at a W205 C-class, it's so beautiful.
BTW, if you are going for the swift:
Aim for the zuki if you want a slightly better resale and easier to find body parts. Chevy is like 200k cheaper I think in the 2nd hand market. Also make sure you check the suspension & steering setup as those are 'relatively' the most prone to failure. I say relatively because it's a reliable gadget after all.
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With all these wall arts going on, isn't anyone with great artistic skills is heroic enough to draw up a nice Evo, Mini, Mustang, Ferrari or wagonR?
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@Uditha88 Where?!?!? :0
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Typical idiotic Lankan-buyer mindset.. I have recieved calls from 7 different people in the past 4 days and and none of them bother to read the description and try to negotiate the price over the phone.
One fella told me he had a specific amount of money in hand and is demanding my car for that specific amount and tried to teach me what my car is worth in today's market as he wants to resell for a profit. My mom hearing the convo, asked for the phone and politely told the caller to take a hike.
Pisses me off everytime.
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"had noobs telling I've parked the car in a garage too much and the paint got dull, the paint needs sunlight to shine and be bright."
Oh ho, if my someone told this to my dad on a bad day, I could see some fun.
also like the foreign guy, I know lots of people do that too. "negotiation over the phone will not be tolerated" is something that flies over the typical lankan's dumb A55.
Our vehicles are our babies and it's insulting when people ignore the service records, the love and enthusiasm of the owner & just spit such a low ball offer in the face. I even know a 'so called car guy' who actually doesn't know anything about cars and came around telling me to sell my swift and get a japanese version because "the jap car has more demand", told him to piss off too.
Although I'm patient, I look forward to the day where I punch someone smack in the face for crossing personal limits.
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Yeah, why buy if its bad? I kid you not, one fella who does this for actually does it as a living. He even goes to less flashy dress shops & in order to get something for the price he wants, he talks shit about the dress color & quality and tries to bargain for a mere 50-70 bucks off the original price. Fcuking piece of trash such people are.