Need a workhorse. Interested in a station wagon

varotone · May 25, 2018

Hello gentlemen,

I am currently evaluating the option of buying a vehicle for business purposes. I'm running a small electronics business and plan to expand it a bit.

Currently, I'm using a piaggio diesel three-wheeler for sales in Colombo and suburbs. My options are to buy another piaggio, or sell the existing one and go for a bigger vehicle. Since vans and pick-up trucks with a hard canopy are overpriced, I guess a station wagon would be a good option. Please suggest me vehicles that meet the following requirements.

Budget is LKR 1,100,000. I can stretch it by 200k if I get a very good deal. Any fuel, auto or manual, is fine. Will do about 250km per week. Should be damn reliable. Should be able to withstand the abuse of commercial drivers. Load will not be very heavy but take up space. I plan to use it for at least 5 years.

I'm feeling adventurous to go beyond the usual ad wagons, dx, caldina, and ce 108s.

Edited May 25, 2018 by varotone

LashNeo · May 25, 2018

Did you consider the option of using a buddy cargo van/lorry such as Daihatsu Hijet, Suzuki Every etc?
They are economical, reliable, simple and relatively newish as well.

Crosswind · May 25, 2018

The first thing that came to my mind was CE108. That's one car that can be abused day in and day out more than a whore in Gunasinghepura. Caldina is a nicer car but I doubt whether you can choose one within your budget. There are also station wagon variants of Mazda familia, Ford Laser and Lancer. They are relatively rare and that's a problem.

Then you have this one: http://www.autolanka.com/view/opel/astra/44910.html

She might be the moody girlfriend that you might be looking for.

So I browsed thru the classifieds and landed on this one: http://www.autolanka.com/view/mitsubishi/jeep/29647.html

That ad's from 2016, so that one won't be around but if you can find something like that, wouldn't it cover all your needs, including the need of getting some excitement?

@LashNeostation wagons are actually more spacious than buddy vans, even when seats are removed. So OP is on the right track there. Only other option I can think of Buddy trucks. Leave D*MO battas out because they just don't last 5 years. The Chinese buddy trucks are much worse.

Edited May 25, 2018 by Crosswind

varotone · May 25, 2018

1 hour ago, LashNeo said:

Did you consider the option of using a buddy cargo van/lorry such as Daihatsu Hijet, Suzuki Every etc?
They are economical, reliable, simple and relatively newish as well.

Thanks for the suggestion. They are within my price range. Do those flimsy engines last long? I've driven a Nissan Clipper before and was very disappointed by the driving dynamics. So I doubt those tiney engines. I'm giving it a thought.

varotone · May 25, 2018

1 hour ago, Crosswind said:

The first thing that came to my mind was CE108. That's one car that can be abused day in and day out more than a whore in Gunasinghepura. Caldina is a nicer car but I doubt whether you can choose one within your budget. There are also station wagon variants of Mazda familia, Ford Laser and Lancer. They are relatively rare and that's a problem.

Then you have this one: http://www.autolanka.com/view/opel/astra/44910.html

She might be the moody girlfriend that you might be looking for.

So I browsed thru the classifieds and landed on this one: http://www.autolanka.com/view/mitsubishi/jeep/29647.html

That ad's from 2016, so that one won't be around but if you can find something like that, wouldn't it cover all your needs, including the need of getting some excitement?

@LashNeostation wagons are actually more spacious than buddy vans, even when seats are removed. So OP is on the right track there. Only other option I can think of Buddy trucks. Leave D*MO battas out because they just don't last 5 years. The Chinese buddy trucks are much worse.

Familia, Laser, and Lancers are the variations of the sedans. So parts other than body panels will not be a problem because sedan variants are very common here. And the mechanics will be knowledgeable.

I'm salivating over the long wheel base 4DR5 :wub: . Sadly, a soft copy with valuables can't be left alone for a split second in Colombo. I've learned enough lessons. It makes sense to send the load twice in a three-wheeler than leave a rexine canopy lorry unattended for sometime while finishing one delivery.

Astra is still available with the German engine and all. I've seen quite many of it's sedan variants. So parts will not be an issue. However, Opels are rare compared to the other options. It's ages since we had an Opel Kapitan as a beater car. It was sold after the mechanic who looked her after passed away.

Since she will not be needed during weekends, I can even take her little far for a good mechanic. What should I look for when buying the Opel Astra SW? I'm planning to go see it this Sunday.

nagaya · May 25, 2018

We had a personally imported Corolla CE96 wagon for around 17 years and it was a damn good wagon, no driving pleasure or any extra features (even no power steering ) , but it did the job it supposed to do.

I think Nissan AD wagon is also very good for the price.

Lancer wagons/Libero (for that price you may be able to find CK one also) are also power horses

You may try 28- or 40- single cab with canopy too

Twin Turbo · May 25, 2018

Might I recommend a van ? but you might have to adjust your budget .

Cheers,

TT.

LashNeo · May 28, 2018

59 minutes ago, varotone said:

Thanks for the suggestion. They are within my price range. Do those flimsy engines last long? I've driven a Nissan Clipper before and was very disappointed by the driving dynamics. So I doubt those tiney engines. I'm giving it a thought.

My in-laws use a Daihatsu Hijet buddy as a second vehicle. This is mainly used for transporting stuff between their house and a land they own which is partly rented and partly cultivated. it carries a fairly heavy load between the two sites which are about 30km's apart. The trips are not very frequent though. mainly weekend trips. Even I borrow it whenever the need arises to transport heavy stuff such as Hardware, Cement, Ladders etc. Actually i'm somewhat satisfied with the load it can carry. Haven't driven it on hilly roads with a full load but on flat surfaces; it does fairly OK.

It's been in the family for more than 10 years and has done over 150,000 Km's now but we have not come across any engine repairs so far. But, the suspension system is in need of a complete overhaul. Gear box had to be replaced few years back but this was due to unknowingly neglecting a gear oil leak from the oil sump. Apart from that there haven't been any major repairs done. I don't think these little engines can hold up 400K-500K Km's like most jap engines do. But i don't think they will quickly fall apart either like the cheap Chinese ones.

All in all; i think they are an option you should seriously consider.