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Suggestions for a good car between 1.7-2.2 million


Eranga Jaysena

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Hi guys, 

I am planning to buy a car within the budget I have mentioned. Following are my requirements, 

1. It has to be Jap car no micro nor maruti

2. Has to be an auto hatch back (Unfortunately my wife is going to drive it  and she is so afraid of driving a sedan as well as can not handle manual as well. Otherwise I am dying to by a civic ek3) 

3. Has to have a fair resale value

4. 10 km/l or above fuel economy would be OK. 

5. Good interior built quality is also required. 

Can you all please suggest me few alternatives that I should be looking for. Any suggestion would be highly appreciated. 

Thanks in advance. 

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I think the Suzuki Swift ticks all those boxes and gives very good ground clearance. You can even try the Cruze, looks better, only downside are the parts, some parts like suspension differ from the Swift. 

Vitz is also there but looks very dated compared to the Swift. 

I'm talking about the 2000-2004 models. 

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Thanks a lot. Actually I have shortlisted those 2 and leaning towards cruze. I have gone through forum discussions on swift vs cruze and majority says swift better. But I like cruze and don't know why :)i think u re right, it may look better. So according to you if I choose cruze over swift, would that be  bad choice? 

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The only challenge is meeting the 10kmpl fuel efficiency requirement. 

Swift/Cruze does around 8kmpl in city. 1300 CC Vitz would do around 9 and 1000 CC Vitz would do less than that. You can also look for a Nissan March Beetle, which should also do around 8.

These are REAL figures, not the bloated numbers that people quote.

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4 hours ago, Eranga Jaysena said:

Has to be an auto hatch back

I don't get the ladies fear of sedans. Some hatchbacks are almost as big as sedans :D 

As the others mentioned the HT51S/HR51s Suzuki Ignis/Chevy Cruze is a really solid option. It's not the most comfy car but those things just keep on running. I drive a borrowed Cruze these days - and it guzzles fuel like ~8KMPL as crosswind said. But it's a really tough car. Interior bits by now show a bit of age but are by no means in bad shape. If you take a look at the interiors/cosmetics of both a first gen Vitz and the Swift/Cruze you'll notice that actually the Suzuki has aged gracefully. 

Other Options

Honda Fit GD1 2002 - 2.2 + 

Demio 1st Gen ~ 1.8. The 2nd Gen is a great car but it's a bit over budget though i saw a 2007 Demio for 2.3 on the quick site. If you're lucky you might be able to get one for your budget. 

 

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Thanks a lot guys. Such great help. Was busy in the evening and couldn't reply. @flyingfox, thanks for the info. Really helpful. @Crosswind yeah people always say unbelievable numbers but are rarely true. But I thought cruze would do 10km/l. Anyway that is not my greater priority. I expect it to at least more than 10 in long run. @JayZ unfortunately 2.2 is as far as I can stretch :(

 

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26 minutes ago, Eranga Jaysena said:

Guys I am going to look few cruzes tomorrow. If you have time pls let me know if there are any special things to check. Those who drive a cruze pls share your experience on this. Thanx

 

Drive few Peugeot 406 cars also and feel the difference....?. Particularly check for 406 rapier and executive models....?

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2 hours ago, tilvin said:

Drive few Peugeot 406 cars also and feel the difference....?. Particularly check for 406 rapier and executive models....?

Okayyy a Pug Executive for a lady? For real man? ? 
Maybe if she's married to a garage owner yeah? lol :D 

@Eranga Jaysena If you can stretch your budget to 2.2 mil following might be good options

1. 
Perodua Viva Elite - 2011 and up (Rock solid car even if it is malaysian made. Ideal choice for a lady. It's new and reliable. You might even be able to find a 2013 one if you are lucky)

2. Suzuki Swift - 2003 and up (Please don't buy the Cruze just because it's rare and has nice colors than the Swift. It's essentially a Swift with some cosmetic mods. You'll regret buying a cruze if you get into an accident and needs to find body panels and trims - very rare)


3. Toyota Passo - 2005 and up (Ultimate ladies car though I don't like how it looks lol :D Has the Toyota reliability and fuel economy. Nothing to complain. If you like the design and how it looks I would say never miss a Toyota.)

4. Kia Picanto - 2012 and up (This is the ideal car. It's korean but almost has the japanese reliability and a cool design. I'm listing it last coz you have to be really lucky to find one below 2.2 mil. But still worth the shot)

Good luck!

 

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13 hours ago, Jason_Bourne said:

Okayyy a Pug Executive for a lady? For real man? ? 
Maybe if she's married to a garage owner yeah? lol :D 

In which planet are you living bro?.....?. These days ladies are the ones who is using bigger vehicles. I saw few ladies even driving Ashok Leyland buses when I was in India.

My fiancee have a manual gear double cab which she brings every day to her work....?. She likes that very much and she is very scared of driving smaller cars due to three wheeler guys getting closer when driving small vehicles....?

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 Guys thanx for all the comments. May be I was not clear, this car is not for my wife only, I mean she will be driving it too. Not that rich to have two separate cars for me and her :(Anyway I am not confident in using a German or a English car. 406,407 are such eye pleasing designs yet people say there are not reliable for driving in sri lanka though not sure how true they are. Otherwise I really like the look of Volkswagen beetle too. Any way thanks for all the suggestions. I think it should be either swift or cruze. Will update on my selection. 

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On 9/21/2018 at 8:30 PM, Eranga Jaysena said:

@matroska what to do man :) anyway your help is much appreciated. I don't like the look of old demo. For me it looks ugly. The new one of course is a such nice car but it is beyond my budget. But I l ll do a search on New demio and fit as you have mentioned. BTW the 8kmpl you mentioned, it it city drive or long run? 

8 kmpl in city ... it does about 12-14 in long distance - at least the one I drive these days does. 

 

On 9/21/2018 at 8:40 PM, Eranga Jaysena said:

Guys I am going to look few cruzes tomorrow. If you have time pls let me know if there are any special things to check. Those who drive a cruze pls share your experience on this. Thanx

 

look out for excessive rattling noise when you drive - there's a known issue with the steering rack for this model. It was discussed on this forum as well a few years ago. 

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20 hours ago, tilvin said:

In which planet are you living bro?.....?. These days ladies are the ones who is using bigger vehicles. I saw few ladies even driving Ashok Leyland buses when I was in India.

My fiancee have a manual gear double cab which she brings every day to her work....?. She likes that very much and she is very scared of driving smaller cars due to three wheeler guys getting closer when driving small vehicles....?

Argument is not about the capability of women to drive sedans but rather the reliability of european cars!
Unless owned and maintained by a true enthusiast, a euro car is a disaster in SL.  

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2 hours ago, Crosswind said:

You are a very special moron.

Sorry if I hurt your feelings man!
But I can't honestly recommend a 18-20 year old Pug for a lady. 
I have many friends who drive an euro car by sheer commitment and passion towards them. But that doesn't make me to hide the truth! ? 

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The problem with Sri Lankan car buyers is they expect every car to be rape-able like the sordid lumps of metal like Corolla 110's and 121s . If only they spent the time they spend fantasizing about  Baag intariyal, and orgasming over the fake 'G' grade badge  on actually learning about cars and properly maintaining them they'd learn that other cars are as equally reliable. 

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2 hours ago, matroska said:

The problem with Sri Lankan car buyers is they expect every car to be rape-able like the sordid lumps of metal like Corolla 110's and 121s . If only they spent the time they spend fantasizing about  Baag intariyal, and orgasming over the fake 'G' grade badge  on actually learning about cars and properly maintaining them they'd learn that other cars are as equally reliable. 

The truth is those days are long gone. The new japs have all kinds of problems. Gearbox issues, electrical issues, the collision avoidance system trying to murder the occupants, interior deterioration, you name it... they got it.

 

On 9/21/2018 at 8:40 PM, Eranga Jaysena said:

Guys I am going to look few cruzes tomorrow. If you have time pls let me know if there are any special things to check. Those who drive a cruze pls share your experience on this. Thanx

 

The biggest and the most expensive problem you will face with the Cruze/Swift is the suspension repair. Guaranteed to set you back by about 75,000. Try to find one which had the suspension repaired already, preferably from A*W.

There was a 4WD version of this car. Naturally, our baiyas remove the 4WD badge and bypass the 4WD system. You can't see the differential in these cars, so look for telltale signs of it being a 4WD.

The original tyre size 165/65-R15 is rare and expensive. Most people change the tyre size due to this. Cross check the actual tyre size with the original tyre size and see how it affects the car. You can go to https://tiresize.com/tyre-size-calculator/ and check. If the difference is more than 3%, be prepared to change tyres. 

Almost all Cruzes came with climate control A/C. Check whether the climate control acts unusually (if the temperature keeps blinking, its not a good sign). 

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3 hours ago, Crosswind said:

What exactly is the truth about Euros? I ask this question because I have been regularly using Euros since 2003 or so. The one I am using right now has been with me for 8 years.

Exactly! See you are an enthusiast! Committed and passionate towards those european beasts!  
Do you think that a lady looking for a Chev Cruze will have the commitment needed to run and maintain a 20 year old peugeot 406 executive? How rational is to recommend that kind of a car in this thread? 

I'm not against euro cars man. I admire those who drive those! But those are a completely different league of cars compared to the focus of this thread!

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9 hours ago, Jason_Bourne said:

Exactly! See you are an enthusiast! Committed and passionate towards those european beasts!  
Do you think that a lady looking for a Chev Cruze will have the commitment needed to run and maintain a 20 year old peugeot 406 executive? How rational is to recommend that kind of a car in this thread? 

Absolutely wrong conclusion. 

The only reason why I prefer Euros over Japs is I am a non-conformist. The only commitment I have towards cars is to do the services.  Just now, I tried to recall a time when any of my Euros in the past had let me down, I really couldnt recall any. 

And I will have no hesitation in recommending a Pug over a Cruze to any new car buyer depending on the history of both cars, irrespective of the gender. Both me and my better half owned Cruzes in the past so I know that a poorly maintained cruze can be a horror story. For that matter even a poorly maintained 110 can be. 

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After owning 3 Peugeot’s , I will never recommend an old Peugeot to anyone. There is a reason why Peugeot’s depreciate so much. They are very nice cars when they work, very very comfortable cars , nightmares when they fail. They are feature packed a lot more than Japs and most of these features are electrical. Cars like the 406 , 307, 206. 206 being the most reliable , less sophisticated from the rest. While their bodies are built like tanks , there are so many electrical issues with these cars after they age. They are thursty , expensive spare parts, to diagnose you need someone with Peugeot planet and the list goes on and on. Marques like Volvo , Mercedes or even Audi / Volkswagen is more reliable than a Pug when they age. I have owned a lot of Euros , Volvo’s, fords , Audi’s , one old merc (190E) , I spent most of my time in garages when I owned a Pug! Famous anti pollution fault, check light most of the time , starter motors, cooling systems etc etc ! 

 

The 307 had a Hydro electric power steering pump lol. and I had to search the whole island to find a reconditioned spare to replace. Why couldn’t they make the whole things just electric or mechanical like the rest I don’t know. Adding an electric motor instead of a pully and making it use a externally thin oil (8000 or 4000 a small bottle as I recall, that too only available at the agents) it took about 2 or 3 bottles to refill. The unit plus the oil costed more than 40k at that time. If a repair like come on a Jap car of that era how much will it cost ? Reconditioned Pump and oil ? Say 15000 at most ? 

 

Edit : On top of these , all these cars from this era came with the dreaded AL4 auto gearbox. While it’s smoothness and shifting characteristics were really ahead of the Japs at that time, when they go bad (which is frequent)  , it is really expensive to fix starting from the special oil it uses. 

 

If the lady gets an old Pug, might as well keep a portable mechanic in her purse 

Edited by TheFlyingFox
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