Advice on First Car for 6M Budget

[Crossword]

I am an absolute newbie and could really use advise from experts on these matters. I am looking to buy a 1000cc petrol hatchback/small SUV which can carry 5 family members and I normally drive about 500 - 700km per month. Occasionally, about once or twice a month, I would have to make a return trip to Kandy from Colombo as well. Safety is one of my top priorities as well as comfort. I can spend up to 6 - 6.2 million and prefer a brand new vehicle.

What I have considered so far:

• MG ZS - low NCAP rating and I saw pictures of some very bad accidents in Katunayaka and Homagama.
• Hyundai Venue - Only 2 airbags in the highest variant.
• Toyota Raize - Seems to have good safety options as standard on G and Z grades, but too early to say if it is a good vehicle since it was launched very recently.
• Audi A1(2019) - Seems okay, but don't feel like I would be getting value for money? Also since it is a European vehicle, I have heard people say it has a high maintenance cost.

Please let me know your thoughts and suggestions. It does not have to be one of the vehicles I have mentioned above. Since I am trying to buy my 1st vehicle, any advise is much appreciated!

 

[Quiet]

Why not a 2014 Mazda 06 - Most are maintained at Agents and owned by ppl who love their cars. Now going around 5.5-6Mn. Absolute pleasure to drive unlike the options mentioned above.

[Crossword]

On 12/17/2019 at 6:20 PM, tbird said:

You can go for Ford Focus sedan from the agent. It should be around 6.0M. you can take 5 people in it. It is the 1l turbo mode. The car has 6 air bags and 5 stars in Euro NCAP. It is made in Germany. I own 2018 model. It is a heavy car and handling is great. It has 125BHP and 170NM torque which is greater than the common Allions and Premios and a fun car to drive, specially in corners.

I also drive regular trips to Kandy-Colombo-Kandy, it is very comfortable.

Fuel economy is 9-10 kmpl in city (This is quite normal to all 1l turbo cars in SL)

I usually get around 13 km/l for KND-CMB-KND trips, In highway it works around 18 km/l (Kottawa to Matara)

Maintenance cost from the agent is around 26000/-, This is including engine oil and oil filter. It requires 4.5l premium synthetic oil and it costs around 14500/- which is the major cost factor. I think you need to spend same amount for the engine oil if you select Honda Civic 1l or similar 1l turbo car.

Kundasale auto services is an authorized service place but I usually take it to the agent for the services.

It is a very uncommon car so definitely an head-turner.

They have a cross-over called Ford Eco Sport, which has the same engine and gear box but I think it is made in India.

Hey, thank you very much for the comment! I checked the Focus and there seem to be only a 1.6L engine offered by Ford Sri Lanka.

http://www.fordsrilanka.com/products-2a-5.html

There's a hatch and a sedan. I will give them a call and inquire.

Eco Sport is 5.995Mill.

 

[tbird]

7 minutes ago, Crossword said:

Hey, thank you very much for the comment! I checked the Focus and there seem to be only a 1.6L engine offered by Ford Sri Lanka.

http://www.fordsrilanka.com/products-2a-5.html

There's a hatch and a sedan. I will give them a call and inquire.

Eco Sport is 5.995Mill.

 

Their web site is out dated. This info was there when I purchase my car from them in 2018. They heavily use their facebook page for marketing instead of the website.

Just give them a call. I visited them for the service in last week and did not see any Focus sedans in the showroom. They may bring down another lot soon. The phone number given in website is correct

[matroska]

On 12/15/2019 at 5:24 PM, Crossword said:

I am an absolute newbie and could really use advise from experts on these matters. I am looking to buy a 1000cc petrol hatchback/small SUV which can carry 5 family members and I normally drive about 500 - 700km per month. Occasionally, about once or twice a month, I would have to make a return trip to Kandy from Colombo as well. Safety is one of my top priorities as well as comfort. I can spend up to 6 - 6.2 million and prefer a brand new vehicle.

What I have considered so far:

• MG ZS - low NCAP rating and I saw pictures of some very bad accidents in Katunayaka and Homagama.
• Hyundai Venue - Only 2 airbags in the highest variant.
• Toyota Raize - Seems to have good safety options as standard on G and Z grades, but too early to say if it is a good vehicle since it was launched very recently.
• Audi A1(2019) - Seems okay, but don't feel like I would be getting value for money? Also since it is a European vehicle, I have heard people say it has a high maintenance cost.

Please let me know your thoughts and suggestions. It does not have to be one of the vehicles I have mentioned above. Since I am trying to buy my 1st vehicle, any advise is much appreciated!

 

If you want a new car for your budget then it will have to be a 1.0 L engine.  There are better options than your 3 choices there if you are looking at a comfy ride.  The venue/ZS and the Raize are in the same class and if I were to chose one from them I'd go for the Raize. 

If you want more bang for your buck you can go with a Vitara which is really nice and refined or a Civic ...if you're ok with a slightly used one there are used civics for sale at much less than the b/new price due to the absolute flood of civics in the country now. I have no experience with the Ford but I guess the focus is a good choice.  

If you're ok with Used cars then you can get a used CHR most probably from the first owner for a little bit above your budget (~6.4 M) or you can comfortably settle for a 2015ish Mazda 6 again a really nice car. 

 

[Crossword]

On 12/19/2019 at 11:11 AM, matroska said:

If you want a new car for your budget then it will have to be a 1.0 L engine.  There are better options than your 3 choices there if you are looking at a comfy ride.  The venue/ZS and the Raize are in the same class and if I were to chose one from them I'd go for the Raize. 

If you want more bang for your buck you can go with a Vitara which is really nice and refined or a Civic ...if you're ok with a slightly used one there are used civics for sale at much less than the b/new price due to the absolute flood of civics in the country now. I have no experience with the Ford but I guess the focus is a good choice.  

If you're ok with Used cars then you can get a used CHR most probably from the first owner for a little bit above your budget (~6.4 M) or you can comfortably settle for a 2015ish Mazda 6 again a really nice car. 

 

Thank you for the advise! I liked the Ford Focus as well, but apparently there has been a mass recall of its 1.0 engine cars due to engine overheating and bursting into flames! Vitara seems like a good choice, but need to save a couple hundred thousand more for that, I guess. I like the Raize very much and I researched it as well. One problem I have with it is that everything will be in Japanese since it's only being manufactured for the domestic market(as far as I know). One of the car importers mentioned that to me saying adding the display audio package would be pointless since it cannot be converted to English. I've come to realize over the past few months, that the hardest part in buying a car in Sri Lanka is choosing one due to various reasons like tax policies, resale value etc.! ?