terrabytetango

Thank god. You're better off buying a Mondeo than one of those crap heaps.

Only if it's one of those Hyper CVT jobs, but I don't think that's an option with diesel. If you're considering a U14, look for the LeGrand or Eprise trims. I've driven and ridden in both petrol and diesel models, and I'd venture to say that it's pretty comfy, and the driving position is not bad either. The diesel was a 65-, and the engine was a bit tired, but there was plenty of low end for puttering around Colombo. I couldn't really open it up though, since it wasn't my car.

Good comfy car, the '90-'94 V10 model would be the best purchase as it share a lot of parts with the Camry, and the diesel models use the 2C turbo.

Good to hear your friend finally came around. Tell him he'll know he's revving too hard when the rev limiter kicks in

I think the black 2 door you guys are talking about is a Suzuki Cervo Mode, which is what the Maruti Zen is based on. The Cervo Mode also has the same 660cc Turbo engine of course and looks way more pint sized bada$$ than the Alto Works, which just looks ready to tip over at any time.

You need brush up on your photoshop skills. Those lights on the EG8 look like they're pasted on.

EK3, how old are you? 14?

Works Alto in SL, Kandy perhaps?

In this car's defence, it's a Works Alto and comes like this from the factory, minus the silly stickers on the bumper and rear window. Also minus the "takaran" exhaust.

It's exactly like riding in a Piaggio three wheeler, only less comfy because the Piaggio comes coil sprung with IRS. And you can forget about a radio and A/C; there's no point having the former because the clatter from the engine will drown it, and the latter isn't even an option. I've seen the Tata Magic used as taxis in India, and they were all equipped with soft tops. Also, these things only put out 16hp, which literally makes them a 4 wheeled auto rickshaw. I can't imagine even the local rural people using these as the family vehicle, for the cost they'd more than happily invest in a mini van. Now, if D*MO decided to release the CNG version instead, then we'd have something to talk about.

Just buy a Works Alto and be done with it

"However, the present service provider has not been able to attract adequate passengers due to a number of marketing and operational issues." = Epic fail in foresight and understanding the social dynamics of market segment at which this is aimed

Looks like an overweight baby 200. Personally I'd go for a new 70 series with the 4.5 V8 Diesel.

The Ceres/Marino is a sexy 90's car. If I had the money, I'd get one and drop in a 4A-GE with a supercharger into it.

Maybe it was Mervyn aiya's Pr0sche Cinnamon?

That's what the classifieds section is for isn't it?

Also consider the Mitsubishi Minicab. You really can't beat a micro van for cost:efficiency:load capacity. The ride will definitely be stiff, but since you're looking for fuel economy, I doubt high speed and cornering performance are of paramount importance. Also try and stay away from the turbocharged variety because you'll lose an arm, leg, and possibly eye when trying to source parts.

Here's a link to her profile. She was the only seller I could find who had >99% feedback. She claims shipping is free, but drop her a message regarding this, she has a knack for quoting random figures; case in point, the first time I enquired, I was quoted $20, two weeks later she replied $5, and when I actually won the auction she didn't (forgot to?) charge me anything. The package itself is compact and comes in a plain white box, but gets detained by EMS customs because its heavy. Remember it's an auction, so I can't guarantee you'll get the same deal as I did. However I do believe the kits are superior to what's currently sold in SL, and significantly cheaper.

I've had the opportunity to drive an AD wagon on several occasions (belongs to my colleague's dad-in-law). The best way to describe the trim level would be "semi" optional in the truest sense of the word; only the driver's seat had a power window and power adjustable door mirror. Also had stock body coloured bumpers and door mirrors. I believe this model falls into the category of van, rather than station wagon. It was a diesel however, I think the 1.7 unit from the SB13 that everyone likes. It was an auto too, and was nippy enough. Comfort was good, which is to say there wasn't anything excessively negative to notice. And if the G-Touring (or L-Touring) is going to be compared to a similar Nissan, it should be the Avenir, not the AD wagon.

I installed a generic plug'n'play H4 Bi-Xenon kit into my '94 Townace yesterday. The lamps had to be adjusted slightly lower, and on the test run no one flashed their high beams at me while I drove down the busy highlevel road, so I'm taking that as a positive sign. On roads where I usually use the high beam, the low beam's illumination was more than sufficient; the horizontal coverage lit up pedestrians and bikes on the left of the road quite brightly, and the forward reach is great. The only reason to use high beams would be to flash another driver or to get a good look at the people inside the car coming at you. The bulbs are 4300K, which are the brightest you can get, short of going for the Euro style 3000Ks. Our 121 came fitted with 6000Ks (after market kit installed in Japan), and I thought they were the bomb, but 4300Ks are just so much easier on the eyes. The ballasts and igniters (two per side) were mounted inside the van, next to the rubber stopper through which the existing forward lamp harness exit, and the new wires were routed through an extra opening made in this stopper. The control box with the relay was mounted on the floor behind the steering column, which allows easy reach for a good grounding point, and a power source from the dashboard. The kit utilizes one connection from the existing harness to detect high/low signal, but power is supplied independent of the stock wiring harness. It's a fairly straight forward installation, but tedious; the side indicators and grill come off first, followed by the lamp mounting brackets on either side, on which are mounted a headlamp and park lamp. This was because I had to scout for a suitable mount point for the ballast, and it's so much easier to navigate a drill machine from the outside. I used the supplied mounting plate as a brace from the outside which will keep things nice and snug. The igniters were mounted using industrial strength 3M double sided tape. Bulb installation is straight forward too, and the bulbs themselves can be twisted off the H4 flange, which makes replacing bulbs a breeze since you don't have to deal with those finicky dust covers. I won an auction for the kit on ebay, and paid $62 + free S&H. It got held up at the EMS office, and I paid LKR1300 to clear it. All in all, the built quality of the kit is pretty good, the ballasts are the smaller slim solid state dealies, which look and weigh like solid chunks of aluminium. One word of advice though, don't go for anything over 6000K. The reason is that, while the intensity of the colour is still high (the bluest blue possible, etc), they're not bright, and you'll have trouble focussing on objects on the road. 8000K is the absolute maximum you should consider, and that only for driving in illuminated areas on the city where you're not completely dependant on your vehicular lights. Anything higher is absurdly obtuse to derive any usable function out of, and are suited for show only (which constitutes 95% of the HID users in Colombo "omg machn thos r SO KOOOLLLL!!111 hw mch???"). Hope the details were useful.

Any idea if R/C vehicles will be involved this time around? I thought I heard something to that effect on a commercial.