leonardo

VW vortex...are you the owner of the black bora with G plates and lovely alloys? I've seen it around Colombo 5 often. its a very striking car.

couldn't agree more. those of us who purchased above average vehicles before the duty structure went nuts can't really "upgrade!" with the now insane car prices and cost of fuel. these same cars now fetch a far lower market price, no one wants to buy a 2.0 litre anymore! oh well lets look on the bright side, things can't possibly get any worse and hopefully there will be changes to the powers that be at the end of the year.

looks are subjective i know, but i don't think the 500 looks anything special. heard that that the local agents might bring it down to sl so it will be interesting to see how it sells. fiat really hasn't taken off in sl yet.

altezza is a good car but not sure if the agents have parts for it. if you want performance, looks and a bigger car a B4 might be a better choice, and i'm sure you can get a good used one with English plates for under 3 mil.

for 2 mil you could get second hand small cars like glazas, nissan march and second hand japanese suzuki swifts. all of these would be better alternatives to the indian suzuki swifts.

I'd be tempted to go for the new Grand Vitara if I had the budget and was looking for an SUV. I'd look at the new Civic or a Mazda Atenza as my next new car, sadly even that's out of budget these days so a second hand B4 would be nice!

The issues that people here have pointed out is with the suspension and engine mounts on the brand new cars,. Maybe its just not solid enough for our roads. I know quite a few people who have had the car for over 2 years and they only have good things to say about the car. Just do a bit more research.

I use mobile xhp and change my engine oil and filter every 4000 kms so it gets a full service then. But even if I havn't got that milleage, every 3 months, I get everything checked up, topped and serviced. The undercarriage wash is pretty important, with all the mud, rain and dust on our roads the chances of our cars getting rusted is pretty high so I would say you can't go wrong with servicing every 3 months.

Mazda Axela/3. Lovely car, though some of the true enthusiasts might be find it a bit underpowered. I believe we only get the 1.6 litre version that puts out around 115 bhp? Unregistered goes for anywhere between 3.4 for the base model and 3.7 for a fully loaded ones with fake leather, bodykit and the works. Strange but when I was shopping around a couple of months back I saw a high specc'd unregistered Mazda6 going for just under 4 mil. Probably there's no demand for the 6 as opposed to the 3. If I had the budget I'd probably go for one, though I'd worry about the unreliable agents.

The worst part about floods are the Montero and Prado boys thrashing through the waters and submerging everything else around them. Thaught I was going to drown yesterday morning when I was quietly driving through Reid Avenue and doing my best to avoid the very deep waters on either side of the road so as not to ruin my car when a Motorcade sped past! I don't think the pedestrians on the side of the road were too thrilled about it either. All you 4WD boys out there, please be more considerate!

Hey. Not sure about the lowest price but a few places I checked 2 weeks ago had unregistered mazda 3's for around 3.5. A friend of mine got one for 3.1 mil and that was fully loaded, but it was about a year ago. He is always complaining about the fuel consumption. The ride for me was a bit too noisy and hard, even though he didn't have low profiles but it was fun to drive.

Hey, I know this may seem like a lot of work which would probably lead to nothing, but how about writing a petition to the President on duty structure and maybe even offer alternate proposals for reform? Ie if they want to tax vehicles that's over 2 litre etc, let them do that but atleast have different scales for the regular sedans. I'm sure we can get some of the re-con vehicle dealers to sign the petition?

Just give it a rest mate! Yes I know there are bigger issues in the country, like people dying. But our crooked politicians have done absolutely nothing for them or the "uneducated masses" of the country. Like someone else said let them set an example to the rest of us instead of shoving us off the roads in their bulletproof bm'ers and landcruisers! This is an automotive forum. Not everyone here wants to buy a super-luxury car. But we all work bloody hard and want to be successful. That's reality and we want to reward ourselves by driving something decent. But now we can't even afford a corolla anymore. What's happening to the 300% + duty that the government charges us on new cars? It goes into the treasury and then into our crooked politicians pockets! Do you see any development in the country? Any progress? We are going backward by the day! The fact is we are all getting ripped off!! No the solution is not to leave the country because whatever said and done I love this crazy place! So we've got to grit our teeth and hang in there. But if I want to bitch about it, then so be it!!

Hi, If you don't mind me asking what's it like maintaining an RX-8? Especially with our crappy fuel and pathetic roads? The car looks great btw.

I went vehicle shopping last week and was so depressed at the prices. The car sales guys did confirm prices were going up next month. A mazda3 now starts around 3.5 million and the ones I saw didn't even have alloys, so if you want a basic jap sedan besides a corolla or sunny, that appears to be the only choice. But 3.5 million? *sigh*

Hi, Can someone please recommend a good electrician? Need to get a few small jobs done on my car lights and need someone reliable.

Hi, Any idea where you can get those plastic brackets you put in the lower bumper on cars that don't come with fog lamps? I doubt parts as insignificant as this can be found at the agents or at Panchikawatte. My friend's Mazda had an accident and he patched up the bumper, but the plastic bracket that covers the fog lamp slot was lost and it spoils the look of the car with a gaping hole in the bumper. If the part is not available are there people who make things like that?

I think that's where Nissan has sadly got it wrong since their alliance with Renault. All their cars used to be so much more driver oriented, ie the old Skylines, Primeras, VZR's etc. I think their new designs are great, and the quality and attention to detail have improved out of sight. They are truly global cars now, but wish they didn't compromise on the handling so much. That being said I think the handling of these cars would satisfy most Sri Lankans, its not like our roads, traffic conditions and cops allow us to thrash around corners and test the chasis to its limit anyway!

Actually the new Primera is a 2.0 litre and it does around 7.0-7.5 km/l with the auto CVT which is not too bad and in my opinion it looks a lot more special than a Premio. Parts are not too expensive, as for maintainence it requires regular tune ups because the throttle body gets collects carbon easily. Other than that its very reliable and quite hardy.

I've owned 2 mazda's in the past and never had problems with the build quality. Still have an old Familia that's going fine for over 8 years and we have really hacked it! The Axela can be quite thirsty, my friend's one does around 7-8 in traffic. Also Mazda is paying a lot more attention to detail these days, the build quality of the new 3, 6 and RX-8 is a worlds apart from the older models and it certainly looks and feels better than a corolla or sunny! The new civic is ok but the mazda looks better to me. They are also getting it right by providing a good mix between comfort and driving pleasure.

I've not driven an allion but I have been in a A1.5 once. Came fully loaded with skirtings and DVD player, reverse camera etc and its suspension is very comfortable and softish, just right for SL potholded roads! Not a fan of the models with bodykits, they don't suit the car at all in my opinion. I have driven a Mazda3 and the driving experience was very decent. The ride is a bit harder, and the car was grippy. I loved the steering, it gives very good feedback. I think a Mazda3 1.6 litre is slightly cheaper than an Allion so that may be a better cboice.

I have driven a friend's Matuti 800 and the scariest part about the car is the breaks. They just don't hold if you're going anything above 50 km/h! Forget about the performance and handling, you don't expect it to be great. Other than that, I've heard they are very economical to run and easy/cheap to maintain.