Crosswind

I believe you are right on that one. Note that "Country of Origin" is not the country where the car is assembled. It's the country where the car is shipped to Sri Lanka from. For example, Honda City/Toyota Vios/Toyota Soluna (Recon cars)- Made/assembled in Thailand and shipped to Sri Lanka from Singapore. So Country of Origin = Singapore Honda Fit Aria (Recon cars) - Made/assembled in Thailand and shipped to Sri Lanka from Japan. So Country of Origin = Japan Maruti Crapcars - Made/assembled in India and shipped to Sri Lanka from India. So Country of Origin = India

Soluna was never assembled or made in Japan. It was only made in Thailand, using some of the presses of Tercel. Purpose of Soluna was to run taxis in countries like Thailand and Indonesia. If you see a Soluna with country of origin as Japan, it's wrong. The reason for that is the old yellow/orange registration book that came before 2002 did not have a field called 'Country of Origin'. When the ownership changed hands, a vigilant person can fill in Japan as the COO on the transfer form and voila, it would appear as Japan in the new (Blue or Pink) registration book. That's why you see Honda Citys, Vioss and Solunas with COO as Japan, although they were never made there. Hell, I have even seen a Perodua that was advertised with the statement 'Country of Origin Japan not Malaysia!'

No worries mate. Please fix a brake booster if u don't have one. Should be available in any of the usual spares places. It will make a big difference. Before u buy it, u need to check if the diaphragm is ok. Best way is to give a buzz to your mechanic when u find one. Don't ever try to convert it to power steering. I believe one of the AL members tried that and it didn't quite work out. There's no original rack and pump for the Mini. Try driving a manual one sometime

Congratulations on your decision. First up, are you looking for a New MINI or an old Mini ? (note that the new MINI has its name in caps) I'm specifically asking this question because your display pic is a New MINI. The following details only apply for the Mini (the old one). I am a former Mini user and I hope to get another one as soon as I can afford a second (or third, rather) car. Although the outer appearance seems to be same at first glance, there are many versions of the Mini. The 1.3 EFI Rover version appears to be the most popular, although the one I had (Mk-V British Leyland version) seemed stronger and more reliable for me. Open Classic seems to be the most expensive around (may be more than 1.5 million for a perfectly maintained one). Things to look for, when you buy one: Check for corrosion and catloy. Minis are notorious for corrosion. Check the floorboard thoroughly. Check the surrounding areas of the rear glass, under the buffers, lower part of the doors (although u can replace doors, I don't recommend it cos fitting another set of doors perfectly is a hassle. Don't ever buy one which has the sun roof. Sooner or later, u will need to drive with an umbrella. Check the engine like u would check any other car's engine. Don't buy if u hear any 'miss' in the engine. It could be anything from spark plugs to problems with the engine. Better not to risk it. Check for things like white smoke, sludge build-up and so on. Remember, Mini engines are not as cheap as Toyota engines. Check the registration book properly. Check if the chassis number and the engine numbers match with what is in the book. Check if those numbers are in the right place. Check if the licenses are up to date and the VET is done (if necessary). Older Minis don't need the VET. It's always good if you buy one from a registered owner rather than one on open papers. Take a good look at the owner to see if he is a Mini enthusiast or just a broker/bass/some random guy trying to peddle off a lemon. As soon as you buy the car, change the Timing Chain (It's just a motorbike chain and shouldn't cost you more than 500 or 600), CV joints, Rack ends and other consumables. Price ranges: I actually don't agree with kmeeg's comment. Price of a Mini is not determined by the options or the year of manufacture. Most of the time it depends on the actual condition of the car, how the owner has maintained it and how much he has loved it. You do find that Mini enthusiasts like to fix Minilite wheels and stuff which are expensive or some prefer to keep it on its original condition. You may find price ranges from 300,000 to 1 million or more. And the cheaper ones could be lemons on your hand. Generally, Mini enthusiasts spend a lot for their car. I spent well over 300,000 on mine for cosmetic upgrades alone, within a short period of time. For fixing sportspack wheels, Airconditioning the car, fixing a new dashboard, fixing a brake booster, cooper grille, sportspack seats etc. So if you are looking for a cheap car, don't buy a Mini and suffer. Become a classic Toyota or classic Nissan enthusiast In my humble opinion, I would suggest a Manual, 1000CC dished piston engine, which gives pretty good performance and fuel figures too (even with a carburetor). But I guess most people prefer the 1.3 EFI version. @kmeeg: You can fix a brake booster machan (what u call servo brakes). Cost me about 8000 few years ago. Thereafter you can stop it like a new car. But ur right about the steering. None of the classic Minis came with power steering. I didn't have this problem because mine was a bit of a rare Mk V Mini that originally came with 12-inch wheels as opposed to 10-inch ones. And on top of that, my mechanic managed to make it 13-inches. That solved the ground clearance issue. He did it in a way that it didnt make the car ugly. So I was quite happy. Whether the engine generates too much heat also depends on the condition of the engine. What I did was to get the mechanic to fix an additional cooling fan, fix McFoil on the cabin side of the engine bay and fix McFoil on the roof of the cabin. Heat wasn't a problem thereafter. BTW my Mini was a daily runner and it never gave any issues.

A friend of mine got his 4DR5's interior done from a guy named Naeem in Mahara Junction on Kandy Road. Subsequently, I got the upholstery done for my Mini from him. Can recommend his work too, if u feel that is closer to u. Don't have the contact numbers though.

I believe there is a slight confusion because of the way the gear shifters are located. There's no position called D-3 in this gearbox. They are two positions - D and 3. When you are in D - your normal Drive mode, just shift the lever to the left a bit and u are in position 3 (which is the Overdrive off position). So it is a four speed autobox but 3 acts as the usual 3rd gear, which limits the speed of the vehicle (in other words, O/D off). Pictured below is the Proton Impian gear shifters (with the unlock button) which makes things a bit clear. Yes you are right. It is a 4-speed gearbox

It's an auto gear box. Could be a CVT or an ordinary auto gearbox. If you are wondering what D-3 means, in some cars the auto gear box doesn't come with an OD button. Comes with 3 instead. My car also has a similar gear shift lever but it's got an ordinary auto box not a CVT. However, this is not a manumatic or tiptronic box. They have + and -.

Nop. He's talking about this one: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Mazda_Tribute_.jpg Comes at around 2 - 2.5 mill range. It runs on petrol and a bit of a gas guzzler but afaik it's a good machine to own.

Honda Legend (or its Acura equivalent)?

Bl**dy mathematician! Tell me, does your Citroen use some kind of mathematical functions to run? (FYI For those who think this is greek, Sifaan's fuel figures are 10e and 10pi.)

Just a point to add about the Geely Panda (AKA Micro Trend), that u might wanna consider - Although it looks like a confused fish, it is supposed to be the safest car in its category. http://www.auto-chinese.com/geely/geely-panda-crash-test-awarded-5-star-in-cncap-equal-to-yaris/ No experience in any of these cars so I shall refrain from any further comments.

Ford Festiva is rebadged KIA Pride. It's made by KIA. So spares might not be a big worry. As for other questions you have, I would advice you to think seriously about what MiniAce told you. You have other options for that price.

Couple of things about Waja - The chassis is same as Volvo S40. Suspension is from Lotus Pros: Much more comfortable than a Jap car and as comfy as a European car (thanks to Volvo and Lotus). Spacious, very good handling (again, similar to a European car), strong body, good for rough roads in Sri Lanka Cons: Proton has done some cost-cutting with the plastics inside. Components like the power shutter buttons look cheap. Door handles tend to break after long use (u can get the parts at the agent or if u know someone in malaysia. They are dirt cheap). Campro engine parts are pricey but 4G92 parts should be cheaper because they are all over panchikawatte. 4G18 version is underpowered because the car is heavy (nearly 1300 kilos), auto transmission is sluggish (not applicable to manuals), agent is located in Ratmalana Campro does about 8 - 8.5 on fuel in the city. 4G18 apparently does a bit more - around 9 - 9.5. If anyone claims it does over 10, they are probably lying. There's a nice story about Waja. Few years ago, Proton was becoming a joke in Malaysia because the vehicles were made of cheap steel. Proton apparently wanted to change this reputation by building a strong car. The result was Waja. The word Waja translated to Malay means 'Strong'. Verdict: If you want an investment, don't buy it. Buy an ancient Starlet or AE110 instead and look like just another El Cheapo If you want a car to use for some time and not worry about resale value, go for it. U r gonna love it. Tips: Brand new imported cars are usually in better condition that recon imports. Manual ones perform a bit better than auto. If you have an issue with parts, take an Air Asia flight to Kuala Lumpur and bring them here Believe me they are dirt cheap out there (Both headlights cost LKR 6000 brand new. Brand new Door handles cost LKR 1000 etc in KL). If you need to talk to the Service Manager at the agent's service centre, let me know, I'll post the contact details. You can also get the car inspected before you buy. If you need any more info, do let me know.

2-3 million is a very large range. Are you looking for a registered or an unregistered car? You have mentioned 'new' in your post Registered, between 2.5-3Mill - Corolla 122 Luxel, Honda Fit Aria, Toyota Vitz, Audi A4 Diesel, Mazda 3, BMW E46 are reliable rides. Registered, between 2-2.5Mill - Honda City/Fit Aria older versions, Civic, Toyota Vitz could be some options For this budget, I am personally very biased towards Fit Aria. As for unregistered, you might only get the hatchbacks like Demio, Vitz, Swift, March, Passo for the higher end of your budget. March is a hideous looking car which does terrible on fuel but known to take a lot of abuse by the users. Swift is so-so when it comes to reliability (personal experience). No personal experience about Demio or Passo.

I noticed that when I take the car to the agent's repair centre, if they do a trial run, they keep a RMV issued red C11 plate on the car (even if the car is registered). Call it peculiar, but that seems to be the correct procedure, if a car is taken for a trial run by a garage. This probably means that the C11 red plates are not just for temp license holders but importers/garages as well.

correct me if i'm wrong, but shouldn't those plates be red, to be legal?

Your father has a point here because ACCA is a very technically in-depth qualification while CIMA covers a broader scope, which is more useful for real life. That's why I am biased towards CIMA. Having said all that, to be a CEO, you need more than CIMA or ACCA or MBA or whatnot. You need to demonstrate that you are CEO material and that only comes with your work skills and experience. If you complete CIMA, you can get exemptions from 5 papers of ACCA. But I personally think that's not worth at all and like you said, the kid is better off trying to do an MBA or CFA.

Personally I haven't done any of these qualifications but I do have contacts with the country managers of both these bodies. CIMA is an established mainstream qualification, whereas ACCA is still in the process of getting established in Sri Lanka. ACCA is getting a couple more teaching partners in the next few months. From what I know, ACCA is pretty tough and the processes of gaining membership, getting exemptions etc are very rigid. What you can probably do is, follow CIMA and then do a top-up to a degree (there are few top-up degrees coming up in the near future for accounting qualifications), get a job in a company of your interest and then do CFA or an MBA in Finance or both. In the local market, CIMA seems to be appearing in job ads more than ACCA. However, it all depends on how you convince the potential employer. Having worked overseas, I know for a fact that employers in western countries don't give a damn about all the qualifications that you possess (yes... nobody really gives a damn if you have 3 Masters, 7 MBAs and a double PhD ).They only look at your knowledge and how you present yourself. However, if you are interested in the middle east market, you may have slightly better luck with CIMA. On a related note, I got to know that some private educational joints are getting ready to sell PhD degrees in Sri Lanka... duration is like 1 year and cost is like 3 million ... and the best part is there's hardly any research in it What a country!

Something similar to this (but not the same): There's a car called Mazda Laputa (rebadged Suzuki Kei). In Spanish, La Puta means 'the whore' And in Spanish, Pajero means 'wanker' (guy who mast*rbates all the time) When Chinese bought the Rover marque, they changed the name to make it easy for Chinese people to pronounce. They called it Rong Wei (WRONG WAY!) Chevy had a car called Nova. In Spanish (damn Spaniards again!) No Va means 'doesn't move' Mitsubishi came up with a car called Legnum. Add a 'b' to the end and you get numb legs Daihatsu came up with a car called Naked! Citroen has a car in China called Citroen Fukang. They wouldn't dare sell it elsewhere I guess :0 and my personal favourite is Isuzu BIGHORN... needless to say why

Apart from the usual corollas, sunnys and starlets; here's some more u can think of. Kia Rio facelift model (K-numbers) Hyundai Accent (J- or K- numbers) Japanese Alto (K- numbers) Nissan AD Wagon (H- numbers or J-numbers) Nissan March K11 (G- numbers) Perodua Kelisa (K- numbers) Ford Laser (G- numbers) This is just to expand your horizons, because I'm personally a bit scared to buy cars which are too old, despite the fact that parts are available and the usual yada yada. No doubt that parts are available for old Starlets and Corollas and EK3s but do remember that they don't come free (and neither does labour). So if you want to buy an older car, do keep aside at least 50k for repairs.

AFAIK, nothing much is wrong with Korean vehicles. As a permit buyer, you may have to wait till 2012 March or April to finally get hold of your Hyundai. KIA does a bit better in this department but you may still have to wait till 2011 December or beyond. Also the agents (especially KIA) treat you like dirt and act like they are doing you a favour, when you walk in to a showroom with a permit. I wonder how their after sales is going to be. You have some more options for SUVs - Ford Everest, Mitsubishi Montero Sport. Both are diesel and Everest is really a man's vehicle. You won't have much issues with parts because its rebadged Mazda BT-50.

Brand new Maruti Gypsy is no longer imported by the agent. So you have to find a used one or get one down yourself. I drove a friend's Gypsy few years ago. Its a pile of metal badly put together and like any Maruti vehicle, it starts shaking after a couple of years. Pros: Virtually any guy can repair the damn thing (excluding the engine) cos it's a very simple vehicle, decent on fuel Cons: Starts vibrating after some time, clutch engagement point is very high by design, have to really slow down on bends cos its unstable on the road (common to Jimny too), very prone to corrosion, differential is known to give problems I personally like the looks of the thing but it's not a vehicle I would recommend, considering other options in the market.

Amazing what Google search can produce : http://www.lmgtfy.com/?q=Deens+Havelock+Road http://srilanka.yoolk.com/listings/lk14891 http://www.lankawebdirectory.com/links/u/u_upho.htm

'Janet' Even the reply on top to my post. Post of your Queens English You have done a mistake. People who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones. It is a mistake I did for you to correct same as I knew that will hit your heart to be the correct answer for your reply Post you gained one more to your count to blow your trumpet.Always you post to say this is my $$$$ post. You once said you ignore my posts. So You eat your words. Yes I am Proud to say that I will do my Blue collar job until I am able to do. Understand this is my hobby to engage with Technology Bye. Who's janet???

Don't forget that u will also need to set time aside to do the repairs. If you are a busy person, it might be tough for u. The best way to do this is to sell the car as it is and be honest about it. But then u need to find a buyer who will understand that u are being honest.