Crosswind

The very first incident of Tata Nano catching fire was when the family who purchased was driving it home from the dealership. At first, Tata blamed the guy who bought the car saying that he had some electronic items in the car, which caused the fire. Later, when other cars started catching fire (including cars which were parked), Tata got back saying that they are investigating these 'isolated' incidents.... You be the judge!

Minor modifications to the car are changing the engine from 2-cylinder to 3-cylinder, changing the braking system, changing the steering system and changing the wheelbase. Also changing the price tag from $2000 to $6000. BTW, the manufacturers of tiny cars including the Nano, are getting in to Europe because of a loophole in the regulations. These are classified as quadricycles, not cars. The safety tests and regulations are pretty lenient for quadricycles compared to cars. But Europe is currently reviewing the laws for quadricycles because of the influx of tiny cars such as Nano, Chery QQ, Reva etc. So u guys know that we ridicule you. I'm glad cos I thought you guys are too dumb to know that. What makes you think that Nano will make us change that perception, when u guys come up with one crap after the other? For example, did you know that one of the four powerset trains purchased from India last month, stopped right in the middle of its its very first journey and just wouldn't start? So much for Indian engineering. I am pretty sure prison cells offer space, comfort and value too. But I can definitely ridicule it without getting in to one. Good. so what caused the fires? If this guy is from the agent, I wonder if I can take him to Consumer Protection Authority, for giving out misleading information

Believe it or not, Daihatsu does have official sales of Boon in Sri Lanka (there are some in daihatsu.lk website too - I don't want to quote links cos I don't want to do free marketing for them). So they should be having with the necessary service equipment. Toyota does not officially sell Passo in Sri Lanka (afaik Passo is a Japan-only version). Having said all that, I have experienced quite a bit of bad service from their parent company - related to mobile phones and electronics equipment. Once I was so satisfied with their service, I wanted to smash a 32 inch LCD on the service manager's head. If that's an indication of the company's attitude towards customer service, I would rather take a Dai to a baas unnahe than to the service centre.

Toyota Passo is same as Daihatsu Boon. In fact, Passo is manufactured by Daihatsu so it makes sense to take it there.

nothing. they are too dumb to even get out of the burning car.

Not all good cars have to be expensive. We Sri Lankans have a weird way of thinking, don't we? If you have a two-decade old pile of metal and if it has a Toyota badge on it, you can still sell it for over a million Swift is a pretty good car as far as I know. Low on maintenance, good on fuel. Good on leg room too. It's actually a very good choice for your budget.

Conversion from auto to manual is not something recommended by many Read more: http://forum.autolanka.com/Index.php?/topic/5295-changing-the-gearbox-from-auto-to-manual/page__p__74959__hl__%2Bconvert+%2Bauto+%2Bmanual__fromsearch__1#entry74959

Does your van have the original engine? Once I came across the same problem with a Caravan used by the company I was working for. The cause was finally identified as the van having a replaced engine incorrectly coupled with the gearbox. I don't know the exact mechanism but apparently the gearbox wasn't suitable for the engine. Eventually got the gearbox replaced and the van started acting normal. It's worth an investigation. Hope this helps.

She'z a beauty aint she? I love that interior and the engine room seem to have everything u need. Don't u already have matching gauges for your dashboard? But what the hell is she doing with a pair of Morris Minor side mirrors? While you are shopping, look for the mirrors too. I don't know if Sri Lanka will be any cheaper than Aus. But these are few places I know: Sports pack arches (You don't have the sportspack wheels though) - Eranda (Narahenpita), Sarath (Near Kelaniya Temple), Sometimes with Iqbal (Panchikawatte) and Suzuki Lanka (Kurana). Twin exhaust - No idea to be honest but you can probably get it done from Elcardo Smiths Gauges - Your best bet is Sarath. When I had my Mini, it originally came with Smiths gauges but I got rid of them in favour of Japanese 3-meter gauges cos I fixed a whole dashboard and they were looking like an outcast. Think about this before u get the gauges. I sold off My Mini a couple of years back so I need to find the contact details. PM me and Ill send them to u when I find them.

Tata Indica , Hindustan Ambassador :lol:

Again, no personal experience but a good friend of mine had one and I have been a passenger in it quite often. Apparently it has the same engine as the godforsaken Nissan Serena and he used to curse it. I too, can vouch for the overheating issue as I myself have experienced it.

Forget the Indian ones. It's much more comfier than many Jap cars. I never had any major problems with the car for the past 2 years (apart from a fuel consumption issue attributable to injectors and EFI tuning) so I didn't have to go spares shopping. Don't worry about the engine spares cos the Swift spares fit in perfectly. As for body parts, I've seen plenty in Darley Road and Delkanda. One plus point is the same car was sold in Australia as Holden Cruze (Only difference is the Holden Badge), so those who import knocked off car parts from Aussie bring down the Holden Cruze parts which fit in perfectly to Chevy Cruze.

Most of my knowledge in this area comes from sources such as Wikipedia and obviously they are questionable. What I actually meant was Nissan still sells a car named Sunny in these markets but like u said, they are Sentra or Pulsar rebadged. Not Sunny as in the B-Series car. BTW, apart from the body, was there a major difference between Sunny and Pulsar any time? Here's Nissan Africa website which has a page for Sunny - http://www.nissanafrica.com/en/web/header/header_1852.htm

For a few markets like Phillipines, Mexico, Africa and Sri Lanka as well, Nissan still manufactures Sunny. But I'm not sure if its made in Japan.

Your question is a bit unclear to me. Those who register for VAT are not individuals but businesses (which includes sole proprietorships) who are eligible for charging VAT from the end-customer. In any case I haven't actually dealt with VAT for leasing purposes so I don't know whether it's possible to claim VAT if you are leasing a vehicle. Anyways let's assume that you are running a business with the required minimum taxable turnover (LKR 2.5mn) and this is the general procedure. Before registering for VAT, you need to go to Inland Revenue and get a TIN number. That's what we call a tax file. You need to take your BRC copy, Form 40/41/48, any import export licenses, NIC of the directors etc. Please take originals and photocopies. If you are an individual, you can still register for a TIN number. Just take your ID and a copy with any import licenses/permits that you have. Once you get the TIN number, go to the second floor and get a VAT form 11. Now this one has to be signed by the GS and the Divisional Secretariat. You need to fill it up and take all the documents above (BRC, Form 40/..., ID copies of directors, monthly bank statements, details of import export activities and any other supporting documents that you have and submit the form. After a few decades, they will issue the VAT number for you. Once you get the VAT number, you can charge VAT from the end customer and deduct any VAT that you pay. VAT Branch phone number is 2338924 The following PDF gives a good intro about the who VAT system. But some information (especially taxable goods, exemptions and VAT rates can be outdated) http://www.inlandrevenue.gov.lk/taxtypes/VATguide.pdf

Chevy Cruze, which is common in Sri Lanka, is rebadged Suzuki Swift/Ignis. I (virtually) own one. It's a nippy little car with lots of nice features. Pretty good for Sri Lankan roads too, because of its height and slightly taller design. Body parts could be expensive. Although the car looks identical to Suzuki Swift, its actually a couple of inches shorter and body parts do not really match. Look for things like centre antenna, original body kit, original interior, which can add value to the car.

Something doesn't look right about that car. First up, its a 1992 model with a GW-Series number. Afaik, GW-Series came in 2000? so that needs an explanation Secondly, the fart exhaust (age old trick to cover up engine noises), the paint job and the engine that seems to have run through a laundromat, looks like a typical sale job. and its a Tercel after all... I wonder if that price isn't way too much for a Tercel (with a different name). PS. My apologies if I broke any forum rules

I would love to get hold of an EP82 but I doubt if anything in good condition is available within my budget.

Ok guys, to update you on my car hunt, I have considered the following vehicles so far. KA-Series Hyundai Accent (Korean). Looks ok and runs ok. Comes below 10 301-Series Suzuki Jimny - Exterior looks horrid but the thing runs fine. Comes at a stretched budget. Around 12 JX-Series Maruti Wagon R. Runs fine as far as Marutis go. Appears to be in the best condition of all the cars I've seen. Comes around 11.5 Brand New Maruti - Need I say more. And I have to wait for 6 months. Price is 9.9 JW-Series KIA Rio. Battered and bruised. Price is 4 + lease Comments are welcome. Cheers!

I'm pretty sure both should be avoided unless there's absolutely no other option.

Hi, I am not a car expert but I have a couple of friends who own Accent and Rio both and I have driven the two cars. There are two flavours of Hyundai Accent - Indian and Korean. Both look pretty much identical but the Indian version has HMIL printed on the VIN plate (Hyundai Motors India Limited). If you have prejudices against Indian vehicles, do take a look at that. Personally I would prefer an Indian made Accent (if I am to buy one), because they were imported brand new by the agent. Do check if the first owner is policepathi - many Indian Accents are cars auctioned off by the Police. Why I personally prefer the Indian Accent is because some of the second hand imports have run as taxis overseas and they are in pretty bad condition even at the time of import. As for problems - they have electrical issues (random lights blinking), generally uncomfortable. Maintenance will definitely depend on the condition of the car but you have the advantage of cheap Indian parts. My friend had two KIA Rios (one after the other of course). A 2004 Rio he had was simply excellent. I thought it was as comfortable as any Jap car which I have used. He owned it for a year and spent about 20K for repairs (excluding service and fuel). Then he sold it and got a cheaper 2001 Rio, which was a lemon. After a few months, it started running like a bullock cart. Both were Singapore imports. Parts for Rio are available without issues and there are plenty of garages who can repair these. One more thing you might look at, is the trunk space. 2001 Rio has an awkwardly shaped behind, which makes it tricky to put things in and take things out, if they are big In my humble opinion: appearance - Accent, comfort - Rio, total cost of ownership - Rio, fuel - Accent Hope this helps.

Thanks for clarifying that buddy. I am also looking for a ride, so this info will expand my options too.

Take this also into account: http://www.autospies.com/news/Kia-named-one-of-10-companies-that-may-disappear-in-2011-55856/

The way I see it, your AE100 is 19 years old, the FB14 is 14 years old and the Demio is 10 years old. Everything depends on how the three have been used/abused/battered/tortured/repaired/recycled etc. in the past 19/14/10 years. When we talk about economy, let's not forget the maintenance costs. Older vehicles may have a higher chance of breaking down (again it depends on how the vehicle has spent its past 19/14/10 years). If I were you, I wouldn't consider the AE100 at all and compare the two remaining cars with lots of bias towards the newer one. It's just my way of thinking. Hope this helps.

Why don't you talk to the cargo companies in Aus (Transco or Skyway for example)? I'm pretty sure they know the process.