samishka

Indo-Japanese Marutis are not bad as you think. Gone are the days that Maruti was controlled by the Indian Government.

All this hype about the Swift K-series is because for the past 5 years the Maruti Swift was fitted with an ancient Suzuki G-series engine which dates back to early 90s. The decision to do so was taken by the Suzuki parent company, maybe to cut the cost and price it competitively in the indian market. It was only a year ago that Maruti launched it with a new-generation K-series engine. However the car itself is now slightly outdated since Suzuki has recently launched the latest generation Suzuki Swift (which looks almost identical to the older one) and Maruti might follow suit in the near future. Keeping this in mind, those who want a Brand new Suzuki Swift but can not afford the Japanese version, its better to go for the much cheaper Indian version. However always remember You get what you pay for and this is 100% true regarding any Maruti. Anyway while Maruti-Suzuki lag behind Indian Toyotas, Hondas and even Hyundais in terms of quality, they are far better than Tatas and Ambassadors.

You are right. Since the recent duty reduction again our roads are flooding with "Reconditioned" Japanese Junk. Anyway I always support Brand New Vehicles be it a 2010 JDM Toyota Allion or a 2010 Maruti-Suzuki Alto.

= "Reconditioned" Japanese VANS

Pity that Suzuki stopped making the Export-model Alto in Japan. (For me there is always a stigma associated with re-conditions.)

Maruti 800 is based on 1986 Suzuki Alto while Maruti Alto is based on 1998 Suzuki Alto Maruti A-Star is as same as the current Export-model Suzuki Alto.

Suzuki's New Every DA64 (2005-06 Model) is better in terms of safety. It has got ABS and dual Airbags. However they cost between Rs. 1.6 - 2 Million (Un-Reg./Re-conditioned.) Once went to see one at Wheels Lanka which was absolutely a piece of junk (Even though it was less than 5 years old). Could not believe that the Japanese abuse their vans to such an extent. Wheels Lanka quoted Rs. 1.6 Million for it and told that they will condition it into "brand new" condition, but actually what it needed was a comprehensive restoration job. Further it had a genuine odometer reading of 147000+ kms and also comes with a JAAI certificate.

Reminds me of recently seen 'just cleared' Suzuki Every DA64 (2006 model new shape) at Ishara Traders. The odometer showed a 100000+ km mileage. There was a hole been created on the floor board where the driver rests his heel. And the salesman there told that they are going to price it at Rs. 2 Million.

According to that e-mail the Indian-made Swift hatchback (VXi) is Rs. 22,75,000. (Rs. 425,000 cheaper than the sedan)

According to an "A*W new price list" e-mail it is Rs. 2.7 Million. Swift Dzire is essentially a Swift with an "attached" boot. It is made in India and is the replacement model for Maruti Esteem.

Hope this link will be useful for you. Please note that it is about the pre facelift model and is reviewed in a South African context. Anyway Hafei Lobo is the same Chinese car that is assembled here and sold as Micro Trend. http://www.carmag.co.za/article/hafei-lobo...xury-2010-03-15

Many Happy Returns of the Day !

Both 38 and 39 include Petrol Lorries, Vans (not dual purpose), Ambulances and hearses.

Belated Birthday Wishes !

HF 0XXX means regd. in Sri Lanka in 2003. Being a Petrol model and spending majority of its life (nearly 7yrs) here in SL, the odometer reading might be correct.

TRUE.

Belated Birthday Wishes !

The sales person whom I recently talked with told a similar story. They don't get any tax break. By using CKD route the imported components attract much lower Duty. Regarding the Rexton, my neighbour who used to own one told me that Rextons are no longer assembled (CKD units) here and now they are imported only as CBU units. (Only Kyron and Actyon being assembled here) This has brought Rextons' price back to Rs. 12 Million. That was 1 1/2 years ago CKD = Completely Knocked Down CBU = Completely Built Up

The Rs. 6 Million+ price quoted by that person at MicroCars might be for their Ambulance model. (with all the medical apparatus) Otherwise that price is ridiculous for a locally assembled Chinese van, even if it is Diesel and Full-option. (As I said earlier Wasana sells a similar passenger van at Rs. 3.52 Million)

Once I saw in BAW (Beijing Automobiles) website a HiAce look-alike called HAICE.

Today I went in search for some locally assembled vans. First went to Wasana Trading outlet in Narahenpita. The place was closed down, but a company person there gave me the number of their head office. Called them and asked whether they sell locally assembled Buddy vans. The person on the other side told me that they assemble only one type of van and that is a Hiace (Dolphin) type Full option Diesel van and also added that it is priced at Rs. 3.52 Million. Then I visited the Micro showroom in Borella. While parking my car there I noticed a sparkling new Hiace (high roof -Dolphin) van outside their showroom. First I looked at one of its tyres and it bore a Chinese name, and later when I was walking towards the showroom I noticed the Micro Lion badge on the van's front panel. After discussing about the Micro MPV Junior III (Hafei Minz) with the sales officer there, finally I asked about that 'Hiace' van. He told me that it is a Diesel luxury van priced at Rs. 6.625 Million. In disbilef i asked whether it is locally assembled and he answererd 'Yes'. I did not go on to tell him about Wasana's 3.5 M van, because that might have started a heated argument. However I think is that either of the aforesaid figures is wrong. Further in my opinion, there won't be any takers for such HiAce (Dolphin) clones even at Rs. 3 Million, because for that price there are better quality Japanese ones in the Second hand market.

Many happy returns of the day !

Long time (around 25 years) ago there was no dual-purpose category. All vans and double cabs were registered as Light Trucks. In the Driving Licence (before the introduction of the plastic card) there was a category called "Vehicles with a kerb weight below xx cwt" (Can't remember the value and whether it was the Tare weight). Anyway that was called the "Light vehicles (Sehellu vaahana) licence" and could be obtained after learning to drive a car. In 1985 my uncle who possessed that type of licence bought a re-con Delica (38 Sri) and drove it without any "legal" problems. However when his son/my cousin got his C, C1 category licence and drove the same Delica van, he was warned by a policeman that this van is registered as a Lorry/Light truck and he is not eligible to drive it. I wonder whether my uncle also suddenly became ineligible to drive his van after changing his "Light vehicles licence BOOK" into the "C,C1 licence CARD". With the ridiculous increase of Import duty on Dual-purpose vehicles, nowadays it can be seen that some vehicles which earlier fell under dual purpose category are now imported and registered under a different category. Hope you all have seen those Tempo (now Force) Three-Wheelers. In 1998 (just before the duty hike) these were introduced by (now defunct ?) Lakshmans Motor Company. The vehicle though externally a Three-wheeler, internally it was similar to a van. The crudely built driver compartment consisted of a single seat and a steering wheel mounted on the right hand side. Throttle, brake and clutch all were foot operated and there was a floor mounted gear lever. I remember seeing only a handful of them plying on our roads. They were registered as Dual purpose vehicles (252- Series). This vehicle was not a success since it was sold at Rs. 3 lakhs in a time when one could buy a 5 year old un-reg. re-con. Toyota Dolphin for Rs. 6 lakhs. When Abans re-launched this same vehicle in 2005/06 they were registered as Three-wheelers.(Q-series) They may have done that to price it competitively because Three-wheelers fall into a much lower duty bracket. However (after being registered as a Three-wheeler), does it mean that only a person with a Three-wheeler licence (obtained after learning to drive a Three-wheeler with a handlebar) is eligible to drive it? If so, that sounds absurd.

Indian Swifts are prone for early rattling. [usual Maruti build quality.] On the other hand the (Old-gen Suzuki G-series) engine is known to be reliable. Further I have read somewhere that unlike other Maruti models, this model is expensive to maintain. (Maybe because it has a higher percentage of Japanese parts)

One shown in the pic is a face lift version. My Grandfather used to own both versions. First one was a white 11-sri pre-facelift model and in 1987 he upgraded to a maroon 14-sri facelift model. While I have no driving experience with that car, I remember my Grandfather saying that when his (14-sri) car is driven over a puddle of water, the engine stops running. When I told about this to a friend of mine in school (who also owned a 305 at that time) he told that it's not a big problem, just open the bonnet and wipe off the water in <some engine part> with an handkerchief. I think he was referring to the Distributer (Delco). [That was 14 yrs ago and I was not familiar with motor spare parts].