knightowl

Accident or whatever the car issue I'll go to my trusted mechanic. if he can't do it he will direct me to a suitable place. I know he will never direct me to a place like Mag city. Why would we go to a big commercial enterprise where we don't have any connections? Their prices are top class but they don't respect customer rights.

By the way, bought a Nissan presea [crap] in a hurry within two days of arrival. You know you cant live or breath in SL without a car. Went to see few Cefiro cars. Couldn't find a single good car. They all were trying desperately to sell but they were all hacked or with multiple problems. There was a guy in Maharagama who was close to committing suicide. Presia is crap but good on fuel. I can just hack it without much concern. It fell on a ditch one day but I didn't feel a thing. Just walked away handing over the keys to my assistant to get it out. I could have had a heart attack if it was one of those expensive cars. Paid 15 and 1/2 for a 1999 Presia Refina. How stupid am I?

Thanks guys. I think I'll give up the idea. My family is still here in UK. I'll be traveling every two to three months. Will buy a Toyota. Oh, toyota sucks, but no alternative! Good thing is it is like having cash at hand, there will always be suckers to by a toyota.

1. YOM - 2008 2. My plan is to stay put in Sri Lanka. Its wonderful to be back. I feel I wasted my time in UK. Nothing like Sri Lanka my friends! My gut feeling is that I'll be in great trouble owing a Volvo in Sri Lanka. Servicing, spares etc. Only reason for import would be if I am going to have great financial gain which I doubt. Toyota it is then.

I recently took up a job in Sri Lanka. I have a Volvo V50, diesel bought brand new, done only 28,000 miles in UK. It has become my wife's second car at the moment but hardly used. Will it be a good idea if I import it to Sri Lanka under Blue permit scheme? 1. Never seen a Volvo V50 in Sri Lanka. Swedish car says they will look after it. But.. 2. Will I have a significant economical advantage? 3. Will the second hand market be rubbish? [because it is not a toyota] Your opinion will be appreciated.

I wouldn't be very keen on an Alto or any maruti's. Its just that I am coming home in two weeks to start a new job. Need to buy something withihng couple of days of arriving. Limited budget as the rest of the family is staying behind.Just bringing a bag of clothes. I have lost my local experience in car buying. Hence the questions.A descent car to be used for a short time until I build up my budget.My No 01 choice is Cefiro.Having a bit of second thoughts after the comments from my non petrol head, money minded idiotic friends. You know the usual answer, 'buy a toyota' 'its like money in hand'. Don't mind be seen in a kia or drive one, but no to indian crap.

I know there are better options. But with an additional cost of 4.5million. I want a descent car around 1.6m for a period of about 1yr. Hence the need to know resale info.

Their weak point is electrics. Nice cars to drive though.

Kia Rio or Nissan Cefiro?

Probably stop far**ing in the car would help.

Good spot Scooter, Upper/lowercase combination is the key to word recognition, rather than reading the whole thing. Instantly when driving high speed. It was there in one of the Top Gear program where Captain slow goes and meet the lady who changed all the signage in UK roads.

I went through all the posts in AL regarding Cefiro. There was this great analysis by Isurujosh. He basically recommends A33-Manual-JDM. Singapore versions seems to have fast deteriorating interior and cracking Dash board. But TukTuk says the contrary. He suggests it is mainly the Japanese S Touring [JDM] which has the cracking Dash problem. He recommends A33 2.G. Correct me if I am wrong in my observations. Can one suggest an order of priority in buying, provided the cars are in good shape Please. The models in question are, 2.0 G [singapore] Excimo [JDM] S-Touring [JDM] Thanks guys.

How practical are leather interiors in Sri Lanka? Main advantage of leather interior for me is it's resistance to stains such as coke, vomit, urine, ketchup, Hodi, etc.[One might know how it is like having kids in the back on a long trip]. It is just a matter of wiping them off with a wet cloth. If it was on a fabric seats you just have to kill the kids. But again in the winter your arse freezes unless you have winter pack. Leave it in the sun in summer your arse get third degree burns. I know how uncomfortable the leather sofas are in Sri Lanka. { I gave mine to my mom, sorry mom} Is it just a prestige thing?

My mechanic seriously advises me against buying a Cefiro mainly because it will be difficult to sell it. He think it will take several months to sell it. I have no idea how difficult it is to sell one. Anybody have any experience in selling one?

Thats the model we had. Split windscreen and the same radiator grill. If you look inside the passenger side dashboard there is a little vent. I used to hold on to that vent and because of that the colour had worn off. I remember how my dad used to prepare the car for our annual trip to Galle. {Avurudhdata Game yanawa trip]. Oh the problems, brake binding, radiator leaks, flat battery. Nowadays we just hop in our the cars and drive hundreds of miles without even bothering to fill up the windscreen washer fluid. Even if a bulb burns off the dash board will tell you. A flat tire, we just call the AA. The car jack is never used, even after years it stays pristine. Thanks a lot guys. RMV is certainly the way to go. In SL you can get anything done if you have money or the right connections.[still the case I guess]. I'll certainly pay them a visit soon. Check the Reg No mate. We will be in for a surprise.

My dad had a Morris Minor a long time back. That was his last car before he passed away. I still remember going in that car on my mom's lap. According to my mom I was brought home from the hospital in that car. It was sold a long time ago. I still remember the number plate. EL 3511. Colour was Grey. If anybody sees this or any info give me a shout. It would be a real surprise for my mom if I bring this back home.

Thanks guys, I have posted the question longtime ago when I first encountered AutoLanka accidently. Anyways after going through all the posts about Defenders in the forum I decided to move on. The reasons are that I need a reliable and comfortable vehicle in Sri Lanka until I settle down well. So I have decided something like a Nissan Cefiro. Once I am settled then my wish list is , a VW beetle and then a Defender 110. My whole family is not moving due to education problems for the little ones, so that i'll be shuttling back and forth a lot. So I'll keep the option of importing one from UK open. Defenders are bloody expensive here, almost exclusively used by farmers. So you hardly see them on the roads. Thanks again for the reply.

Hey TUKTUK, Why are you recommending 2.0G over the others? I was under the impression that Japanese ones are better. Reason i am asking is I am more less decided to buy a Cefiro towards the end of August. After going through the long thread I thought singapore one are to avoided if possible.

This original post should never die, just like the lovely beetle. i have two questions from VW experts/enthusiasts. 1. Where is this Lionel guy? 2. Can we import an old beetle under some 'classic' car category? I had three children. [3vw's] Want one again. As the first step just bought 'how to keep your VW alive' book. Very interesting reading.

Thats what I am planing to do. This is too early. Thanks.

oh, That explains it. Thanks mate.

As I have posted earlier I am interested in buying a Nissan Cefiro. So I have been looking at Cefiros in Autolanka for the past few weeks since the count down has now begun for me to come back to Sri Lanka. Just something I have noticed on those cars. The majority of the pictures are taken in the same spot, same back ground. So I assume this is a buying and selling joint rather than a genuine private seller or am I imagining things? Don't we sri lankans prefer to buy a car from a private seller than from a buying and selling joint? Since I have been away from SL for while, Is it still the 'Sundayobserver classified' the best place to spot a car or has it become autolanka now? I am planning to come towards the end of August and need to buy a car within couple of days.

You need to buy original German bumpers friend.

This is a beauty man. My first car was a VW beetle [it was absolute rubbish], 2nd was VW beetle [fantastic, a 12 sri]. Then I moved on as my wife was pregnant. Then bought another as a third car. Loved it. My wife used to say I love my Beetle more than her or children. Then I had to sell it when I migrated. Wanted to buy another in UK but the idea was immediately shot down by wify. Planning to buy another when I am back in SL. What I would like is a 1300s. Hard to find though. I had my VW specialist in Nawala, Senanayake avenue. Wonder he is still there.

Or get a good company like ICC. I have seen ther housing projects and they are fantastic. They also use modern things like SBS slabs etc. Very expensive though. Bear in mind building a house is going to be your worse nightmare and it is going cost your life.