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I think they have missed out a main point where the gov. allowing individuals to import vehicles. Only registered vehicle importers should be allowed to import vehicles. This is the reason why u see prices going up in the auction. Personal importers pay a higher price than the sellers. They have no intention of selling nor having any profit so they pay little less than the local market n pay high prices in japan. So the sellers too have to compete with these buyers so obviously the prices go up. Another matter is the 2 year restriction is baseless. Take a good look at the vehicles on our roads. Most are out dated and hacked. ppl here mostly don't maintain cars no where near how japs do. in other words its safe to say a 2 year old jap car is way better than a 6 month old brand new car in SL (condition n maintanence wise). So its plain stupid for the gov to restrict at 2 years. Rather they should increase duty n make it 3 1/2 years or more. Then there are plenty of good vehicles in japan for lower price n with a higher duty gov can make their cut n less money will go outa the country. Also i think the president of the Vehicle Importers’ Association has made some good points to ponder. Why would u pay more for a cheaply made chinese or indian vehicle if u can pay the same for a built solid Japanese vehicle. Brand new doesn't always mean a good investment when u think of the long run. That's where lot of ppl go wrong when it comes to maintenance n resale.

In which web site these vehicles are sold at these prices again? "trademe website history page and on integrity express website history page" could u pls post the links if u don't mind... are these Japanese sites u talking of? Also whats EX grade? there are no 3rd gen Ex grade only second gen has EX.

Where in the world did u see a car that cheap? Check the auction Grade surely its a R grade (Accident vehicle). The cars which are lower priced are mostly accident. Also the auction price u see is not the price u can get the car. CIF price would come to around auction price + something like 300,000/= YEN. so the 1.25 car would cost u 1.55 CIF JPY. If your ok with a repaired vehicle u can go for it. But keep in mind after u purchase from the auction u can't cancel it unless u have a special agreement with your friend who is getting it. That said the risk is after u purchase a R rated car there is a possibillity u might not be able to get the JAAI certificate done (Another reason y ppl dont take a chance on these).

Where in the world did u see a car that cheap? Check the auction Grade surely its a R grade (Accident vehicle). The cars which are lower priced are mostly accident. Also the auction price u see is not the price u can get the car. CIF price would come to around auction price + something like 300,000/= YEN. so the 1.25 car would cost u 1.55 CIF JPY. If your ok with a repaired vehicle u can go for it. But keep in mind after u purchase from the auction u can't cancel it unless u have a special agreement with your friend who is getting it. That said the risk is after u purchase a R rated car there is a possibillity u might not be able to get the JAAI certificate done (Another reason y ppl dont take a chance on these).

Statistically speaking.... the chances of a battery failure is far less than u getting to a accident on the road. In other words u rather not drive than worry about your battery...

Have u really tried it? i tried in the civic it does't start. The switch is there to off the electrical system for any repairs. Not sure about the insight though...

I don't own a Prius i own a civic Hybrid. 1. Really there is a Civic Hybrid TypeR? where do u get them if u can direct a site for it pls. or is it the MXST u referring to? 2. Point was u don't actually use max power all the time. It was just an example. 3. i know its Prius but like i said so are normal cars, they too not made for modifications. that's why u will loose the warranty if u do. 4. in that case why these so called family sedan WRX, Evo, Carina GT are not seen much on the road? i didn't know ppl buy these to go to the grocery. Anywayz think its a pointless thread. Hey its a free country right? let ppl do what they want.. For the guyz who mock about Prius.... I cant understand what their problem is... Is it that u cant own one or is it really a bad car?

Toyota and Honda Hybrids are 2 different designes. Honda hybrids are the cars u guyz are talking about usless modifieng and u wont get much from it. But toyota is a different ball game. What their main idea is on demand power. Say your stuck in a traffic just cos u have a 300BHP Subaru u keep doing a burn out and keep it at 300BHP is it or u use power when u need it? Modifying a prius (doesn't mean turbo nitros bla blah) is same as u tring to get a normal car to get lil bit that extra power when u need. nothing more. Just cos u throw in a performance filter n get 5Bhp more like any other ordinary civic or whatever... whats the harm in that? If thats stupid then performance mod for a normal also stupid. cos they to are designed for normal use not for modifying. Nexus: Prius engine power is 99 combined power is 145. And your list, all performance cars not family sedans. What is the power of a carina Ti? 95 BHP? CK4? wow! great family car....

In that case y don't every1 go n buy a CRX n say i got a performance car... why do ppl even bother modifing stock cars? If performance is not a thing to consider in hybrids, why Toyota hybrid line up is more powerfull than the non-hybrids? Y Honda made CRZ a hybrid? they must be really stupid like some AL members state here... Maybe they should read AL forum and get some super brilliant ideas..

i think option 1 would be better if the 15' n winker mirror are factory fitted. cos that would cost u close to 100k.

u know the guys here who talkin about prius performance have u driven a prius first of all? before u talk of performance do a test drive (if u were allowed that is..) Yes, its a green car but the idea is when u want power u got it. These so called normal cars, 90% what u see on the roads here are not efficient nor got any kick ass power u talk of. i could be wrong but which family sedan produces 145Bhp at stock? Harrier hybrid total output 325BHP, far more than a normal Harrier any idea y? Modifying a hybrid is not pointless its actually efficient....

...And that will do what good again? In case u didn't realize SL yet is a developing country... every one cant afford a brand new... unless u want to buy a Maruti n think n act like ur in a BMW or something... Besides, even developed countries like Singapore allows importaion of vehicles which are more than 2 years. So u think restricting will make the country like a developed country? Maruti story again anyone?

I think the car price has gone at the current situation is not because the gov increase duty, but because they reduce the number of years to import a vehicle. In japan u cant find ppl selling vehicles which are just 2 years, even if their selling they are in demand locally. The best thing the gov should do is increase the number of years n leave the taxes alone without keep changing so the the market will settle.When the year is less u pay more for the vehicle and u pay more tax. Gov should plan to reduce foreign currency going outa the country than make it worse. Reducing the duty will make the prices in japan go up n we'll be sending more money to japan than pay taxes. Hope the gov. officials would have figured this by now...

If your your getting a HVLP spray gun u might want to check your compressor as well. Since HVLP uses excessive air n less paint, no chance a ordinary compressors can keep up with the gun. I have a 1.5 tip HVLP n i couldn't make use of it since it requires a high volume compressor. for good results check your compressor CFM rating it should be above 8. Not sure about these cheap HVLP's in the market (are they really HVLP?). maybe they work with any compressor. Mine costed 15000/= and that needs lot of air..

It may not be the glow plug nor the battery... it could be a fixed timer taking too long to get it self offed... Most timers in the market are not like the original factory fitted which is connected to the thermostat of the engine to chk if its warm or not. Check if the glow light stays on for 18 or so secs even if the engine is hot.. If that's the case replace the timer with a original before u do any other replacement.

Service pack 2 BTW i'm getting it disconnected this week n going for SLT the best out there, n also in search of the guy who promoted this Dialog connection to shove it up.

not sure if its a coverage issue, since i just found out when u start a download like movies it downloads without a problem. When browsing the line keeps failing. could this be a issue with the modem? BTW it says WCDMA at the bottom.

Hi all, Think i saw this thread a little too late and got cought to dialogs so called fast internet. Anyway just wanted to add my experience with the readers. it all started when a dialog sales person walked in to my office n told about their upgraded systems n super fast internet crap (unlimited package - location Dehiwela). so i gave it a try thinking dialog being a reputed company would have some good hardware. but man this is the worst connection i've ever used. back in the days the dial-up was better i feel. every few seconds it gets disconnected, super slow if u browse for 2 hours u would have actually browsed for about 15 mins rest of the time you would have wasted time reconnecting. That's seriously annoying. Complained to dialog customer care center they give a lovely complaint number which no one bothers to check. Verdict - Never ever ever ever get this connection its a rip off. Hope this helps anyone looking for a new connection. (by the time i finish this the net is down again. Wow!)

I have a 1996 model lancer with 4G15 SOHC EFI engine. Now the engine is messed up n burning too much oil. I was wondering if i can swap it to a DOHC engine without modifying any wiring or ECU. What would be the best engine for this? Is there a 4G15 DOHC variant available here? if i get a DOHC Head, Block n the Distributor can i just bolt on to what i have? Mitsubishi experts any advice? tnx

what is your vehicle n y would u need under coating? if your vehicle has not met with any accident nor if you haven't done any corrosion work i don't think a vehicle needs undercoating. All the new vehicles come rust proofed from the factory.

Hi Miniace, I think it would be very helpful for the readers if you can post some pics of these guys work. I've been trying to find a good painter/tinkerer for a very long time. So many places i tried, but the main problem is almost all the guys donno the meaning of a quality finish. Even though they state years of experience crap. They will promise u the sun n the moon n charge accordingly but the finish is no where close to the original paint. for instance Orange peel all the painters i came across donno how to reduce this. Another issue grains. If u check closely the original paint n the local u will see the original is super smooth, where the local will have uneven metallic parts n uneven or rough surface. ad to this untidiness, suppose if their painting the fender they end up spraying beading's n fender guards etc. I have tried the leading companies like Auto Mirage, KP, Mr.P, Mag C etc all the same i would say. some better than the other but none can get the factory finish or anything close. If some one or a place can come close to the original, i think its worth traveling anywhere in the country to get a good job done. Now, Miniace would appreciate your comments n pics. Thanks

Bluebird does about 7.5-8 within city, outstation does about 9kmpl. Its is a nice car even though not much looks unless lil modified. SSS version is the highest grade with a sporty grill n rear disks. Check for new engine models which has no distributor. These Nissan engines some times get a strange miss, if u find any with this fault stay away even the company has no clue about it. Good engines are super smooth you won't know if its running even. stick with 1800CC. 2000cc u might have to pay luxury tax. A33 does around 6-7 max 8kmpl is very difficult for a auto trans. IMHO Carina is not worth the premium. Does about 8-9kmpl max. Nissans are as good as toyotas. You don't find any Nissans stuck on the road do u? EE111 1300CC not a good option AE110 fairly good but very small leg room for the rear passengers. U can trough in a MAZDA familia also to your list. Nice sporty cars good luck mate!

Guys check this awesome VW. I think this is one of the best restored cars in SL. Specially the engine very clean n perfect. Super job. http://www.autolanka.com/ad.asp?ID=7753

When u say going, are u still accelerating or cruising? If cruising at 80 on ma Corolla its about 1800 RPM O/D on. Usually normal acceleration auto gears change between 2000 ~ 2500 RPM so that the engine can run efficiently.

What name the car has on the book? Toyota or something else?