iRage

We found it hard to believe too...especially on the implication that the "African market" would have had better fuel ? Granted SA does have good fuel, but from what I have seen most other parts of African does not (in Tanzania and Zambia the fuel sucks)...so was a hard story to fathom, but we didn't make a fuss, or care about it as they did fix it for us for nothing and was pretty trouble free after that. This was in late 2009 so before the floods that crippled everyone, but then Thailand gets flooded so often maybe there was a flood back then that I can't remember of... but they didn't/couldn't claim that. Now that you brought up the floods...last year a close family friend of mine in Japan ordered a brand new VOXY which got delayed on its delivery date because of the floods as some parts are out of Thailand. So...yeah...cars are from all over the dang planet these days

....I am taking everything I said back as I am sticking to my original conviction of commenting only about cars...

Doesn't this, in your own words, say what you should do ?

I work for a humanitarian-aid organization and a couple of years back (late 2009) we bought 6 VIGOs whilst operating in a South East Asian country east of Indonesia and just north of Australia. - Straight out of TMC-Thailand the bling crap was not offered but the dealer asked if we would like to have the blingy ugly lens/mirror/anythign else that you can think of caps. - A strange thing happened...the fuel system (starting from the pump to the injectors) failed on 4 of the 6 units and all the units had done less than 2000kms. Thankfully Toyota replaced the fuel systems of all 6 units. Their explanation for the failure ? Apparently the specific model they gave us was fitted with components designed for the African market due to component backlogs and high demand for the vehicles.Apparently the African market components were not resilient enough to tolerate the poor fuel quality of the country we were in(okay...the quality of diesel was a significant issue). Ironically another larger organization that had brought in hundreds of white Prados and Hilux cabs with huge black 2 lettered markings on them on either side got their Hilux units sourced out of South Africa and they worked beautifully. I always thought the units for Africa were sourced out of S.A so why would VIGOs be shipped out there; I happen to be in East Africa right now and the hilux cabs over here are from SA...except for the few recon ones bought in. I guess at the end of the day there irrespective of where the vehicle originated from there is a possibility that components were mixed and matched and all that can be hoped for is that the manufacturer's quality control mechanisms catch whatever potential problems that may exist (this does not always does not happen as in our case so you will always have one or two bad apples) .

Glad to see that most of the AL members; if were given "special permission", by the president, to bring down any car, acquired through legal means, completely tax/duty free; they would turn it down as a matter of principal. Wish I had such strong principals I would thank him in less than a heart beat and go buy the most I can afford or the best I can win...

Unlike the Toyota variant Subaru offers a manual A/C as a dealer option at time of ordering. So maybe it was ordered with one. If not...there are always dash mounted fans that are going cheap these days

Having driven both 1.5 and 1.8 ltr variants...yes you do feel a little bit more power with the 1.8, especially if the car is fully loaded and going up an incline or you have a heavy foot off the mark (now I am not saying the 1.8 ltr is a speed demon..far from it..it still is a sluggy econobox). However, I seriously doubt under normal driving conditions most people out there would "feel" the difference under normal driving conditions. So performance wise I would prefer the 1.8 (my father-in-law ended up buying the larger engine as Nagasaki is full of mountains).(Keep in mind if you are looking for something that has good performance/feel there are a few other options out there as suggested...some with a smaller engine as well...and maybe even a nice crispy manual tranny) But in Sri Lanka you also have to consider that 99.9% of vehicle owners/buyers out there are under the strong belief that a smaller engine always means higher fuel efficiency (this is not always true and is a separate discussion all together), thus, you will also have to consider that someday when you are trying to resell it a 1.8 ltr might be slightly more difficult to sell off than a 1.5. But I also don't want to put in the mentality of strictly thinking about selling off your car even before you buy it. On a seperate note....since import duties/taxes are related to engine capacity, do people actually import the 2.0 variants to SL ? WWWHHHHYYYY ? It would be hard to imagine since the 2.0s are hardly found even over here and also because 1.5/1.8 ltr versions' values are highly questionable as it is...

I actually realized the date only after I posted I thought it was June 2012

Amidst all this clutter ...not sure if you bought a Prius or not...granted I am not in Sri Lanka on a permanent basis but from what I have heard and what I know about using a Prius here (quite a few of my friends have them and I must confess my personal experience with a prius has been restricted to a 24hour test drive and a week rental) in Japan all I can say is the following : 1. Hybrids are still significantly evolving...the tech modifications that have been done between the 1st, 2nd and 3rd gen models are quite large, so, if you can, try your best to get the latest one as most of the hiccups of the previous models have been rectified. 2. Hybrid is not the all saving technological marvel we have been waiting for to save the planet...<but that is a different story>. So don't buy it strictly thinking you are saving the planet...but you can still ahve a warm fuzzy feeling about it inside. 3. where running costs are concerned well..here in Japan the day to day running cost is somewhat cheaper as the road tax is low and also since the hybrids over here hardly get used for more than a couple of years users don't necessarily have to worry about significant parts and labor costs as they probably will be covered under warranty. But I believe when you get it as a used import you lose most of the safety nets we have over here and you have to consider quite a few of the costs of parts and maintenance in the long run. Keep in mind a Prius, Allion, Corolla, etc can break just like any other mechanical device and as it gets older the probability gets higher (no matter what you buy just take care fo the damn thing so that it won't get knackered in to its age...sorry i hate people who do not maintain their cars...it really doesn't take that much effort and in the long run t doesn't cost that much more than having to fix all the crap that will pop-up due to the lack of it). 4. In a country like Sri Lanka the sources for parts and maintenance is quite limited and still at an infancy stage. What is the problem with that ? Well for starters they are probably going to charge you quite high for parts and labor even if it is of substandard quality. Mind you if improperly attended too Hybrids can turn in to a electro-mechanical nightmare. But then I remember a time in Sri Lanka where there were hardly any places to maintain auto transmissions and people avoided them like the plague; but with given time both the technology and the "skill" level of the local mechanics grew and owning an automatic car in SL was not the end of the world. The issue where Hybrids are concerned is that it will probably take sometime for the "skill" level to "develop" and is not going to happen over night. So whilst this evolution takes place and your car develops any significant issues you might be..well lack of a better term kinda screwed. But then someone has to bite the bullet... So the bottom line for point 4 is that for now...you need to be prepared to pay either way. Let it be in petrol costs, purchase costs or maintenance costs. 5. As a combination of the above and the general automotive culture in SL you might have better luck winning the lottery than getting rid of your Prius as a second or third hand vehicle at a decent price. As for the Allion...well it is a car that will get you from A to B and as long as you take care of it (maintenance and repair wise) it will keep taking you from A to B. It is just a car that is nothing more than a safe and comfy metal cage. It is not a super luxury car, nor is it a sports car and it is not the best thing to ever to be driven on any road in any part of the world as most Sri lankans hype it up to be. In fact I spec'd out a Allion/Premio early last year and 3 dealerships plus the "model specialist" at the Toyota Auto Plaza advised me to go for a Mark X for a little bit more money and forget about the Allion/Premio. But thanks to the hype created by the SL Allion/Premio owner and seller in SL you probably can get rid of the car quite easily compared to a Prius. I as most petrol heads, would say, considering the purchase, ownership and other costs associated with these cars there are plenty of other alternatives out there that are much nicer to own and drive. Rather than restricting yourself to what other people seem to be buying, look around, see what is out there figure out what your priorities are and buy what most suits you. At the end of the day no one on the face of this planet will ever know what you want. Finally, would I buy a Hybrid....well depends on what it is....for starters considering the way and for what I drive (I am not too heavy footed but I do drive a lot on the highway and open roads) I seriously doubt these itsy bitsy Hybrids will be anymore efficient than a gasoline car. Also I find the Prius and Insight so ugly that I would rather castrate myself with a blunt plastic knife than have to wake up and see it every morning (but then beauty is in the eye of the beholder) same goes for the Prius Alpha...and the Aqua which seems okay if I squint my eyes hard enough, Then there is the CR-Z and Fit-Hybrids...doesn't suit my needs..Vellfire, Serena, etc Hybrids are the same. My RAV4 needs to be decommissioned soon and some of the considerations have been a JDM Camry (which is only in Hybrid over here), Hybrid and gasoline Fuga (which is probably going to be out as it is too expensive) and Mark X which is gasoline; the 86 is quite tempting but the wife keeps sticking the kid in front of me every time I gaze at it.. So anyway....just put some research in to it....and don't do it strictly by going to a forum and asking what you should buy. That is the lazy way <sorry no offence> of doing it, you should realize that the process of buying a car should be more stimulating than sitting in front of a computer screen ..trust me if you put some work in to learning about what you want to buy and end up buying it you are going to enjoy your car even more....

But the best thing about the Hindustan Ambassador is that it comes in 2 variants of BS !!

Yes...it also does not have most of the plastic and metal panels and garnishes. I do believe Subaru offers a AC as a dealer option for the RA. Also interesting to see that Subaru actually offers a glove compartment and color coded bumpers. Toyota does not offer any of these even as an option and apparently you can only get them on from 3rd party garages (and apparently it does not effect the warranty for the base unit over here). Neither of them offer a LSD for the RA/RC versions... All in all the RA is a little less stripped down compared to the RC but is a little bit more expensive. The base price for the RC is about 2mil yen and RA about 2.1mil yen. Since the RA/RC is about 500,000yen cheaper than the next cheapest grade/standard road version I guess this could be a cheap alternative even for non-race-customizing/tuning users. Although the RA might be a better alternative than the RC for this purpose.

Well..I know that Toyota/Nissan/Honda are planning Hybrids for a few additional JDMs eg. they will not sell a JDM diesel LandCruiser + Prado since they are trying to figure out how to make a hybrid version of it and JDM Camry is available only in Hybrid form, whilst there were rumors around last year's Tokyo Motorshow that the next gen JDM RAV4 will have a hybrid (but the latter is just a rumor and no one can place any credit to it until more details are given out later this year). But it doesn't mean that they are going to make ONLY hybrids..with tax incentives for hybrids, a few years ago sales for the Axio dropped in Japan and was surpassed by the Prius (which for sometime was dominated by the Fit Hybrid; the Fit even totally killed the JDM Civic gasoline and hybrid), but Toyota didn't introduce a Hybrid Axio. So no...seriously doubt manufacturers are goign to blindly stick hybrids in EVERYTHING. Whilst there is a general shift towards making more fuel saving cars but that doesn't mean only hybrids I would presume that some models would be available in Hybrid, and gasoline forms and some only in hybrid form at least for the JDM market. But then again like someone else said..the world is going to end in December anyway so who cares...for those of us who might survive..I am pretty sure there will be enough "thirikkalaya"s around...just make sure to save some cattle along with yourself

Depends on who his grand mother is ?

Well I guess the rareness makes it more expensive too ? the 4WD Rushes ? Rushies ? <how do you pluralise Rush ?> is almost as expensive as a RAV4 ? and the later would be a better choice unless you are more in to fuel economy. Saw a 2006 4wd for sale and it was 1.3 million yen...and I got my 2007 RAV4 for a little less than 1.5 million yen... 4WD Axio.... uhh...if..uhh...yeah....uhh....if the Evo and the WRX can so can a Corolla...uhhh...yeah...uhh...yeah..RUSH...4wd...rare...and expensive...

I thought I learnt something new too ! But I just checked the toyota site and the Rush comes in both FullTime 4WD and 2WD variants Available grades http://toyota.jp/rush/001_p_007/concept/grade/index.html Specs http://toyota.jp/rush/001_p_007/spec/spec/index.html

this is funny...it could be the GPS/Navi unit or even the media system...message being said is totally dependant on the model/brand of the fore-mentioned units themselves so the chances your messages being the same as everyone else's is quite small (the system i have in my RAV4 tells me the time, day and date every time I start up the car; as well as what that day commemorates.) it could also be the ETC unit asking you to insert your ETC card because there isn't one in it. But really....it is easier to answer which came first; the chicken or the egg than this question

On something that has nothing to do with Hybrids....You would imagine that a car manufacturer as large as Toyota would assume that..but uhh..NO ! I have many many personal experiences that prove otherwise all the way from Toyota Japan right across the globe. So makes you wonder if these manufacturers really know how cars actually run in the real world. If Japanese manufacturers know that 90% of JDM cars they sell will be exported out of Japan at some point in their life, why can't they install Navigation and Vehicle control systems that can be easily updated/upgraded to a language that..I don't know...the rest of the world could easily understand (think of all the forum posts on AL that it would save !!). Oh wait...it would cost them US$150 more per car...hmm... Sorry..I m just !#@$ed of at Toyota right now...a different stoyy for another day... Now getting back on topic...I think the Prius is the most magnificent and most beautiful car on the face of this planet and there will be no other ! In fact I love it so much...I am planning on buying a 3Gen Prius and fitting it with a beautiful sounding V12..naturally aspirated of course...need that heavy deep hollow to get my heart pumping...Then the Prius will not only look hot but also SOUND hot ! I am sure my baas down the street can do it for me...he can fix anything !

try this : http://toyota.jp/manual/allion/allion_201110.pdf This is the user manual for an Allion...it is in Japanese tough, so maybe you can just get the parts you need translated by someone... I believe the link that was given earlier was for the sales brochure/catalog, also the catalogs are only for the old models <non-current ones, including pre-facelifted/updates versions of the current models>

Malaka2, on 14 April 2012 - 08:16 AM, said: TOYOTA ALLION A15 G PACKAGE Hmmm....according to the Toyota dealer here in Fukuoka the VSC & TRC is only offered in the 2.0 S package as an option and on no other grades....the catalogs indicate the same http://web-cache.str...on-3_201004.pdf http://web-cache.str...on-3_200809.pdf I am curious to know how an Allion G package in SL got an option that was not available at the time of original purchase by the manufacturer/dealer , just wandering as I have been out of the SL car scene for a long long time... Magnum, on 15 April 2012 - 09:59 AM, said: and how do you turn it off? Actually there is a turn off button in between the Start/Stop push button and the power mirror switches...page 151/152 on the Allion user manual http://toyota.jp/manual/allion/allion_201110.pdf Oh..and nice to meet everyone....been reading AL for a while but never posted ...except for once...a long long time ago. Sorry about the weird quoting this phone browser and I make a sucky combination