fiat fan

Thanks for the detailed info. Raize-MG-Thor were chosen for the next round. the 660cc cars are priced competitive but the lack of power is a major let down(specially for us Kandy buggers) Man how hard is it to find a small fun hatchback with a manual box? for bloody 12 million. what a time to be alive. lol looking for a car that actually runs for change 😅

Nice. Aliexpress has some real nice oem goodies for euro cars now. Most Peugeot parts off Ali are comparable to genuine parts even!

Greetings guys. Like the title says, I need to buy a city car. Cheap to run safe reliable (God yes please) somewhat nice to drive practical and spacious able to overtake on hills (big deal) Budget around 12 mil at max(can’t believe this was prado/lc money 5 years ago) Option I’m really looking at- 1. 2024/2025 Daihatsu Thor/ Toyota Roomy in Custom GT trim (turbo is a must for hill country with a load) buyya fellas and friends think paying 1 mil extra for a badge is worth it (nope) same van otherwise. Prices are crazy as expected. Base ban start at 8.8 and go up-to 13.5 for ones with a GR body kit. 9 years with only a minor facelift in 2021 ish. New model may come out next year. other than that its a mini van. 2. Toyota Raize from Toy#ta L#nka. 12 mil again buyya fellas say the jdm is superior but I'm not too concerned/convinced tiny crossover. Not bad. Again long overdue for a refresh. 3.Suzuki WagonR Smile- 8.5 mil for the fully loaded version. No turbo. kinda funky looking and spacious but dog slow. Rear looks weird af. cash saver for sure. 4. Alto x/Alto Lapin/Mira X- 6.5 to 7.9 mil Jesus these are slow and sad. Manual would have made it work but n/a. don't think the prices are worth it. Not much value-wagonR base is same price (hate the gonR so no thanks) 5. Nissan roox/ etc etc kei cars 8-10 mil mehhh 6. MG ZS MCE- 12.50 million most loaded and biggest vehicle of bunch previous generation proved pretty successful (reliability and resale etc) most bang for buck no cap fr fr micro sucks, so yeah thats a problem I honestly would pick this if reliable for 5-6 years. 7. Magnite/fronx- Decent but I kinda don't like either (or the prick owners) 8. Annnnd…. The best for last - 2016 Peugeot 3008 2.0 HDI GT line. 10-11 mil damn the amount of car for that money. Legendary Peugeot diesel performance. word is its much more reliable than my 508. rear looks ugly. Also another pug? My mech might buy a another house at this rate. lol All right guys… help me out!

I missed a blacktop/5fwd engine by the string recently. In decent condition too. For 3.1 mil oh well!

Send me the link for the Delica. forget English number plate arguments. Thats for dumb people. Specially since you are not a local,aint nobody gonna care. Keep an open mind, if you see something decent in the budget then go for it. Actually SL is the cheapest place to own a Delica. In the west it's much higher. Even Japan is running dry thanks to being imported there.

*Peaking* Did someone say Star Wagon? They are excellent vans,but the ones you buy for 4 mil often need more work. A mint example goes for around 6. If you can find one for 3-3.5 and spend a mil on a mild restore-mostly mechanical, because lankan van drivers are cheap bastards. That is the best option. Capabilities are often matched with the big boy suvs. YouTube for videos of overlanding. Or get a non GDI Montero io. Very capable. Patrols/Pajero and the likes are still very capable provided you either restore one or buy a restored example. Both options cost more than 4 mil. Or you could get a double cab for cheap and restore around 4 mil (careful you might overspend) Read my thread on the Delica if you like to know more.

Thanks for the heads up bro. Mine actually has very minimal wiring around the battery (just the subwoofer power line) so thats a relief. It’s got other wires everywhere else that not even Jesus can figure out. I will be redoing the entire wiring soon. The steering box on mine looks to be in good condition. It did have huge “boku alow vheal” when purchased, now it runs on pizza cutter 215 tires (oem size) Plus the entire suspension was replaced and worked on. Also replacing the power steering rack helped loads. Much smoother now. Will keep an eye though! Yup the brakes are excellent now. “Top badu” according to my mech lol I am yet to have adventures as you did with your van,but here's hoping! Would love to see a photo dump of any adventures… I wanted this to be my daily abuse,but it’s quickly turning into a full restore and protect pride and joy.

I know a guy in Rathnapura that has 3 Alfa Romeo cars. Even he spends less money and more sleep than you guys! But for me the reliability winner is my 37YO Delica. They dont make them like they used to! Hows the new Vezi? Very popular locally.

Since the last update, the van has been out and running. It drives like an absolute dream. Soft as a pillow and smooth as butter. The recon power steering pump really did wonders. One finger movement. No more noises or creaking. The ride really changed for the best. It’s unbelievable how good getting the suspension overhaul did! Starts right up and drives anywhere in style. Absolutely no issues in the mechanical side that needs repair. I will replace the diesel pump and injectors in about 10k kms because I’m crazy. Funny how good something becomes if you take care of it! The brakes were going hard on the way home from the garage. Turned out it was a rusted brake vacuum line. I asked the garage to check everything and they said they did,but missed this!? Rating on Nandana Motors/SL Chop Shop-7/10 The work they perform is good,but God are they slow af. Unresponsive at times. And you have to keep mentioning repairs or they forget. So like most places in SL. But still probably the best in Kandy. To their credit, the work they perform is excellent. They are just too busy. Thats their issue. Also they are very very expensive. If you can wait and if you are ok spending more to make your ride a minter, then it’s sorta worth it. Next up is the full re-wiring. Already bought a harness. 25k for it. 2k for the badges Saw this beauty the other day. 1st Delica I’ve seen in person in the yeehaw land! Also managed to cop some rare MMC Magnum 400 fogs with the super ultra rare covers. Works good but a lick of paint would really bring it up! Factory option ✅ (25k) after she came home- no crash bar life- Mitsubishi deff designed this with the crash bar in mind- straight out the workshop-

Am I the only one cringing at the prices of something like a Vezi?

Adee This thread has gone full send and I missed it.lol So my cousin is closing into 25. The parents want to get him a car. He wants it to be a “GT” at the same time he wants it to be pretty reliable (he is the one maintaining my pug while Im away.so he got enough time with an unreliable Frenchie) 1.Open to non Toyota. 2.Budget around 4-5 mil. 3. Something “cool” 4. Something a tiktok nangi likes. lol 5. No converts for some reason.

As the title suggests, my cousin is trying to get a GT car from Toyota. The contenders are Marino/Ceres GT (4age engined atleast) Carina GT Starlet GT (looks based plus hot hatch) Sera (are they even available anymore? Wait so one on the vehicle sevana for 7.8m) no thanks Any other suggestions guys?

So the Van is currently being fixed ATM. As expected Lankan car owners specially van owners do no maintenance. Suspension repairs are alien. Only what needed to work to run has been “fixed” and that too in a crappy way. I am adding receipts for future reference and to help others. Parts we are using are the best available in the market. Power steering rack is beyond repair, will be replaced with a Recon unit. Starter motor has been serviced/repaired. Alternator has been fixed. Brake discs have been “faced” lol (pads are at about 60% ) Whole bunch of front suspension parts went in. work in progress- This was a list of known issues and maintenance I wanted done (not including the suspension) Will I be able to finish everything in one go? I’m not sure honestly due to time consumed. But I will get everything major before I bring it home. Sump oil leak Power steering ✅ Coolant tanks AC Compressor Clutch Alternator ✅ Install shocks ✅ Tappet sound Rear differential nut Dunu shackle Injectors Diesel pump Starter motor ✅ Wiring Door pins Rust spots Polish Horn Fluid change Eco test license Alignment/ balance Thermostat Undercoating So far total cost for van including purchase and repairs along with spares and other unique accessories is at around 3.75 million. After this semi restoration it will go to about 4 million. But by then it will be in excellent running condition and some. What needs be done from there is a proper paint job and some love on the interior. That will stretch it to around 4.8 million, but by then it will be mint and in factory fresh condition. The “mint” condition vans advertised want anything from 6.8 to 9 million. I think this is a good deal. Mostly because I know that it actually was restored well, unlike the guy who wanted 8 million on one van(that he claimed was the best delica in the world) that is 80% rusted off.

So @AVANTE shared this with me. It got me thinking… Hmm wasnt the “new” jimny around 4ish mil around. If they can really get it down for around 8 mil, thats not bad considering everything going on. A used and abused wagonR is also around 7 mil. whats the expert opinion?

I suddenly remembered that I had not updated this thread in a while. I am currently out of the country, but my cousin takes car of my rides for me thankfully. I did do some major work on it before leaving. It was mostly ageing bits and other Lankan-user ignored repairs. Some of these were reported early yes. 1. The 3 core radiator was patched badly and had many cores blocked off. The recon parts were either crazy expensive or just pure junk. So we opted for a brand new radiator from Radco by Browns. Prices were decent and quality is satisfactory. The upper and lower tanks were difficult to find, So that is something thats upcoming. 2.Air filter was changed. 3.Shocks were shot.lol they actually were worn more than a tiktok ho. So new ones went in. 4.Gaskets were shot and had a slight heating issue on uphill drives. So replaced the gaskets. 5.Water pump and Belts minus the timing belt was changed. T Belt changed just before my purchase and was in good nick. 6. Camshaft was changed. 7. Turbo was clogged with gunk and a missing pipe meant turbo almost never worked. Also put in few more parts which I don't remember anymore. Much faster now with a very apparent "whistle" when revved. 8. Oil change done. 9.Upper and lower clutch pumps changed. 10.Brake pump leak fixed. 11. Some other minor work done,Sorry cant remember no more. Battery was changed on the 5th of this month with an Exide 90ah. 23.5k after the trade in. Well worth it i'd say. Cosmetically nothing much was changed further, other than the crash bar being taken off(before the Clean SL thing) which makes it look a-little odd. But not terrible. I was contemplating getting a newer style front bumper from the 96 onwards facelift(which comes with its own plastic guard built into the bumper) But that would not make it period correct. Currently the van is at SL Chop Shop in Kandy undergoing a full mechanical restoration. as per them it's not in bad shape, but I wanted to keep it running 100% and up-to date. I had done most mechanicals through a few mechs before. But in typical Lankan style, They are lazy, dishonest and expensive. Im trying to spend right the first time and not get repetitive jobs done. From what I saw, these guys seem to be the best option. The paint will also need redoing in a year or so, plus there are few rust spots and cataloy that I'd like gone. current looks.

Personally I think the best vehicle workshop in Kandy is Nandana Motors aka SL Chop Shop. Almost all the tuned and modified rides in Kandy and even other areas go to them for mechanical and restoration work. Everything from the post office delicas to the Kandy big shots and the GTRs go to them. Pricey, long waiting list. But worth it. Warranty is also given on some repairs. Cant beat them for restorations in kandy or even the whole island tbh. this is through my personal experience and customer feedback Iv got. They also got a YouTube if you want to see their work before going(what I did) Kandy has a lot of crook mechanics. Beware.

now Carmart on the other hand, Junk paint always for exorbitant money.

Selinico Enterprises. Hands down. But very pricey. Even the OG autolankas go there. spraymech is good but Iv seen less than stellar work done

If you can find a good specimen, FD1 is the best all the way. The normies found out they were excellent cars and ruined them and hyped the market. I would say wait for one and buy it. Kandy has some clean examples with 1st and 2nd owners. If you really cant find one, FD4 it is. Not as cool. But not bad at all. It’s just that the FD1 with all the options comes real close to a Euro. Those paddle shifter and open sunroof do wonders on good drives in the bends. Whats sad is, the FD series was 2.8 to 4 mil a decade ago. Funny how that works in SL.

Someone smoked too much grass!

IS THAT A SUPRA 😮 said no one ever cos this not the 4th gen. saw this at the Toyota dealership in Reno. The owner of said dealership seems to have every generation!

Owner is a very good friend of mine. Guy also has a 156. His brother has a 33 wagon and other cool stuff. His brother is also the go-to carrier service for classics and whatnot in cmb. He did youtube for a while too (commented on his video and instantly realized bugger was crazy like me) Very cool guy! “Travel with Alfa Romeo”

Also a testament to how time changes people and we have to move away from something we once loved. The Jeep is with a bunch of teenagers who crashed it bad multiple times and take it to cringe parades and really suicidal tik-toks. Also some of the people involved in this restoration are not on speaking terms. Covid really taught me that everything is temporary mostly.Maybe even family...

Lots to update, but here for a photo-dump. I think the wheels were a good choice. Also Im amazed at how much of a difference de-ricing made it. The Maruko horn was giving issues and one never worked. Looking into fixing it. A Fiamm horn from a new Peugeot 3008 that was for my 508 is temporarily commisioned. Like I said, lots were done including turbo, shock absorbers and such. it almost flies now. Location- Kaudulla Lake/Tank close to Habarana.