AVANTE

Hyundai Elantra Mazda 3/Axela Kia Cerato Toyota Axio Mitsubishi Lancer EX All the above can be found for your budget, from years ranging from 2008 - 2013.

Now now If it wasn't for cars, we wouldn't have learnt all that, am I right bro? 😏 Might not even have come across each other! As for our issue of struggling with cars. I think, it's not a matter of the flashiest car or the best car out there. It's a matter of 'the right car'. Such a love-hate relationship we end up having with our cars, so it's a matter of time, skill and luck until we end up settling for the right one. Same applies to everything else in life. Strangely though, I have had more incidents and learnt more life lessons with motorcycles than cars. Met some gold-hearted people, lost a close relative. That's life I guess. But the lesson of not judging a book by its cover and not trusting people too easily came from cars, similar to what@Kavvz said.

Eh?

You can transfer the lease to your name if you desire. Talk with the bank or the relevant institution the vehicle is leased with. They'll walk you through the steps.

What's that? Engine is misfiring? We'll put a New engine, will solve that, aniwaren sar.

Ohh the Malabe place. Run by father and son. Haha, they're credited with ruining the Peugeot name in Lanka. At one point, the only people who could do pugs properly in Lanka were Carmart, Aruna (throve) and the Malabe bugger. So you could see how this ended up for pugs today. I've talked with the son, does talk nicely at first and tries to lure you into the garage somehow. Good news is there are plenty, and I mean plenty of pug specialists in Lanka now. Heck it even turns out there are two near my place, in nuwara. The owners club in fb is very helpful and it's a sin to not talk to those guys (there's the other club called "Peugeot club of sl" which is run by the Malabe guy himself) @Crosswind BTW, I got the parcel through the customs at kandy mail office. They were taking a piss, but after negotiations I had to fork out a green bill. Still went better than expected. Thanks again!

Hippety Hoppety, This game is now @iRage property.

Haha nope. You're right.

Here goes:

Jaguar I-pace

Ahh beat me to it. The headlight was a give away.

Take the cig sir. Ah.. The old "not just finding out the model, but also finding the original picture to rub it in". Good one 😉

Haha I'm flattered Well here goes, let's see who takes my cig.

Castrol GTX, Mobil 2000, Shell Helix. All 3 are great. BMW worked with Castrol to make oil for their cars back then. Nowadays they recommend Shell.

Scotty ayya model Celica?

Its a 5 year old post. Guy must have sold that car by now, who knows. As for the taka taka sound, it could be engine knock/pinging. Worn out engine/piston rings won't make any such sound because you'll have a hard time trying to start it in the first place. If it was worn out, It'll smoke like a factory, the dipstick will shoot out at high rpm due to excess blowby, it'll drink oil and fuel like there's no tomorrow and it will struggle to go up a hill or accelerate.

If possible, just forget the minis. One of the best cars I have ever driven, but in the lankan context, you're asking for trouble and it's a matter of luck really. Unless ofc you can splash out on a legal mini. Police these days are smart and they know the deal. I saw 5 minis parked in a line at our town station impound last year. Italian job shootout wage. @fiat fan can elaborate more on the legal issue. Spares and all aren't rare, there are specialists too. It's a fairly simple car to fix, but the engine bay is quite cramped on the later models with ac/ps/efi, etc. Almost all minis on the road have rust on them, esepcially the later rover models due to their thinner metal. I've seen "restored" examples with rust too lol. Rust (and the book/unsafe cut and bud cars) are the only serious issues. Practicality wise, you can transport 4 adults around with its decent space. But don't expect any comfort with the rubber cone suspension setup. Good go-kart, bad family car. Boot space is not much. It's a good car for a couple or a family with a small kid or two. Even then you can't just pump petrol and drive. You need to spend your free time studying them, going thought the forums and clubs. Checking on the car once every few days before going on a drive. Know the common issues, know DIY. It's more of a love story really. But if you can get over the hurdles, nothing out there rewards you like a classic mini. As for the 1.5 mil budget, isn't it possible to find a pre-facelift Mazda BJ5W? Lovely car that (especially the facelifted ones) for the price, provided they still go for that rate. Almost perfect really, has the drive, practicality, reliability, looks, economy, resale, affordability, options, build quality. Why do our people import less Mazdas. @Davy has a BJ5W SP20 version. As for the Peugeot options, you could buy a pre-facelift 306 and modify it and make it a cool fun car. There was a time where your budget and some haggling would land you a 406 executive with sunroof, leather, electric curtain, heated seats, 2L engine, etc. But that ship has sailed and best you can go for now is a 1.8L manual (avoid the autobox) GLX which still has decent options like 4 airbags, power window, plushy seats and auto climate control.. And is way less troublesome than an executive. Again unless you're an enthusiast, don't go for a Pug of this age. They won't cost your kidney and are easy to maintain, but you should know the basics and inspect properly before purchase. As far your resale concern goes, all the above 3 hold value well and almost the same. Since even Mazda is considered "2nd market ne" by bigots.

🙁 That would be the stuff of nightmares.

Thanks alot Cross for taking the time to write the elaborative and reassuring explanation. The pistons are actually for a 250cc bike. I was mainly worried about the kaakkas part until you pointed out the contrary. They are aluminum pieces about 6cm wide so they don't weigh much to be honest, but you're right, it could have still been held. A bigger issue is going to Colombo amidst the pandemic and all but it's inevitable If it has truly been held by the customs. Also, 24 10kg cans for a dying kid? Hmm hmm. Bringing them for a baby unicorn would have been a more plausible story.

I ordered a pair of pistons from ebay for my bike. Small parcel. Tracking says they were received by customs on November 27 (13 days ago). I still haven't received it. I ordered a breather hose and idle control valve for the car and those came in this week. Now I'm worried if I'll have to go and speak with the customs and pay VAT or something for the pistons. Any idea guys?

Yes, that was my way of saying "only buy a Peugeot if you're an enthusiast"

A quick look on the quicksites and the wingroad are still going for the same they were back then though, so might Have to negotiate with the 1.5 asking price Also FB15s were anyways around 2 even before the market hit the fan right? ඉන්බොක් if you want to join the cult. But only if you're the sort of person who stares at your car for too long through the facade when shopping at the supermart.

It seems the buyyas and sales people have overpriced the so called "market" cars. So as long as you avoid anything with a toyota/Suzuki/Fake gold Honda badge, you should be fine. There are models that are still going for the old rate. FB15s, Primera, EK3s, wingroad and such 20 odd year old cars are still going for the same rate. Even the Civic FD1 is a good buy for under 3.5 mil. So much car and features for the money, anyone who overlooks an FD1 and goes for an axio is truly a nutcase. They have left the European and other "2nd market adu" cars alone as well.

Yup, the Fuego. All yours again!