(Decided) What To Buy - Opinions Appreciated

[Supra_Natural]

I've already had this chat with some of you chaps offline but I figured I would throw the question open to the AL hive mind as well and see what comes up.

After a solid 4 years of reliable service it's time to bid adios to our much loved Civic FD4. Total budget for a replacement is an absolute maximum of 5.6 Million and it will be used as a daily driver by the household (driven by a driver mostly) which means it will basically be in town traffic a lot and endure lots of stop starts and such.

The major priority to be honest is a car that will be pretty reliable with minimal unexpected problems cropping up I don't mind figuring out how to fix a car and getting it done but this can't be a rolling project as my hands are full enough with those . So something made within the last 4 years or so is where the focus lies as the .

Fuel economy is not a major concern but it can't be on a level that will cause thel hingannas to have coronaries either as I already have something in the stable that does that part quite well. So something that does around 7-8 in town is all right. Oh yeah, needs to be automatic as well and it would be a bonus if it is at least somewhat fun to drive (this is not essential though). Saloons or SUV/Crossovers preferred and I want something that has side and curtain airbags and all modern safety kit ideally.

Will look to keep it for four years or so and it would be nice if it retains some value at the end of that.

So now you have the background, let's meet the contenders.

2014 Suzuki Grand Vitara - 5.56 Million brand new ex stock at the agents.

Pros - 4 year/80K warranty, it's brand new, these are rugged and fairly solid trucks

Cons - Model is ancient/being replaced this year, 4WD not available, only two airbags, bit of a truck really, likely to depreciate heavily.

2011 BMW X1 S Drive 18i petrol - Approx 5 mill from BMW pre-owned. 41k on the clock - One specific vehicle in this case

Pros - Nice to drive, much better kit list than the average X1, versatile, basic N4x series petrol engine said to be better long term than the diesels, all the safety kit.

Cons - Inspection report highlighted quite a lot of repairs needed included a leaking power steering, owner has agreed to cover the cost of getting it done at the agents but I feel that is likely to be only the start.

2013 Mazda 6 2.0 - Going rate seems to be the 5.5 million range.

Pros - Looks good, comfy, fun to drive, surprisingly economical, should be reliable, will have about 1 year of agents warranty left.

Cons - Hard to find as owners hang on to them - there are only two cars on the market right now and owners are both doctors so they are being very stubborn on their price (5.7 and 5.8 in both cases - since their is a transfer tax i need to take that into account), Not 100% sure about the long term reliability of the SkyActiv tech.

2013 Toyota Premio - 5-5.5 Mill

Pros - Probably will be trouble free over the four years, comfy, economical, will be worth something when it's time to sell, surprisingly OK drive, simple to maintain.

Cons - Not exactly an exciting choice, Model will be replaced soon, Weirdly old tech in some areas (Like rear drum brakes)

2010 Mercedes Benz C Class - 5.5-6 Mill

Pros - Seems to be back to old school form for Merc in terms of quality, decent drive, comfortable, solid.

Cons - Not sure how it will hold up over the next 4 years, Going prices are somewhat higher than budget.

2014 Toyota Prius - Prices vary but there seem to be unreg choices in the 5-5.5 range

Pros - It's a Prius

Cons - It's a Prius

Annd the final choice (the one I would really rather avoid)

2013/2014 Honda Vesi Vezel - Seem to be available between 5 and 5.5

Pros - It's actually an fairly ok little crossover, nice interior, quite economical

Cons - It's a Vezel.

So there you have it, those are what I've looked at, let me know what you think and any other options I may have missed.

Cheers

Edited March 25, 2015 by Supra_Natural

[sathyajithj99]

Beauty

[Crosswind]

How many of us even know that Sri Lanka is the oldest continuous democracy in Asia? Yes we have had our pitfalls and a particularly bad time in the recent past but we are far better than most of the countries in the region.

At least I hope things will get better with 19th amendment and the right of information act.

[The Don]

How many of us even know that Sri Lanka is the oldest continuous democracy in Asia? Yes we have had our pitfalls and a particularly bad time in the recent past but we are far better than most of the countries in the region.

At least I hope things will get better with 19th amendment and the right of information act.

Isn't India a little older than us as in by a couple of months, or was it the case they had the first elections after ours?

[Crosswind]

Isn't India a little older than us as in by a couple of months, or was it the case they had the first elections after ours?

No. This is wher lot of people go wrong. Sri Lanka got universal voting rights in 1931. Thus becoming a democracy (under a monarchy, of course... similar to modern day uk, thailand and the likes). Phillipines was the first country in asia to get universal voting rights but it was under a dictatorship in the 80s. This makes sri lanka, the oldest continuous democracy in asia.

[The Don]

No. This is wher lot of people go wrong. Sri Lanka got universal voting rights in 1931. Thus becoming a democracy (under a monarchy, of course... similar to modern day uk, thailand and the likes). Phillipines was the first country in asia to get universal voting rights but it was under a dictatorship in the 80s. This makes sri lanka, the oldest continuous democracy in asia.

Lankawata Jayawewa!!!

[Seeker LK]

No. This is wher lot of people go wrong. Sri Lanka got universal voting rights in 1931. Thus becoming a democracy (under a monarchy, of course... similar to modern day uk, thailand and the likes). Phillipines was the first country in asia to get universal voting rights but it was under a dictatorship in the 80s. This makes sri lanka, the oldest continuous democracy in asia.

Wow awesome. Another reason we can be proud to be a Sri Lankan. Btw we were in the verge of falling under the dictatorship. If you know what I mean

[bgayan84]

hey guys im thinking about to buy a toyoto HARRIER jeep which were registered in year 2000-2002 with the budget of 25laks....since i do not have any previous experience in suv jeep, ur most welcome for the comments...or any other suv jeep within that budget............

01) about the fuel consumption

02) condition

03) spare parts

04) Manual or Auto

[iRage]

hey guys im thinking about to buy a toyoto HARRIER jeep which were registered in year 2000-2002 with the budget of 25laks....since i do not have any previous experience in suv jeep, ur most welcome for the comments...or any other suv jeep within that budget............

01) about the fuel consumption

02) condition

03) spare parts

04) Manual or Auto

Well you are looking at a ACU10 or 15 (2.4L 2wd and 4wd) or a MCU10 or 15 (3.0L 2wd and 4wd)

1) Just like most of the other cars in this segment don't expect more than about 6 kmpl..that is what similarly sized RAV4s, X-Trails, etc..do

2) Condition ?

Well depends on the car you are buying.

The 2.4L variant has a 2AZ-FE engine which is the same that comes in the A30 series RAV4. The transmission I THINK is a U140 series unit again which came in some Camries and a few other models.

In general it is not known to have any serious issues as long as the car has been taken care of it. Only thing I can think of is the usual issue with Toyota transfer cases and differentials of these small 4WDs. Just check for thuds and whines coming out of it.

3) Spare Parts

Like I said before the engine and gearbox (and diff if you ever need to) are shared with other models so should not be a problem finding parts. However, be fore-warned...I have a ACA30 series RAV4 in SL....you either get the good Toyota parts or cheap chinese crap and nothing inbetween like you would get for usual models like Corollas...so you might have the same issue

Body parts....well don't crash....since it is not a popular car you might not find it just by popping up to a shop in Delkanda and would need some hunting around

4) Manual or Auto...

It only comes in Auto. It is an actual AUTO box not CVT...a U140 series I think....

[Supra_Natural]

Update: 6 years after the fact

So its coming up for 6 years since I asked this question on the thread and the 6 is still very much around. It truly turned out to be a great idea and has provided superb service to date. Had done 14k when we got it and now is approaching 90k. In terms of expenditure, other than the usual servicing and brake pads etc, the only major expense was engine mounts, which were needed at around the 75k mark. Oh and also shocks were replaced at 80k. At the same time the steering rack had a bush kit that was replaced. Total cost of the repairs was around 275,000 at the time. It returns 8ish to the liter in town/12-13 outside and 15 plus on the highway and still drives well.

As it approaches 100k I'm guessing there will be some suspension work that will be needed. The paint finish seems to have deteriorated a bit over the years, but that could be because the driver washes it every day and it isn't waxed much. Interior has held up motsly well, but the steering leather has faded and will need re-doing. Recently it has started giving an issue where the switch that detects that the transmission is in Park doesn't always do the job, so the car won't fully switch off. Shifting out and back solves it, but I assume that will need replacing soon.

All in all, it turned out to be a pretty solid choice and will likely be sticking around for a while yet. Made me so much of a Mazda convert that I got myself a 2016 2 Sedan as the daily, and ended up replacing the Jaaaag with a 2015 MX5 Miata as well!

[GK_007]

15 hours ago, Supra_Natural said:

2015 MX5 Miata

Wow please add a dedicated thread for it. Right timing for steering rack and bush kits, Colonial mentioned to me on the recent inspection as well that around 80 I will have to replace them and I'm now at 60k and the bushes have shown some deterioration.

And agree with paint, apparently the paint is a weak point on these, it gets easily scratched / wear off. 

For steering wheel and hand break I've been using covers so they have held up.

Edit: this thread directed me to Mazdas, ended up buying an Axela. So thanks for that.

Edited March 4, 2021 by GK_007

[Supra_Natural]

3 hours ago, GK_007 said:

Wow please add a dedicated thread for it. Right timing for steering rack and bush kits, Colonial mentioned to me on the recent inspection as well that around 80 I will have to replace them and I'm now at 60k and the bushes have shown some deterioration.

And agree with paint, apparently the paint is a weak point on these, it gets easily scratched / wear off. 

For steering wheel and hand break I've been using covers so they have held up.

Edit: this thread directed me to Mazdas, ended up buying an Axela. So thanks for that.

I'll eventually write the Miata story in the Cars of a Lifetime thread. Had it for just under 3 years, drove it all around the country, sold it at the end of last year. 

[GK_007]

Just now, Supra_Natural said:

I'll eventually write the Miata story in the Cars of a Lifetime thread. Had it for just under 3 years, drove it all around the country, sold it at the end of last year. 

Oh too bad, one of my dream cars. Haven't seen any come up for sale apart from 2 red ones year 2017 which has been for sale for a while now. Unfortunately the asking price is too much for me. Was yours a metallic orange one ? Remember seeing one sometime back in a Car sale around Kaduwela. 

[Supra_Natural]

5 hours ago, GK_007 said:

Oh too bad, one of my dream cars. Haven't seen any come up for sale apart from 2 red ones year 2017 which has been for sale for a while now. Unfortunately the asking price is too much for me. Was yours a metallic orange one ? Remember seeing one sometime back in a Car sale around Kaduwela. 

As far as I'm aware, there are 5 examples of the ND generation Miata in SL and all of them are Soul Red. There is one that has been for sale since 2017 at a car sale in pepiliyana with a rather high asking price, that's the only non registered one around. Certainly no metallic orange ones. 

[GK_007]

4 hours ago, Supra_Natural said:

As far as I'm aware, there are 5 examples of the ND generation Miata in SL and all of them are Soul Red. There is one that has been for sale since 2017 at a car sale in pepiliyana with a rather high asking price, that's the only non registered one around. Certainly no metallic orange ones. 

The metallic orange one is not the current gen. It was NA gen. One like below. Sorry my bad, missed the year of yours.

Edited March 4, 2021 by GK_007

[RWD]

On 3/4/2021 at 7:19 AM, GK_007 said:

Wow please add a dedicated thread for it. Right timing for steering rack and bush kits, Colonial mentioned to me on the recent inspection as well that around 80 I will have to replace them and I'm now at 60k and the bushes have shown some deterioration.

And agree with paint, apparently the paint is a weak point on these, it gets easily scratched / wear off. 

For steering wheel and hand break I've been using covers so they have held up.

Edit: this thread directed me to Mazdas, ended up buying an Axela. So thanks for that.

Interesting thread on mazda reliability. I got to agree. Had a 2014 mazda3 which I used for 5 years and it never missed a beat. Sold it when it had done 70,000 kms and it still drove like new with only routine maintainance.