Best car for 3.5M

[sira]

Dear friends

I'm hoping to buy a car with maximum 3.4M. I had Civic ek3 superb car and demio 2001 (only one month). Now my plan is to go for bit a new model may be hybrid model. I have interest with gp1 too. What will be yours idea

Please advise

Sira

 

[The Stig]

What are your requirements and priorities? 

If I had 3.4 I would buy a pre-facelift axela. Failing which the second option would be a late civic es. 

[shirand]

Since you have used an Ek3 I assume you are ok with a sedan/ saloon (no particular preference for hatchbacks).

If I was you I will consider below.

- Mazda Axela/ 3 2008

- Lancer Ex 2008

- Axio/ 141/ Belta 1.3 2008 models

If I more concern about resale and fuel economy - Go for one of above Toyotas (Most probably a Belta 1.3 considering the budget, mileage, fuel economy and resale value. If fuel economy is not the first priority and need more comfort then Corolla 141. With 3.5 mil max budget it may quite difficult to find a good Axio).

Else (thinking "who cares about the fuel economy of extra 1-2 kmpl - just want to enjoy my ride, a well maintained car anyway will give a good resale value") - Either Lancer Ex or Axela (if looking for more cabin space Lancer Ex, else Axela).

(I don't have any experience on Hybrids including gp1. For some vague reason I will avoid hybrids and stick into Petrol cars. Though I'm not an expert in hybrids, I guess better to avoid buying a used hybrid if it is older than 5 years. This is not based on any tech knowledge - my gut feeling considering the amount of money spending vs risk. Experts in hybrid may comment whether this is logical or doesn't make any sense).

[ish40002]

dont go for gp 1 .....its engine capacity is 1300....go for 141 or axio..... And you can go for toyota 121 g grade ( facelift) models.....

Edited March 15, 2017 by ish40002

[Rumesh88]

4 hours ago, shirand said:

(I don't have any experience on Hybrids including gp1. For some vague reason I will avoid hybrids and stick into Petrol cars. Though I'm not an expert in hybrids, I guess better to avoid buying a used hybrid if it is older than 5 years. This is not based on any tech knowledge - my gut feeling considering the amount of money spending vs risk. Experts in hybrid may comment whether this is logical or doesn't make any sense).

Well if it is the battery life and the replacement cost you mean here, you can find replacement battery sets and individual cells as used parts now. So the risk is under control.

[dhachamila]

Hope you're a honda enthusiast, so i would like to recommend you honda civic 7th gen face lift(2004-2005) In terms of performance, comfort, reliability and driving pleasure this car is much better, compared to cars available at your budget. However this car does 8-9kmpl in city limits but who would like to sacrifice honda driving pleasure because of fuel consumption.(normally 1500cc-1600cc cars do 10-11kmpl in city limits ).

Toyota 141 is an under-powered car with sluggish pickup and poor fuel consumption  (does only 7-8kmpls) .Beltas is another underpowered car and known for CVT failure and that repair least cost you Rs 80,000. If you really want to buy a toyota, consider allion 240, corolla 121 and second gen vios. 

Lancer ex is another good car for your budget but many lancer owners are complaining about its eps system because steering rack needs to be replaced after couple of thousand kilometers and this repair might cost you lot because this model is not available in Japan  therefore used parts are rare to find always you need to replace parts with brand new parts.  

At last if you're interested on Nissan, i would like to recommand you nissan sylphy g11 and tiida as good family sedans. These two are comfy rides with descent pickup and good fuel consumption but tiida looks weird for many people

 

Edited March 16, 2017 by dhachamila

[matroska]

18 hours ago, ish40002 said:

dont go for gp 1 .....its engine capacity is 1300....go for 141 or axio..... And you can go for toyota 121 g grade ( facelift) models.....

1300 +  IMA  on the fit is quite adequate for the average sri lankan driver. 

btw 121 is the Most overpriced,abused,overhyped car in SL. 141 would be a better option if OP is hell bent on Toyota. 

[matroska]

11 hours ago, dhachamila said:

Hope you're a honda enthusiast, so i would like to recommend you honda civic 7th gen face lift(2004-2005) In terms of performance, comfort, reliability and driving pleasure this car is much better, compared to cars available at your budget. However this car does 8-9kmpl in city limits but who would like to sacrifice honda driving pleasure because of fuel consumption.(normally 1500cc-1600cc cars do 10-11kmpl in city limits ).

Toyota 141 is an under-powered car with sluggish pickup and poor fuel consumption  (does only 7-8kmpls) .Beltas is another underpowered car and known for CVT failure and that repair least cost you Rs 80,000. If you really want to buy a toyota, consider allion 240, corolla 121 and second gen vios. 

Lancer ex is another good car for your budget but many lancer owners are complaining about its eps system because steering rack needs to be replaced after couple of thousand kilometers and this repair might cost you lot because this model is not available in Japan  therefore used parts are rare to find always you need to replace parts with brand new parts.  

At last if you're interested on Nissan, i would like to recommand you nissan sylphy g11 and tiida as good family sedans. These two are comfy rides with descent pickup and good fuel consumption but tiida looks weird for many people

 

OP  should keep in mind Allion 240, and 121 are about a decade and a half old, and most of them are odo-tampered, abused and changed hands multiple times...  

[sira]

12 hours ago, dhachamila said:

Hope you're a honda enthusiast, so i would like to recommend you honda civic 7th gen face lift(2004-2005) In terms of performance, comfort, reliability and driving pleasure this car is much better, compared to cars available at your budget. However this car does 8-9kmpl in city limits but who would like to sacrifice honda driving pleasure because of fuel consumption.(normally 1500cc-1600cc cars do 10-11kmpl in city limits ).

Toyota 141 is an under-powered car with sluggish pickup and poor fuel consumption  (does only 7-8kmpls) .Beltas is another underpowered car and known for CVT failure and that repair least cost you Rs 80,000. If you really want to buy a toyota, consider allion 240, corolla 121 and second gen vios. 

Lancer ex is another good car for your budget but many lancer owners are complaining about its eps system because steering rack needs to be replaced after couple of thousand kilometers and this repair might cost you lot because this model is not available in Japan  therefore used parts are rare to find always you need to replace parts with brand new parts.  

At last if you're interested on Nissan, i would like to recommand you nissan sylphy g11 and tiida as good family sedans. These two are comfy rides with descent pickup and good fuel consumption but tiida looks weird for many people

 

Yes, you are correct I'm a Honda fan

I sold my EK3 last month and brought Demio - 2001 coz my wife want to have car so i thought go for One car as cannot afford 2 cars. so same week i brought mazda demio. worst car ever .i had to repair gear box , replaced radiator , mirros..tune up . AC repair..etc. it cost me 100k for all. then after all i realized massive corrosion under the engine compartment. i was so disappoint and  I sold it 3 days ago and advised the buyer about the corrosion honestly. 

I have never drive Auto gear car for a 15 years and now only getting used to it. I really  like ES 8 face lift and it suits my budget too. but i'm scared with repairs now. i heard from few Honda technicians, that auto gear boxes will have repair if its over 100K KM millage. so it cost of repair would be 65K. and others like Engine Mount, cam Belt...etc. so and . most ES 8's are more than 150K . so there will be more repairs will be in future. Hub bearing, Lower arm bush, upper arm bush, CV joints, Shocks..etc 

That's why i 'm looking for GP1 made in 2011 or 2012. and less mileage some times 65K. and fuel consumption. it is over budget but i believe less headache.

Anyway thank you for your valuable advice and hoping to have more

sira 

 

 

[MNI]

Is a honda fit ge6 worth 3 million  (2007)done 98000km

Edited March 25, 2017 by MNI

[TheClutch]

For 3.5Mn you can go for a FD series Civic 07-08..Try to find a JDM model fd1 usually sells below the fully loaded version..Else you can find a fd4 07..But the accelerations are not same though you don't gain any kmpl advantage..But if you concerned about kmpl figures these cars may not suite you as they usually do 7-8 in city traffic..A manual could do bit more and give more oomph in acceleration...But finding a one is very rare..

[matroska]

On 3/25/2017 at 4:56 PM, MNI said:

Is a honda fit ge6 worth 3 million  (2007)done 98000km

No.

[MNI]

I bought a honda fit GE6 for 29.65 with a mileage of 38500km.All import documents and eco tests suggest mileage is genuine .This car is registered in 2012.Hope I have not paid more than the market price.Anyway happy with the car.

[Ruslan]

1 hour ago, MNI said:

I bought a honda fit GE6 for 29.65 with a mileage of 38500km.All import documents and eco tests suggest mileage is genuine .This car is registered in 2012.Hope I have not paid more than the market price.Anyway happy with the car.

Congrats, on the Buy. i guess the Price is worth it for a Fit. Since it's 1.3 how is it compared with rest of the 1.5 Brethren?

[matroska]

3 hours ago, MNI said:

I bought a honda fit GE6 for 29.65 with a mileage of 38500km.All import documents and eco tests suggest mileage is genuine .This car is registered in 2012.Hope I have not paid more than the market price.Anyway happy with the car.

YOM? I assume this is not the 2007 one you mentioned above and had 98 000 km on the odo.

[MNI]

No. YOM 2008.Well l bought this for my wife.Compared to my Axio handling is easier but more thirstier than the 1.5 Axio.Today took it for work and in heavy traffic did only 9 .3 Km/l Same traffic conditions Axio does 10.5 Km/l .Heard Fit GE6 does more but seems its just a myth.I got all maintenace records also so seems to be a well looked after car.

[sathyajithj99]

7 minutes ago, MNI said:

No. YOM 2008.Well l bought this for my wife.Compared to my Axio handling is easier but more thirstier than the 1.5 Axio.

You said handling is easier compared to your axio. May I know what you meant by that. Is it because of the lesser dimensions of the fit when you're driving in traffic or you mean like at the corners with less body roll?

Edited March 28, 2017 by sathyajithj99

[MNI]

No. YOM 2008.Well l bought this for my wife.Compared to my Axio handling is easier but more thirstier than the 1.5 Axio.Today took it for work and in heavy traffic did only 9 .3 Km/l Same traffic conditions Axio does 10.5 Km/l .Heard Fit GE6 does more but seems its just a myth.I got all maintenace records also so seems to be a well looked after car.

[MNI]

I felt like driving a toy car.May be its smaller compared to the Axio and yeah when turning in corners and taking bends it felt much easier.

[MNI]

I have accidentally  reposted sorry

[NeroX]

Excellent choice of car. Owned a GE6 previously & I'd buy it again any day. Nimble to drive, ample room inside. Quite comfortable too given from where you're upgrading from. It's basically the same as GP1 minus the hybrid IMA drive. Its got a  iVTEC engine so enough oomph for your daily driving (98 hp at 6,000 rpm). Fuel I wouldn't be too enthusiastic about some of those quoted consumption figures. It all depends on how you drive. What you get is just about right. Sadly the car market is so overpriced nowadays that value for money should be compared with what's on offer. For example I sold my car x2 years back for just 2.6Mn (GE6 - 2010, 80k). But let's say compared to some of the 3Mn+ brand new cars on offer (Celerio, Axia, Wigo, Picanto...) this car is way better. As long as you buy one that's well looked after & with max options I'd say its a pretty good deal  Plus if you want to differentiate there's whole heap of small mods you could do on this car.

[The Stig]

On 3/28/2017 at 9:42 PM, sathyajithj99 said:

You said handling is easier compared to your axio. May I know what you meant by that. Is it because of the lesser dimensions of the fit when you're driving in traffic or you mean like at the corners with less body roll?

Lower weight + shorter wheelbase = easier to change directions 

[matroska]

33 minutes ago, NeroX said:

Excellent choice of car. Owned a GE6 previously & I'd buy it again any day. Nimble to drive, ample room inside. Quite comfortable too given from where you're upgrading from. It's basically the same as GP1 minus the hybrid IMA drive. Its got a  iVTEC engine so enough oomph for your daily driving (98 hp at 6,000 rpm). Fuel I wouldn't be too enthusiastic about some of those quoted consumption figures. It all depends on how you drive. What you get is just about right. Sadly the car market is so overpriced nowadays that value for money should be compared with what's on offer. For example I sold my car x2 years back for just 2.6Mn (GE6 - 2010, 80k). But let's say compared to some of the 3Mn+ brand new cars on offer (Celerio, Axia, Wigo, Picanto...) this car is way better. As long as you buy one that's well looked after & with max options I'd say its a pretty good deal  Plus if you want to differentiate there's whole heap of small mods you could do on this car.

I guess a 2010 GE6 would go for around 3 Mill now? Even at that age it's better than CWAP (Celerio,Wigo,Axia.Picanto) Agree with you on the GE6 experience I was so impressed by(specially the handling and practicality) after driving a GE6 -around couple years back  I wanted to buy one but there were very few good specimens for sale So I extended my budget and ended up with an unreg GP1.

 

[Jimmy]

On 3/31/2017 at 1:33 PM, matroska said:

I guess a 2010 GE6 would go for around 3 Mill now? Even at that age it's better than CWAP (Celerio,Wigo,Axia.Picanto) Agree with you on the GE6 experience I was so impressed by(specially the handling and practicality) after driving a GE6 -around couple years back  I wanted to buy one but there were very few good specimens for sale So I extended my budget and ended up with an unreg GP1.

 

HI can I know for how much did you get the unreg GP1 please, I'm also looking to buy a GP1 with my budget if 3.5 million but afraid to do so as many says not to buy a used hybrid. What's your take on it and let me know how much did it cost you to buy the unreg GP1

[matroska]

23 hours ago, Jimmy said:

HI can I know for how much did you get the unreg GP1 please, I'm also looking to buy a GP1 with my budget if 3.5 million but afraid to do so as many says not to buy a used hybrid. What's your take on it and let me know how much did it cost you to buy the unreg GP1

I imported it - this was 2 years ago before the tax increases. The car cost me around 1.4 and the taxes were around 1.7 with registration and other charges cost me around 31.5 Mill.  So far I've been very satisfied with the car (apart from the relatively low ground clearance) and has given me zero issues to date. 

as for the whole used hybrid thing - with hybrids the main culprit being the battery, you can get it checked at Stafford.  Given the fact that a GP1 that is around 5 years old and a Yaris that is 10 years old cost the same amount I would seriously consider the GP1 but take extra caution to check the health of the car. 

[Jimmy]

Many thanks for your valuable comments @matroska. If I'm to buy a used GP1, how much do you think is the minimum battery life % that I should go for, if I'm to use the vehicle for about two three years and sell...?