A Car around 1.9 - 2.0 Million

optimsh10 · March 11, 2018

Hi Experts,

I'm Looking for a Car around Rs 1.9 to 2.0 Mil and as i have office transport i would be mainly using this car during the weekends.7-8 Km/l fuel economy would be fine with me. My greatest concern is reliability as i will be traveling to the Hill country at least once a month . I'm looking for a manual Transmission car with a reasonably good interior.

I have searched for the following vehicles and still could not make up my mind to select one.

Peugeot 406

Nissan Cefiro (A33)

Nissan Primera P11

Nissan Presea Refina

Mazda 323

Nissan Pulsar

Chevrolet Cruz

Nissan N16

I have visited several car sales and most of the cars mileage have been tampered with. Saw a good looking Primera P11 but mileage showed 110,000 :huh: .

Appreciate your advice on this and if you could give me pros and cons in the models i have mentioned.

Thanks

Edited March 11, 2018 by optimsh10

LashNeo · March 16, 2018

On 3/15/2018 at 4:19 PM, optimsh10 said:

Thanks for the Reply LashNeo.

From the Forum i learned that familia is the JDM and 323 is the export model. What about BJ5p or BJ3p ? is it a different version of the familia?. Also as you are a current owner may i ask for the market value of the familia or 323 ? I have searched different sites and is it really possible to sell those vehicles in ****.lk prices. What would be the realistic value of this vehicle. pre-facelift version or facelift version of 323.

Expand

Mazda Familia/323 was manufactured from the 1960’s up to 2003. The BJ series was the last series of the familia/323 which came out of production on 1998 and continued until 2003. BJ5P has an engine capacity of 1500cc while the BJ3P has an engine capacity of 1300cc. BJ series has two variants. A pre-facelift model which came in 1998-1999 and a face-lifted version which was produced from 2000-2003.

Face-lifted model is famous as the ‘Prado’ light model in the local market and it shared the same chasis as the pre-facelift version. Only difference is the front face which looks newish due to the differences in headlights, grill and fog lights etc. and some interior trims like door handles, steering wheel etc. however; there are plenty of pre-facelifted familia’s that have been converted to look like face-lifted ones as the modification is fairly straightforward.

The price would range from 1,600,000 to 2,300,000 based on the age, condition and options etc. The high spec versions with full options such as VVT engine, Trip-tronic gear boxes, climate control A/C, all disk brakes etc. would be priced over 2,000,000. I know the prices are way too high for a car of this age. I know this for a fact as I spent only 14lakhs on my BJ5P in 2009. But; that’s how our crazy local car market operates. Then again, If you think about the absurd prices you have to pay for a reliable brand new family sedan; these prices might look OK right?

There were plenty of variants of the BJ series with minor differences. Do some searching on the net and also in auto lanka. You will find plenty of information on the variants. I think there were plenty of discussions on this in auto lanka.

Edited March 16, 2018 by LashNeo

iRage · March 12, 2018

For starters, some car buying advise (call it my crusade to try break these stupid car market myths...)

IF the car has been taken care of...don't be turned off by the mileage. 110,000km is actually nothing. People in SL are s*^& a&* scared of cars reaching 100,000 or anything more because of the "repairs". Every car on the planet has a progressive service/maintenance schedule which has to be carried out at certain mileages. At 100,000km some of the work that needs to be carried out is a bit extensive but it is not the end of the world ! This is exactly why cars need to depreciate ! So that the it accounts for the repairs that need to be carried out (also ou can use it a bargaining point).

On one hand people are afraid of high mileage vehicles, so sellers tamper with the odometer; then on the other hand people don't want their cars to depreciate so dress it up and then tamper with the odometer before selling it off.

Also, in SL you can't believe the mileage reading as 90% of the time people would have changed it. For the budget you are looking at you are looking to buy a car from the late 90s or early 2000s; so its highly unlikely that the car would have done less than 100,000 ! There are a few around that were used as second cars and weekend only cars but most of them out there would have clocked high mileages by now.

I don't know about the Chevy, but the other cars on that list are pretty decent and comfortable cars. The key is you need to find a car that has been well taken care of. Make sure you get it checked out by a proper car checking place.

Edited March 12, 2018 by iRage

iRage · March 12, 2018

On 3/12/2018 at 3:04 PM, optimsh10 said:

Thank you for your valuable response.

Actually what i meant by that Primera comment was that i was expecting a mileage of around 200,000 + km (more realistic mileage ) considering the age of the vehicle. I felt 110,000 km was simply absurd. So ODO meter should be completely ignored i guess.

As you suggested I will look check for the maintenance record of the vehicle.

Thank You

Expand

Yes...maintenance records help...and anyone who takes care of the car can 99% of the time have at least a receipt. However proper records are not always available especially as the car changes hands. Also, on one hand; depending on where the parts, repairs, etc..were obtained and done there might not be a proper record of all the work that was carried out (for example quite a few of us take our cars to a guy in Attidiya...the guy is good; however..obtaining proper records for his work and the parts he buys is not always consistent...especially since the guy's more "businessy" partner passed away).

Then on the other hand at one point in time a service station guy asked me if I wanted back dated service tags....so that also is happening. The point is, if there are records that can be verified by the agent or other large garages and receipts of significant parts purchased; then it is a big plus in tracing and figuring out mileages and stuff....but don't necessarily base the condition of the car on the availability (and lack of) records....have seen quite a few cars that were "agent maintained" that were simply crap. In fact when I bought the Mark X the car that was actually most decent and scored the most with agent and third party checkups was a car that was not as shiny as the other Mark Xs, had a slight case of lot rot and did not have any service records apart from a few oil change tags...so...point is:...go get it checked out no matter what paper work is there or not.

optimsh10 · March 12, 2018

On 3/12/2018 at 12:24 AM, iRage said:

For starters, some car buying advise (call it my crusade to try break these stupid car market myths...)

IF the car has been taken care of...don't be turned off by the mileage. 110,000km is actually nothing. People in SL are s*^& a&* scared of cars reaching 100,000 or anything more because of the "repairs". Every car on the planet has a progressive service/maintenance schedule which has to be carried out at certain mileages. At 100,000km some of the work that needs to be carried out is a bit extensive but it is not the end of the world ! This is exactly why cars need to depreciate ! So that the it accounts for the repairs that need to be carried out (also ou can use it a bargaining point).

On one hand people are afraid of high mileage vehicles, so sellers tamper with the odometer; then on the other hand people don't want their cars to depreciate so dress it up and then tamper with the odometer before selling it off.

Also, in SL you can't believe the mileage reading as 90% of the time people would have changed it. For the budget you are looking at you are looking to buy a car from the late 90s or early 2000s; so its highly unlikely that the car would have done less than 100,000 ! There are a few around that were used as second cars and weekend only cars but most of them out there would have clocked high mileages by now.

I don't know about the Chevy, but the other cars on that list are pretty decent and comfortable cars. The key is you need to find a car that has been well taken care of. Make sure you get it checked out by a proper car checking place.

Expand

Thank you for your valuable response.

Actually what i meant by that Primera comment was that i was expecting a mileage of around 200,000 + km (more realistic mileage ) considering the age of the vehicle. I felt 110,000 km was simply absurd. So ODO meter should be completely ignored i guess.

As you suggested I will look check for the maintenance record of the vehicle.

Thank You

optimsh10 · March 13, 2018

On 3/12/2018 at 11:21 PM, iRage said:

Yes...maintenance records help...and anyone who takes care of the car can 99% of the time have at least a receipt. However proper records are not always available especially as the car changes hands. Also, on one hand; depending on where the parts, repairs, etc..were obtained and done there might not be a proper record of all the work that was carried out (for example quite a few of us take our cars to a guy in Attidiya...the guy is good; however..obtaining proper records for his work and the parts he buys is not always consistent...especially since the guy's more "businessy" partner passed away).

Then on the other hand at one point in time a service station guy asked me if I wanted back dated service tags....so that also is happening. The point is, if there are records that can be verified by the agent or other large garages and receipts of significant parts purchased; then it is a big plus in tracing and figuring out mileages and stuff....but don't necessarily base the condition of the car on the availability (and lack of) records....have seen quite a few cars that were "agent maintained" that were simply crap. In fact when I bought the Mark X the car that was actually most decent and scored the most with agent and third party checkups was a car that was not as shiny as the other Mark Xs, had a slight case of lot rot and did not have any service records apart from a few oil change tags...so...point is:...go get it checked out no matter what paper work is there or not.

Expand

Really appreciate your time and effort put in replying our queries. Past few days i was going through the past Forum posts and those were immensely helpful for a novice like me. I got the opportunity to read your expert advice in several posts like Car buying information, How to buy a used car in SL etc.

If i may ask, in my list most of the cars are Nissan so that i would be able to get an engine scan etc at A*W. However if i get hands on a Mazda is there a proper place to check the condition of the vehicle (Engine scan etc.) ?

I have used Toyota and Nissan previously. However no prior experience in Mazda. Mazda 323 (export mode) or the JDM familiar seems to match my current requirement. May i have few of your experience on this.

Thanks

matroska · March 14, 2018

On 3/12/2018 at 12:24 AM, iRage said:

I don't know about the Chevy, but the other cars on that list are pretty decent and comfortable cars. The key is you need to find a car that has been well taken care of. Make sure you get it checked out by a proper car checking place.

Expand

to add to this i highly recommend the Chevy to be a very hardy little vehicle - we have one in the family and there's very little it hasn't been put through. It has great ground clearance so it handles well in poor roads as well as the many ramps etc , decent puling power and good visibility plus with the fold-able seats you can actually carry a lot of stuff - not as comfortable as the other cars on your list i have to add. If you're interested check the forums for the common issues in the car (not that many).

Don't expect city figures of 7-8 KMPL in the cefiro but that's a rather comfy car and that engine is sweet as it gets. It's perfect for the long drives

To add to what irage said - odo tampering and all kinds of finkery are more prevalent with the common models - for example you have better chance of finding an "honest" Primera than an N16.

Edited March 14, 2018 by matroska

optimsh10 · March 14, 2018

On 3/14/2018 at 4:13 AM, matroska said:

to add to this i highly recommend the Chevy to be a very hardy little vehicle - we have one in the family and there's very little it hasn't been put through. It has great ground clearance so it handles well in poor roads as well as the many ramps etc , decent puling power and good visibility plus with the fold-able seats you can actually carry a lot of stuff - not as comfortable as the other cars on your list i have to add. If you're interested check the forums for the common issues in the car (not that many).

Don't expect city figures of 7-8 KMPL in the cefiro but that's a rather comfy car and that engine is sweet as it gets. It's perfect for the long drives

To add to what irage said - odo tampering and all kinds of finkery are more prevalent with the common models - for example you have better chance of finding an "honest" Primera than an N16.

Expand

Thanks matroska, How about the spare part availability of the Chevy Cruz?

Yeah, I guess the Cefiro would do at most 5 or 6 kmpl in the city.

matroska · March 14, 2018

On 3/14/2018 at 4:28 PM, optimsh10 said:

Thanks matroska, How about the spare part availability of the Chevy Cruz?

Yeah, I guess the Cefiro would do at most 5 or 6 kmpl in the city.

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well the cruze is the Suzuki Swift Ignis (Locally known as 'Jeep Model Swift') so parts are interchangeable as of now parts are not an issue

Crosswind · March 15, 2018

I owned a Cruze. I owned a Cefiro.

If you are travelling to the hill country once a month, I would recommend the Cefiro hands down.

The Cruze does 8 - 9 (real figures) and the Cefiro does about 6 (real figure) in the city. For long runs, both would do nearly the same in petrol and the comfort u get out of a Cefiro will never be achievable in the Cruze.

LashNeo · March 15, 2018

On 3/13/2018 at 4:54 PM, optimsh10 said:

If i may ask, in my list most of the cars are Nissan so that i would be able to get an engine scan etc at A*W. However if i get hands on a Mazda is there a proper place to check the condition of the vehicle (Engine scan etc.) ?

Expand

Have been an owner of a Mazda familia for nearly a decade now. Car is almost 20 years old and closing in on the 200,000km mark as well. I really don’t have any major complaints on it. In-fact it was one of the best purchasing decisions I have made in my life. It covers 50+ Km’s on a daily basis and I haven’t noticed any drop in performance, power etc. so far. It’s a well thought out design. Simple and practical. Still looks newish in design for its age compared to its counterparts of the same age. Interior also holds well and would look newish on well kept specimens. Engine is responsive compared to the Nissan’s and Toyota’s of the same league which is very handy.

I don’t think you need experts to scan this model. It has been in the country for so long and there are plenty of them around too. Any mechanic who has been in business in the last few years would know about this model and hence any place with a good OBD scanner will be able to perform an engine scan easily. If you are so keen on seeking experts; you can take it to M*zna Motors at Aththidiya who specializes in Mazda’s or else to a place like C*r Checks for a full report.

matroska · March 15, 2018

On 3/15/2018 at 1:37 PM, LashNeo said:

Have been an owner of a Mazda familia for nearly a decade now. Car is almost 20 years old and closing in on the 200,000km mark as well. I really don’t have any major complaints on it. In-fact it was one of the best purchasing decisions I have made in my life. It covers 50+ Km’s on a daily basis and I haven’t noticed any drop in performance, power etc. so far. It’s a well thought out design. Simple and practical. Still looks newish in design for its age compared to its counterparts of the same age. Interior also holds well and would look newish on well kept specimens. Engine is responsive compared to the Nissan’s and Toyota’s of the same league which is very handy.

I don’t think you need experts to scan this model. It has been in the country for so long and there are plenty of them around too. Any mechanic who has been in business in the last few years would know about this model and hence any place with a good OBD scanner will be able to perform an engine scan easily. If you are so keen on seeking experts; you can take it to M*zna Motors at Aththidiya who specializes in Mazda’s or else to a place like C*r Checks for a full report.

Expand

Very underrated car. Office had a couple of them they brought brand new around 2000 and those cars were abused for decades and had done over 300,000 km but still were in decent shape

optimsh10 · March 15, 2018

On 3/15/2018 at 9:58 AM, Crosswind said:

I owned a Cruze. I owned a Cefiro.

If you are travelling to the hill country once a month, I would recommend the Cefiro hands down.

The Cruze does 8 - 9 (real figures) and the Cefiro does about 6 (real figure) in the city. For long runs, both would do nearly the same in petrol and the comfort u get out of a Cefiro will never be achievable in the Cruze.

Expand

Thanks Crosswind. Hope if i could find a properly maintained Cefiro, it would not give much hassle.

optimsh10 · March 15, 2018

On 3/15/2018 at 1:37 PM, LashNeo said:

Have been an owner of a Mazda familia for nearly a decade now. Car is almost 20 years old and closing in on the 200,000km mark as well. I really don’t have any major complaints on it. In-fact it was one of the best purchasing decisions I have made in my life. It covers 50+ Km’s on a daily basis and I haven’t noticed any drop in performance, power etc. so far. It’s a well thought out design. Simple and practical. Still looks newish in design for its age compared to its counterparts of the same age. Interior also holds well and would look newish on well kept specimens. Engine is responsive compared to the Nissan’s and Toyota’s of the same league which is very handy.

I don’t think you need experts to scan this model. It has been in the country for so long and there are plenty of them around too. Any mechanic who has been in business in the last few years would know about this model and hence any place with a good OBD scanner will be able to perform an engine scan easily. If you are so keen on seeking experts; you can take it to M*zna Motors at Aththidiya who specializes in Mazda’s or else to a place like C*r Checks for a full report.

Expand

Thanks for the Reply LashNeo.

From the Forum i learned that familia is the JDM and 323 is the export model. What about BJ5p or BJ3p ? is it a different version of the familia?. Also as you are a current owner may i ask for the market value of the familia or 323 ? I have searched different sites and is it really possible to sell those vehicles in ****.lk prices. What would be the realistic value of this vehicle. pre-facelift version or facelift version of 323.

Crosswind · March 16, 2018

I have to agree with LashNeo. If reliability is the concern Familia/323 is probably the best option you have. JDM or not, both models are very reliable.

optimsh10 · March 17, 2018

On 3/16/2018 at 7:06 AM, LashNeo said:

Mazda Familia/323 was manufactured from the 1960’s up to 2003. The BJ series was the last series of the familia/323 which came out of production on 1998 and continued until 2003. BJ5P has an engine capacity of 1500cc while the BJ3P has an engine capacity of 1300cc. BJ series has two variants. A pre-facelift model which came in 1998-1999 and a face-lifted version which was produced from 2000-2003.

Face-lifted model is famous as the ‘Prado’ light model in the local market and it shared the same chasis as the pre-facelift version. Only difference is the front face which looks newish due to the differences in headlights, grill and fog lights etc. and some interior trims like door handles, steering wheel etc. however; there are plenty of pre-facelifted familia’s that have been converted to look like face-lifted ones as the modification is fairly straightforward.

The price would range from 1,600,000 to 2,300,000 based on the age, condition and options etc. The high spec versions with full options such as VVT engine, Trip-tronic gear boxes, climate control A/C, all disk brakes etc. would be priced over 2,000,000. I know the prices are way too high for a car of this age. I know this for a fact as I spent only 14lakhs on my BJ5P in 2009. But; that’s how our crazy local car market operates. Then again, If you think about the absurd prices you have to pay for a reliable brand new family sedan; these prices might look OK right?

There were plenty of variants of the BJ series with minor differences. Do some searching on the net and also in auto lanka. You will find plenty of information on the variants. I think there were plenty of discussions on this in auto lanka.

Expand

Thanks a lot for your detailed response. Really appreciate it. With all your advises hopefully find a better old vehicle.

Thanks

optimsh10 · May 10, 2018

On 3/16/2018 at 7:06 AM, LashNeo said:

Mazda Familia/323 was manufactured from the 1960’s up to 2003. The BJ series was the last series of the familia/323 which came out of production on 1998 and continued until 2003. BJ5P has an engine capacity of 1500cc while the BJ3P has an engine capacity of 1300cc. BJ series has two variants. A pre-facelift model which came in 1998-1999 and a face-lifted version which was produced from 2000-2003.

Face-lifted model is famous as the ‘Prado’ light model in the local market and it shared the same chasis as the pre-facelift version. Only difference is the front face which looks newish due to the differences in headlights, grill and fog lights etc. and some interior trims like door handles, steering wheel etc. however; there are plenty of pre-facelifted familia’s that have been converted to look like face-lifted ones as the modification is fairly straightforward.

The price would range from 1,600,000 to 2,300,000 based on the age, condition and options etc. The high spec versions with full options such as VVT engine, Trip-tronic gear boxes, climate control A/C, all disk brakes etc. would be priced over 2,000,000. I know the prices are way too high for a car of this age. I know this for a fact as I spent only 14lakhs on my BJ5P in 2009. But; that’s how our crazy local car market operates. Then again, If you think about the absurd prices you have to pay for a reliable brand new family sedan; these prices might look OK right?

There were plenty of variants of the BJ series with minor differences. Do some searching on the net and also in auto lanka. You will find plenty of information on the variants. I think there were plenty of discussions on this in auto lanka.

Expand

Bought a BJ5P. Vehicle has a decent pulling power compared to my previous 1300cc Cars. Does around 6km/l in the City. Hasn't taken the car for outstation yet. Thanks all for the comments.

BuBi · May 11, 2018

On 3/11/2018 at 5:37 PM, optimsh10 said:

Hi Experts,

I'm Looking for a Car around Rs 1.9 to 2.0 Mil and as i have office transport i would be mainly using this car during the weekends.7-8 Km/l fuel economy would be fine with me. My greatest concern is reliability as i will be traveling to the Hill country at least once a month . I'm looking for a manual Transmission car with a reasonably good interior.

I have searched for the following vehicles and still could not make up my mind to select one.

Peugeot 406

Nissan Cefiro (A33)

Nissan Primera P11

Nissan Presea Refina

Mazda 323

Nissan Pulsar

Chevrolet Cruz

Nissan N16

I have visited several car sales and most of the cars mileage have been tampered with. Saw a good looking Primera P11 but mileage showed 110,000 .

Appreciate your advice on this and if you could give me pros and cons in the models i have mentioned.

Thanks

Expand

From the list. I prefer the P11. However, machan that mileage is not accurate. It should clocked well over 175000.

optimsh10 · May 11, 2018

On 5/11/2018 at 5:39 AM, BuBi said:

From the list. I prefer the P11. However, machan that mileage is not accurate. It should clocked well over 175000.

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Exactly machan, that's what i thought too. 150,000 to 200,000 would have been a realistic figure.

LashNeo · May 18, 2018

On 5/10/2018 at 4:54 PM, optimsh10 said:

Bought a BJ5P. Vehicle has a decent pulling power compared to my previous 1300cc Cars. Does around 6km/l in the City. Hasn't taken the car for outstation yet. Thanks all for the comments.

Expand

That's nice to hear brother.

But; are you sure about the fuel efficiency? 6 kmpl is way too low for the BJ5P. It should do around 8 within city limits.

Would you mind sharing few details such as Price & YOM as well?

Edited May 18, 2018 by LashNeo

optimsh10 · June 22, 2018

On 5/18/2018 at 12:18 PM, LashNeo said:

That's nice to hear brother.

But; are you sure about the fuel efficiency? 6 kmpl is way too low for the BJ5P. It should do around 8 within city limits.

Would you mind sharing few details such as Price & YOM as well?

Expand

Sorry for the delay machan. Yeah, it seems car is a bit thirsty, i saw one of your earlier post regarding BJ5P, May be will do all of those you have mentioned.

its 2000 YOM and got for 18.3 machan.