Help to buy 1st car

iRu · February 11, 2019

Hello guys.

We are going to buy a new car for our family and it is the first car we gonna buy. After searching al forums and classified sites i found some vehicles for my budget (1m max). Can you advice me is it okey to pay below prices in current market.

1. Daihatsu Charade - G101, full option,Turbo,1994, 64-, well maintained.mint condition - Rs. 900000

2. Mazda familia - BJ5p, f/o, auto, 2nd cr, 1993,19-, good condition, Rs. 950000

Bj5p,manual,f/o, 18,good condition, Rs. 800000-900000

3.Mazda astina - 17-,f/o,manual,good condition, 1992, Rs. 950000

4.At 170 - semi option, 1.5cc,1990,manual,original interior, good condition, - Rs. 900000-1000000

5.Nissan AD Y10 - 1.3,1992,manual,good con. 19 & 300, 950000-1000000

Crosswind · February 12, 2019

If you ask me about which car to go for, if you have a budget of less than a million, these will be my choices.

1. Proton Wira - reason: you can get a newer car. Parts are not an issue at all, because most of the internals are swappable with Mitsubishi Lancer. Build quality is not bad. Don't be fooled by idiots who say 'Maleshiya ne... apo oka honda naa'.

2. Mazda Familia/Ford Laser - reason: I have seen many cars that are 25+ years old. NONE of them hold on to their build as much as Mazda and Mazda Fords do. Even after 25 years and 300,000kms on the clock, these cars just go on.

3. Toyota Corolla Wagon - another good workhorse. The sedan version (E100-series) is well over a million, but you may be able to find a wagon (what they call elephant back), with basic options for around that price. That's another car that just goes on and on

4. Doctor Sunny - Oldest cars in this list. If you can find a well maintained one, this is also another car that can take abuse

Other honourable mentions are Toyota Starlet and Nissan March.

Now let's come to your list:

Daihatsu Charade - Wouldn't recommend because its an old turbo diesel engine. It's good if it works, but if the turbo packs up, good luck

Ford Festiva - It's actually a Korean car made by Kia. Back in the 90s, Kia was an upcoming company. They made good cars, but your challenge will be finding spares. I doubt even ebay will have spares that you need.

Mazda Astina - Again, spares will be an issue. Especially if someone decides to drop a rock on to the rear windscreen

Nissan Y10 and AT170 - Both are decent cars, but I wouldn't pay 950k for these. Way too old

That leaves the two Mazdas. From your list, those are the only two cars I will personally consider.

Check whether they are carburetor or EFI. Always go for an EFI car. Old carbs are a real pain in the ass and there are no carb mechanics anymore.

Auto or manual doesn't matter. If you are happy to drive a manual, go for it.

Duplicate CR also doesn't matter if you are buying a car for personal use. Give a lowball offer. It's a bit tough to sell a car with a duplicate CR, but not as tough as people think. Most important is the condition of the car, so go for the one which is better maintained.

Do you have photos of these two cars? can you post them (you can cover the number plate). I'd like to see whether they are BG5, BG6, BHA or BH6 or even BJ5/6.

Twin Turbo · February 11, 2019

Hi and welcome to AL,

your shortlist has a good set of possibilities at your budget. But keep in mind that these cars are over 2 decades old , and may bed extensive work to get back on the road safely.

get a mech to inspect the vehicles you like the most and make a decision on cost of purchase+ repairs+maintenance+insurance.

cheers.

TT.

matroska · February 11, 2019

Well Price is subjective specially for something 25 years old - BUT generally this is the range these cars go for but a lot depends on the condition of the car. Out of the lot the Familia for that price looks decent value for money. But if the Charade is an absolute minter then yes it's a decent option too. As TT mentioned make sure to get whatever you settle for is really well inspected with the aid of a trusted mechanic.

BTW are you sure that Mazda is a BJ? and it was from 1993? As far as I know it's the BG series that came in 1993.

Edited February 11, 2019 by matroska

iRu · February 11, 2019

On 2/11/2019 at 6:10 AM, Twin Turbo said:

Hi and welcome to AL,

your shortlist has a good set of possibilities at your budget. But keep in mind that these cars are over 2 decades old , and may bed extensive work to get back on the road safely.

get a mech to inspect the vehicles you like the most and make a decision on cost of purchase+ repairs+maintenance+insurance.

cheers.

TT.

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Thanks Mr.TT . .Yes,I am willing to go with a mechanic my brother know.

iRu · February 11, 2019

On 2/11/2019 at 8:46 AM, matroska said:

Well Price is subjective specially for something 25 years old - BUT generally this is the range these cars go for but a lot depends on the condition of the car. Out of the lot the Familia for that price looks decent value for money. But if the Charade is an absolute minter then yes it's a decent option too. As TT mentioned make sure to get whatever you settle for is really well inspected with the aid of a trusted mechanic.

BTW are you sure that Mazda is a BJ? and it was from 1993? As far as I know it's the BG series that came in 1993.

Expand

the best thig i like on charade is the fuel economy. . I don't know actually it is a BG or BJ .but it is 1993 as seller stated.

iRu · February 11, 2019

I found a decent Ford Festiva 1994 in one classified site seller is asking 895000. I like how it looks and i found that it is a economical and reliable one. Do anyone know about parts availability in Sri Lanka? .

matroska · February 12, 2019

On 2/11/2019 at 2:04 PM, iRu said:

the best thig i like on charade is the fuel economy

Expand

well the Charade is a nice car - in it's heyday very popular. Don't base buying decisions purely on fuel economy cos it can change based on the car, the driver and many factors .

On 2/11/2019 at 2:11 PM, iRu said:

Do anyone know about parts availability in Sri Lanka? .

Expand

the 90's Ford lasers shared the same platform as the Mazda BG 's so parts were not a big deal for them - the festiva was also built by mazda but I don't know exactly about parts availability etc. @Crosswind might have an idea about the ford...

iRu · February 13, 2019

On 2/12/2019 at 5:49 AM, Crosswind said:

If you ask me about which car to go for, if you have a budget of less than a million, these will be my choices.

1. Proton Wira - reason: you can get a newer car. Parts are not an issue at all, because most of the internals are swappable with Mitsubishi Lancer. Build quality is not bad. Don't be fooled by idiots who say 'Maleshiya ne... apo oka honda naa'.

2. Mazda Familia/Ford Laser - reason: I have seen many cars that are 25+ years old. NONE of them hold on to their build as much as Mazda and Mazda Fords do. Even after 25 years and 300,000kms on the clock, these cars just go on.

3. Toyota Corolla Wagon - another good workhorse. The sedan version (E100-series) is well over a million, but you may be able to find a wagon (what they call elephant back), with basic options for around that price. That's another car that just goes on and on

4. Doctor Sunny - Oldest cars in this list. If you can find a well maintained one, this is also another car that can take abuse

Other honourable mentions are Toyota Starlet and Nissan March.

Now let's come to your list:

Daihatsu Charade - Wouldn't recommend because its an old turbo diesel engine. It's good if it works, but if the turbo packs up, good luck

Ford Festiva - It's actually a Korean car made by Kia. Back in the 90s, Kia was an upcoming company. They made good cars, but your challenge will be finding spares. I doubt even ebay will have spares that you need.

Mazda Astina - Again, spares will be an issue. Especially if someone decides to drop a rock on to the rear windscreen

Nissan Y10 and AT170 - Both are decent cars, but I wouldn't pay 950k for these. Way too old

That leaves the two Mazdas. From your list, those are the only two cars I will personally consider.

Check whether they are carburetor or EFI. Always go for an EFI car. Old carbs are a real pain in the ass and there are no carb mechanics anymore.

Auto or manual doesn't matter. If you are happy to drive a manual, go for it.

Duplicate CR also doesn't matter if you are buying a car for personal use. Give a lowball offer. It's a bit tough to sell a car with a duplicate CR, but not as tough as people think. Most important is the condition of the car, so go for the one which is better maintained.

Do you have photos of these two cars? can you post them (you can cover the number plate). I'd like to see whether they are BG5, BG6, BHA or BH6 or even BJ5/6.

Expand

wow. Thank you very very much for your info and help..I like wira too. What I'm trying now is to convince my family to buy one.There are 3 or 4 good condition wiras are for sale these days. I got an offer for ford laser 1994 f/0 for 9.75+negotiable .

Crosswind · February 13, 2019

All of them are BG-series. So they are a bit overpriced in my opinion. I would have thought around 800 - 850 is a reasonable price for them,

For a car this age, its always better to go for the one in best possible condition. Just avoid the carburetor ones and go for an EFI.

alpha17 · February 15, 2019

I have a bit of a different opinion. Since this is your first car, it's better to go for a popular model in SL, namely a Toyota Corolla AE100 wagon, Toyota Starlet, Nissan Doctor Sunny or a Nissan March(as mentioned by Crosswind). It's the car that you are going to learn how to maintain and look after. So a model with a good reliability record would can undergo good amount of abuse. You will drive it without knowing the issues. When it breaks you'll have to repair it. You'll have to find parts for it. So it's the car that you are going to learn.

If you go for a popular model, there are plenty of parts available and most mechanics know how to repair them. If the car model is not much popular in SL, you have a hard time of finding parts and mechanics to repair it. So you would likely to get fed up of keeping a vehicle at the very first moment, like 'arabumama kadulak wela'. IMO it's better to buy a popular and a proven reliable vehicle as the first car and there are many experienced car enthusiasts in this forum who are willing to help you at any moment.

Good Luck on your purchase!

Cheers

noddy · February 15, 2019

buy a car that is used by a relative any car i bought my first car that was used buy my cousin who used it for five years or more.

any make will do.

iRu · February 20, 2019

"Arabumata perama kadualak wela" .Tried to find a FB 13 / wira all around kegalle,gampaha,Kurunagala. all of the vehicles inspected are not in good body condition. Some are with a lot of rust,some missing door trims ("Iri" in srilankan words). Wiras are also same inspected 4, one 2005 repainted, 2000 one with lost of rust under body and hood, 2004 one bad interior with a big dent on one door and overpriced. Also inspected a 2006 zen, and it is a big mess.repainted,doors are not locking,engine not tuned and the book is also little bit messy. One hyundai accent looked very good in photos ,when i went to see it is full of underbody rust,and in very bad condition. Actually we didn't even offered for any bcz they are even not in buy for lower price condition. Now I am fed up on vehicle hunting.??

alpha17 · February 20, 2019

The thing is finding a really good car is becoming an a bit messy in SL market, even if the budget is around 6-7 million.Always remember, the car you are getting is a used car, so don’t expect it to be as good as a new car.My advice is to always search for a car with Good Body Condition, because body is the hardest part to repair and even after a repair, it shows minor signs. Avoid dark colours, since all the repair signs of the car are much pronounced after a repair compared to light colours.You only have a rare chance of getting a car with original paint, but if you keep on searching, you can get a good example. Search for a few months atleast.

I also gave up the idea of going for a 2007-2009 Allion, few months ago after inspecting. My budget was around 4.3 million. So you need to find a bit mate. I know a guy who bought a DX wagon with spotless condition for 1 million. Don’t worry you’ll find a good car, but make sure not to loose the patience. Also search for the posts of our forum member PreseaLover, who has mastered that particular quality?.He’ve been hunting for a Presea for a really long time and finally found a really good example.

iRu · October 20, 2019

Hey guys.. We bought a 2001 accent 1.3 manual for 12k and it is comfotable also mechanical parts are not rare and affordable.(replaced cv joints, brake pads, some belts). This car is doing good on fuel as it does 13-14 on daily runs (Mawanella, Kandy) and it did 17km/l in our trip to Anuradapura.My advice is to any new buyer, buy it with confidence and look for a one with maintenance records.