First Car - Cefiro 230/ 250 or ...

[Bert]

Hi Guys,

I'm planning on buying my first car and the choices I've narrowed down are 

1. Cefiro 230

2. Cefiro 250

3. Bluebird G11

4. Mark X (bit over budget)

5. Premio 240

6. Corolla 141

7. Civic FD1 and FD4

Having combed through the threads,  I could not find much details on the newer cefiro version although the a33 had been discussed thoroughly. What I'm concerned about is whether the newer version will have the same problems as the notorious a33? 

In general, given the above choices what would you experts choose? Also if possible user experience will be appreciated - I.e. fuel consumption (in traffic vs highways), frequency of repairs,  availability of parts - on each of the above models (the information available on the forums right now seem outdated). 

Also if I were to buy one, to get a check done would you recommend c*r checks or t*y*ta lank* or is there some other provider I'm not aware of?

Note: 4 people will be travelling regularly and monthly distance covered is expected to be below 1000 km and I have zero knowledge on cars ? ?

Thanks in advance ?

Edited March 24, 2019 by Bert

[alpha17]

Among the vehicles you’ve mentioned most of them are famous for NOT being economical and hard to sell. Since it’s your first vehicle, better to go for a reliable vehicle like Corolla 141. I know about the old a33 Cefiro and the newer version might be better.There are only a few number of them around here, so I’ve never met an owner so far. Mark X would be a nice car to drive with loads of options and uncommon looks but with low fuel economy. If fuel is not a concern for you, go for a Mark X eyes closed. There will be some repairs (considering the age) and most of them would be running repairs. Also the finding the parts will be a bit of an issue. G11 is also a comfy ride but being large saloon with a 1.5L fuel economy is not so good. 

Since it’s your first car, go for a famous and reliable model with service records. Also make sure to take someone who has a good knowledge about vehicles in order to check whether the car had been met with an accident or to check the mechanical condition. Don’t be hesitant to pay a bit more if the car is in perfect condition with records and trust. My advice is better to go with a car like Corolla 141 or Premio 240(Most of them are used like hell,so less number of good examples are available). Fd1 and Fd4 are also good cars with good reliability. Best thing is to go and check those cars. Make sure to do a test run. Also refer to the thread in the General Automotive section “How to buy a used car in Sri Lanka”. Good Luck!

[Bert]

Thank you alpha. Resale value and fuel economy are high priority, so will most likely buy a 141 as advised and hopefully upgrade to a Mark X or something similar in a couple of years

On the same note,  checked a white 141 for 3.2m and the salesman quoted 10.8km/l. However AL threads seem to suggest it's under 10. Can you please shed some light on this? Note that I will be doing ~70% of my daily commute on the expressway, so if possible share the fuel consumption rate for expressways as well?

[ShintaroX]

1 hour ago, Bert said:

Thank you alpha. Resale value and fuel economy are high priority, so will most likely buy a 141 as advised and hopefully upgrade to a Mark X or something similar in a couple of years

On the same note,  checked a white 141 for 3.2m and the salesman quoted 10.8km/l. However AL threads seem to suggest it's under 10. Can you please shed some light on this? Note that I will be doing ~70% of my daily commute on the expressway, so if possible share the fuel consumption rate for expressways as well?

Hi Bert!

The model year makes a difference. My friend has a 2007 model and I have the newer facelifted one. The two cars are both automatics,  but have different engines. We have almost identical commutes and he averages under 8km/l and I average 9km/l flat. (10.8 is a beautiful fantasy.) Naturally the highway portion will give you much better figures than I’ve given here. I averaged 17km/l on my last trip to Chilaw if that helps.

[Bert]

Thanks  Shintaro, so hopefully 12km/l ish won't be wishful thinking then with the highway bit  ?

P.s. any recommendations on a place to get the car checked?

[matroska]

22 hours ago, Bert said:

1. Cefiro 230

2. Cefiro 250

3. Bluebird G11

4. Mark X (bit over budget)

5. Premio 240

6. Corolla 141

7. Civic FD1 and FD4

Some nice cars in your list - We had an A33 in the family and used to be a very comfy car so I expect the same from the newer generation . I'd avoid the premio since they're quite old at this point and likely to have been abused BUT there are some prime specimens out there but it's really difficult to find a well maintained genuine model. I'm a bit biased so take my recommendation regarding the Fd1-FD4 with a pinch of salt - those are really nice cars to drive. All things considered since it's a first car I would recommend the 141 since it's an honest hard working car that would just run... you could spend a little time and find a b/new imported one that has been well maintained and get it. IT's a bland car, and it doens't have too many fancy bells and whistles but will get you from A-B without any hassles. 

So to sum up - 141 > Civic > The nissans>Premio 

 

To get it checked take it to the joint in Nugegoda - they're fairly ok if it's a Toyota even Toyota L#nka do a checkup it costs 7000 if i remember correctly.  

Edited March 25, 2019 by matroska

[Bert]

Thanks matroska, heart says go for the Mark X or the civic (Mark X mostly ?) but will stick to the 141 for now and get it checked at the Nugegoda place. ?

Thanks again guys for all the advice. 

[matroska]

2 hours ago, Bert said:

Thanks matroska, heart says go for the Mark X or the civic (Mark X mostly ?) but will stick to the 141 for now and get it checked at the Nugegoda place. ?

Thanks again guys for all the advice. 

Now there's nothing wrong with the Mark X or the civic ( I thought the Mark X is outta your budget) just go what your heart tells you to otherwise you will hate yourself for not getting what your heart wants ? 

[Bert]

I would love to, but low risk appetite at the moment, if things go horribly wrong (repairs, fuel economy and resale value) I'll be in a bad spot. ?

[Bert]

Hi Experts, 

Sorry to bring old threads back to life, but any idea on the current market value for a manual 141? Asking because there doesn't seem to be many for sale to baseline against.