Sedan Car for permit holder

[shehan1111]

Hi,

I'm Government permit holder and have budget around 4.5 million. We initially thought about importing Axio WXB car. But my friends suggested me that its not much comfortable as much as allion or premio.and also their market can be go down with the time.

Then i checked in the auctions i found we can import Auction grade 4 ,3.5 or R range allion or premio in 2017/2018.

Is it worth to buying such vehicle or should i stick with Axio hybrid WXB?

Im confused with so many things now. please professional's help me to sort out this matter.

 

Thank you

[Prime]

Buy a car which makes u happy as mentioned by iRage. Compare few cars. If u are going to put an advertisement in few months saying " selling for upgrade", that car is not for you. Check rear seats of CHR. Anyway all cars in that budget range are not actual sedans except mazda 6(not sure though).

[AVANTE]

On Wednesday, September 11, 2019 at 4:35 PM, shehan1111 said:

Hi,

I'm Government permit holder and have budget around 4.5 million. We initially thought about importing Axio WXB car. But my friends suggested me that its not much comfortable as much as allion or premio.and also their market can be go down with the time.

Then i checked in the auctions i found we can import Auction grade 4 ,3.5 or R range allion or premio in 2017/2018.

Is it worth to buying such vehicle or should i stick with Axio hybrid WXB?

Im confused with so many things now. please professional's help me to sort out this matter.

 

Thank you

Any new car besides a Toyota will have a considerable decrease in after sales value (mostly fot german vehicles & Hondas as far as I know)

Why not go for a crossover because sedans are less practical & will lose some demand in the future. Something like a CHR or Eclipse?

If a comfortable sedan is what you really love to have, then the premio is a good choice! Our neighbours (doctors) have imported a white one using their permit and they love every bit of it! Even the Axio WXB is quite comfortable (as per my friend) and the red interior is really something! In the end it depends on your criteria! Good luck

Edited September 13, 2019 by □AVANTE□

[shehan1111]

Yeh. Love to buy premio. There was a one premio but its auction grade is R . Thats the issue i have.. and there are lot of 4-3.5grade premios . I Really don't have any idea about this lower grades. Budget is not applicable for higher grades

 

[kush]

Do not buy R as you will not know what the extent of the repair is and the quality of the repair. When you import on the permit you're stuck with the vehicle.

2018 WXB with low mileage will be ideal in your case auction grade 4.5 or above, look for a car with interior A this should fit your budget.

Forget about the Allion/Premio as it is not worth for the Permit as you will be pocketing extra Rs. 2.0 Mn. taxes (same as C-class/ BMW 1&2 series / CRV, Rs. 1.95 Mn.) and will definitely exceed your budget unless you opt for a lemon.

Also look at CH-R you should be able to find a good one for Rs. 4.5 Mn. as duty will be only Rs. 265K

Alternatively you could sell the permit which will increase your budget to Rs. 6.9-6.9 Mn. which can get you a decent car in the used market.

 

[Prime]

For the given budget, you will be able to import a CHR. Other option is sell your permit as kush mentioned and extend your budget to 6.6 -6,7 mil and buy a good sedan from second hand market. (Spare some money for insurance and other costs) You will be able to go for a used premio/allion 2016 or even a mazda 6. And there are other options like Audi Q2, Honda civic hatch or sedan. 

Do not buy R grade vehicles. Better avoid auction grades 3.5 and 4 also.

Edited September 13, 2019 by Prime

[iRage]

Stay away from R grades (true even cars that have been modified with after market parts get graded R....but for the car you are looking at it is going to be a car that has had some repair damage done...).

I would not go anything lower than a 4 for any car...but for a relatively newer car I would try to get one that is not less than a 4.5. I would go for a 4 with a newer car if the damage is like a small scratch that can be buffed out or easily touched or a small ding or two in places that cannot be seen.

The WxB is not bad..in fact it first tarted off as a specia edition (White by Black) and it was so popular they turned it in to an actual grade. The Allion/Premio is a bit more comfortable than the Axio..yes...but the Allion/Premio are really old cars. They have not been doing well in Japan. Most of the Allions/Premios sold in Japan are bought by car exporters in Japan to be shipped off to Sri Lanka/Bangladesh/etc...as a locally popular model it died off a good 5-6 years ago.

What is the car YOU want to have ? Forget about what the Premathilekas and Pereras and the doctors and certified engineer down the road and at office say....what is the car that YOU want ? WIll a WxB make you happy ? WIll an Allion/Premio make you happy ? Go look at a few cars available for sale. Test drive them and see what makes you feel better and would want to live with for the next few years. If it is a Premio that you want...then you cannot import one. Sell your permit and then get a slightly used one for about 6 - 6.5mil (remember to get it professionally checked because there are a lot of cars that have not been taken care of properly). If a WxB is what you want...then you can import one (if you are able to pick one out of an auction then there chances of it being more honest is greater). Yes..a sedan has its own level of comfort that a cross over would nt have..but crossovers are not bad. As the others have said....look in to other types as well like the C-HR which is as comfortable as a Axio and has a bit more bells and whistles.

[shehan1111]

Thank You very much for everyone who gave some ideas for me. Really appreciate it. What is the best CHR or AXIO WXB?

 

[kush]

WXB 15-20 kmpl, CH-R 10-15 kmpl at best, look at the rear seats of CH-R to see whether you are happy. Tires will be expensive in CH-R

I feel CH-R will fetch more at resale 5 years down the line being non hybrid and crossover.

CH-R will be better to drive

[iRage]

1 hour ago, shehan1111 said:

Thank You very much for everyone who gave some ideas for me. Really appreciate it. What is the best CHR or AXIO WXB?

 

Well..you re trying to compare apples with bananas...but still...

The Axio is a no nonsense A to B car with some creature comforts and decent safety....the non-safety accessories and comforts offered are pretty dated; because the current Axio is quite old. It is not the most exciting car to drive...

The CHR is a much newer platform (based on the TNGA platform). The vehicle by itself is a much more engaging vehicle to drive. The features/accessories are pretty modern. If you go for a G grade then you will get soem nice luxurious touches like quilted seats.

Talking about new Toyotas..the newer Toyotas have much more supportive seats than the old once...aand the interior feels nicer too.

In addition to that...you do have to consider the difference between the Axio being a Hybrid and the CHR you are looking at being a non-Hybrid. Yes..the Axio will have greater mileage per L of petrol (because it is a Hybrid); but in the long run I beleive whatever money you save on petrol you will have to spend on maintaining the Hybrid system. So, if you plan to keep the vehicle for a long time then the total cost of ownership between the CHR and Axio would be pretty close (CHR will be a bit higher because of things like different tires, etc...)

[AVANTE]

On Wednesday, September 11, 2019 at 7:56 PM, shehan1111 said:

Yeh. Love to buy premio. There was a one premio but its auction grade is R . Thats the issue i have.. and there are lot of 4-3.5grade premios . I Really don't have any idea about this lower grades. Budget is not applicable for higher grades

 

 

On Thursday, September 12, 2019 at 7:30 AM, kush said:

Do not buy R as you will not know what the extent of the repair is and the quality of the repair. When you import on the permit you're stuck with the vehicle.

2018 WXB with low mileage will be ideal in your case auction grade 4.5 or above, look for a car with interior A this should fit your budget.

Forget about the Allion/Premio as it is not worth for the Permit as you will be pocketing extra Rs. 2.0 Mn. taxes (same as C-class/ BMW 1&2 series / CRV, Rs. 1.95 Mn.) and will definitely exceed your budget unless you opt for a lemon.

Also look at CH-R you should be able to find a good one for Rs. 4.5 Mn. as duty will be only Rs. 265K

Alternatively you could sell the permit which will increase your budget to Rs. 6.9-6.9 Mn. which can get you a decent car in the used market.

 

Looking at your comment, now I understand what R-grades are & why they must be avoided. Love learning new stuff here :)

[iRage]

In Japan...cars that are legally used on Japanese roads get classified in two ways when they get a repair.

1. "Restoration" Record  "available"

2. Repair History Available

If a classic car gets restored or a car gets painted due to fading of the paint or a panel gets replaced because of a minor accident or something, the car gets recorded as "Restoration" Record available...sometimes it happens sometimes it doesn't. For example in Japan no one can remove the registration plate...so if the registration plate gets removed or insurance claim made the reasoning has to be recorded...when this reasoning gets recorded it gets recorded as a restoration. If insurance claims are not made or number not removed or things like that..it does not even get recorded. There are nothing wrong with these cars and the value of the car remains the same as a car that has never seen the sight of a body shop.

If a car has an accident (or rusted out) where the frame of the car gets effected and needs fixing (anything and everything that ahs to do with the frame outside of the manufacturers production line)...then the car gets recorded as Repair History available.  These cars even after repairing need to go through rigorous testing to get re-registered in Japan. In fact most of the time cars that have had such accidents get discarded as it costs too much to get it roadworthy again. Even cars like AE86, Chasers and Sylvias get such records due to accidents that happen during drifting or because of work they do to reinforce the frame....THese cars are a lot lot cheaper than the market value of the car (unless they are cars like AE86, Chasers, RX7s, etc...)

When a car goes to auction, the auction house does an assessment of the car. If a car has "Repair HIstory" available it is automatically becomes a R graded car.

If a car has a Restoration History available it does not mean it will be automatically be a R grade car...it will get graded anything from a 5 - R (standard grades) depending on the quality of the work done and the extent of the work done. If the repair is visible due to improper lining of body panels or difference in color then it might get graded low...if the repair is really bad or not repaired at all then the car gets graded R (this includes a car that has just got a dent on a fender).

If a car has significant modifications done (like body kits attached,  etc..) then those too get graded R.

The reason why you should NOT buy a R graded car is you will not know which of these cars have had a Repair History (due to frame damage and later on fixed and you should stay away from as the Japanese themselves expect these cars to be just parts cars) and which of these cars have body damage that is fixed up (or not fixed up) or R graded because it was modified beyond what came out of the factory. The Japanese dealers and dealers who export cars to countries like the UK and Australia are pretty transparent about what the reasoning for the R grading is because of strict registration and import checks. In Sri Lanka it is not so..in fact most of the exporters buy the worst R grade cars because they are the cheapest and fix them up...

[ajm]

Sell the permit and get a Donkeyfeng80, two birds (donkeys) with 1 stone!

[iRage]

You should know...that today the new Corolla was released in Japan. This also means the current Axio is not sold anymore EXCEPT for the base business grade. So if you are looking at a bnew one...you are just going to find stocks saved up by car exporters and those too usually go up in price because of the BS the SL car exporters create.