Help in finding a sexy car for a complete beginner

[genzonamission]

Hey guys complete newbie here, Can I please get some help with finding a great looking car which has enough spare parts for  a budget less than 3 mil, also is it okay that if I focus on the looks first? as a first time driver what kind of features should I be mindful about? Any and all advice will be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

 

ps- currently looking at  ford capri,cortina, Audi 80, Mitsubishi lancer ex to Mitsubishi galant (Early 2000's) since I think they look pretty amazing 

[Hyaenidae]

You could get a Galant - she's the sexiest one on your list imo, just look at this white beauty

@Sierra Charlie owns one, he should know about spare parts availability

Edited February 4, 2020 by Hyaenidae

[GayanR]

mazda 3 2008?

[Skyonline]

[kush]

Ford Focus/ VW Passat/ Audi A4 (may be bit old)

 

[tiv]

4 hours ago, Skyonline said:

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, 

to me these are hideous Either in looks or reliability  to begin with.

street credit not worth mentioning 

Edited February 4, 2020 by tiv

[AVANTE]

The FD4 with some subtle mods can be Sekz..

As far as I know..the purest sekz for slightly more than 3 mil is a facelifted BMW E46..it looks like a girl with those eyes.

 

 

Edited February 4, 2020 by □AVANTE□

[ajm]

Audi-80 is  available in Sri Lanka?

[iRage]

11 hours ago, ajm said:

Audi-80 is  available in Sri Lanka?

Yes...there used to be a champagne colored one around Pelawatte.

[kush]

45 minutes ago, iRage said:

Yes...there used to be a champagne colored one around Pelawatte.

That is a 100 there are quite a few 80s and i have even seen a 90

[iRage]

2 minutes ago, kush said:

That is a 100 there are quite a few 80s and i have even seen a 90

Yeah....one of my school mate's dad (who also lived in Pelawatte) had two diesel 100s. Eventually he built one GOOD 100 making one a donor car. The donor 100 was a dark blue and the restored one was champagne (which is how I noticed the champagne 80...every morning on the way to school my friend would go on and on and on about it)

[iRage]

22 hours ago, genzonamission said:

Hey guys complete newbie here, Can I please get some help with finding a great looking car which has enough spare parts for  a budget less than 3 mil, also is it okay that if I focus on the looks first? as a first time driver what kind of features should I be mindful about? Any and all advice will be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

 

ps- currently looking at  ford capri,cortina, Audi 80, Mitsubishi lancer ex to Mitsubishi galant (Early 2000's) since I think they look pretty amazing 

If you are a petrol head and want to get your hands dirty and learn a thing or two about mechanics....I do believe a Capri or Cortina (or any other classic, mechanically simplistic car is what you should go for. Yes...trying to get a carb working properly will make you want to peel your skin off with a plastic butter knife...but you do learn a lot and when it finally does work....it will be quite a satisfactory and proud moment.

Somewhat hard to find options would be...E90 and E100 Series Trueno/Levin, A60 Series Carina sedans (there are some beautifully restored ones), E80 Corolla 5-door lift back ? E90 Series Sprinter Cielo ? I do have a soft spot for the C6x/7x series Lancer (especially the lift back);  E30 series Galant and CA/CB series Mirage. Nissan Sunny RZ-1, Nissan NX coupe,Nissan Presea. Cars like the Gloria/Cedric/Chaser/Mark II in decent stock form will be way above your budget and too old looking  

At the end of the day....even the most bland car can be made to be sexy and a unique work of automotive art if you are willing to do the right mods. With the older cars doing that is a lot more easier than the modern ones. Actually these days, putting an old car back to pristine stock condition is considered sexy as well....

To prove my point...the Lada Riva...nothing but a ton of steel sheets welded in to a box with wheels and an engine strapped on......

Can be made to look Gansgter...

The Sunny B11....I would say the most hideous JDM car of the period...

Okay...I take that back...the only way a B11 Sunny looks hot is when it is a B12  

 

[Hyaenidae]

8 minutes ago, iRage said:

 

To prove my point...the Lada Riva...nothing but a ton of steel sheets welded in to a box with wheels and an engine strapped on......

Can be made to look Gansgter...

 

 

Welded badly too it seems

[Sierra Charlie]

On 2/4/2020 at 10:03 AM, genzonamission said:

Hey guys complete newbie here, Can I please get some help with finding a great looking car which has enough spare parts for  a budget less than 3 mil, also is it okay that if I focus on the looks first? as a first time driver what kind of features should I be mindful about? Any and all advice will be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

 

ps- currently looking at  ford capri,cortina, Audi 80, Mitsubishi lancer ex to Mitsubishi galant (Early 2000's) since I think they look pretty amazing 

 

On 2/4/2020 at 11:28 AM, Hyaenidae said:

You could get a Galant - she's the sexiest one on your list imo, just look at this white beauty

@Sierra Charlie owns one, he should know about spare parts availability

Well, Galant is my first car and I still own it after 6 years. Since then I've driven quite a few cars. But none connects as the Galant does. So much so that I'm planning to get a second boring car just to drive in Colombo. 

It's been one forgiving car so far. I usually drive it like I stole it.  You should take it on a winding, well-paved road. Absolute bliss! Even with just front-wheel drive, it goes where you point it at - very little understeer. Comes with rear-wheel independent suspension. Not many of the econoboxes of today have that.  The car has enough power to overtake those annoying 40ft container trucks two at a time in Kadugannawa and generally a blast to drive around. 

I've found all the parts I wanted from Sri Lanka, including a set of Tein Coilovers, the OEM spoiler, the OEM Strut bar and an OEM Momo steering wheel among so many other sensors and bits and pieces. It's not a Toyota. So finding the parts take some effort. But a few of us are dedicated enough that we have a running list of vendors who carry parts for the car. 

Get a Galant with the 4G63 SOHC engine. Should you want to put a 4G63T (the one found in the Evo) in it, it's a very straight forward swap. If you want to go mental, go get a VR4. There are a couple of cars with the 4G63T swap. Once done, it's a very potent sleeper car. 

Edited February 5, 2020 by Sierra Charlie

[iRage]

Uhh...the Galant is not an econobox. Its direct competitors were the Camry (before the Camry the Corona of the 70s and early 80s) and Accord, Bluebird and falls in to the D-segment. Econo boxes are a segment or two below it...

[Sierra Charlie]

3 minutes ago, iRage said:

Uhh...the Galant is not an econobox. Its direct competitors were the Camry (before the Camry the Corona of the 70s and early 80s) and Accord, Bluebird and falls in to the D-segment. Econo boxes are a segment or two below it...

?‍♂️Should have been a little clearer. When I said econoboxes - this is personal opinion - what I meant are the Axios, Corollas and the likes that many folks call 'luxury' cars these days.

[ajm]

On 2/5/2020 at 2:57 AM, kush said:

that is a 100 there are quite a few 80s and i have even seen a 90

oh, i thought the first ever Audi was the A4 that Jayasuriya got after winning the 96 World cup.

[genzonamission]

On 2/4/2020 at 11:28 AM, Hyaenidae said:

You could get a Galant - she's the sexiest one on your list imo, just look at this white beauty

@Sierra Charlie owns one, he should know about spare parts availability

This is definitely my current favouite.That video absolutely sold me on it. Thanks!!!

 

 

Edited February 6, 2020 by genzonamission

[genzonamission]

On 2/4/2020 at 1:28 PM, GayanR said:

mazda 3 2008?

It is pretty sexy but however while looking at that I saw some early 2000's mazda rx8 s for my price range what do you think about that?

 

On 2/5/2020 at 2:46 PM, Sierra Charlie said:

 

Well, Galant is my first car and I still own it after 6 years. Since then I've driven quite a few cars. But none connects as the Galant does. So much so that I'm planning to get a second boring car just to drive in Colombo. 

It's been one forgiving car so far. I usually drive it like I stole it.  You should take it on a winding, well-paved road. Absolute bliss! Even with just front-wheel drive, it goes where you point it at - very little understeer. Comes with rear-wheel independent suspension. Not many of the econoboxes of today have that.  The car has enough power to overtake those annoying 40ft container trucks two at a time in Kadugannawa and generally a blast to drive around. 

I've found all the parts I wanted from Sri Lanka, including a set of Tein Coilovers, the OEM spoiler, the OEM Strut bar and an OEM Momo steering wheel among so many other sensors and bits and pieces. It's not a Toyota. So finding the parts take some effort. But a few of us are dedicated enough that we have a running list of vendors who carry parts for the car. 

Get a Galant with the 4G63 SOHC engine. Should you want to put a 4G63T (the one found in the Evo) in it, it's a very straight forward swap. If you want to go mental, go get a VR4. There are a couple of cars with the 4G63T swap. Once done, it's a very potent sleeper car. 

Okay I am super sold on this, the only thing holding me is fuel consumption, any idea on what it does for a liter inside of the city? because that's where I'll be driving mainly..regarding the engine and spare parts and stuff I hope I can come for you for advice?? ?  and also did you do modifications regarding the interior? 

[Hyaenidae]

1 hour ago, genzonamission said:

This is definitely my current favouite.That video absolutely sold me on it. Thanks!!!

 

 

Here's an another video then. Warning: Not as sexy as the white one, terrible terrible rims and the paint needs work. Ignore the guy

. 

[genzonamission]

 

On 2/4/2020 at 6:24 PM, kush said:

Ford Focus/ VW Passat/ Audi A4 (may be bit old)

  

Ford focus caught my eye as well! but wouldn't spare parts be hard to come around here??

On 2/5/2020 at 9:36 AM, iRage said:

If you are a petrol head and want to get your hands dirty and learn a thing or two about mechanics....I do believe a Capri or Cortina (or any other classic, mechanically simplistic car is what you should go for. Yes...trying to get a carb working properly will make you want to peel your skin off with a plastic butter knife...but you do learn a lot and when it finally does work....it will be quite a satisfactory and proud moment.

Somewhat hard to find options would be...E90 and E100 Series Trueno/Levin, A60 Series Carina sedans (there are some beautifully restored ones), E80 Corolla 5-door lift back ? E90 Series Sprinter Cielo ? I do have a soft spot for the C6x/7x series Lancer (especially the lift back);  E30 series Galant and CA/CB series Mirage. Nissan Sunny RZ-1, Nissan NX coupe,Nissan Presea. Cars like the Gloria/Cedric/Chaser/Mark II in decent stock form will be way above your budget and too old looking  

At the end of the day....even the most bland car can be made to be sexy and a unique work of automotive art if you are willing to do the right mods. With the older cars doing that is a lot more easier than the modern ones. Actually these days, putting an old car back to pristine stock condition is considered sexy as well....

To prove my point...the Lada Riva...nothing but a ton of steel sheets welded in to a box with wheels and an engine strapped on......

Can be made to look Gansgter...

The Sunny B11....I would say the most hideous JDM car of the period...

Okay...I take that back...the only way a B11 Sunny looks hot is when it is a B12  

 

I am definitely not a petrol head but I am eager to learn and I would definitely undertake a restoring project in the future I am dying to get my hands on a ford capri or an old convertible 

 

On 2/4/2020 at 2:20 PM, Skyonline said:

oooo does the pugeot in black would look sickkkk, Thanks for the recommendations!

 

On 2/4/2020 at 7:06 PM, □AVANTE□ said:

The FD4 with some subtle mods can be Sekz..

As far as I know..the purest sekz for slightly more than 3 mil is a facelifted BMW E46..it looks like a girl with those eyes.

 

 

 She is pretty Gah! I want all these man I cant choose, but again the bmw I am worried about the spare part prices mostly ?

[iRage]

Just get a Capri....use it for sometime....sell it off...a good Capri is a bit pricey and hard to find (most good ones trade hands even before hitting the classifieds). Easy to keep running and once you get a bit used to car ownership..you can easily pass off the Capri and get a new car. 

[kush]

10 hours ago, genzonamission said:

It is pretty sexy but however while looking at that I saw some early 2000's mazda rx8 s for my price range what do you think about that?

 

Okay I am super sold on this, the only thing holding me is fuel consumption, any idea on what it does for a liter inside of the city? because that's where I'll be driving mainly..regarding the engine and spare parts and stuff I hope I can come for you for advice?? ?  and also did you do modifications regarding the interior? 

Mazda Wankel engine is troublesome and getting specialists to maintain could be a issue. 

On the matter of fuel just calculate and see what the annual/ monthly cost would be it may be a difference of few thousands. I know of people who bought cars looking at kmpl and run less than 400-500 km month.

 

[Sierra Charlie]

14 hours ago, genzonamission said:

It is pretty sexy but however while looking at that I saw some early 2000's mazda rx8 s for my price range what do you think about that?

 

Okay I am super sold on this, the only thing holding me is fuel consumption, any idea on what it does for a liter inside of the city? because that's where I'll be driving mainly..regarding the engine and spare parts and stuff I hope I can come for you for advice?? ?  and also did you do modifications regarding the interior? 

I honestly don't care about petrol consumption. If you drive like me, it would probably do like 6-8 a litre. With a light foot, you might do something like 10 a litre. I honestly don't know.

But I do know that you can drive the car gently. During one of those elongated fuel strikes, I managed to stretch my km/l ratio by a massive margin by not revving more than 2000RPM, planning my overtakes and driving off gently from traffic lights. 

As for interior mods, there are a few that came from the factory. The Momo steering wheel is one. The other biggest interior OEM item is the factory Recaro seats. I like to keep everything original. So if I'm to ever change my seats, those Recaros would most probably be it.  The car comes with 4, 6.5-inch speakers and two tweeters. Factory fitted audio system is pretty darn good. 

In different variations, you can find a 'touch A/C' or digital A/C controller. I have rotary controllers. There's also a dashboard gauge cluster known as the 'high-vis cluster'. Both these are rarely found in Sri Lankan Galants. But I know folks who have done/thinking about switching to either or both of these.

[matroska]

18 hours ago, genzonamission said:

arly 2000's mazda rx8 s

well the rx8's are very tempting and due to a import loophole several mid/late 2000's ones are also available with late registration plates for rather lowish prices. But maintaining one will be a pain. Good choice for someone who has a bit of know-how ,that too as a second car.  Of your choices the Gallant seems the best bet i personally love the menacing look