Suggestion for buying a used car under 3 million

[Vega]

Hi guys,

 

I am planning to buy my first car and I do not have much experience in maintaining cars at this point. I am studying. I would like to get your advice on what to select. Here is my criteria.

1. 3 million or less
2. Low frequency in terms of maintenance issues
3. Parts must be available (it is OK if it is not that cheap)
4. Better comfort and handling
5. I am not a frequent traveler and not driving in traffic jam (less frequently)

I am not looking for/to

1. 10 - 20 year old cars in reality less maintained and owned by multiple people
2. Not looking to get rid of the car within an year or two
3. Fuel consumption is not a huge issue
4. No issue with the manufacturing country unless the models have serious flaws - I like Japanese, European, Malaysian, etc.

The advisers - good to have

1. Previously owned/currently own the recommending models - home use (at least drove for a period of time)
2. Or an technician or engineer who is aware of the day to day issues - this is not a must
3. And, a good idea in the current market price and the price must not exceed 3 million rupees

What advice?

1. Please recommend the models, price and maintenance schedule if possible with price if you are aware of it (or point me to the right direction for me to find it)
2. What documents to check and how?
3. What tests/inspections to do before I make a decision?

I really appreciate your input and time!

 

Thank you!

 

Edited July 1, 2020 by Vega
Clarify

[HaeylM]

3 hours ago, Vega said:

Hi guys,

 

I am planning to buy my first car and I do not have much experience in maintaining cars at this point. I am studying. I would like to get your advice on what to select. Here is my criteria.

1. 3 million or less
2. Low frequency in terms of maintenance issues
3. Parts must be available (it is OK if it is not that cheap)
4. Better comfort and handling
5. I am not a frequent traveler and not driving in traffic jam (less frequently)

I am not looking for/to

1. 10 - 20 year old cars in reality less maintained and owned by multiple people
2. Not looking to get rid of the car within an year or two
3. Fuel consumption is not a huge issue
4. No issue with the manufacturing country unless the models have serious flaws - I like Japanese, European, Malaysian, etc.

The advisers must,

1. Previously owned/currently own the recommending models - home use
2. Or an engineer who is aware of the issues
3. And, must know the current market price and the price must not exceed 3 million rupees

What advice?

1. Please recommend the models, price and maintenance schedule if possible with price if you are aware of it (or point me to the right direction for me to find it)
2. What documents to check and how?
3. What tests/inspections to do before I make a decision?

I really appreciate your input and time!

 

Thank you!

 

Firstly dayum your demands! Buddy there are plenty experts here but there's no way you can meet every demand you have listed. This price category has been repeatedly discussed more than a few times so i reckon u go through the forums. 

As far as my recommendations go id say an entree level hybrid kei car might be your best bet. For your pricepoint you should be able to find one with a fairly low mileage and with a 2 year warranty apart from running costs and your fuel economy should not be that bad unless you abuse it. They are prone to faults under extensive engine load like if you are carrying some heavy cargo upcountry but they are pretty good for city driving. An alto would start at 2.4-2.6 and you should be able to find a decent Wagon R or equivalent for 2.7-3 Mil. 

As for a much more decent car you are looking at a 8+ year old car and that would be a Fit GP1( never owned one, but driven and its pretty smooth), Passo/Vitz(Owned and can recommend), or a swift (Much older 2008,  used for a while back and can say its pretty worth the pricepoint). 

As for a sedan you are looking at a car well over 10 years and with some mileage on the clock. Honda Civic ES5, Corolla 121 (old but awesome car), Mazda 3, Nissan Sunny Fb15,N16, N17, Tida, Lancer (2008-9). 

All these cars have their own ups and downs, theres no perfect car but thats the whole point of owning a car. The experience you gain of taking care of it and giving the attention it needs. And the on and off mods that make you happy.  

 

[iRage]

Okay...well...I do not meet any of your eligibility criteria for provision of advice  For starters..you need to do your own leg work. You cannot expect forum members to hand you the solution and you just buy it (although I must admit there are a lot of posts with that attitude these days).

In general:

1. Go through other threads for car recommendations on the forum.

2. There is a thread called How to buy a second hand car in SL. It will give you a comprehensive list of what to do, what to check and by whom.

3. A car should be (and is) a personal preference. What car models interest you ? At the end of the day..it is your money and you are the one who has to live with it day in and out. Would you be happy with dating a girl you have never seen in your life before that your parents told you to date ? OR Would you be happEIR dating a girl that you met on your own and fancied ?

4. Market price...this is something you should do your own homework sadly...once you figure out what you fancy..check the classified and maybe even drop by a few cars sales to see what the asking rates are and we can discuss about what the actual going rates are (they are different).

[matroska]

6 hours ago, Vega said:

The advisers must,

1. Previously owned/currently own the recommending models - home use
2. Or an engineer who is aware of the issues
3. And, must know the current market price and the price must not exceed 3 million rupees

Excellency,

I believe I'm not worthy to provide my humble opinion for thy request. I am but no engineer -though  I'm aware of issues .  I hath but owned one car that falls in your excellency's budget of the proximity of 3 million, which is the Honda Fit GP1 which hath been extensively discussed.  Would your excellency care to do a search for that particular car? There are many more models I could suggest to your excellency but sadly I'm not qualified to be worthy to provide input. The current car I own exceeds thy budget hence I'm unqualified to be honored in providing an input for your excellency. Please pardon this humble peasant.  

Edited July 1, 2020 by matroska
Must not incur the wrath of his excellency.

[Vega]

Thanks very much for your input guys. I really appreciate it.

 

Looks like there is a misunderstanding here. I am absolutely not showing attitudes and not expecting such as an adult. I have added this criteria because it would be easy for you and me and not to waste your valuable time. Not demanding anything.

I have discussed with people in Facebook and other social networks. At the end of the day I can see some of them had not even used the models they recommend and they have no idea of the current market value (I already performed extensive search on current market and obtained a list of prices, negotiated with owners through multiple sites in LK). But I saw here there are people with good experience. So I do not think you guys need to take this as an offense. Haha ?

As an IT expert, management expert I assist people through many forums and social networks sharing experience and expert advice if needed (Stack Exchange, etc). What I see most of the time is the questions are unstructured, wastes people's time and people are full of opinions without actual experience. So I do not think a well-structured question cannot hurt anyone but I am surprised to see people are getting the wrong idea here.

My expectation is simple.

1. Previously owned/currently own the recommending models - home use - I added this because this is my scenario and most of you guys must already have this experience as this is the basic. At least someone who drove the car. As simple as that ?

2. Or an engineer who is aware of the issues - I used "OR" because it is better if I can get more expert advice about technical issues if there is any, not a must to be an engineer. A technician like me (I am not an expert in this field) is always welcome because you guys do day to day maintenance and fixes so already have a good idea.

3. And, must know the current market price and the price must not exceed 3 million rupees - I discussed with several people for several days and their recommendations are more than what I can afford so I feel like they did not know about the current market prices (Some of them even do not live in LK any longer).

I believe this clarifies my idea here. I am not looking for "excellency". This is added out of my experience to make it easy for the guys who have the right experience. So, please do not get me wrong here. ?

 

p.s. I have made the changes to the following ?

The advisers - good to have

1. Previously owned/currently own the recommending models - home use (at least drove for a period of time)
2. Or an technician or engineer who is aware of the day to day issues - this is not a must
3. And, a good idea in the current market price and the price must not exceed 3 million rupees

Edited July 1, 2020 by Vega

[iRage]

Thanks for clarifying what you meant @Vega..but still goes back to what I said earlier...what cars have you looked in to so far ? That will give us an idea of what your actual expectations are. 

[AbeysinghE]

@Vega It has been a while since I was last active on Auto Lanka forums. I completely agree with what iRage mentioned. I'm pretty sure that you have some cars already in your bucket list. As far as my habit is concern I would seek advice from people and finally I will buy what was in my mind initially. So go with your desire. Ultimately it's you who is going to drive it.

With my own experience I would suggest you GP1, Vitz, Aqua, Swift as hatchbacks, and 121, Belta (1000cc), Axela, as sedans. 

[Vega]

@iRage @AbeysinghE @HaeylM @matroska

Sorry guys, was busy with stuff.

Yes guys I have the following list of cars that I came up with. I would like to know if it fits my needs though. Not an easy task as I experienced to find one that works with the budget as well as well-maintained.

Sedans

• Yaris, Belta, Lancer SC3 and others mentioned by you guys - but difficult to find for the price a well-maintained car, and too old - most cars have been heavily used and not well maintained ? Any suggestions?
• Ford Fiesta 2011 - some say this has issues with transmission
• Peugeot 407

Hatchbacks

• Vitz - at least a 2010
• Perodua Axia
• Suzuki Swift
• Peugeot 308
• Honda Fit/Aqua also on the list - although the NiMH and especially Li-Ion battery decays and I do not commute frequently so I wonder if this fits

If you guys can say pros and cons, driving experience I always appreciate it much! I know we cannot find the perfect match but something that can last for some time. 

 

Thanks much!

[GayanR]

damn i can only think how hard it will be for you to choose a wife

[Hyaenidae]

7 minutes ago, GayanR said:

damn i can only think how hard it will be for you to choose a wife

And I'd give my small nut to see his face when he realizes that his wife can shatter all those carefully structured requirements to small bite-sized pieces and get what she wants with a pout which promises his peace of mind would be just gone for the foreseeable future if she doesn't get her way

[Devinda_Z]

On 7/1/2020 at 9:49 AM, Vega said:

Thanks very much for your input guys. I really appreciate it.

 

Looks like there is a misunderstanding here. I am absolutely not showing attitudes and not expecting such as an adult. I have added this criteria because it would be easy for you and me and not to waste your valuable time. Not demanding anything.

I have discussed with people in Facebook and other social networks. At the end of the day I can see some of them had not even used the models they recommend and they have no idea of the current market value (I already performed extensive search on current market and obtained a list of prices, negotiated with owners through multiple sites in LK). But I saw here there are people with good experience. So I do not think you guys need to take this as an offense. Haha ?

As an IT expert, management expert I assist people through many forums and social networks sharing experience and expert advice if needed (Stack Exchange, etc). What I see most of the time is the questions are unstructured, wastes people's time and people are full of opinions without actual experience. So I do not think a well-structured question cannot hurt anyone but I am surprised to see people are getting the wrong idea here.

My expectation is simple.

1. Previously owned/currently own the recommending models - home use - I added this because this is my scenario and most of you guys must already have this experience as this is the basic. At least someone who drove the car. As simple as that ?

2. Or an engineer who is aware of the issues - I used "OR" because it is better if I can get more expert advice about technical issues if there is any, not a must to be an engineer. A technician like me (I am not an expert in this field) is always welcome because you guys do day to day maintenance and fixes so already have a good idea.

3. And, must know the current market price and the price must not exceed 3 million rupees - I discussed with several people for several days and their recommendations are more than what I can afford so I feel like they did not know about the current market prices (Some of them even do not live in LK any longer).

I believe this clarifies my idea here. I am not looking for "excellency". This is added out of my experience to make it easy for the guys who have the right experience. So, please do not get me wrong here. ?

 

p.s. I have made the changes to the following ?

The advisers - good to have

1. Previously owned/currently own the recommending models - home use (at least drove for a period of time)
2. Or an technician or engineer who is aware of the day to day issues - this is not a must
3. And, a good idea in the current market price and the price must not exceed 3 million rupees

@Vega props for the structured & logical approach you've taken to finding your first car?

Just an observation but have you left a margin to factor out the confirmation bias in the responses you receive? @gayanath usually offers empirical evidence to back up his claims but the rest of us are guilty of serving up opinions which to a large extent are subjective.

 

Of the cars you've shortlisted i've only owned the Fiesta - search the forums; i recently replied in great detail about my ownership experience of the Ford.

[Vega]

@GayanR @Hyaenidae ? guys, don't worry about that. Ain't this a forum where there are experts on the subject matter? So you can contribute to its professionalism by sharing what your experience cars. Not the miseries in your personal lives. As a matter of fact, I am totally open-minded when it comes to that matter. Just FYI so judging on unparalleled subject is a logical fallacy. Haha. Just kidding k.

On the philosophical side, I am more into the realistic issues. A wife will at least earn something for you. A car is one's lifetime earnings. So, nothing wrong to be systematic. That what I do things. I am not in a romance with a car and not expecting to purchase one and sell it to another and make his/her life miserable. But people do and their moral principles made selecting a used car this much difficult. But I hope we can stick to the cars. ?

[Vega]

2 hours ago, Devinda_Z said:

@Vega props for the structured & logical approach you've taken to finding your first car?

Just an observation but have you left a margin to factor out the confirmation bias in the responses you receive? @gayanath usually offers empirical evidence to back up his claims but the rest of us are guilty of serving up opinions which to a large extent are subjective.

 

Of the cars you've shortlisted i've only owned the Fiesta - search the forums; i recently replied in great detail about my ownership experience of the Ford.

Thank you! I will check. Appreciate it! ?

[HaeylM]

5 hours ago, Vega said:

@iRage @AbeysinghE @HaeylM @matroska

Sorry guys, was busy with stuff.

Yes guys I have the following list of cars that I came up with. I would like to know if it fits my needs though. Not an easy task as I experienced to find one that works with the budget as well as well-maintained.

Sedans

• Yaris, Belta, Lancer SC3 and others mentioned by you guys - but difficult to find for the price a well-maintained car, and too old - most cars have been heavily used and not well maintained ? Any suggestions?
• Ford Fiesta 2011 - some say this has issues with transmission
• Peugeot 407

Hatchbacks

• Vitz - at least a 2010
• Perodua Axia
• Suzuki Swift
• Peugeot 308
• Honda Fit/Aqua also on the list - although the NiMH and especially Li-Ion battery decays and I do not commute frequently so I wonder if this fits

If you guys can say pros and cons, driving experience I always appreciate it much! I know we cannot find the perfect match but something that can last for some time. 

 

Thanks much!

I had a passo for some time (KGC30 model, 2013), it shares a lot of commonalities with the vitz so imo, the ride height is good, fuel efficiency is around 10-12 in city and around 14-17 outstation( depends on the road and conditions). Maintenance ofc was cheap as it was a newer toyota model that only i used so other than a battery replacement, a tune up and tyres there was nothing to be replaced other than regular service with proper oils at agents. Car has a good turning radius and has a more simplistic dashboard. You get standard new car features like power mirrors, ABS, airbags, VSC, smart key etc (if you get the Hana grade). Engine comes mostly in 1L 1KR_FE(which does have a noticable vibration in idle but not as bad as in the vitz, could be because of less wear on engine mounts or whatnot). The car has an eco idle mode and currently you can find a second hand one of simillar grade for about 2.6 mil. (late K or early CA numbers). Full insurance costs 62,190 at C*y*inko V*P. Service at agents cost roughly 9500-12000 depending on the lubricants needed and detailing. leg space and cabin space is a lot more than vitz and its a pretty decent ride for everyday use. 

Yaris/Belta also uses the same 1KR-FE engine except its a compact sedan. Never used one but you do need to know that these cars are well over 10 years old so there is going to be considerable abuse, some decent mileage and wear. You cant expect it to not have some occassional repairs. Considerably a comfy car for a normal commute. 

Axia seems to be the newest car you can get for your budget. most of the axias on market are post 2017 so they are considerably new. Perodua is a pretty decent car manufactuter and the brand does hold its value well in the second hand market in sri lanka. Viva's that were brought back in 2010 still go for close to 1.8-2Mil so compared to the deprecitation of other non JDM cars id say its good. The aircon is pretty decent and the car does come with factory fitted alloys and a few extras. Never owned or used one so i guess a person who owned one might have a better say on this. 

If you are referring to the beetle swift then yes, its a good car too. 2008 model back in 2010-ish gave it up but the car was well on its track. The car comes standard with auto climate control and extras like steering wheel controls etc for the JDM version. the engine is a 1.3L tho but the pulling power is decent. U get a standard CVT gearbox and interior space, seats and luggage wise its a no brainer that its good. Did notice that it idles a little high on hot days and the car does seem to miss gears occasionally (could be just a one off case of a defective car for me). service is almost the same as any other car at A*W p*tstop. but this too is a pretty older car considering most of them within your budget would be 2008-2010 models. Fuel wise its around 9-10 in city, outstation around 13-14

Havent owned pugs or a fit so i guess other users will elaborate on them. 

Aqua though is a tricy car. Its low so you are going to hit potholes and bumps with a screetch a lot more often. The car is well engineered, and the interior space is decent. has a lot of features like SWC, TRC, auto headlight washer etc and even LED headlights(depends on model). Car does around 11-14 in city and outstation its mostly  around 17. the engine is 1.5L so you can expect more power compared to a vitz. downsides would be the expensive maintenance and the problem of having to find mechanics with knowledge on hybrids if something goes haywire. The car is full of electronics and the regular makabaas engineering myt not cut it. Battery replacement is cheaper now at aronud 390K done at TL. back then it was around 410K on grey import batteries. But considering all this if you are not a heavy user, i guess a regular petrol car would be a better choice. the fuel efficiency wont make that much of a difference on your pocket when you add up maintenance. 

My final adv would be for you to search for each of the car you narrowed down on autolanka. you might find threads about the common problems in them and make up your mind for a choice. 

[Devinda_Z]

8 hours ago, Vega said:

A wife will at least earn something for you.

A car is one's lifetime earnings. So, nothing wrong to be systematic. That what I do things. I am not in a romance with a car and not expecting to purchase one and sell it to another and make his/her life miserable. But people do and their moral principles made selecting a used car this much difficult. But I hope we can stick to the cars. ?

@Vega since you said let's stick to cars, i'm not going to address that quote above ??

Regarding your point about used cars, I hate to break it to you, but no matter how much due diligence you do, you're always rolling the dice buying used.

So given your aversion to risk or the need to minimize or mitigate why not buy brand new?

[Vega]

7 hours ago, HaeylM said:

I had a passo for some time (KGC30 model, 2013), it shares a lot of commonalities with the vitz so imo, the ride height is good, fuel efficiency is around 10-12 in city and around 14-17 outstation( depends on the road and conditions). Maintenance ofc was cheap as it was a newer toyota model that only i used so other than a battery replacement, a tune up and tyres there was nothing to be replaced other than regular service with proper oils at agents. Car has a good turning radius and has a more simplistic dashboard. You get standard new car features like power mirrors, ABS, airbags, VSC, smart key etc (if you get the Hana grade). Engine comes mostly in 1L 1KR_FE(which does have a noticable vibration in idle but not as bad as in the vitz, could be because of less wear on engine mounts or whatnot). The car has an eco idle mode and currently you can find a second hand one of simillar grade for about 2.6 mil. (late K or early CA numbers). Full insurance costs 62,190 at C*y*inko V*P. Service at agents cost roughly 9500-12000 depending on the lubricants needed and detailing. leg space and cabin space is a lot more than vitz and its a pretty decent ride for everyday use. 

Yaris/Belta also uses the same 1KR-FE engine except its a compact sedan. Never used one but you do need to know that these cars are well over 10 years old so there is going to be considerable abuse, some decent mileage and wear. You cant expect it to not have some occassional repairs. Considerably a comfy car for a normal commute. 

Axia seems to be the newest car you can get for your budget. most of the axias on market are post 2017 so they are considerably new. Perodua is a pretty decent car manufactuter and the brand does hold its value well in the second hand market in sri lanka. Viva's that were brought back in 2010 still go for close to 1.8-2Mil so compared to the deprecitation of other non JDM cars id say its good. The aircon is pretty decent and the car does come with factory fitted alloys and a few extras. Never owned or used one so i guess a person who owned one might have a better say on this. 

If you are referring to the beetle swift then yes, its a good car too. 2008 model back in 2010-ish gave it up but the car was well on its track. The car comes standard with auto climate control and extras like steering wheel controls etc for the JDM version. the engine is a 1.3L tho but the pulling power is decent. U get a standard CVT gearbox and interior space, seats and luggage wise its a no brainer that its good. Did notice that it idles a little high on hot days and the car does seem to miss gears occasionally (could be just a one off case of a defective car for me). service is almost the same as any other car at A*W p*tstop. but this too is a pretty older car considering most of them within your budget would be 2008-2010 models. Fuel wise its around 9-10 in city, outstation around 13-14

Havent owned pugs or a fit so i guess other users will elaborate on them. 

Aqua though is a tricy car. Its low so you are going to hit potholes and bumps with a screetch a lot more often. The car is well engineered, and the interior space is decent. has a lot of features like SWC, TRC, auto headlight washer etc and even LED headlights(depends on model). Car does around 11-14 in city and outstation its mostly  around 17. the engine is 1.5L so you can expect more power compared to a vitz. downsides would be the expensive maintenance and the problem of having to find mechanics with knowledge on hybrids if something goes haywire. The car is full of electronics and the regular makabaas engineering myt not cut it. Battery replacement is cheaper now at aronud 390K done at TL. back then it was around 410K on grey import batteries. But considering all this if you are not a heavy user, i guess a regular petrol car would be a better choice. the fuel efficiency wont make that much of a difference on your pocket when you add up maintenance. 

My final adv would be for you to search for each of the car you narrowed down on autolanka. you might find threads about the common problems in them and make up your mind for a choice. 

Thank you very much! Especially the time taken and the content is very valuable for anyone who has the same question as I. ❤️ 

This further narrows down my search, so I appreciate it very much!  

[Vega]

46 minutes ago, Devinda_Z said:

@Vega since you said let's stick to cars, i'm not going to address that quote above ??

Regarding your point about used cars, I hate to break it to you, but no matter how much due diligence you do, you're always rolling the dice buying used.

So given your aversion to risk or the need to minimize or mitigate why not buy brand new?

Haha, yeah running with the time so. Otherwise, I'd like to have a fun time, does not hurt. ?

Yeah I am thinking about that. But my budget does not seem fit these days so, difficult to say if I would. But thank you, you got a point.

[Hyaenidae]

  

10 hours ago, Vega said:

@GayanR @Hyaenidae ? guys, don't worry about that. Ain't this a forum where there are experts on the subject matter?

Not really, no. Most regulars around here are just a bunch of guys who enjoy driving and discussing anything related to automobiles in general... driven by passion instead of reason,  pleasure instead of practicality, beauty instead of purpose, experience instead of theory, romance instead of cost-benefit analysis... you get the picture

10 hours ago, Vega said:

But people do and their moral principles made selecting a used car this much difficult. But I hope we can stick to the cars. ?

Well, going by your requirements and approach to cars in general I think you'd be quite happy with a 1st owner company maintained Perodua Axia 2017 or newer. That's the closest you're going to get to owning a brand new car for your budget atm

Edited July 4, 2020 by Hyaenidae

[Devinda_Z]

19 minutes ago, Hyaenidae said:

  

Not really, no. Most regulars around here are just a bunch of guys who enjoy driving and discussing anything related to automobiles in general... driven by passion instead of reason,  pleasure instead of practicality, beauty instead of purpose, experience instead of theory, romance instead of cost-benefit analysis... you get the picture

Well, going by your requirements and approach to cars in general I think you'd be quite happy with a 1st owner company maintained Perodua Axia 2017 or newer. That's the closest you're going to get to owning a brand new car for your budget atm

@Vega I believe @Hyaenidae 's suggestion is a good one. The Axia isn't a particularly special car to drive (I actually feel the Alto 800 of the same vintage with the manual gearbox is a far more enjoyable car to chuck about) but it'll tick most of your boxes.

My view is based on a month using the Axia as a daily city run about so it might not be enough to give you the insights you need as I don't recall if i ever took it out on the highway for an example so can't comment on something like highway cruising stability etc. but it's decent little car. There's very little to go wrong.

 

@Hyaenidae is also right about the sites member profile ? I don't think we've had many (any?) active qualified mechanical engineers, mechanics or technicians here right @iRage in the last 14 years i've been around that I can remember off hand. Lots and lots of IT guys though, make of that what you will?

[iRage]

@Devinda_Z...yes but no...quite a few of the members did hands-on projects and had experience that way. Some members actually knew more about specific cars more than the agents themselves. Then there is @Sylvi...and @VVTi who are officially dabbling in the field.

[Pericles]

7 hours ago, Hyaenidae said:

  

Not really, no. Most regulars around here are just a bunch of guys who enjoy driving and discussing anything related to automobiles in general... driven by passion instead of reason,  pleasure instead of practicality, beauty instead of purpose, experience instead of theory, romance instead of cost-benefit analysis... you get the picture

 

Word.

[matroska]

On 7/1/2020 at 9:49 AM, Vega said:

I believe this clarifies my idea here. I am not looking for "excellency". This is added out of my experience to make it easy for the guys who have the right experience. So, please do not get me wrong here

Hey man - no worries I mean when I saw your Original post and the whole 'Applicants should have 25+ years experience in.....' vibe I just could not resist  It's cool that you've cleared out your stance. 

21 hours ago, Hyaenidae said:

And I'd give my small nut to see his face when he realizes that his wife can shatter all those carefully structured requirements to small bite-sized pieces and get what she wants with a pout which promises his peace of mind would be just gone for the foreseeable future if she doesn't get her way

My man @Hyaenidae - that is impressive sh*t. 

18 hours ago, Vega said:

Ain't this a forum where there are experts on the subject matter?

Yeah well - the thing is the members in this forum are a lot of like minded people which is the nicest thing here. There are many of us who are not at all professionally into Automobile engineering etc but are just purely guys who have the seemingly unfathomable obsession with cars - the type of people who remember their co-workers by what they drive than their name or what they do, people who can identify an obscure Japanese car by looking at its light, people who know what type of car would suit a different purpose ...people like me who dreamt of being a mechanic as a kid  but drifted far far away  and ended up writing code (ok...now I mostly write excel formulas and make Presentations). I know some  people in this forum in person and they're some of the nicest people around. Some of them provided sound mechanical advice and guess what I even got some really good opinions from the people in the forum when I wanted to fix a glass roof for my courtyard. There's no discrimination, no kunuharupa, and this forum is a pleasant place  as opposed to other more popular forums and facebook automotive groups - which honestly make me cringe a bit when I interact with bus mudalalis who've bought Civics, kasippu mudalalis with Allions etc) In short it's a forum of like-minded Automobile Enthusiasts.

8 hours ago, Devinda_Z said:

Lots and lots of IT guys though, make of that what you will

Yeah - I guess this is where IT guys with a passion for cars end up - and as opposed to other professions we spend a hell lot of time with internet access so that adds up. 

Edited July 4, 2020 by matroska

[matroska]

22 hours ago, Vega said:

@iRage @AbeysinghE @HaeylM @matroska

Sorry guys, was busy with stuff.

Yes guys I have the following list of cars that I came up with. I would like to know if it fits my needs though. Not an easy task as I experienced to find one that works with the budget as well as well-maintained.

Sedans

• Yaris, Belta, Lancer SC3 and others mentioned by you guys - but difficult to find for the price a well-maintained car, and too old - most cars have been heavily used and not well maintained ? Any suggestions?
• Ford Fiesta 2011 - some say this has issues with transmission
• Peugeot 407

Hatchbacks

• Vitz - at least a 2010
• Perodua Axia
• Suzuki Swift
• Peugeot 308
• Honda Fit/Aqua also on the list - although the NiMH and especially Li-Ion battery decays and I do not commute frequently so I wonder if this fits

If you guys can say pros and cons, driving experience I always appreciate it much! I know we cannot find the perfect match but something that can last for some time. 

 

Thanks much!

Well - you have quite a structured approach and that's good. If we take your list 

The Sedans are about 10+ years old now and in the case of the Lancer you might find a 2011/2012 model - overall the lancer is a good car. Avoid the Belta as it's overrated and prone to exchange hands like a 100 rupee note due to the whole good on fuel myths. When it comes to Yaris - you still might find very sparingly used car because some of them were bought on permit and are still with first owners - I personally knew a couple of such cars and were in pristine condition when they were sold off last year. Manuals are a bit cheaper and being a very uncomplicated car so it won't be a big  hassle to maintain. The only thing is to find a Good honest car which is easier said than done. I have no experience on Fords or any other euros but the general consensus is they provide more bang-for-the-buck.

From the hatchback list - the NEWEST you can get is a Perodua Axia and I fully agree with the views expressed by the others - We've had a Perodua Kelisa some years back and it was quite a decent car and Peroduas aren't too far behind their Japanese counterparts. You could also consider the Kia Picanto and you might get one still under agent warranty.

A 2010 Vitz would be a very simple easy to maintain car but then again hard to find an unmolested version (common problem with the popular Toyotas) . 2010 ish Swift will be a fun-to-drive car. Of course it may not be the most practical in case you think of it as a family vehicle - the rear seating area is a bit cramped and boot space is minimal so if the whole purpose is to use as a family car then it might not be the best choice. The Fit (GP1 I assume for that budget ) is a decent car barring the well documented Oil burn issue: You get a lot more car for that budget it has  Cruise control, a LOT of space (Once transported a couch for 90km) handling is good and with sports mode on quite a fun to drive car. 

Overall though - if you don't really travel long distance and you just want the car to be there in the background getting you from A-B without too much fuss AND since it's your first car the best option would still be an Axia even though it may not be the most comfy or exciting. Agent will always have spares and there's Perodua spares aplenty in Panchikawatta too. A car made specifically for the market with agent involvement as opposed to a Grey Import is usually a good starting point for a new car user.  If you head over to the Honda Civic 2018 (1.0L Turbo Grey Import)  thread you can see that we've been debating the exact oil to use at services for the past 2 years now  ....