A used sedan under 4M for a newbie driver?

[Tharun 93]

Hi guys, 

This is my first post here in AL though I have gone through quite a few threads for the past 10 -12 months.
I’m in the hunt for my first vehicle. I might be able to stretch my budget by 3-4 lakhs. My priorities are comfort, handling, reliability  and maintenance cost. Resale value and fuel consumption aren’t of much concern. I have narrowed down my list to Honda Civic fd1, Mazda 3/axela, Nissan bluebird sylphy (but alternative suggestions are welcome) 

Can you enlighten me on the aspects each of the above excels surpassing others. Name an overall pick as well. Thanks in advance.

Edited December 27, 2020 by Tharun 93

[kush]

I would also suggest Corolla 141 and Mitsubishi Lancer EX which may be within your budget.

Looking at your priorities Corolla 141 and FD1 will be better options followed by the Lancer and Mazda.

If you can find a good Lancer EX GLS it would have more features than the Corolla and in line with the Mazda and Civic.

Out the cars Corolla seems to have least number of issues after 10 years.

[Tharun 93]

  On 12/28/2020 at 3:12 AM, kush said:

I would also suggest Corolla 141 and Mitsubishi Lancer EX which may be within your budget.

Looking at your priorities Corolla 141 and FD1 will be better options followed by the Lancer and Mazda.

If you can find a good Lancer EX GLS it would have more features than the Corolla and in line with the Mazda and Civic.

Out the cars Corolla seems to have least number of issues after 10 years.

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I have this thing against toyotas, you know, them being ubiquitous. But I might give it a second thought though.

Are lancer ex’s on par with Corolla 141s and civic fd1s in terms of comfort? I’ve seen quite a few threads (including the popular brat thread) recommending lancer ex.

Edited December 28, 2020 by Tharun 93

[iRage]

  On 12/28/2020 at 3:46 AM, Tharun 93 said:

Are lancer ex’s on par with Corolla 141s and civic fd1s in terms of comfort? I’ve seen quite a few threads (including the popular brat thread) recommending lancer ex.

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Comfort wise the Corolla 141 is better...however when it comes to handling the Civic is much better and the Lancer EX is the middle ground....I would say the Civic has a slight edge over the Lancer in terms of comfort, but mostly because the Civics do have nicer materialsand slighty better interior finishes

[kush]

I had a EX and we still have a 141 in the family. Lancer handles little better in the corners than the 141 and is little bit economical.

It has more wow factor due to wannabe EVO racers.

Only gripe on the 141 is the basic interior and manual a/c. EX GLS had nicer seat materials and climate control.

[Tharun 93]

  On 12/28/2020 at 5:34 AM, iRage said:

Comfort wise the Corolla 141 is better...however when it comes to handling the Civic is much better and the Lancer EX is the middle ground....I would say the Civic has a slight edge over the Lancer in terms of comfort, but mostly because the Civics do have nicer materialsand slighty better interior finishes

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  On 12/28/2020 at 6:30 AM, kush said:

I had a EX and we still have a 141 in the family. Lancer handles little better in the corners than the 141 and is little bit economical.

It has more wow factor due to wannabe EVO racers.

Only gripe on the 141 is the basic interior and manual a/c. EX GLS had nicer seat materials and climate control.

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I’m not a racer of any sort 😅

Civic fd1 fits the bill it seems. How bad does the civic fare with 141 when it comes to fuel consumption. And what about the bluebird sylphy?

[iRage]

  On 12/28/2020 at 9:57 AM, Tharun 93 said:

 

I’m not a racer of any sort 😅

Civic fd1 fits the bill it seems. How bad does the civic fare with 141 when it comes to fuel consumption. And what about the bluebird sylphy?

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Strange...for some reason I always thought the Civic would do better on fuel than the 141 (but I have no idea)...One of the global comments about the 141 when it was first released was that it did not do well on fuel...same old engine from previous model..added weight...but Toyota made some changes later on and I believe that was fixed.

The Sylphy....hmmm...if you are looking at a 1.5L variant...then it really is not very desirable. The 1.5L has a little less power than a 1.5L 121 and weight nearly 100kg (or somewhere around there) more than the 121...and you feel the lethargic-ness...this also translates to a lower fuel consumption figure when compared to a Lancer or Civic...

[Tharun 93]

  On 12/28/2020 at 11:28 AM, iRage said:

Strange...for some reason I always thought the Civic would do better on fuel than the 141 (but I have no idea)...One of the global comments about the 141 when it was first released was that it did not do well on fuel...same old engine from previous model..added weight...but Toyota made some changes later on and I believe that was fixed.

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Oops...... my bad. I thought 141 does better on fuel given the manufacturer’s reputation. How silly of me!

 

  On 12/28/2020 at 11:28 AM, iRage said:

The Sylphy....hmmm...if you are looking at a 1.5L variant...then it really is not very desirable. The 1.5L has a little less power than a 1.5L 121 and weight nearly 100kg (or somewhere around there) more than the 121...and you feel the lethargic-ness...this also translates to a lower fuel consumption figure when compared to a Lancer or Civic...

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So the sylphy is out of the equation.

What about the ease of maintenance of civic fd1, Corolla 141 and lancer ex?

Edited December 29, 2020 by Tharun 93

[kush]

141, FD1, EX in that order. All three of them pretty reliable. Given the fact that these cars are over 10 years old expect few issues with suspension, rubber bushing, engine mounts, oil seals, sensors and electrics.

 

 

[Hyaenidae]

When it comes to ease of maintenance keep in mind that finding body parts for the 141 is harder than FDs and EXs. 141 wasn't offered in Japanese Domestic Market so recon spare parts aren't readily available for the 141 compared to FD1 and EX. Moreover, if you can stretch your budget a bit you might be able to find a 2010+ EX. I'm yet to see a post-2010 FD1. Island-wide authorized agent coverage is available for both 141 and EX but not for the FD. 

Check this thread out too:

 

 

Edited December 29, 2020 by Hyaenidae

[Tharun 93]

  On 12/29/2020 at 5:54 AM, kush said:

141, FD1, EX in that order. All three of them pretty reliable. Given the fact that these cars are over 10 years old expect few issues with suspension, rubber bushing, engine mounts, oil seals, sensors and electrics.

 

 

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  On 12/29/2020 at 6:05 AM, Hyaenidae said:

When it comes to ease of maintenance keep in mind that finding body parts for the 141 is harder than FDs and EXs. 141 wasn't offered in Japanese Domestic Market so recon spare parts aren't readily available for the 141 compared to FD1 and EX. Moreover, if you can stretch your budget a bit you might be able to find a 2010+ EX. I'm yet to see a post-2010 FD1. Island-wide authorized agent coverage is available for both 141 and EX but not for the FD. 

Check this thread out too:

 

 

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Thank you for the support guys. 
What would be the reasonable price range for a well maintained, 2008 made fd1 that has done almost 100k km?

And Hyaenidae, thank you for the the suggested thread. What do you mean by no islandwide authorized agent coverage for fd1? Is it because the Stafford is based mainly in Colombo?

Edited December 29, 2020 by Tharun 93

[Hyaenidae]

  On 12/29/2020 at 5:38 PM, Tharun 93 said:

Well, I’m currently residing in Kandy. I googled and found out that Kundasale auto services is the dealer for stafford in central province. How is the maintenance at an authorized dealer compared to that of an agent taking cost as well as the outcome into consideration?

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You have both Toyo#a L#nka and Unit#d Mot#rs workshops in Kandy. In my experience authorized agent trumps 3rd party service stations every time. Besides, Kundasale auto doesn't have that good of a rep.

Maintenance costs of the EX has been discussed in the thread I've linked above, check out EX ownership threads for more details on that

 

 

 

Edited December 29, 2020 by Hyaenidae

[HaeylM]

If you are looking for a car that will give you more driving feel and handling id say lancer EX is the way.. but its very hard to find a good one (most of the ones that come on sale cheap are either with worn out interiors or with weird exterior mods, the original mileage ones with decent maintenance go for high prices) 

As for a more basic and reliable car id also stick to a corolla 141. The 1.6L is plenty for sri lankan roads and comfort wise the car sits well. the axio varient however is more expensive in the local market and usually you can find a newer and lower mileage 141 compared to an axio 141, besides most 141s were brought here on permits through TL so they are brand new when they were first registered. In terms of options the 141 comes with the rpm meter dash and the exact interior as the axio with manual AC and reading lights for front and back with cloth door trims. Axio in the other hand, most of the ones in the local market are X grade so it comes with the same options as the 141 except the speedo that is basic with no RPM or extra functions but every axio even the base model has all auto windows. This however changes in the Axio G (can find at 3.8-4mil) where it comes witth auto AC, Push start and the rpm dash with all auto windows, winker mirrors, Projector lights and whatnot... luxel is not a big upgrade from G). Besides the engine in the axio hasnt changed in a while as its the same engine in the newer axios and allions so parts wise its easy to find. The 1.5L on axio does a little better on fuel than the 1.6L 141 (at least in the newer 2013/14 model with same engine). 

Civic Fds most were japanese grey imports except for some non hybrid ones brought through stafford, Civics interior however no doubt wins with its fancy looking dash and comfy seats compared to lancers and corollas. 

imo, id side with a 141 axio, but if you fancy a little petrol head inside you, go for the lancer EX. 

[Tharun 93]

I’m grateful for your input chaps.😇

I was almost lured into buying a lancer ex after your input Hyaenidae. 😁 But I’m not a petrolhead and most on sale are either modified or not within the price bracket I can afford.

And HaeyIM most, if not all Axio Gs carry a price tag of 4.7-5M. I couldn’t find any advert offering it for the prices you mentioned.
I value comfort above everything else and I take a fancy to the comfort offered by civic fd1 as pointed out by HaeyIM. I found a 2008 made civic fd1 brought through stafford which has clocked almost 100k km for 4.2M. Is that a reasonable asking price? 
Even if I bought a civic fd1, the problem is maintaining one in Kandy. Any thoughts on that?

Edited December 30, 2020 by Tharun 93

[Hyaenidae]

  On 12/29/2020 at 5:07 PM, Tharun 93 said:

And Hyaenidae, thank you for the the suggested thread. What do you mean by no islandwide authorized agent coverage for fd1? Is it because the Stafford is based mainly in Colombo?

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Yes

Both Toyo#a L#nka and Unit#d Mot#rs have their own fully equipped (including paint booths) workshops islandwide and Stafford doesn't.

Edited December 29, 2020 by Hyaenidae

[Tharun 93]

  On 12/29/2020 at 5:11 PM, Hyaenidae said:

Yes

Both Toyo#a L#nka and Unit#d Mot#rs have their own fully equipped (including paint booths) workshops islandwide and Stafford doesn't.

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Well, I’m currently residing in Kandy. I googled and found out that Kundasale auto services is the dealer for stafford in central province. How is the maintenance at an authorized dealer compared to that of an agent taking cost as well as the outcome into consideration?

[Hyaenidae]

  On 12/30/2020 at 5:42 AM, Tharun 93 said:

I’m grateful for your input chaps.😇

I was almost lured into buying a lancer ex after your input Hyaenidae. 😁 But I’m not a petrolhead and most on sale are either modified or not within the price bracket I can afford.
I value comfort above everything else 

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And the comfort factor is a deal breaker too. The EX might take corners as if its on rails but on the flip side you get to enjoy most of the bumps you encounter on the road  and if you go with the 1.6L EX you don't even get EPS. It's HPS so you get to feel the steering too 😅

[Dee Jay]

  On 12/30/2020 at 5:42 AM, Tharun 93 said:

And HaeyIM most, if not all Axio Gs carry a price tag of 4.7-5M. I couldn’t find any advert offering it for the prices you mentioned.

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Like all Toyota models Axios are heavily over priced. For that price range you can get much better vehicles than the Axio..

  On 12/30/2020 at 5:42 AM, Tharun 93 said:

I value comfort above everything else and I take a fancy to the comfort offered by civic fd1 as pointed out by HaeyIM. I found a 2008 made civic fd1 brought through stafford which has clocked almost 100k km for 4.2M. Is that a reasonable asking price? 
Even if I bought a civic fd1, the problem is maintaining one in Kandy. Any thoughts on that?

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Is the FD1 you looked into a full option variant like with sun roof, paddle shift, cruise control etc.?? FDs also like other cars have appreciated in prices due to the corona effect. FD1 cars are in demand when it comes to the FD series in Sri Lanka. The price might seem a bit high, but check for the maintenance records and the condition of the car.. If it is in good condition and properly maintained then that would be justifiable. Because many people are asking for FD1s in the FB group as well but people aren't selling them to meet the demand.

Like @Hyaenidae have pointed out you might not be covered by the agent in Kandy. However, parts are available and many bring down parts and courier them to your location. So, you will have to find a trustworthy competent mechanic to do the maintenance if you go with it. FD1 isn't a very complicated car and there won't be many issues other than those that are common for a car of its age. There are people running FDs in Kandy so I guess maintenance isn't a big issue there.

Another thing I'd like to highlight is the ground clearance factor if you live in Kandy. FD1 has 150mm of ground clearance so if that's okay for you then no issue. Otherwise you will have to worry about scraping the underside.

There are a few FD related threads in auto lanka you might want to read  

 

 

 

Edited December 30, 2020 by Dee Jay

[Magnum]

Go for the FD1, it has the most power out of the 3 plus it's a beautiful looking car.

[iRage]

@Tharun 93 FYI... @Hyaenidae had recommended to look at a Micro Emgrand 7 on the basis of your concern for comfort. I had to hide his post as there were references to advertisements on an external site (which is not allowed). The cars were based in Kandy.

My personal opinion is...Micro has had significant quality issues for almost ever. So whilst the vehicle might be comfortable, I have never been in one..so do not know; you might have intermittent issues due to poor build quality.

[Hyaenidae]

We have an EC7 in our family, a 2015 50k kms one- so far, nothing has gone awry except for the exhaust pipe which developed a hole due to rust (exhaust pipe is made in SL afaik)

It's much newer than all other cars discussed in the thread (OP can go for a 2014-2015 one for 3-3.2mil easy), doesn't seem to be affected by the Corona price hike, it's as comfy as a Toyota Premio, comes with a 1.8L engine, agent presence is there in Kandy, Aliexpress has almost all plastic bits for cheap - and there is a 2014 one advertised in Kandy which has done just 30k kms by the first owner... since OP is in Kandy wouldn't hurt to go take a look.

Edited December 31, 2020 by Hyaenidae

[Supra_Natural]

If you are ok with a non mainstream option, but one that is significantly newer and from a brand with a longer track record than the Chinese options, I would suggest looking at a Suzuki Ciaz. It's a car many people seem to overlook, but actually is a very strong choice in that bracket. The best way to describe it would be a modernized corolla 121, and that is actually a compliment. The diesel option in particular has strong performance and genuinely staggering economy. 

@Devinda_Z would back me up here, he had one until very recently and was shocked at how good it was. 

[HaeylM]

  On 12/30/2020 at 5:42 AM, Tharun 93 said:

And HaeyIM most, if not all Axio Gs carry a price tag of 4.7-5M. I couldn’t find any advert offering it for the prices you mentioned.
I value comfort above everything else and I take a fancy to the comfort offered by civic fd1 as pointed out by HaeyIM. I found a 2008 made civic fd1 brought through stafford which has clocked almost 100k km for 4.2M. Is that a reasonable asking price? 
Even if I bought a civic fd1, the problem is maintaining one in Kandy. Any thoughts on that?

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During this time if you are to purchase a car you are going to have to pay a large premium if you plan to buy in a hurry because most of the sellers are just demanding big money thinking that someone will eventually pay up due to their needs, but most of the cars on sale are on sale for a long time unlike the times prior to covid where cars would disappear from websites in a day or two. So the ones reasonably priced(still a little higher than they used to be but not ridiculously overpriced still move but slowly). Check quicksite (Ik###.lk), there were some G grades for sale at 4.1-4.3 mil and if you are patient you can talk down the price to a fair amount because there are plenty cars coming on sale daily so the sellers will be leniant to negotiate even a bit. Plus if you dont mind a wagon, you can get the 161 Fielder (even hybrid ones) at the same price range. Hek, before Covid the 161 Axios went for 3.9 -4.2 Mil and 2011-13 lancers were at 4.2 mil so keep in mind your depreciation if car prices go down after the end of Covid. 

As for the Civic FD, as long as you can verify the mileage with service records and you feel like its it, go ahead for it. Just remember to do your research on the car and make sure you wont regret not knowing any issues you are going to expect in future with the car. (not joking but sometimes when you see a car you just know that its the car for you, it just talks to you and you know that its gonna be your next ride no matter what . Its not about the options or the price at that point, its the connection. )

Given this situation, the suggestion by  @Hyaenidae about the emgrand 7 seems to be a viable option given its price is barely affected. But due to the mentality in Sri Lanka about the whole japan car thamai market cars baila you might have to be patient to sell it compared to a regular JDM or Euro import. 

Nissan Tiida is also a pretty comfortable car with really soft seats although not so popular and you should still be able to find one under 3.2 Mil, Even a full option one with keyless entry and auto AC. 

In general, reliability of any car comes down to how carefully it has been taken care of. The axio i used was at 200+k mileage and still was on the original engine with no issues on the pulling power etc and the interior trims were still looking fine. Meanwhile there are cars with lower mileage under 80k with engine issues and worn out drivetrains becuase of the improper maintenance by their owners who drive them like rally trucks and barely check under the engine for even a simple oil topup.  So when you are going to check cars just have a genuine conversation with the owner and you can easily understand if the owner genuinely cared for their car and took good care of it or if they are just swapping their leftover breadcrumbs. 

 

[Tharun 93]

Sorry took me a while to log into AL. Thanks for the info guys. After going through all your opinions I have set my mind on owning a civic fd1. Yes the one I was talking about is a full option one brought down through Stafford. But now the owner is having second thoughts on selling it. Advertisements do not come up easily and the ones that do however have done more than 150k km. Strange enough this 2010 made (as well as registered) grey import which has done 176k km has a KI number. In contrast 2008 made ones are having KJ numbers. Any thoughts on that?

And for the emgrand and the ciaz I would have to do more research.

Edited January 4, 2021 by Tharun 93