Cheap Reliable Car for daily driving under 1.2 million

Menaka Nilan · March 31, 2021

Dear All Veterans/Members,

This is my first post, even though me or my family has not owned a car or any vehicle so far, I've been interested in cars, and reading Autolanka Forum time to time and found that the discussion contents are very helpful for newbies like myself, So kind attention my issue is sincerely appreciated.

Me or my family is not wealthy and I'm still in the process of stabilising my self in my career so I do not have much cash to go for a wrong decision and put myself in trouble. I didn't want to buy a car for another couple of years and is happy with public transportation, but recently my mother has developed athritis and find it difficult to walk so I thought of buying a cheaper car to take her to treatments, house stuff and what not. Will be mainly driving in maharagama, nugegoda and Colombo suburbs only. Because in her condition I'm not that pleased to take her in three wheelers because I think it's not safe and comfortable.

My maximum budget is 1.2 million, which I have saved for a while and I do not have a credibility to go for a loan or a lease.

Your help will be much appreciated to select a car. Thank you.

PreseaLover · March 31, 2021

There are so many cars below 1.2 million. So for us to help you, you need to tell us what type of car you are looking for.. Is it auto or manual? petrol or diesel? For that budget no car is reliable cuz you will find at least a car that is over 30 years old. So 30 year old cars are expected to have many repairs by now. And a well maintained car that is close to 30 years wont go at that price either now so you might have to resort to a car in the late 80's for that price now (I'm talking about toyota and nissan cars only here) So since its your first car keep 2 laks aside for repairs cuz definitely its gonna cost you that amount or something close to that after buying.

Menaka Nilan · March 31, 2021

Thank you @PreseaLover for your response.

I understand the options are really limited. And also I don't think I cannot find an auto for that price range, I'm totally okay with manual anyway. Since I do not have much knowledge on cars I thought going for a petrol is less troublesome. I'm looking for a very basic car with manual transmission which won't give costly repairs and will get me from point A to B.

Important concern is decent leg room in the back for my mother to stretch legs for some extend and sit in comfort.

I somewhat thought the corolla EE96 Wagon will be a safer option because one of my friend's family had this car long time back and they used to drop me home in that and it was roomy as I remember. but I'm open to your suggestions.

Kind Regards.

PreseaLover · March 31, 2021

On 3/31/2021 at 2:00 PM, Menaka Nilan said:

And also I don't think I cannot find an auto for that price range

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See that's where people go wrong True right now you cant find a decent auto for that price, But I just bought an auto Presea last week for way less than your budget. You just have to patiently wait and as soon as someone advertise for a lower price you should go right then and there and buy it. Even if it has to be in the middle of the night. Thats how cars gets sold to buyya's these days for dirt cheap. So every 5 minutes you need to keep checking cars. Good cars gets sold in the first hour of advertising. So you need to be on alert.

However, I could recommend as I was also looking for an auto car for 11 laks for the past 3 months and my options were the bluebird u13 and the presea that has space and comfort for that price. You can get a 19- bluebird or presea for below 12. If you are lucky, you could get an auto too for that price if you have skills to negotiate. Other forum members may shed some light on the other options you have

iRage · April 1, 2021

An EE96 is not very comfortable in the back...it is intended for cargo transport so the seat is a bench seat.

The bluebird and Presea are decent options...but I beleive you are going to have some budget problems on that.

These cars are heavily used and only a few of them are truly buy and drive type of cars. Most will require a decent amount of work (most of these cars would have some quick fixes done just so that it can be sold quickly). Even if it is a really really good car that is just a buy and drive; or any other car, you need to be prepared to do some preemtive and rectifying repairs. So unless you have some extra money somewhere, you should not spend all 1.2mil on buying the car. Assuming the latter, the actual budget you have for the purchase would be around 1mil...that puts you in the late 80s (early 90s) Corolla, Sunny, Lancer category..and if you are lucky....Carina and Corona category and if you are tough and holding on...then Presea and same era bluebird category.

Edited April 1, 2021 by iRage

matroska · April 2, 2021

On 4/1/2021 at 3:33 AM, iRage said:

An EE96 is not very comfortable in the back...it is intended for cargo transport so the seat is a bench seat.

The bluebird and Presea are decent options...but I beleive you are going to have some budget problems on that.

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@iRage since OP's main criteria is a car that can safely and comfortably transport his mother what about a lumbering old diesel barge like a Camry/Vista CV30 a Bluebird SU12 or even a CT170 Carina ?

OP have limited options since you're looking at cars that are 30 years or older make sure you have at least 100,000 for immediate repairs. Since rear seat comfort for your mother is important I will exclude hatches like Nissan March or Toyota Starlet.

- Nissan Sunny SB13 early 90's 64- plates : diesels are right in your budget. Petrols are overpriced

- Toyota Carina/Corona AT/CT170 : early 90's - AT170 is the petrol and CT170 is diesel. 18/19- petrol 64- diesel You have higher chance of finding a diesel in your budget. You might even get auto gears thrown in.

- Toyota Camry/Vista CV30 : Early 90's 64- almost exclusively diesel and mostly auto.

-Nissan Bluebird U12 : Petrol/Diesel both in your budget late 80's early 90's. U13 too if you're lucky. Presealover probably knows every single U13 in the country 😛

-Wagons like the Corolla EE96, Nissan AD are not that comfy in the back - you get a hideous rear seat (specially in the Nissan AD). You might be able to get a Wingroad with a duplicate CR or in need of a paint job.

-I have omitted hatches.

- As your requirement is somewhat immediate i am not suggesting projects.

My suggestion is check the facebook groups and the car sites .The 'quick' site does not have a lot of retro cars so your go-to site would be the site when directly translated would look like 'car-shade' sudden deals come up - for instance there was an absolute mint Corolla AE90 for sale for 1 Mil cos it had a duplicate CR. Also another option if you're a little car-savvy is to bargain and get a car in good running condition and without a lot of corrosion but needing a paint job or some work on the interior. It will fulfil your day to day runs - in the meantime you can save up and improve the car when you have money.

iRage · April 2, 2021

Yes...diesel Camry/Vista/etcmight be a possibility but he will have to bargain hard. Especially if he wants a proper, well maintained diesel engine.

As @matroska mentioned...getting something like a car with a duplicate book might be a good option. You might be getting a good car at a cheap price...and you probably will be able to get a car from an owner rather than a broker (as we all know brokers muck around with cars). But check with the RMV if all the paper work is legit BEFORE buying it

Menaka Nilan · April 2, 2021

First of all many thanks to @PreseaLover @iRage @matroska for you expert inputs on my post and it's been very informative and gathered some knowledge on what to look for out there. So basically as I'm waiting till Sunday to go and look at few cars. (This would be my first visit to inspect a car) Considering your opinions I have short listed below models to browse in car sale sites and Facebook as @matroska mentioned.

Bluebird SU-12/13
Presea
Camry CV30
Carina/Corona AT/CT 170
Sunny SB13

And any opinions on below? (These are few others I found in the same price range when browsing)

Ford Laser
Mazda Familia
Mitsubishi Libero
Hyundai Sonata

Few questions that I have regarding the things that need to look for, as finding a good specimen out of 30+ year old cars will be a hard task for an amature like myself. So I guess I have to get the car inspected by a technician.

I have heard that there are both carburettor and EFI engines, people say that carburettor engines tend to give issues. Is it a true statement? Do I have to limit my search for EFI engine cars?

And also buying a car with Duplicate-CR as @matroska mentioned, is it legal?

And what are the major mechanical issues that I have to look for that I should walk away from a particular car? I meant by major issues are that I have to spend a a lot of cash to get them fixed and has to leave the car in a workshop for a long time. The looks is not that important as I'm in a very limited budget.

Thanks and Regards.

Edited April 2, 2021 by Menaka Nilan

varotone · April 2, 2021

Since the comfort of your mom is a priority, I'll share my experience.

My grandma lived with arthritis for quite a long time. Almost every vehicle in the family were vans. Lite ace, Hiace, Delica, Vanette... The first time my granny rode a car after crippling arthritis was a 121 corolla. My grandma had enough of cars after one trip to matara from galle. Corolla was by far comfier than any of the old vans. But the seating position and the space wasn't comfortable for her. She said that a three-wheeler is better than a car.

We judge the comfort of the rear seats mostly by the ride comfort and how plush the seats are. Arthritis patient prefer a car that's easier to get in and out and seating position doesn't put strain on her bad joints. If you are planning on frequent short trips to the hospital, the ease of getting in and out of the car would be more important than the ride comfort.

This might sound silly. But take your mom for a test ride.

Both carbs and efi have their own pros and cons. But even a monkey with a screwdriver and a wrench can dismantle and mess around with a carb. So most carbs are screwed up by grease monkeys who don't know what they are doing. Efi ecus aren't easy to mess with. At least it takes more than a screwdriver and a wrench to fiddle with the electronic stuff. So the ecus aren't messed up as carbs. Better buy a ecu car.