Advice on purchase of first car

[Duan27]

Hi there. I’m interested in purchasing a used manual car as my first ever car. I’m turning 20 this year and I’m somewhat of a casual car enthusiast, but I have little to no firsthand experience with the internals of cars, except the occasional fluid change.

I’ve driven around in 3 automatic cars of my parents, 2 that we own currently, but I’m interested in getting a manual myself to get to know the internals better and practice manual driving on.

I’d prioritize handling and driving feel, then reliability. Won’t be driving a lot as of now,  20-30 km per week or less. Fuel economy isn’t too big of an issue as so long as it isn’t a gas guzzler. My ideal price range would be close to 3 million, stretching up to 5 mil only if it’s gonna be an extremely worthy and sensible purchase in the long run. Ideally safety should be key too, but can’t ask for everything at this price range.

Right now I’m looking at some Honda civics (ek3/ es8) which are around the 3 mil price range, and also some eg8s which are somewhat cheaper. 

I’m interested in JDM/ Japanese cars in general as they seem to fit the reliability criterion pretty well, while some still can offer good handling. I had also viewed a bunch of converted Evolutions, STIs and also a B4 Legacy, most of which exceed the 5 mil mark or barely fit under it. As much as they’re probably better driver’s cars, I’m not entirely sure if it’s worth the premium for someone who’s just starting out, and I’m also unsure if I should be handling that much power in a car now itself. My parents will also probably be reluctant if it’s too powerful ig.

So I just wanted to ask the people here on thoughts about the cars I mentioned above as a first car, or if you have any other recommendations. Any advice regarding this topic or in general about a first car purchase is appreciated. Sorry for the long post xD 

Edit: I saw some crash tests of ek3 and I’m trying to reconsider options, seems like only a Volvo would do for safety in cars in that era. Doubt they’ll be great handlers but safety looks like top priority to me now.

Edited May 9, 2023 by Duan27

[matroska]

On 8/25/2023 at 5:37 PM, AutoMiz said:

No one comes late to a party on AL 😄.

Really appreciate your comments and advice. It does seem to be a rare opportunity, however the seller has been trying to sell for quite some time. From what I heard, the “market” doesn’t appreciate the 1.6 as much as the 1.3. I called the seller up after a month, and the car was still there. Is this a problem? 

Also, Yes, I was referring to the GP5. Also, I’ve heard various reports that the DCT on the GP5 is not faulty, but the way we drive and maintain it is the case. Any thoughts on this? Is there a particular way that these are to be done?

In Sri Lanka, people prefer the more 'common' variant - for instance a handful of A18 Allions are there but the garden variety A15 gets the buyers preference. This could be the reason or it could have been the car is overpriced and has an issue.

Re - GP5's : The DCT setup on the GP5 prematurely wore out in local driving conditions - mostly city driving. Of course we cannot know how these used cars have been run (even the ones that had the DCT setup replaced) so if you're buying one better provision for potential repairs and once repaired - be more proactive on the maintenance specially if your usage is mostly in traffic and city.  

On 8/25/2023 at 6:05 PM, AutoMiz said:

Update: The car has been sold (advance taken).

Well this is fine - if it is meant to be yours it will be so don't get disheartened - you have a lot of options open now. Maybe something even better will come up. 

[Duan27]

We ended up purchasing an MT FD1!

Ik it’s been ages since I made this post, I got busy with a bunch of things in between and even when I got to searching for vehicles, I was just being too picky. First I was sorta paranoid and considered curtain airbags to be crucial if I get t-boned or smth, which was asking for too much considering most vehicles which fit the other criteria I needed. And I think I missed some really good vehicles which were in some faraway provinces just by being too late, by waiting until my dad gets here from Jaffna to go check em out. 
 

Later on I did stop being picky and did learn to go check em out asap if I’m interested. I did go and check out a Primera and 406.  As much as defensive driving is the biggest key to being safe, I still felt like having dual airbags gave me some sense of security, so that removed most good BN Primeras off the list. The one I checked ended up having loads of issues with a high price already, and I felt like I’d be better off going for something more expensive to begin with. Got a Greasemonkey report done on that too.

Did check a 406 executive too with an uncle of mine, and even though I did see some minor red flags here and there was thinking that it’s normal to find those in a car of that age and usage. Was seriously considering it for purchase, but did want a mechanical check up done. I’ve been in touch with Mr Aruna from Throve recently while trying to resolve an engine oil leak on dad’s 508. C**M**t was trying to rip us off at every turn and was quoting for some insanely expensive repairs (not to mention them having created a bunch of problems in the car themselves earlier, which is why we stopped going there from a couple years back for services), and D*m* where we have been giving it for services since then didn't have the necessary brand specific parts required, so Throve it was. Fortunately it wasn’t a big deal according to Mr Aruna so we’ve been managing with top-ups for now. Anyways he let us know after checking the number plate that the 406 had been involved in a major accident, and even though he repaired it, he wouldn’t advise going for it. 

I was bummed I couldn’t go for it, but then this FD1 got listed the same night we were informed so about the 406. Didn’t waste any time at all in going to inspect it, so went the next day and got a Greasemonkey inspection done too. Ideally would’ve preferred to get one done at Staf***d too but the owner wasn’t coming to Colombo anytime soon. The Greasemonkey report seemed to be pretty fine as well. The owner was someone who dealt with FDs frequently too and was a petrol head, so I was reassured in some way cuz of that as well. Ofc there were some issues here and there but one can’t expect a used car to be completely problem free ig. So we decided to go ahead with the purchase.

Just got it home yesterday, took it out a couple of times afterwards but I’m still waiting to get the legalities and basic maintenance & issues sorted out before using it frequently. I’m still have quite a bit to go in mastering driving a manual, but hoping it’ll work out with experience. All in all I’m pretty happy with it, will keep y’all updated!

Thanks a lot to @matroska, @AVANTE & everyone else who replied to this post, really helped a lot! 
 

Edit: It’s mechanically stock btw, but has a few cosmetic modifications. I still think it looks great and not over the top, but that’s just me ig. The front body kit/ lip is proving to be a bit of a hassle while exiting a road nearby, but the kit is all good other than that!

Edited February 23 by Duan27
Added some info about modifications

[Izza]

Congratzz mate! That looks an awesomely clean car. Are the tail lights an aftermarket addition? Seems different to the one I remember from FD1. Please post some interior pictures as well.

I only have driven FD1 autos, I'm sure the manual would be even better. Enjoy your new ride!

[Duan27]

On 2/23/2024 at 7:16 PM, Izza said:

Congratzz mate! That looks an awesomely clean car. Are the tail lights an aftermarket addition? Seems different to the one I remember from FD1. Please post some interior pictures as well.

I only have driven FD1 autos, I'm sure the manual would be even better. Enjoy your new ride!

Yep, those are aftermarket tail lamps. According to the seller, they’re the only units of this type in SL, but I didn’t bother verifying or feel the need to. Regardless, I really like how they look at night!

The pics I had of the interior weren’t that great to look at. I did try snapping a few pics earlier tonight, so will send those. Will try to post any pics of the interior at day later on. 
 

And thanks again!

Edited February 24 by Duan27
Added more interior pics

[iRage]

On 2/23/2024 at 3:05 PM, Duan27 said:

We ended up purchasing an MT FD1!

Ik it’s been ages since I made this post, I got busy with a bunch of things in between and even when I got to searching for vehicles, I was just being too picky. First I was sorta paranoid and considered curtain airbags to be crucial if I get t-boned or smth, which was asking for too much considering most vehicles which fit the other criteria I needed. And I think I missed some really good vehicles which were in some faraway provinces just by being too late, by waiting until my dad gets here from Jaffna to go check em out. 
 

Later on I did stop being picky and did learn to go check em out asap if I’m interested. I did go and check out a Primera and 406.  As much as defensive driving is the biggest key to being safe, I still felt like having dual airbags gave me some sense of security, so that removed most good BN Primeras off the list. The one I checked ended up having loads of issues with a high price already, and I felt like I’d be better off going for something more expensive to begin with. Got a Greasemonkey report done on that too.

Did check a 406 executive too with an uncle of mine, and even though I did see some minor red flags here and there was thinking that it’s normal to find those in a car of that age and usage. Was seriously considering it for purchase, but did want a mechanical check up done. I’ve been in touch with Mr Aruna from Throve recently while trying to resolve an engine oil leak on dad’s 508. C**M**t was trying to rip us off at every turn and was quoting for some insanely expensive repairs (not to mention them having created a bunch of problems in the car themselves earlier, which is why we stopped going there from a couple years back for services), and D*m* where we have been giving it for services since then didn't have the necessary brand specific parts required, so Throve it was. Fortunately it wasn’t a big deal according to Mr Aruna so we’ve been managing with top-ups for now. Anyways he let us know after checking the number plate that the 406 had been involved in a major accident, and even though he repaired it, he wouldn’t advise going for it. 

I was bummed I couldn’t go for it, but then this FD1 got listed the same night we were informed so about the 406. Didn’t waste any time at all in going to inspect it, so went the next day and got a Greasemonkey inspection done too. Ideally would’ve preferred to get one done at Staf***d too but the owner wasn’t coming to Colombo anytime soon. The Greasemonkey report seemed to be pretty fine as well. The owner was someone who dealt with FDs frequently too and was a petrol head, so I was reassured in some way cuz of that as well. Ofc there were some issues here and there but one can’t expect a used car to be completely problem free ig. So we decided to go ahead with the purchase.

Just got it home yesterday, took it out a couple of times afterwards but I’m still waiting to get the legalities and basic maintenance & issues sorted out before using it frequently. I’m still have quite a bit to go in mastering driving a manual, but hoping it’ll work out with experience. All in all I’m pretty happy with it, will keep y’all updated!

Thanks a lot to @matroska, @AVANTE & everyone else who replied to this post, really helped a lot! 
 

Edit: It’s mechanically stock btw, but has a few cosmetic modifications. I still think it looks great and not over the top, but that’s just me ig. The front body kit/ lip is proving to be a bit of a hassle while exiting a road nearby, but the kit is all good other than that!

Congratulations ! Looks like its pretty clean. Give it a good deep interior and exterior detailing job as well and it will look really nice.
Is that steering wheel worn out ? Is that white patch in the middle an actual wear out ? If so the previous owner would have been living on the horn

[fiat fan]

On 2/23/2024 at 11:35 AM, Duan27 said:

We ended up purchasing an MT FD1!

Ik it’s been ages since I made this post, I got busy with a bunch of things in between and even when I got to searching for vehicles, I was just being too picky. First I was sorta paranoid and considered curtain airbags to be crucial if I get t-boned or smth, which was asking for too much considering most vehicles which fit the other criteria I needed. And I think I missed some really good vehicles which were in some faraway provinces just by being too late, by waiting until my dad gets here from Jaffna to go check em out. 
 

Later on I did stop being picky and did learn to go check em out asap if I’m interested. I did go and check out a Primera and 406.  As much as defensive driving is the biggest key to being safe, I still felt like having dual airbags gave me some sense of security, so that removed most good BN Primeras off the list. The one I checked ended up having loads of issues with a high price already, and I felt like I’d be better off going for something more expensive to begin with. Got a Greasemonkey report done on that too.

Did check a 406 executive too with an uncle of mine, and even though I did see some minor red flags here and there was thinking that it’s normal to find those in a car of that age and usage. Was seriously considering it for purchase, but did want a mechanical check up done. I’ve been in touch with Mr Aruna from Throve recently while trying to resolve an engine oil leak on dad’s 508. C**M**t was trying to rip us off at every turn and was quoting for some insanely expensive repairs (not to mention them having created a bunch of problems in the car themselves earlier, which is why we stopped going there from a couple years back for services), and D*m* where we have been giving it for services since then didn't have the necessary brand specific parts required, so Throve it was. Fortunately it wasn’t a big deal according to Mr Aruna so we’ve been managing with top-ups for now. Anyways he let us know after checking the number plate that the 406 had been involved in a major accident, and even though he repaired it, he wouldn’t advise going for it. 

I was bummed I couldn’t go for it, but then this FD1 got listed the same night we were informed so about the 406. Didn’t waste any time at all in going to inspect it, so went the next day and got a Greasemonkey inspection done too. Ideally would’ve preferred to get one done at Staf***d too but the owner wasn’t coming to Colombo anytime soon. The Greasemonkey report seemed to be pretty fine as well. The owner was someone who dealt with FDs frequently too and was a petrol head, so I was reassured in some way cuz of that as well. Ofc there were some issues here and there but one can’t expect a used car to be completely problem free ig. So we decided to go ahead with the purchase.

Just got it home yesterday, took it out a couple of times afterwards but I’m still waiting to get the legalities and basic maintenance & issues sorted out before using it frequently. I’m still have quite a bit to go in mastering driving a manual, but hoping it’ll work out with experience. All in all I’m pretty happy with it, will keep y’all updated!

Thanks a lot to @matroska, @AVANTE & everyone else who replied to this post, really helped a lot! 
 

Edit: It’s mechanically stock btw, but has a few cosmetic modifications. I still think it looks great and not over the top, but that’s just me ig. The front body kit/ lip is proving to be a bit of a hassle while exiting a road nearby, but the kit is all good other than that!

Looks mean! Only 10 manual FD1’s made it to Lanka, so pretty special. Pulls tad bit faster than the auto with paddle shifters.

I remember doing 180 on the E03 at midnight about a decade ago. Not recommended now. Used to give some bigger more powerful cars a good scare.

Is the exhaust worked on or stock?

Try to get the seats redone in leather, ours had half leather like them vezis. Looked very premium. Ours was done to factory quality at deens.

Ironically… I also own a 508 now and was ripped-off at Carmart. Avoid that place. Find an independent technician who visits your place or you can drive to his place. These big name pug garages have a tendancy for tooth extraction and scamming.Right @AVANTE ?

Is the 508 petrol?
If it is… Oil burning- just THP things. Was the engine changed/overhauled under warranty at carmart? The THP engine had a recall from Peugeot that carmart did for free.

cheers!

[AVANTE]

On 2/23/2024 at 11:22 PM, Duan27 said:

 

Might as well call it a baby Type R. Good find man and wishing you many happy miles! That manual with that high revving 1.8 must be such a joy. 

The FD platform was so good, they sold them as an Acura in North America. All the car you need.

@fiat fan agreed and remember, a doctor hopes you fall sick, a mechanic hopes your car breaks, while only a crook wishes you prosperity! 🤣

Edited February 25 by AVANTE

[Duan27]

16 hours ago, iRage said:

Congratulations ! Looks like its pretty clean. Give it a good deep interior and exterior detailing job as well and it will look really nice.

Thank you! And yep, intend to do a thorough detailing pretty soon.

 

16 hours ago, iRage said:

Is that steering wheel worn out ? Is that white patch in the middle an actual wear out ? If so the previous owner would have been living on the horn

Fortunately not xD

That's just something we applied after buying it on a bunch of different places like the steering wheel and hood, for religious purposes. Pretty much powder-like so it'll get removed on its own after a while.

[Duan27]

14 hours ago, fiat fan said:

Looks mean! Only 10 manual FD1’s made it to Lanka, so pretty special

Thank you, I'm really happy I could grab hold of one!

 

14 hours ago, fiat fan said:

s the exhaust worked on or stock?

It's still stock. I do have some sorta plan to get a cat-back exhaust later on, but it's definitely not higher up when it comes to priority. Still happy with the way it sounds now, while not really being attention grabbing.

 

14 hours ago, fiat fan said:

Try to get the seats redone in leather, ours had half leather like them vezis. Looked very premium. Ours was done to factory quality at deens.

This is on my list of to-do stuff, to get it upholstered/good seat covers in full leather. Will keep in mind, thanks!

 

14 hours ago, fiat fan said:

Ironically… I also own a 508 now and was ripped-off at Carmart. Avoid that place. Find an independent technician who visits your place or you can drive to his place. These big name pug garages have a tendancy for tooth extraction and scamming.

Yep, I've read your 'French fries' blog posts somewhere down the line,  multiple times iirc. Ours is matched almost spec-to-spec with yours, if at all the biggest difference I could find is that the wheels on our 508 are painted in a much lighter shade (although the size and design seem to be the same)

I'm happy with how the person I mentioned earlier dealt with things, so I was intending to try and continue getting it checked up there. I've seen the name quite a lot while searching in the AL forums, most of the time with good compliments, so I thought they'd be somewhat trustworthy. But afaik they're also somewhat of a big-name pug garage in Malabe, so do you mean that we'd be better off finding some other smaller-scale technician? Would appreciate any input of recommendations in that case.

15 hours ago, fiat fan said:

Is the 508 petrol?
If it is… Oil burning- just THP things. Was the engine changed/overhauled under warranty at carmart? The THP engine had a recall from Peugeot that carmart did for free.

Yep, it's the 1.6 THP petrol. And with oil burning issues as you'd correctly guessed.

Unfortunately it wasn't changed under warranty afaik, not sure of the exact reason why, could've also just been us being ignorant about it. But the warranty was over when we started running into issues iirc, and the quotations for the engine rehaul were so exorbitant we decided not to go ahead with it.

Thanks again!

[Duan27]

11 hours ago, AVANTE said:

Might as well call it a baby Type R. Good find man and wishing you many happy miles! That manual with that high revving 1.8 must be such a joy. 

Thanks a lot! It sure does feel great to drive, compared to a good number of cars I've been fortunate enough to try.

11 hours ago, AVANTE said:

All the car you need.

I haven't spent too much time with it yet but I'd honestly have to agree, ticked most, if not all the boxes for me.  

11 hours ago, AVANTE said:

a doctor hopes you fall sick, a mechanic hopes your car breaks, while only a crook wishes you prosperity! 🤣

xD

[AVANTE]

1 hour ago, Duan27 said:

 

 

 

Yep, it's the 1.6 THP petrol. And with oil burning issues as you'd correctly guessed.

Unfortunately it wasn't changed under warranty afaik, not sure of the exact reason why, could've also just been us being ignorant about it. But the warranty was over when we started running into issues iirc, and the quotations for the engine rehaul were so exorbitant we decided not to go ahead with it.

Thanks again!

To be pedantic, it was not an official recall. PSA replaced it with an updated unit under warranty IF you were to face the issue within the warranty period. The issue was discovered by owners after crossing about 50k - 60k kilometers.

That's the sad part as there were many owners who didn't do that mileage within the warranty period.

It was a BMW-PSA joint venture project from 2006. The engine did have a recall for a timing chain and tensioner issue (both parts were designed by BMW, they had issues with Timing chains in their diesels and other petrol engines as well from that era, most famous was the N47).

The engine was a good design; lightweight, compact, had good low down torque, made good power, smooth and economical for the power outputs it offered in various tunes. On the RCZ-R, It was tuned for 270hp and it had the highest HP per Litre ratio of any production car, until the Yaris GR came along about 5 years later.

The main flaw being that the piston rings were fragile in the earlier years and gave way very quickly. Similar issue to what the Honda Fit GP1s faced. They resolved the issue with better quality rings on the later THP engines. 

How bad is the oil burn in yours? Does it drink more than 1L per 2500km or so? Lot of white smoke? Rough running and noise?

Edited February 25 by AVANTE

[matroska]

On 2/23/2024 at 11:35 AM, Duan27 said:

508. C**M**t was trying to rip us off

are you related to @fiat fan?

WOW! That's indeed a find. The FD series Civic's are pretty special - looks way ahead of their time and quite comfy.

and a Manual to boot!  

While many people ask for advice very few do actually come back to the forum and tell us about what they bought! So hat's off for the follow up. Looking forward to hearing more about this car. 

 

[Gummybr]

On 2/23/2024 at 11:35 AM, Duan27 said:

Edit: It’s mechanically stock btw, but has a few cosmetic modifications. I still think it looks great and not over the top, but that’s just me ig. The front body kit/ lip is proving to be a bit of a hassle while exiting a road nearby, but the kit is all good other than that!

First of all thats a nice car you got there. 

On this issue you could do what my ex colleague told my then CEO when he was complaining about the car scraping when exiting Keells in Kohuwela.... Boss why dont you change to Cargills! Same way you can stay away from going on that road by using an alternative road. 😂

[Duan27]

On 2/26/2024 at 12:17 AM, AVANTE said:

The issue was discovered by owners after crossing about 50k - 60k kilometers.

That's the sad part as there were many owners who didn't do that mileage within the warranty period.

Ahh that makes sense, ours just hit 53k now, we’ve owned it since 2014 when we got it brand new, but hadn’t been used for many long trips except the occasional run to Jaffna. 
 

On 2/26/2024 at 12:17 AM, AVANTE said:

The main flaw being that the piston rings were fragile in the earlier years and gave way very quickly.

Yep that’s the issue we’re facing here, and we were quoted around 1 mil to fix it with an engine rehaul by the agent, and we honestly didn’t find it worth going for. 
 

On 2/26/2024 at 12:17 AM, AVANTE said:

How bad is the oil burn in yours? Does it drink more than 1L per 2500km or so? Lot of white smoke? Rough running and noise?

It’s pretty bad, drinks around 2-2.5 L ish for around 2500 km. Haven’t noticed any smoke, but once in a while it does make some noise. Stops after a while and runs like butter most other times.

[Duan27]

On 2/26/2024 at 10:16 AM, matroska said:

are you related to @fiat fan?

Nope, but I totally understand where you’re coming from 😂

On 2/26/2024 at 10:16 AM, matroska said:

WOW! That's indeed a find. The FD series Civic's are pretty special - looks way ahead of their time and quite comfy.

and a Manual to boot!  

While many people ask for advice very few do actually come back to the forum and tell us about what they bought! So hat's off for the follow up. Looking forward to hearing more about this car. 

Thank you, and I honestly have to agree, I think the exterior and interior aged really well, doesn’t look too out of place  when parked next to some really new cars too.

Will try my best to keep y’all updated on this thread.

[Duan27]

18 hours ago, Gummybr said:

First of all thats a nice car you got there. 

Thanks 😁

18 hours ago, Gummybr said:

On this issue you could do what my ex colleague told my then CEO when he was complaining about the car scraping when exiting Keells in Kohuwela.... Boss why dont you change to Cargills! Same way you can stay away from going on that road by using an alternative road. 😂

And as hilarious as that is, I’m actually doing something of the same sort 😅, using the other entrance to the road even if it’s a slightly longer route sometimes. So yeah that’s some pretty valid advice 😂

[fiat fan]

On 2/25/2024 at 11:30 PM, Duan27 said:

Thank you, I'm really happy I could grab hold of one!

 

It's still stock. I do have some sorta plan to get a cat-back exhaust later on, but it's definitely not higher up when it comes to priority. Still happy with the way it sounds now, while not really being attention grabbing.

 

This is on my list of to-do stuff, to get it upholstered/good seat covers in full leather. Will keep in mind, thanks!

 

Yep, I've read your 'French fries' blog posts somewhere down the line,  multiple times iirc. Ours is matched almost spec-to-spec with yours, if at all the biggest difference I could find is that the wheels on our 508 are painted in a much lighter shade (although the size and design seem to be the same)

I'm happy with how the person I mentioned earlier dealt with things, so I was intending to try and continue getting it checked up there. I've seen the name quite a lot while searching in the AL forums, most of the time with good compliments, so I thought they'd be somewhat trustworthy. But afaik they're also somewhat of a big-name pug garage in Malabe, so do you mean that we'd be better off finding some other smaller-scale technician? Would appreciate any input of recommendations in that case.

Yep, it's the 1.6 THP petrol. And with oil burning issues as you'd correctly guessed.

Unfortunately it wasn't changed under warranty afaik, not sure of the exact reason why, could've also just been us being ignorant about it. But the warranty was over when we started running into issues iirc, and the quotations for the engine rehaul were so exorbitant we decided not to go ahead with it.

Thanks again!

Glad that you enjoyed the read 😁

The thing with the big name garages are that they not bad all the time, but when chance's arrive they take it!

Most 508 owners and even 3008/5008 get hold of a technician who works at carmart and gets work done at their residence or the techs residence. It’s actually much cheaper and the work quality is better. 
 

Keep carmart at a distance for any software updates or parts on discount. You might be able to get a recon engine from the salvage cars imported from UK. Make sure that its the good engine type.

I’ll update my blog soon with all the horrors of them 508s 😅 JK

2.5L per 2500 sounds little serious. I would go asking around.
 

Carmart actually never did recalls or service campaigns in a proper manner, so Im not surprised. Even the BPGA unit was faulty and had a service campaign,but carmart did nothing.

wow major OT.

so how many chicks you picked with FD1? Pulls near the ANC and Bishops College around 1.30? 😅

[iRage]

9 hours ago, fiat fan said:

so how many chicks you picked with FD1? Pulls near the ANC and Bishops College around 1.30?

When are you going to realize that the only chics you are going pick with cars like these are dudes with wigs ? <If you've seen the movie you will understand the reference > 
 

Now..a blinged out Akua, Pirius (GSpots is better) or a Benz...that is a different story.

[Duan27]

On 2/29/2024 at 8:18 AM, fiat fan said:

The thing with the big name garages are that they not bad all the time, but when chance's arrive they take it!

Most 508 owners and even 3008/5008 get hold of a technician who works at carmart and gets work done at their residence or the techs residence. It’s actually much cheaper and the work quality is better. 
 

Keep carmart at a distance for any software updates or parts on discount. You might be able to get a recon engine from the salvage cars imported from UK. Make sure that its the good engine type

On 2/29/2024 at 8:18 AM, fiat fan said:

2.5L per 2500 sounds little serious. I would go asking around.

On 2/29/2024 at 8:18 AM, fiat fan said:

Carmart actually never did recalls or service campaigns in a proper manner, so Im not surprised. Even the BPGA unit was faulty and had a service campaign,but carmart did nothing.

I see, thanks a lot for the heads up. Will keep in mind & try to figure that out soon. 🙌
 

On 2/29/2024 at 5:37 PM, iRage said:

When are you going to realize that the only chics you are going pick with cars like these are dudes with wigs ?

On 2/29/2024 at 5:37 PM, iRage said:

Now..a blinged out Akua, Pirius (GSpots is better) or a Benz...that is a different story.

💀😂😂

 

On 2/29/2024 at 8:18 AM, fiat fan said:

so how many chicks you picked with FD1? Pulls near the ANC and Bishops College around 1.30? 😅

I honestly don’t think I’ll be able to try doing that even if I wanted to 😂 It’s already past 4/5 pm when I’m done with lectures at uni on every weekday, so I mostly use it in the evenings and weekends for now. Initially had a plan to daily it to uni and back, but decided against that for now, for multiple reasons.