Nissan N16 vs Suzuki Swift (2006 and above) vs Lancer CS series

[carboy2011]

As I'm looking out for my next set of wheels I have shortlisted the following 3 

1) Suzuki Swift (2006 - 2010)

2) Nissan Sunny N16/17 (1500 or 1600cc)

3) Lancer CS series 2005-2009 (1600 cc)

Has to be petrol and Manual shift

 

i) what are the drawbacks of these and any common problems and things to look out for

ii)how is the spare parts availability and price

iii)fuel consumption

iv) current market price of above

I know some of the above models were discussed before but then these cars were much newer

Thank you in advance!

 

[iRage]

Well....just because a few years have gone by...most things have not changed.

1. This would not have changed from the previous discussions (not drastically anyway) as these (i.e. common problems, etc..) would have been issues with the car's engineering, build or just general functionality. Beyond that (i.e. things to look out for), are general things you would have to look out for anyway irrespective of the car, eg. rust/corrosion, electrical issues, transmission, mechanical problems, etc... So it is niether prudent nor fair to look at a 15 year old car and say that one has more (for example) electrical or rust issues than the other as that too would also depend on the condition of the car you are looking at (e.g. one Lancer CS might be pristine and another of the same spec and vintage with lesser miles might be a pile of garbage.) 

2. Again, wouldn't change that much. Neither is as easy as your common Toyota where you can just pop into Lal Aiya's parts shop in the junction. Lancer has the advantage of more parts still being available from the agent than the Suzuki and the Sunny. Beyond that, general mechanical parts are common parts so you can find substitutes (sadly might not be of good quality all the time) when genuine parts are not around. Things like body parts, lights, etc....would be a hit or miss and can only be known by doing the walk around the usual body shops.

3. For a car this old...fuel figures are subjective to the condition of the car (e.g. condition of engine, transmission, etc..). So again, all we can do is state what has been stated in the previous discussions. 

To be honest, from that list, I would more likely go for the Lancer as looking around and at experiences of LCS owners, it is easier to properly take care of by balancing agent and 3rd party support for maintenance. You are also more likely to find an unmolested car. 90% of the Swifts are Indian ones or have been through the hands of ricers, and the Sunnae, most of them are just simply ratty and worn out looking (very rarely have I seen a nice proper Sunnae around. They all look faded and tired and like they went half way to the moon and then just fell out of the sky. Also, performance wise, I would say the Lancer is the better all-rounder.

[matroska]

Swift - manual would mean you're looking at the indian variants. Most Jap Swifts are with auto gears.

CS would be the best bet - more engaging car and many manual units were imported - more manuals to chose from

N16 - many manuals available in sri lanka are paired with the 1.3 engine not the most fun nor the most fuel efficient car out there. Even the 1.3 version of the Lancer CS is a lot more spirited than the 1.3 Sunny. 

Sunny spares etc are quite common at the third party joints as it's comparatively a common car. Lancer parts - agent still has them as far as I know. Actually none of these cars are specifically 'rare' so you won't have a major headache with spares. 

Fuel - subjective given how each car has been maintained. Anyway the Sunnys of this era were rather thirsty and the indian swift is generally better on fuel. 

Price - no idea do some research on classifieds