Buying My First Car

[Ripper]

[Low risk = Low fun]

True to a point but at the same time if you're getting constant reliability issues etc that's also "Low Fun"

[roshanal]

I think even i should say something, b'cause i drive a 406. I think comfortable and handling wise u can't compare with a carina. its no way near to 406. Maintain wise it bit expensive though. But if u maintain properly u get less problems. Even now a days spares also not hard to find. I think D9 is better than D8.

Edited October 11, 2007 by roshanal

[Arc Angel]

having driven most of the honda models and many toyota carinas i agree with JwesT,toyota carina would be much more comfortable than the equivalent honda model and it would do a better MPG as well.

Just out of curiosity, how much mpg does a carina give you?

[Ripper]

Just out of curiosity, how much mpg does a carina give you?

this is what a poster on toyotaownersclub had to say. In SL conditions it might be different

but just to get a rough idea this works i suppose

96 Carina 1.8 Manual

Avg MPG - 36.4

L/100Km - 7.79

Lowest MPG - 33.14

L/100Km - 8.52

Highest MPG - 40.45

L/100Km - 6.98

My driving is mixed city/motorway.

I usually get around 400-450 miles on a tank of petrol.

On one tank, I tried driving ~60 mph motorway and little city driving although it is inevitable. I managed to get 540 miles on a tank. Unfortunately, I couldn't remember how much petrol I put in, so I don't know what my mpg was. I imagine it was around 53 liters of petrol which comes out to about 45mpg, but I am not sure so I haven't included it.

[Arc Angel]

this is what a poster on toyotaownersclub had to say. In SL conditions it might be different

but just to get a rough idea this works i suppose

96 Carina 1.8 Manual

Avg MPG - 36.4

L/100Km - 7.79

Lowest MPG - 33.14

L/100Km - 8.52

Highest MPG - 40.45

L/100Km - 6.98

ok, so lets say an average of 12 -13 kmpl...

my 98 civic does 10 (when not being abused)... I know the sir's do like 7 or 8...

I figured the newer ones (except the 97) did better on fuel... any comments from es drivers?

Edited October 12, 2007 by Arc Angel

[Hiran Ganegedara]

Amen to that. Apart from the 406 and the Carina (both great cars, mind you) I can personally recommend a EK3 or a P11. Having owned both (Current p11) I can safely say you have a winner in both. Trouble free (if you do all service and maintenance on time and without feeling stingy). YOu will see years of trouble free running with a car that any basic garage will be able to help you out with. But my bet is the P11. Loads of fun and reliable.

I'm not that familar with P11 and EK3. Does EK3 provide the same drive confort as Carina? I know that it fits the budget but I've seen EK3s ranging from 0.9 mil to 2.0+ mil. What makes this huge difference?

AFAIK P11 should provide the same level of comfort. Would I be able to buy one within the budget? (I have no idea about P11 prices) Also how much MPG can it give?

[GTAm]

Like u said it must be a problem with that particular carina u've driven because I have driven 3 different carina Ti s which didn't give vibrations over 120.

Yeah right all the carinas doing 160 has speedo errors while all the 406s doing 350 has accurate speedo..

we all know how reliable the electronics in 406 are

Yes honda civic has a better response engine than carina. But is it as comfortable as a carina? Will it give the same mpg as a carina? I don't think so.

Anyway the original post was about 406 and Carina. If the person wanted to buy a honda or a primera he would have included that in the list.

For someone in SL I would recommend a Toyota over a Peugeot any given day. Anyway this gentleman has decided to go for a Ti which I believe the right choice. End of the story.

I think you misundertood me. I never mentioned about a vibration. The Carina or Allion or most Toyotas do not inspire confidence at high speed like a 406 unless the road is very streight and smooth. I request you to jump in from one into the other driving on the same stretch of road and I bet you will agree with me. Maybe you own a Carina and I have offended you. But its natural for everyone to defend the cars they own.

The Honda Accord will be more of a alternative to the Carina than the Civic, which is a class lower. And Accords are good cars, way better to drive than the equalent Toyota IMHO. He probably did not include the Honda or Nissan as he was not aware or no one pointed out the option.

You could be right about the fuel economy though.

Yes I'm sure you'll recomend the Carina and there;s no problem with that. But there are many 406s in SL and many people like them and so it is a very good alternative to the usual obvious choice .

If everyone always took the 'safe' option. Then Toyota would be the only brand in the world as they build efficient and reliable but usually very boring cars.

[GTAm]

Like u said it must be a problem with that particular carina u've driven because I have driven 3 different carina Ti s which didn't give vibrations over 120.

Yeah right all the carinas doing 160 has speedo errors while all the 406s doing 350 has accurate speedo..

we all know how reliable the electronics in 406 are

Yes honda civic has a better response engine than carina. But is it as comfortable as a carina? Will it give the same mpg as a carina? I don't think so.

Anyway the original post was about 406 and Carina. If the person wanted to buy a honda or a primera he would have included that in the list.

For someone in SL I would recommend a Toyota over a Peugeot any given day. Anyway this gentleman has decided to go for a Ti which I believe the right choice. End of the story.

I think you misundertood me. I never mentioned about a vibration. The Carina or Allion or most Toyotas do not inspire confidence at high speed like a 406 unless the road is very streight and smooth. I request you to jump in from one into the other driving on the same stretch of road and I bet you will agree with me. Maybe you own a Carina and I have offended you. But its natural for everyone to defend the cars they own.

The Honda Accord will be more of a alternative to the Carina than the Civic, which is a class lower. And Accords are good cars, way better to drive than the equalent Toyota IMHO. He probably did not include the Honda or Nissan as he was not aware or no one pointed out the option.

You could be right about the fuel economy though.

Yes I'm sure you'll recomend the Carina and there;s no problem with that. But there are many 406s in SL and many people like them and so it is a very good alternative to the usual obvious choice .

If everyone always took the 'safe' option. Then Toyota would be the only brand in the world as they build efficient and reliable but usually very boring cars.

[Arc Angel]

I'm not that familar with P11 and EK3. Does EK3 provide the same drive confort as Carina? I know that it fits the budget but I've seen EK3s ranging from 0.9 mil to 2.0+ mil. What makes this huge difference?

AFAIK P11 should provide the same level of comfort. Would I be able to buy one within the budget? (I have no idea about P11 prices) Also how much MPG can it give?

well, maybe the ek3 is not as comfy as a carina, but the es models should be ... and for your budget, you don't have to stick to a ek3. even the RS would be in that price range, or a 2000+ civic.

on the varience in price, it usually is for the condition and the extras, cos you get SO many aftermarket parts for civics.

don't know much bout P11s...

[GTAm]

[Low risk = Low fun]

True to a point but at the same time if you're getting constant reliability issues etc that's also "Low Fun"

Or even "NO FUN" I guess it depends on each individual's specific need or standard which governs their propensity to risk taking. Sorry for sounding philosophical.

[GTAm]

AFAIK P11 should provide the same level of comfort. Would I be able to buy one within the budget? (I have no idea about P11 prices) Also how much MPG can it give?

I'm quite sure it will fit your budget. Not sure about the MPG though.

[GTAm]

AFAIK P11 should provide the same level of comfort. Would I be able to buy one within the budget? (I have no idea about P11 prices) Also how much MPG can it give?

I'm quite sure it will fit your budget. Not sure about the MPG though.

[Ripper]

I'm quite sure it will fit your budget. Not sure about the MPG though.

Ash has a neat P11... i believe a p11 will do about 6-8Kmpl in colombo and about 10 outstation

[VVTi]

I'm quite sure it will fit your budget. Not sure about the MPG though.

I bought the P11 6 months back for 11. I am the third owner and rarely for a SL car, both owners have used the car very well. Even the mounts were changed at the agents. It was accident free, and all the bits and pieces works. No ABS and no air bags, just the manual tranny coupled to a 2litre engine. Reliability wise, I have had no issues and the previous owner claims that the car never let him down. Ride is very comfy, my BIL has a 212 and i prefer the P11 ride to the 212. Economy wise, one has to consider that IT is a 2 litre car while its not as good as a corolla, i do mange around 8-10 with careful driving. But I can tell you, open roads and gas in the tank, she flies and i so much fun to drive, especially in hilly and roads with bends, Mahiyangana-Kandy road was built for the car!!!! But on the down side, the parts are bit expensive. I recently replaced the complete front suspension with shocks and boots and bushes and it cost me 74. But then I replaced everything OEM. Paraut and 555.

[GTAm]

But on the down side, the parts are bit expensive. I recently replaced the complete front suspension with shocks and boots and bushes and it cost me 74. But then I replaced everything OEM. Paraut and 555.

Is Paraut the OEM brand? Someone advised me against buying that brand for the FB15 our company had a couple of years ago, saying that KYB was the better brand .

I think 74 is a decent price if you replaced everything. There are some Jap cars that will cost more I'm sure. Btw I did the same on my Alfa 156 and it cost me 100k all original "Sachs" dampers and all! I thought it very reasonable for a Euro car .

[Ripper]

Is Paraut the OEM brand? Someone advised me against buying that brand for the FB15 our company had a couple of years ago, saying that KYB was the better brand .

I think 74 is a decent price if you replaced everything. There are some Jap cars that will cost more I'm sure. Btw I did the same on my Alfa 156 and it cost me 100k all original "Sachs" dampers and all! I thought it very reasonable for a Euro car .

Just out of curiosity...

how much will a similar repair cost for Carina????

they say toyota's are the cheapest to maintain there's gotta be some logic behind this thinking or is it for real????