Reliable car for under 9mil

[Tharusha Amarasooriya]

I'm looking for a car under 8.5mil
Main priority is reliability because our current vehicle(Stingray) is causing a lot of expenses with repairs. Everything else(Fuel efficiency/Comfort) is interchangeable.

At the moment I'm looking into:

• Honda Civic(I don't have much of an idea about different types of FDs, so some insight on that would be nice) 
• Honda Fit GP5
• Honda Insight
• Suzuki Baleno
• Toyota Aqua
• Toyota Allion 260
• Toyota Vitz
• Toyota Axio
• Toyota Prius

Im also interested in EVs but i havent found any reliable EVs around this price range.

please let me know if i missed any key details. 
Any advice is very much appreciated as I'm not much of a car guy, Thank you very much

[sathyajithj99]

7 hours ago, Tharusha Amarasooriya said:

I'm looking for a car under 8.5mil
Main priority is reliability because our current vehicle(Stingray) is causing a lot of expenses with repairs. Everything else(Fuel efficiency/Comfort) is interchangeable.

At the moment I'm looking into:

• Honda Civic(I don't have much of an idea about different types of FDs, so some insight on that would be nice) 
• Honda Fit GP5
• Honda Insight
• Suzuki Baleno
• Toyota Aqua
• Toyota Allion 260
• Toyota Vitz
• Toyota Axio
• Toyota Prius

Im also interested in EVs but i havent found any reliable EVs around this price range.

please let me know if i missed any key details. 
Any advice is very much appreciated as I'm not much of a car guy, Thank you very much

If you also consider brand new vehicles, add Perodua Axia and Bezza to the list 

[matroska]

15 hours ago, Tharusha Amarasooriya said:

I'm looking for a car under 8.5mil
Main priority is reliability because our current vehicle(Stingray) is causing a lot of expenses with repairs. Everything else(Fuel efficiency/Comfort) is interchangeable.

At the moment I'm looking into:

• Honda Civic(I don't have much of an idea about different types of FDs, so some insight on that would be nice) 
• Honda Fit GP5
• Honda Insight
• Suzuki Baleno
• Toyota Aqua
• Toyota Allion 260
• Toyota Vitz
• Toyota Axio
• Toyota Prius

Im also interested in EVs but i havent found any reliable EVs around this price range.

please let me know if i missed any key details. 
Any advice is very much appreciated as I'm not much of a car guy, Thank you very much

Some of these cars are much older than your stingray and reliability can be hit or miss. It all epends on how well the previous owners have kept them.

The nicest car of the lot would be Civic FD1/FD4 - but cannot comment on reliability. 

GP5's Aqua's are now 10 years old throwing up different issues - DCT on the GP5, ABS and battery issues on the aqua. 

Axios ,Prius's and allions have now been abused beyond salvation - forget them. 

A bland choice would be the Vitz. Your budget will get you a 2019 with cash to spare - it's a dead basic car so very little to go wrong. You'll welcome the space compared to the Sting ray, gadget wise it's as simple as it gets. Whiny engine and a CVT box - not a performer but a modest A-B runner with some decent cabin space. A tad above your budget you might even land a 2023ish Yaris (KSP210) 

As @sathyajithj99 mentioned - you can also get the Perodua Bezza - it's a decent sedan, does good on fuel. Slightly underpowered, car is very basic, As i remember doesn't even have retractable mirrors - but then again it's in your budget, comes with agent warranty so might be the best bet. Brand new - costs 8.5 Million exactly

 

Considering what you mentioned 

 

16 hours ago, Tharusha Amarasooriya said:

Main priority is reliability

 

16 hours ago, Tharusha Amarasooriya said:

I'm not much of a car guy

Perodua Bezza - Overwhelmingly obvious choice.  Basic car - very little to go wrong. Agent backs up with warranty -and by experience the agent for Perodua is one of the better agents in Sri Lanka. 

Runner Up - Vitz. Get an inspection done before you buy - might be one with accident repairs etc. 6 years old might throw some issues a bit down the line but fixing a vitz is a lot simpler and cheaper. 

Second Runner Up - Baleno nicer than the Vitz the 1000cc comes with a turbo. The boosterjet turbo's are not notorious but still one more part to go wrong (compared to the Vitz) 

[iRage]

7 hours ago, Tharusha Amarasooriya said:

 @matroska @sathyajithj99 Thank you both a lot, I initially thought the Bezza was not as reliable just because of the brand name. 

Just came across the Perodua Bezza G 2025, will definitely a look into this and the Baleno.
Once again Thank you so much.d

I too would vote for the Bezza. Underpinnings are tried and tested. Comes with manufacturer warranty and zero prev owner hiccups...to be honest for your budget I would say this would be a no brainer if what you want is a decent A to B car. Yes it is not flashy but think of it as a car from a period when cars were cars (you know the AE100 Corolla, Doctor Sunny, etc....era).

Vitz...yes go for it if you find a decent one and you just want an econo A to B transportation. Again, finding a decent, unmolested example is going to take time and patience (just like the Axio, Allion, etc..). Also, the 1L Vitz is a dead dog of an engine. If you are lucky enough to get your hands on one of a handful of 1.5L petrol or 1.5L Hybrid ones..then yeah go for it.  Secondly, the VItzies in SL are basic because 99% of what were brought down were basic, low-spec models and then locally fitted with stereos and alloy wheels (to reduce taxes). Same goes for the new Yaris. 1L engine sucks. Basic-low trims. At least the Yaris has a bit more creature comforts than the Vitz even in base form.

Baleno....well...not the most refined car. The 1st gen is quite reminiscent of the old Swift and Alto Maruti used to do..unenven panel gaps, poor interior stitching, bottle cap like plastics (there was a reason why the car completely flunked in Japan). On the plus side, mechanically it is decent. Just make sure that the car is worth the price in the local market. 

[matroska]

1 hour ago, iRage said:

the VItzies in SL are basic because 99% of what were brought down were basic, low-spec models and then locally fitted with stereos and alloy wheels

1 hour ago, iRage said:

Also, the 1L Vitz is a dead dog of an engine

This would apply to the Bezza too - it is quite basic and the 1L  engine  means it is a bit sluggish but the plus point for OP would be he's getting an unmolested fresh car with tried and tested internals for around the same price as the Vitz. 

[Tharusha Amarasooriya]

 @matroska @sathyajithj99 Thank you both a lot, I initially thought the Bezza was not as reliable just because of the brand name. 

Just came across the Perodua Bezza G 2025, will definitely a look into this and the Baleno.
Once again Thank you so much.d

[Tharusha Amarasooriya]

3 hours ago, iRage said:

I too would vote for the Bezza. 

I see, Im more inclined to get the 2025 Bezza G, I like the way it looks for some reason. Would you say the Bezza is a more comfortable ride(Power and comfort) than the Stingray?

3 hours ago, iRage said:

Also, the 1L Vitz is a dead dog of an engine.

I really dont want another vehicle that can barely climb a hill. I had my fair share of that with the Stingray

3 hours ago, iRage said:

Baleno....well...not the most refined car. The 1st gen is quite reminiscent of the old Swift and Alto Maruti used to do..unenven panel gaps, poor interior stitching, bottle cap like plastics (there was a reason why the car completely flunked in Japan). On the plus side, mechanically it is decent. Just make sure that the car is worth the price in the local market. 

I would not have guessed the baleno to be this problematic. Seems like the newer vehicles will always have the edge on reliability over the ones that has been roaming for awhile. 

Thank you for the information @iRage

 

Edited October 15 by Tharusha Amarasooriya
spelling

[iRage]

9 hours ago, matroska said:

This would apply to the Bezza too - it is quite basic and the 1L  engine  means it is a bit sluggish but the plus point for OP would be he's getting an unmolested fresh car with tried and tested internals for around the same price as the Vitz. 

Also, I would say the Bezza, depending on the spec, is a bit more well equipped than most of the Vitzies around town (I am talking about the stock/factory features...not the Darley road Chinese add-ons).

 

Edited October 15 by iRage

[iRage]

8 hours ago, Tharusha Amarasooriya said:

I see, Im more inclined to get the 2025 Bezza G, I like the way it looks for some reason. Would you say the Bezza is a more comfortable ride(Power and comfort) than the Stingray?

Yes...more capable than the StingRay and spacey as well.

8 hours ago, Tharusha Amarasooriya said:

I really dont want another vehicle that can barely climb a hill. I had my fair share of that with the Stingray

Power wise both the 1L Bezza and the 1L Vitz are more or less the same. There is a difference of about 1hp and a few Nm of torque mainly due to fuel tuning. THey both use the same base 1KR engine. The thing is the Bezza is slightly lighter than the Vitz. If memory serves me right a Bezza (G) is about 880 (890 ?) kg and the Vitz is about 960 (970?) kg. So the car feels abit more peppier than the Vitz. Now granted the Vitz is heavier because it does have additional safety features (which are both in-built to the frame of the car as well as add-ons) as standard that you do not get in the Bezza.

 

8 hours ago, Tharusha Amarasooriya said:

would not have guessed the baleno to be this problematic. Seems like the newer vehicles will always have the edge on reliability over the ones that has been roaming for awhile. 

I would not call it problematic. I would just call it cheaply built. The refinement was not on par of what the Japanese market wanted. So it flunked in Japan. But it was exactly what was needed for the Indian market and some other similar markets...cheap and functional. In fact Toyota sells the Baleno with Starlet and Glanza badges stuck on it in some markets.