Need Advice Buying My First Car

[DarkangeL]

Hello gents,

I've been lurking around for some time now, reading the posts on the forum, and its quite apparent that lot of people know what they're talking about, so decided to ask for some advice.

I currently drive a Maruti 800, which is my father's car. It's a good car, reliable, economic, but it is neither comfortable nor a very fun car to drive. So I was looking around for a newer Japanese car, and my friends suggested a Suzuki Swift or a Chevrolet Cruze (one of which my friend owns as well). My budget is 1.7 - 1.8 million, and a used Swift goes around for that price, so it seemed a good idea.

One of my initial choice of car was the Toyota Corolla AE 110. But since the car is relatively old, one of my concerns was repairs. I'm not really technically aligned when it comes to cars and I don't really like spending a lot of time in garages. (I drove an old Doctor Sunny for a while and it was breaking down almost every week - drove me crazy.) Hence the choice to go for a newer car.

Although, I am a fan of Honda Civics, (Never owned one, sadly.) and reading around, the EK3 seemed like a decent car. I read somewhere about it having an economy mode or something and how you could drive it without having the petrol meter move around like a tachometer. Some enlightenment on this please?

My driving usually consists of going to work and some trips around Colombo on weekends. I usually travel about 40 - 50 km a day. So my basic requirements are;

Fuel economy

Comfort

Driving ease

Fairly low maintenance

Resale value

The vehicles I've been looking at are;

Suzuki Swift (The Ignis type model)

Chevrolet Cruze

Mazda 323

Honda EK3

Any kind of help will be really appreciated.

Thanks

(BTW : I'm using a friend's account, cause I can't seem to get a proper registration from the site. The validation request doesn't seem to be working properly?)

[charitha19]

first of all..

Peri: think u should look into the whole cant register thing.

both the swift and the cruze share simialr engines if not the same i belive., they give good ecnomy, comes with almost evey option possible including EPS and ABS

but again both of them are not fun to drive.

the mazda ahem ahem,.. will not give u the same ecnomy but pretty much give u something fun to drive..

the ex3 i guess will again give u the fun but not as much fuel ecnomy as the swift or the cruze..

[Pericles]

first of all..

Peri: think u should look into the whole cant register thing.

Thats Admin, Mad'z province. I only moderate forum content.

Also, at your budget, I think the Passat/A4 etc set are available. Also the Proton Gen2 2005 or so models. Just to throw a few options into the mix

Or you could get radical with a properly done up Mini or a Jeep. Budget means you can get a properly done trick pony. Tho the comfort would depend on how large you are They are old, but a properly restored one could be just the ticket to get you lotsa trouble free running.

Edited January 28, 2010 by Pericles

[charitha19]

Thats Admin, Mad'z province. I only moderate forum content.

Also, at your budget, I think the Passat/A4 etc set are available. Also the Proton Gen2 2005 or so models. Just to throw a few options into the mix

Or you could get radical with a properly done up Mini or a Jeep. Budget means you can get a properly done trick pony. Tho the comfort would depend on how large you are They are old, but a properly restored one could be just the ticket to get you lotsa trouble free running.

sorry peri....my bad..

[Supra_Natural]

Hello gents,

I've been lurking around for some time now, reading the posts on the forum, and its quite apparent that lot of people know what they're talking about, so decided to ask for some advice.

Well first of all one of the key things about buying any car really is to ensure that it has had a proper service history (or at least make sure nothing is broken/likely to break in the near future). Even a 15-20 Year old japanese car which has been looked after and had routine maintenance done properly will give many thousands of Km of trouble free running. By the same token a 3 to 5 year old car which has been neglected will break down as much as that doctor sunny! So the first thing you need to do is get hold of a qualified/knowledgeable bloke to come along with you and check out your potential purchase. Also if possible take the car to the relevant agents and get a condition check done. This will save you loads of cash in the long run.

http://www.autolanka.com/ad.asp?ID=19016 here Is something you could look at within that budget. Good fun to drive, generally decent running costs, spacious and fairly comfy.

[SpEeD FrEak]

Hello gents,

I've been lurking around for some time now, reading the posts on the forum, and its quite apparent that lot of people know what they're talking about, so decided to ask for some advice.

I currently drive a Maruti 800, which is my father's car. It's a good car, reliable, economic, but it is neither comfortable nor a very fun car to drive. So I was looking around for a newer Japanese car, and my friends suggested a Suzuki Swift or a Chevrolet Cruze (one of which my friend owns as well). My budget is 1.7 - 1.8 million, and a used Swift goes around for that price, so it seemed a good idea.

One of my initial choice of car was the Toyota Corolla AE 110. But since the car is relatively old, one of my concerns was repairs. I'm not really technically aligned when it comes to cars and I don't really like spending a lot of time in garages. (I drove an old Doctor Sunny for a while and it was breaking down almost every week - drove me crazy.) Hence the choice to go for a newer car.

Although, I am a fan of Honda Civics, (Never owned one, sadly.) and reading around, the EK3 seemed like a decent car. I read somewhere about it having an economy mode or something and how you could drive it without having the petrol meter move around like a tachometer. Some enlightenment on this please?

My driving usually consists of going to work and some trips around Colombo on weekends. I usually travel about 40 - 50 km a day. So my basic requirements are;

Fuel economy

Comfort

Driving ease

Fairly low maintenance

Resale value

The vehicles I've been looking at are;

Suzuki Swift (The Ignis type model)

Chevrolet Cruze

Mazda 323

Honda EK3

Any kind of help will be really appreciated.

Thanks

(BTW : I'm using a friend's account, cause I can't seem to get a proper registration from the site. The validation request doesn't seem to be working properly?)

if you are a Honda Fan Go for a VTEC ek3,VIRS or City VTEC

Fuel economy

Honda Ek3 VTEC doe about 9-11 in city and about 13-14 outstation.VIRS would do less or the same amount

CiTY VTEC does 10-13kmpl in the City and About 14-16kmpl Outstation.

Comfort

VIRS has stiffer suspension but handles well.

Ek3 VTEC is comfy than the VIRS (Minus Low profiles)

The CIty also comfy but not as the EK3 because of its lightweight

Drive ease

Hondas are Fun to drive,The City would be quite easier to drive because it is little bit smaller than the EK3,But handling wise EK3 ViRS is the best out the the 3mentioned

Maintenance

The parts of the city would be little bit cheaper than the 1s of the EK3.If your going for a Multimatic it would be little bit expensive.

Normal service(every 5k kms) would cost about rs6000

Resale value

It stays constant most of the time.A lot of factors affect it such as, the way its used,Extras,Body condition,engine condition etc

If you maintain any cal well it will surely have a good resale value.

Edited January 28, 2010 by SpEeD FrEak

[SpEeD FrEak]

Out of the other Cars u've mentioned the 323 is better (My choice)

It has more headroom,Legroom,Boot space compared to the other two

It is also handles better and is comfier than the Swift and the Cruze too

I hope Mazda Club boys will let u know about its maintenance costs,Fuel economy etc

[Harry (aq)]

Why dont you give a thought abot Mitsubishi Lancer CS1 CS2 or CS3 (2001-2003)

I use a CS2 EFI whoch does abt 12 - 12.5 km/l in city limit and does 16 km/l easily on long distance.

You can buy one for around 14k - 15.5k secondhand

In my openion it is very good value for money.

[Chris0628]

i would advice on a Civic EK3.... As SpEeD FrEak mentioned... it's a good car... spare parts are not that expensive as ppl might think or say ..

if someone starts going on abt how Honda Civic is so expensive to maintain...blah blah blah... just ask if they have actually maintained one and most of the time the answer would be NO ....

for example... i changed the shock for 6500 each (Brand New) ...

full timing belt replacement with parts @ the Agent was 14k ....

suspension might be a bit more exp than let's say a toyota corolla...Why ???... that's cos the civic has a more complex suspension (more components) than a corolla, thus you spend a bit more to repair it... but it has way better handling than a toyota corolla for sure

Corolla fans.. don't get me wrong... but i'd go for a EK3 over a 121 any day

it's a very good car.. handles well, comfy, looks good too and if you are into mods, then you have millions of options to modify you baby

maintain it on time, used it carefully & it will run & run & run and you will deff enjoy driving it.

[SpEeD FrEak]

i would advice on a Civic EK3.... As SpEeD FrEak mentioned... it's a good car... spare parts are not that expensive as ppl might think or say ..

if someone starts going on abt how Honda Civic is so expensive to maintain...blah blah blah... just ask if they have actually maintained one and most of the time the answer would be NO ....

for example... i changed the shock for 6500 each (Brand New) ...

full timing belt replacement with parts @ the Agent was 14k ....

suspension might be a bit more exp than let's say a toyota corolla...Why ???... that's cos the civic has a more complex suspension (more components) than a corolla, thus you spend a bit more to repair it... but it has way better handling than a toyota corolla for sure

Corolla fans.. don't get me wrong... but i'd go for a EK3 over a 121 any day

it's a very good car.. handles well, comfy, looks good too and if you are into mods, then you have millions of options to modify you baby

maintain it on time, used it carefully & it will run & run & run and you will deff enjoy driving it.

true mchn. Can get these things done for even Less at Upul's garage so its not expensive to maintain.

[Ripper]

i would advice on a Civic EK3.... As SpEeD FrEak mentioned... it's a good car... spare parts are not that expensive as ppl might think or say ..

if someone starts going on abt how Honda Civic is so expensive to maintain...blah blah blah... just ask if they have actually maintained one and most of the time the answer would be NO ....

for example... i changed the shock for 6500 each (Brand New) ...

full timing belt replacement with parts @ the Agent was 14k ....

suspension might be a bit more exp than let's say a toyota corolla...Why ???... that's cos the civic has a more complex suspension (more components) than a corolla, thus you spend a bit more to repair it... but it has way better handling than a toyota corolla for sure

Corolla fans.. don't get me wrong... but i'd go for a EK3 over a 121 any day

it's a very good car.. handles well, comfy, looks good too and if you are into mods, then you have millions of options to modify you baby

maintain it on time, used it carefully & it will run & run & run and you will deff enjoy driving it.

well all those things going for the ek3 applies to the p11 as well... i think supra had made a comment on the p11

and i dont see anybody trying to compare your ek3 to a 121 in fact nobody so far has even suggested a toyota let alone a 121

ek3 has it's own benefits and so does the 121...

[SpEeD FrEak]

well all those things going for the ek3 applies to the p11 as well... i think supra had made a comment on the p11

and i dont see anybody trying to compare your ek3 to a 121 in fact nobody so far has even suggested a toyota let alone a 121

ek3 has it's own benefits and so does the 121...

Mchn P11 is 2000cc does lil bit less on fuel than the Ek3

[Pericles]

Mchn P11 is 2000cc does lil bit less on fuel than the Ek3

The P11 comes in more than 1 engine option. Just so you know.

[Chris0628]

well all those things going for the ek3 applies to the p11 as well... i think supra had made a comment on the p11

and i dont see anybody trying to compare your ek3 to a 121 in fact nobody so far has even suggested a toyota let alone a 121

ek3 has it's own benefits and so does the 121...

Just my feedback machan... since the Corolla is the most popular in SL

[SpEeD FrEak]

The P11 comes in more than 1 engine option. Just so you know.

ah ryt mchn.But below 2000cc would be underpowered for the Primera nah

[Supra_Natural]

ah ryt mchn.But below 2000cc would be underpowered for the Primera nah

no it wouldnt.

[SpEeD FrEak]

no it wouldnt.

ah ryt

By the way thankx Peri and Supernatural for making me aware of these things

This site and the members made me learn something new everyday :grinning-smiley-003:

Edited January 29, 2010 by SpEeD FrEak

[MkX]

As said above Mitsubishi also good option. However my first preference is EK3 then 323 (most say it's much comfortable than EK3). However P11 is much nice looking and exclusive looking alternative. Go for it if you can.

Talking about P11 Vs EK3 i was very stressfull decision for my to deside to go for P11 or EK3 few months ago. But after all reseach and memeber from forum also what i learnt is only draw back was fuel consumption.

P11 has 2.0L and 1.8L engines compare to 1.5L engine of EK3. It had all i wanted, but opted for EK3 and now i'm getting average 12-14 in my daily run in EK3 compare to 8-11 which i heard P11 does.

[esdeez]

How about breaking the norm and going for something european? It would certainly be more fun to drive than most things japanese (No disrespect) and comfort should also be second to non. And picked well one could offer you many miles of trouble free motoring.

Perhaps my reasoning is a little short sighted, but I'd pick something like a good used 3 series over a swift any day. And It'll impress your mates.

[isurujosh]

How about breaking the norm and going for something european? It would certainly be more fun to drive than most things japanese (No disrespect) and comfort should also be second to non. And picked well one could offer you many miles of trouble free motoring.

Perhaps my reasoning is a little short sighted, but I'd pick something like a good used 3 series over a swift any day. And It'll impress your mates.

what is the going rate of an e36 in very good condition?

[fuzzo]

e36 starts from about 12 and up. the cars in decent shape go closer to 15

[isurujosh]

e36 starts from about 12 and up. the cars in decent shape go closer to 15

i have seen that most e36s we have are 318 versions. are those faster than Primera P11?

[shanX]

The P11 comes in more than 1 engine option. Just so you know.

Talking about Primeras, this friend of mine was curious about a P11, is there a 1.5L engine version on these cars?

[esdeez]

Talking about Primeras, this friend of mine was curious about a P11, is there a 1.5L engine version on these cars?

No. Just 1.6 and 2.0 Petrol, as well as a 2.0 diesel

[isurujosh]

No. Just 1.6 and 2.0 Petrol, as well as a 2.0 diesel

more like 1.8 and 2.0 petrol i guess.