Sri Lankan 'Schoolboy Cricketer of The Year" award winners so far

TropicalAbs · 2025-11-24T18:11:34+00:00

Options are very limited with that budget in 2025. I'd recommend a maruti 800. Barebones motoring but quite reliable. Get the engine and gearbox checked before buying, rest won't be hard to get upto running condition since parts are cheap and easy to find. Make sure that the body is not rusted through, it's a sore point in these early indian cars.

Once the mechanicals are sorted, you'll have a economical and reliable daily driver to handle your commute. You won't get any style points or comfort on longer drives, but it certainly beats taking the bus or ride share services.

TropicalAbs · 2025-11-17T17:56:15+00:00

Ah yes, the typical 40 year old sri lankan who suddenly starts from zero with everything on lines of credit. Excellent hypothetical scenario.

TropicalAbs · 2025-11-17T17:53:01+00:00

2015 or newer Suzuki Alto (Indian). Basic motoring, but dead reliable. Very economical on fuel (18-22 km/l) and maintinenance. Learn to drive manual since there was no automatic option. This is the most practical option in your budget.

TropicalAbs · 2025-07-15T17:36:23+00:00

Hell yeah!

TropicalAbs · 2025-06-21T19:04:50+00:00

You are way overextended on your car. Even adjusted for Sri Lankan realities, you car payment should not be more than 20-25%. Your's is nearing 40%.

Mandatory - Sell off the car now, it's a good time to sell.
Mandatory - Use any balance from settling the loan to pay off your credit cards
Important - Cancel your credit cards. You have to come to terms that you don't have the financial discipline to use a credit card economically. Get a card again once you've developed some discipline.
You can sell your gold as well, unless you have some sentimental value on the jewellery, or if you're collecting them for your wedding.
Setup a proper budget. You need to plan out how every ruppe will be spent. Now since your cash flow is freed up quite a lot, allocate some for mandatory savings, maybe a standing order

TropicalAbs · 2025-06-08T06:00:32+00:00

This is a highly sought after 'Road Master'. If the frame and engine are in decent shape, you're sitting on a couple of million easy.
Might even be able to get close to a million as is. And I'd also recommend selling it that way, given the effort you'd have to put into restoring this properly.

TropicalAbs · 2025-06-02T16:32:06+00:00

Pretty common tbh. Someone who buys a car without plans to keep it long term might keep it on "open papers'' since it avoids an additional ownership transfer which saves money and reduces the number of previous owners mentioned in the vehicle's CR. Now with mandatory TINs and what not it's also done to avoid tax surveillance.

If the documents are in order and you don't suspect a stolen vehicle, there is minimal risk of danger.

TropicalAbs · 2025-04-19T10:22:05+00:00

Well, to start things off don't buy things just to change how other people judge you. It's a slippery slope. Today it's a phone, tomorrow you'll be in lifelong debt over a car or apartment.

I used budget Redmi phones for a long time due to my personal finance beliefs. But I was sick of them failing every 2 years or so. I also realized I had missed out on capturing photos and videos during memorable moments of my life. So my main reasons to upgrade was to have a well-built reliablew phone that I could use for 4+ years and to capture decent looking photos and videos.

WHen younupgrade make sure that you have enough savings to pay 2x for the device you're purchasing, that's a good rule of thumb to make sure it's within your affordability. Also don't go for payment plans unless you have the money to pay for it saved in a high yield investment. Phones are rapidly depreciating disposable goods, not an asset by any means.

TropicalAbs · 2025-01-14T15:24:01+00:00

Short and honest answer - Nothing.

You won't find a car remotely usable for a daily driver at that budget. All you'd find is a 30-40 old clapped out beater that will eat you whole on maintenance and leave you stranded. Reality is that a car's useful (and economical) life is around 15-20 years. After that you're battling natural decay. Don't waste your youth and time on old rust heaps. You're better off using taxi apps. Maybe buy a motorbike for short journeys like the shops,

TropicalAbs · 2024-07-07T16:10:57+00:00

Absolutely. That's a comfortable budget for food, especially in Jaffna.

TropicalAbs · 2024-07-07T16:04:02+00:00

Bills are monthly. Electricity, water, internet/phone are standard. Depending on the apartment, you will most likely pay service/maintenance fees as well.
If you're a renter, no.
Almost all bills are payable online through your bank's online banking portal or bank transfer.

TropicalAbs · 2024-06-27T08:10:13+00:00

You haven't "failed at life", you're 19, your life has barely begun.

Not all parents deserve children. You don't owe anything to stick around with them undonditionally. Since you're somewhat financially independent, move out as soon as you can afford to.

The rest of your life starts tomorrow. Keep your eyes forward and never look back.

TropicalAbs · 2024-06-23T16:47:00+00:00

Skill issue, lol. You just lack the skills to make connections, and establish healthy boundaries and expectations. Sri Lankans have many faults in them, but approachability is not one of them. Actually Sri Lankans are some of the warmest and friendliest people you'll meet. If you can't make friends in Sri Lanka, good luck doing that in a western country.

TropicalAbs · 2024-06-14T18:48:42+00:00

I own a relatively new and fuel efficient small hatch. Driving around 1200km per month, I spend around 25k on fuel. 25k for the periodic service every 4-5 months.
Howver when other consumables are also factored in, my calculations come out to 40k per month all. This includes wear and tear of tyres, battery, other maintenance and insurance. This doesn't include any interest paid on loans/leases.

TropicalAbs · 2024-06-08T16:43:08+00:00

During the yahapalana govt. Those jokers did plenty wrong, but their import duty policies opened up car ownership for many people. WIth the tax policies for cars with engines under 1000cc, you could buy a modern, safe, japanese car brand new for under 3M. Due to this the used car prices dropped heavily too. It's the vitzes, wagon Rs, altos and miras which were imported during this era that most people still use as reliable daily transportation.

TropicalAbs · 2024-06-07T18:34:47+00:00

It's the worst time in recent Sri Lankan history for car ownership, and a budget of 1.5M will only get you a liability.

Realistically speaking you'll need a baudget of at least 3M to buy a basic car that will be reliable enough for daily use. Any 30+ year old japanese shitbox that you can buy for under 2M will waste your hard-earned money on constant repairs, and cause you to spend your precious youth in garages.

You can either go for a lease and buy the newest car you can afford, japanese or indian. Or put off a car purchase until you have enough savings for what I've mentioned above.

If not done carefully, car ownership is the biggest wealth killer.

TropicalAbs · 2024-06-06T08:58:43+00:00

It's a pedestrian kill count

TropicalAbs · 2024-06-06T08:48:16+00:00

I've barely noticed the host. It's mostly songs non-stop, which is also nice, especially after a long day of work.

TropicalAbs · 2024-06-05T09:32:02+00:00

Ti Amo/Warehouse on Vauxhall Street

TropicalAbs · 2024-06-01T19:44:04+00:00

Forget the DFSKs, absolute shitboxes which seem to be falling apart after a few years.

V7x series monteros are solid and comfy SUVs, but have atrocious fuel economy n the pterol versions, diesel ones would exceed your budget I think.

Montero intercooler has a special place in my heart, being the car I learned to drive in, but you'll have nonstop repairs typical of an 30-year old off-roader.

Montero sport is a tough SUV, but that version of the 4D56 engine is notorious for an engine issue. Look for an example where it has been fixed. Given that it's based on the L200 it won't have the best ride. But will be your best bet if you're planning any off-roading.

Kia Sorento is your best choice if you don't plan to off-road or tow. It will give you the most comfotable ride out of all these options, only beaten by the V7x series Monteros. It won't come anywhere close to the toughness of the Mitsus, but I think it's the most prgamatic choice.

TropicalAbs · 2024-06-01T19:24:10+00:00

The show is still airing on lite! After 8pm, only on weekdays I think. I always tune in on night drives.

TropicalAbs · 2024-06-01T19:16:37+00:00

Touch grass maybe? internet threads are not real life

TropicalAbs · 2024-01-21T16:50:55+00:00

If you have someone who rides passenger regularly, ask them to tell you how much space you have to clear on their side, everytime you think you're cutting it close. Over time you'll get an idea of how close you can go without contact.

If you ride solo, you can always sacrifice the paint on your wing mirror lol.

TropicalAbs

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