Good thing you didnt say conquest there mate otherwise you might be eating your words in good time :P
jps - I would for sure wait until April before buying either (it is still kinda unclear what the go with the new corolla is), however if the choice does come down to Sportivo vs Levin, judging on your criteria I would advise the levin for the simple reason of build quality. If you are doing long trips...how much do you think you are going to use LIFT? Is it worth sacrificing the chance that you are driving along with 250,000 kms on the odo in a few years time and having your passenger door fall off?
If you REALLY want performance though and arent the type who is into heavily modifying cars then the stivo will be better bang for buck for sure. Understandably now you would be leaning towards the stivo (I know i would for the extra juice hehe) but you don't want to be regretting your decision a few years down the track, especially if anything goes wrong with the only good point of the car (motor) as they are somewhat costly. With the levin you could blow the motor, break all the synchros in the gearbox, slam the doors, etc and things can easily be replaced with minimal cost years down the track. Same goes to all the sportivo owners here, i would be looking to palm off those cars as soon as the mechanics start showing signs of significant wear because parts will be very hard to acquire in a few years time ;)
And for the record my conquest has 80,000ks on it, has taken a godly beating, has never had ONE problem with it (its 4.5 years old) and still goes strong.
Woohoo someone who actually understands the difference in cost down the track. Well said mate
For your info on the south african build quality just go and ask any of the toyota machanics and they will tell you about the loss they made with the sportivo and how much they wish they made then in japan.
Liek minto ssaid. With the levin you can blow ur engine in a few years and pick one up for 800 bucks. There is more 1ZZ corollas on the road then commos now.
All depends on what you want out of your car.... lift or reliabilty