Hi Ozbargain family,
I have a young bub, and planning to get a car, budget around $36000.
Prefer to get a small car.
Want to make good use of the end of financial year offers.
Can not make up mind of getting Mini Cooper (5 door) or Mercedes Benz B180.
Any comments? Any experience with the two?
Many thanks!
Badge means everything huh…?
You're kidding yourself if you think a Mini Cooper will comfortably fit a rear facing child seat and have room for the pram in the back!
mini cooper with 5 door
For $36k you can get a lot more suitable cars for your money, without needing a Euro badge
But seriously, Euro cars are so much nicer than Asian cars. The interior difference is remarkable, even shitty VWs have better interiors than the best Mazdas.
A Mini Cooper certainly doesn't offer more for a growing family though, nor does it offer better features. It screams mid-life crisis though, like a "oh damn I wasn't able to buy this car before I had kids, shit I had better get it now" type of thing.
(I didn't neg you btw)
@Spackbace: I think a mini 5 door would be fine. At least it isn't some bland buzz box, it has a semblance of style.
I am surprised you're not suggesting something from the Jeep range… Though has to be a 4WD, can't have any of these 2WDs getting purchased!
@Spackbace: There is nothing good or practical in the Jeep range at this price. Don't confuse my recommendations with fanboyism.
I'm not sure why you were down-voted.
I couldn't agree more that 'Euro cars are so much nicer than Asian cars'.
If you said that 'Euro cars are so more reliable or cheaper to service than Asian cars' I'd down vote you myself.
I once said to a female colleague of mine who owns a 2011 Mini Cooper.
Tom: "I like your car!"
She: "Are you kidding me? This thing has never not been broken. I can't wait to get rid of it"
And she did before she moved to Dubai 2 years ago.
Make it of what you will.
Neither of them! Get something practical and economical like a Suzuki Vitara or Mitsubishi ASX.
get a VW Tiguan
With a baby, I'm assuming you want a safe car.
I generally would recommend at least a medium sized car, however if you want a smallish european car that is safe, I'd recommend a Volvo V40 Petrol.
You can get them on sale for $36,888 drive away with 3 years free servicing without twisting their arm. I'm sure you could do even better.
You can get the Diesel or Petrol turbo for the same price, I'd recommend the Petrol as I don't like small Diesels. Diesels also have higher servicing costs and more issues.
Just wait, maybe at some point your in laws will get you a Maserati Ghibli…
It does happen.. Apparently…
What are you talking about?
Yeah, but you have to watch out for the damn gardener
I've never driven either but do own a WRX 4 door sedan which has tonnes of ISOFIX child safety seat anchor points. Have used it to fit baby seats.
Looks like the Mini can fit baby seats:
http://www.edmunds.com/mini/cooper/2014/long-term-road-test/…
If you are considering buying a sporty car as your family car then its ESSENTIAL to test fit your baby seat/capsule before buying. The reason is that many of the sports cars have curved seats designed to contour a human body. That's makes them terrible for securely fitting a baby seat.
Every baby seat is different and every sports car has different seats. You won't know which car fits your gear best until you try it.
…and test fit the pram. Is the pram, nappy bag, all the kid's stuff (extra change of clothes, toys, 'emergency' blankets/towels…) AND all your grocery shopping going to fit in the boot?
Hard to go wrong with a Ford Focus Titanium if you're a keen driver.
http://www.carsales.com.au/demo/details/Ford-Focus-2016/OAG-…
A Ford Kuga might be more suitable considering you may have a pram.
http://www.carsales.com.au/bncis/details/Ford-Kuga-2016/OAG-…
2009 Toyota Camry
I get that you want something with personality and nice interior. My fiancé wants a cooper too.
But for a family. Why not a Golf?
If must be between those two I'd go cooper. The B class is horrible. I also got one as a loaner (both the 180 and 200) and I felt miserable each time.
Also consider the Audi and BMW equivalents in that size segment. The German manufacturer all have similar cars nowadays at pretty much the same price points.
I got a brand new B180 when I took my old man's car in for a service. It was the worst loaner car and worst Benz I have ever driven. Its engine was so underpowered that it felt like something from the 1980s, and the interior was not up to par compared to every other Mercedes model. The only thing it had going for it was a clever use of space. I was given a B200 previously, which still had the shit interior (albeit an up spec version which bordered on acceptable), but the engine was considerably better in every way. Personally, I would stretch to $40k and get an A200, which although slightly smaller than a B class, is a much nicer place to sit. I would also strongly consider this specific car:
http://www.carsales.com.au/dealer/details/Audi-A3-2015/OAG-A…
It's a bit bigger than all of your suggestions, as it is a sedan shape, but still a small car. The VW 1.4 engine is actually pretty good (much better than the Merc 180 engine), and it has a much nicer interior.