Hi I'm looking for a car that includes somewhat of the following:
-under $30k
-relatively new
-Low kms
-sedan (5 seater & 4 door)
-packs a punch with power and torque
-long term reliability
-manual
-biggish boot
-technology in car relatively modern
no Holdens or Fords
Mazda 3 has a very small boot
Toyota Aurion
First thing crossed my mind
OP mentioned manual transmission
its a fantasy wish list, can't have everything on it!
Falcon XR6 and Commodore SV6 are both far superior to Aurion if you actually enjoy driving. The fact the OP refuses to consider them is a bit sad and typical of the snob factor that is prevalent today.
Definitely Toyota Aurion is your car.
Powerful?
Depends, if powerful is defined as V6.
Relatively… LOL.. 200kw from one of the best motors ever put in a motor vehicle. Being coupled to their bullet proof auto transmission just makes it sweeter. You can drive this in semi manual mode. I note you want a manual but with this transmission you will not miss the manual.
Very easy to speed in these machines so be prepared to make a few donations to the govt if you are not careful.
(not hard to tell it is school holidays from some of the comments being posted on here)
Never owned a Toyota in my life but suggested it cause it meets almost all of the criteria. $20k is not the best budget for OP wanting so many features
OP did state powerful as a criteria. Mazda 3's are powerful if you are 80 years old
Take a chill pill, seriously OP didn't specify the points as the gospel and is really just looking for suggestions.
Honestly this why I hate participating in car discussion, always an arrogant prick who thinks they own the joint. What, did the the sight of someone suggesting a Toyota errk off your testosterone levels or something?
There's nothing arrogant about pointing out obvious things.
The guy wants a manual and you have suggested an Auto.
"Definitely Toyota Aurion is your car." is a pretty strong conclusion and it was simply met with a pretty strong rebuttal.
Reread the OP: "somewhat of the following" does not suggest a requirement, just some parameters, especially parameters that aren't specified by importance at the time of my post. The only person with "reading issues" was the prick.
Also if calling someone a 'fanboi' unprovoked isn't arrogance then you must have a warped sense of internet etiquette around here.
Who cares? OP said no Holdens or Fords, so he's going to end up with a FWD; who cares if a FWD comes in auto or manual.
Subaru WRX :)
Not for long term reliability though
Or size…
My first brand new WRX 2001, kept for 12 years, never had problem with it,never miss a beat.
My second brand new WRX 2015,turbo,AWD,Manual,love it :)
How about you,have you ever driven or own a WRX ?
Oh i have not driven one but a friend of mine owned one and in 1 year he had spent approximately 5k on fixing, especially electrical part. That id the reason of my comment
And for a million bucks what would you get? What about two mill?
And here is the kicker, what would you get if only 20 grand in your pocket?
^ this
reading seems to be an issue on this thread………….
I think a few too many people starting early football finals celebrations…..Ha ha
I seriously don't know why you even bother to make comments such as these.
Skoda Octavia or VW Jetta might tick most boxes except realibility or maybe not for manual. Only DSG had most issues.
Octavia comes in manual and is a great car.
Under $30k for sure and you can get all the bells and whistles in a tech pack.
Also one of the biggest boots in it's class.
And if the OP shop for a used Octavia RS it can be had in either manual or DSG with a powerful 16k2kw engine without going over his budget. The DSG on that model is the 6-speed wet clutch that doesn't suffer with all the issues of its dry clutch counterpart. By far the best option here IMHO.
Read reviews and make sure to do a test drive, I doubt very much OP would disappointed.
The 6 speed wet clutch DSG is expensive to maintain as it need frequent servicing and oil change.
Skoda has capped service and even an option to buy all services + parts for 5 years (I think) for 5K but that's VERY negotiable in my experience
@educalifa: I own a skoda yeti (6 speed DGS) . The capped price service for 60k kms is $1100 + oil.
Also as you said 5k for five services is still very high for me.
Agreed…. people hear capped priced servicing and think its cheap!
Ford/VW have what I call costly 'capped priced services' like your example, Toyota do the true cheap ~$130 services while capped up to 70k
@apple2016: Wife's mazda3 cost nearly a grand a year in maintenance… and it's only its first year and a half (1st service is free, same as Skoda) 5k over 5 years really isnt that bad. And like I said, it's negoatiable. I got mine for 2.9k
@Colombian: This will depend on how many k's you do in a year… she travels a fair bit for work so it's never just the one service unfortunately.
@educalifa: capped price maybe, but not cheap! Toyota does a service including all parts and labour for $130.
In the 'old days' what you call capped price, this was just called a quote. You ring up for a 60k service and it was xyz price including parts/labour. Now days dealers called it 'capped price'. but still costs $600!
Agree with a late model Octavia RS with 162TSI engine. The issue is that you will need to stretch your budget by 2-3k.
Mazda 3 SP25 because you want a manual. Otherwise Toyota Aurion is your best bet.
I don't know why everyone is going spastic for a Toyota Aurion - it's not a BAD car but there are other options out there for under $30k
Skoda Octavia with Tech Pack in Diesel
Skoda Octavia with Tech Pack in Petrol Turbo
Renault Megane GT220
Those cars crap on the Aurion for handling and acceleration - they use a ton less fuel and are nowhere near as heavy.
The Diesel Octavia should be great for torque too.
I bet resale for the Toyota is higher than all of those others. Plus, maintenance/servicing is going to be cheaper.
Octavia servicing is quite modest - my partner pays more for her honda than I do my Octavia!
Resale value was not listed as one of the criteria.
That's what my wife drive (SP25)and I have to say boot space is really not that good.
Enter your criteria into carsales
Toyota carry. The v6 model will blow your socks away. That or a holden
No Holdens
OP I think your criteria is a little tough to meet. Seems any recommendation will mean sacrificing on one or more items, can you maybe rank them in order of preference?
probably the top 5 would be
- manual
- a power to weight ratio greater than 105
-reliable
-under 30k
-post 2014
So you found an extra 10k hidden somewhere, good on you..Ha ha
You mention lots of torque and quote a ratio, do you plan on towing, as that may change the landscape of options?
Well I figured I could finance the car if it meant I would be able to get more of the wanted options.
no not towing but I'm just sick of sluggish cars that have absolutely no power and just drags along
Bumped the price up a bit to see if that will open up a bit more options.
Holden or ford fits. Why discount them? Out of favour but underrated, esp the Holden which feels much more refined than the falcon in my experience
This is a trivial puzzle. Newer models + manual only kills most options. Essentially wants a newish performance family car in manual only
This is what I'd buy with these criteria
https://www.carsales.com.au/dealer/details/Holden-Commodore-…
I know op said no holden or ford but this fits the ops price range and requirements. a FG xr6 turbo would be bang on the money
(http://www.carsales.com.au/private/details/Ford-Falcon-2010/…)
(http://www.carsales.com.au/private/details/Ford-Falcon-2014/…)
(http://www.carsales.com.au/private/details/Ford-Falcon-2012/…)
these things give my genf2 HSV a good run for its money at less than half the costs
Bingo, VF is a bloody nice car
Obviously just another ego, cares more about the badge than the car itself.
The criteria confuses me as well.
When searching for a car that packs a punch and manual why disregard RWD which is way more fun to drive than FWD?
Yeah this absolutely baffles me as well.
If you're considering a powerful 5-seater sedan in the $30K range, anything other than an SS or XR6T is a poorly informed choice that involves unnecessary sacrifice (generally speaking, of course).
If you want a non-Holden/Ford that offers the same features (reliability, torque, large boot, spacious interior), enjoy breaking the bank with an E63 or M5.
Skoda Octavia. I've got a 2015 wagon that we picked up for $24k new and it's amazing. Ticks all those boxes of yours, awesome fuel economy in the 1.4l turbo engine and great fun to drive in the manual :)
Way underpowered though
Underpowered, but in a golf, that 1.4T is surprisingly good. Lots of usable torque in the mid range, no turbo lag, means with the DSG, that thing moves. Until the gearbox blows up. Then it doesn't move.
I agree. I've actually got a vRS (GTi engine 2.0 turbo) and I think that is even a bit under powered. It's not sluggish but it's really not a particularly fast car.
The Octavia is probably worth a look although Technically a hatchback it looks like a sedan when closed, I think they call it a lift back(?).
Eh - are you talking about the new RS or the old RS?
Both are pretty quick.
Maybe you just got used to it.
Try driving an Aurion for a few days and you will feel the difference.
Stick it in S mode.
@Michegianni:
I've got the old one but mine has an ECU tune on it and puts out a fair chunk more than the new one now. It is now what I'd consider to be a quickish car. But I ride motorcycles as well so no car feels that quick off the line by comparison.
Mines a manual so the only S mode is my right foot :p
@thorton82: umm what's your point it's faster than anything off the line short of a La Ferrari. But you probably have one of those eh…
For the price you have quoted it's a car with good power. The turbo give it more torque at low rpm. Have you driven the Octavia and does it feel under powered for you?
You'll need a supercharger for low rpm. Turbo is more higher rpm.
Not saying it's bad but this as a power/weight of 80ish kW much lower than the 105
Have you driven one? Sure, it's not a race car but it's really quite surprising how quick it is (and I say that even after 18 months of having it).
Tows a trailer full of stuff no problems as well.
No I haven't.
110kw in a wagon though.. Yes, quicker than a camry
Quicker than a camry and a bunch of commodores and falcons. Not joking.
Try it before you bag it out.
@supnigs: No, it's not breathtaking - but it is fast enough to make my mrs complain that I'm acccelerating too fast!! haha
So what can you suggest in a non-ford, non-holden model that fits the OPs requirements? Or do you just like to crap on other peoples comments from a position of "i know better"?
@playswithfire: there is nothing that will meet OPs requirements. Called it back then. He needs to look at Holden and ford's.
@supnigs: I guess we're just going to have to disagree there. OP has said elsewhere in this thread that his top 5 are manual, power/weight above 105, reliable, under $30k and post 2014 - and the Skoda ticks all those boxes.
Unfortunately, Supnigs is absolutely spot on here. There is nothing that will meet OPs requirements short of an SS or XR6T.
0-100 in ~8 seconds is an appallingly glacial pace that would lead most to question whether they have unknowingly ingested a boatload of horse tranquilizers as they question why time has seemingly grinded to a halt.
@soaringphoenix: You need to get out more. There's much more to life than accelerating a car that quickly… ;)
@soaringphoenix: 0-100 times are one indicator of a powerful car. My ute is powerful, itll tow 3 tonne, but it isn't fast.
I wonder what the OPs definition of powerful is? Travel up and down hills fully loaded at the posted limit with ease, or be the first to the next red light in the traffic light Grand Prix. If it is the first option a diesel, or standard commodore/falcon will do the trick. If it's the second option of acceleration will need to consider something else.
MY15 Subaru WRX
can pick one up privately for 30k
with around 30k kms on the clock.
ticks all your boxes with flying colours.
Sorry but anyone recommending a WRX, even an STi, is missing this point:
technology in car relatively modern
WRX and STi's have no features… hell, the Evo has more. Sure, WRX's are great to drive, but the cabins offer nothing compared to their asking price.
I accept your apology
As a WRX owner I am triggered.
Joking. Agree with your comment in principal, but wondering what you think they're lacking in specifically? Yes, stock WRX certainly is missing bluetooth and Satnav, but not the premium.
Just anything special, it's like a base model with sport seats and a double-din GPS system :/ nothing feels premium about it.
Evo interior > wrx/sti interior
Hahahah, yeah, they're indeed underwhelming in this regard. I have to say though, it's damn enjoyable to drive, but I'm very envious of the standard kit that comes with VW Golfs these days.
Would love an EVO, but I love my spine in one piece.
@Wheresmyspaceship: spines aren't really one piece to begin with..
I agree MY15 wrx though. Not that I've driven one but honestly look at your criteria and look at what the wrx is renowned for…
Sp25 would also be tempting if you just want that manual feel with a hint of kick.
XR6T would be the OP's choice. Aurion doesn't have manual version.
Nice car but outdated technology IMHO.
How so?
Heads up display, hid/ bi xenons/ LED , easy exit, lane change warning, forward collision , driver fatigue detection etc.
Mazda 3 BM SP25
depends on your definition of 'packs a punch'
http://www.carsales.com.au/private/details/Mazda-3-2014/SSE-…
i reckon this is very good power to dollar ratio