My dad is looking to buy a new car in the next couple of months, since I've moved out and taken our formerly shared car with me.
He initially put forward two options: a Golf or a Tiguan (I know they're not exactly comparable, which opens up the field a lot).
His budget covers the cost of a base model Tiguan auto (~$40k).
Background: We live in WA.
My dad is approaching 70 years old, and has driven cars ranging from a Daihatsu Charade to the last gen Honda CR-V. I don't think he'll have a problem driving smaller cars (like the Golf), but a higher ride height and more room would also be welcome (Tiguan).
Given his budget and wide scope of vehicle types, I came up with a shortlist of potential options for him to pick from. I'd like everyone's advice on the "best" choice in each category and a good price I could negotiate for it.
He would like to go with a brand new car, though I think he may be open to demo models.
Caveats: no Korean cars, Holden, Ford, Nissan, or Toyota. He's not open to the idea, and neither am I.
I'm also looking into cars with a bit more zip (a turbo), since my dad (and I) complained that the last gen CR-V my mum drives basically has a 0-100 time of several days.
Small cars
| Model | Rough RRP |
|---|---|
| Suzuki Swift GLX Turbo | $23.5k |
| VW Golf 110TSI | $27k |
"Medium" cars
| Model | Rough RRP |
|---|---|
| Suzuki S-Cross Turbo | $27.5k |
| Mazda 3 Maxx | $28k |
| Mazda CX-3 Maxx | $28k |
| Honda Civic VTi-L Turbo | $31.5k |
| Subaru XV 2.0i-L | $34.5k |
| Mazda CX-5 Maxx | $35k |
| VW Tiguan 110TSI Trendline | $40k |
italicised entries are ones I'm not personally keen on
"Larger" cars
| Model | Rough RRP |
|---|---|
| Suzuki Vitara S Turbo 2WD | $30.5k |
| Honda CR-V VTi 2WD | $31.5k |
Update 1:
Spoke to my dad today, told him VWs are expensive to buy/service, and are difficult to resell outside warranty period. No argument from him there.
My suggestions to him based on feedback from here were either a Vitara AWD or a Camry (Atara Hybrid). He wasn't keen on either of them - he said he didn't like either of them, and when pressed for reasons, he said he'd rather not be seen in them.
I suggested getting a really dark tint if that's what he's concerned about.
He has picked up a brochure for a CR-V, but on looking up its power to mass (unimpressive 1.5T in a ~1800kg car), was much less keen.
He did toy with the idea of a Civic (I pushed for him to go for the turbo model), but nothing conclusive there.
He said he has been to a VW dealership and asked about the driveaway price of a Tiguan and was quoted about $36-38k (can't remember what he said exactly).
We did toss up the idea of an i30 briefly (the SR model), but again, nothing conclusive (the engine's specs aren't as good as the Japanese ones we've seen thus far in terms of fuel consumption). There's also the issue of the dual dry clutch (I'm nervous given this seems to be one of Hyundai's first forays into the technology and some of the existing issues they've had with it).
Have not mentioned Subaru or Mazda options yet, but did briefly touch on the CX-5.
He also said he's happy to push back his purchase date to 6 months (from 2).
New tiguan is just awesome and functional.
The price however is questionable.