Help buying my first car

PabloVicioso on 01/04/2019 - 01:42

Greetings Ozbargain.

I've been riding a motorbike for the past 3 years (Brissy) and I've decided I've had enough of the cold wind in winter so I'm buying my first car (I was driving my mom's car before my motorbike).

I don't care how boring, ugly or scratched a car looks. I literally only care about the money I'll spend on fuel, repairs and maintenance. However I have zero knowledge of mechanics or cars.

My budget is 6k. Mostly because I intend to keep my motorbike and use it again once the summer comes.

I read this thread https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/395792 and it looks like Corollas get a lot of love from ozbargain. I was also thinking of a Wolkswagen Golf because I like the brand.

My Ozbargainer inside wanted to go to an auction and try to get one of them for cheap but after reading a bit I think it might be a bad idea in my case.

Whatever the car, I'll take it to my mechanic to take a look at it before pulling the trigger.

Is CarSales.com the place I should be looking at cars?
Should I just go for a 2010 Corolla or 2008 Golf? Any other ideas?

Automotive Car

Comments

  • Hybroid on 01/04/2019 - 01:45

    2010 Corolla or 2008 Golf

    Can't really go wrong with either. Brain says Corolla reliability/cheap repairs, heart says Golf will be more fun to drive. Defo start searching with carsales.com.au

    • spackbace on 01/04/2019 - 01:50
      +23

      Can't really go wrong with either.

      Really, you can't go wrong with an 11yo Golf, in Australia?

      You're kidding, right?

      • bloom on 01/04/2019 - 06:19
        +12

        My other half made me but her a 10yo golf despite my efforts to get a jap , after 12 months it's value went from 10k to 1k
        - gearbox
        - drive train
        - central locking
        - etc

        Worst buy of my life haha

        • spackbace on 01/04/2019 - 10:06
          +4

          Worst buy of my life haha

          Bit harsh to say that about your other half 😉

    • p1 ama on 01/04/2019 - 01:57

      Brain says Corolla reliability/cheap repairs, heart says Golf will be more fun to drive.

      The Golf isn't fun to drive by any stretch of the imagination. Only Golf I would consider are GTi or R.

    • pegaxs on 01/04/2019 - 08:56
      +8

      …2008 Golf

      Can't really go wrong with either

      Hahaha… happy April Fools! Can’t go wrong with a Golf… lol.

    • brad1-8tsi on 01/04/2019 - 11:45

      I've had a Mk4 Golf and currently a 2007 Skoda Octavia (a MkV Golf from Czech Republic).

      They are great cars to drive but they are not cheap to run and certain models do have issues.

      Stay away from:
      Any NA petrol engine
      Any traditional torque converter Auto
      Anything with the DQ200 7 speed dry clutch DSG
      Any of the 118tsi 1.4L twincharger engine

      Any of the EA888 engine that hasn't had the cam chain tensioner upgraded.

      And the list goes on.

      I love my Octy to bits and will buy another but not with the idea that they are trouble free.

    • TheBilly on 02/04/2019 - 14:41

      Golf will be more fun to drive

      How on earth did you come to this conclusion. They're both not fun to drive. Thats like saying, buy a prius over a leaf because the prius gets the heart pumping.

      • Hybroid on 02/04/2019 - 15:12

        Option 1: Toyota Corolla.
        Option 2: VW Golf.

        Golf will be more fun to drive..

        • TheBilly on 02/04/2019 - 20:10

          You are ranking them on the wrong scale. They don't register on the fun scale.

  • spackbace on 01/04/2019 - 01:48
    +7

    fuel, repairs and maintenance.

    Swift or Corolla

    Make sure you do a ppsr on anything you're interested in!

    • pegaxs on 01/04/2019 - 08:59

      No love for an older Camry?

  • p1 ama on 01/04/2019 - 01:59
    +8

    Should I just go for a 2010 Corolla or 2008 Golf? Any other ideas?

    Definitely not Golf. Corollas hold their value, which is good for new Corolla buyers and bad for old Corolla buyers. You might want to have a look at some of the other reliable cars but don't have the inflated used value of the Corolla. Some to consider would be the Mazda 3, Honda Civic, Hyundai i30…etc.

    Personally, I wouldn't buy a used Corolla, get a Camry instead. You'll find that you get a better car for the same money as an old Camry doesn't hold value as well as an old Corolla despite (in my opinion) being a better car.

    • godofpizza on 01/04/2019 - 11:16

      are we talking about the v6 or v4 camry here?

      • brad1-8tsi on 01/04/2019 - 11:46
        +1

        there was never a V4 camry…

        • godofpizza on 01/04/2019 - 12:22

          i meant 4-cylinder camry

      • p1 ama on 01/04/2019 - 22:29

        Camry between 07 and 17 were only 4cyl, but what I say would also apply to the Aurion which was basically the V6 Camry. They're super reliable cars that can be had for pretty cheap today.

  • bazzato on 01/04/2019 - 06:06
    +7

    For that money I'd consider a 2012-2013 Kia Rio. We have owned 2 from new(2000 and 2010 model). First one had 100,000klms when we sold and second one 65,000. Owned both from new with no major problems. They aren't a great car, but have all the basic features we needed and were cheap to run

  • dasher86 on 01/04/2019 - 06:45
    +2

    Lancer or Pulsar might be good at that range.

  • whooah1979 on 01/04/2019 - 06:53
    +5

    A Mazda 3, Corolla, Suzuki or Camry.

    The ones to avoid are Euro and USA junk boxes.

  • iforgotmysocks on 01/04/2019 - 07:37
    +1

    'Rolla

  • Freitag on 01/04/2019 - 08:31
    +2

    Go a Japanese car. toyota, mazda, honda, etc.

  • Bid Sniper on 01/04/2019 - 08:41
    +1

    Hyundai i20, i30

  • [Deactivated] on 01/04/2019 - 08:50
    +2

    Toyota Corolla or Camry. Cheap to run,cheap to service and good resale value.

    Stay away from any European vehicles over 2-3 years or older.They will empty your wallet faster than your eye blinks.

    I've 1998 Corolla bought a brand new and never ever broken down. I changes oil and filter every 6 months myself.

    You just can't kill it even if you wanted to.

    • pegaxs on 01/04/2019 - 09:02

      Great saying for Euro cars…

      “If you can’t afford a new *insert Euro manufacturer name*, you can’t afford a used one…”

  • Some Human on 01/04/2019 - 09:35
    +1

    Corolla is hassle free motoring. I bought mine 12 years ago, not a single issue yet.

    • inasero on 01/04/2019 - 15:58

      As above. I bought mine second hand 11 years ago, no issues besides a faulty indicator stalk I had replaced out of warranty.

  • Cheeper on 01/04/2019 - 09:40
    +2

    In that price range avoid the golf and stick with the corolla/camry for reliability and low cost maintenance.
    Private sellers on Gumtree can be a good source also. If you spot a car on there that genuinely interests you call them, dont text or email as this is the pastime of tyre kickers & time wasters. Make your $ offer face to face, not over the phone.

  • Caped Baldy on 01/04/2019 - 10:11
    +3

    Avoid the euro's. Maintenance will get you in the long run. Plus the VW Golf have gearbox issues.

    Make sure to get a ppsr report (tells you if it has been stolen, written off and has money owing) and a mechanic to take a look at the car.

  • brad1-8tsi on 01/04/2019 - 11:48

    If you don't mind medium size, the USA built Accord 4 cylinder are good value, well built and reliable.

    Accord Euro will come within your budget too.

  • Jimmycfc on 01/04/2019 - 12:05

    Go with an older Mitsubishi Lancer, they will run until it literally falls apart and parts are cheap. A VW golf will cost you more on servicing

  • PabloVicioso on 01/04/2019 - 12:08
    +1

    Thank you all for the fast response and advice. I'm gonna go with either a Corolla, a Camry or a Mazda 3 (if I find a good one within my price range).
    I'm about to set up the first inspection of a 2010 Corolla.

    • godofpizza on 01/04/2019 - 12:23

      not sure what the market is like in brizzy, but can you get a 2010 corolla for $6k, unless it had high kms?

      • PabloVicioso on 01/04/2019 - 12:51

        Yeah, there's only one going for that price with 180k km

        • PabloVicioso on 01/04/2019 - 12:59

          Shouldnt have said that in Ozbargain. Now it wouldnt surprise me if its gone by the time I go to see it.

  • brad1-8tsi on 01/04/2019 - 12:53

    Left field suggestion is the BJ / BJII series Mazda 323 circa 2000. They seem to be well put together and lasting well. The engines are simple and bulletproof.

    No ABS, no electronic crap to go wrong.

    There seem to be dozens of them where I hang out and they look great for a 20yo car. Pricing is about $2k-$5k and they haven't been to the moon and back.

    My GF has manual hatch and it's a hoot to drive.

    • spackbace on 01/04/2019 - 13:00

      No ABS, no electronic crap to go wrong.

      Wait, you think having no ABS is a good thing?!

      • brad1-8tsi on 01/04/2019 - 13:12

        Yeah. I don't mind it.

        You get to practice threshold braking again. The power steering isn't too light and you can tell where the wheels are pointing. You can rev the guts out of it in 1, 2 & 3 and still be (more or less) legal.

        If it all goes pear shaped i think there is one airbag. If your passenger ducks their head to the right real quick you can share it.

        It's probably not for everyone. ;-)

      • Slippage on 01/04/2019 - 13:33

        no ABS can be a good thing for the right type of driver (the op doesn't sound like one) and the less "tech" in a car means there is more chance of self service/maintenance.

        I had a mazda 121 bubble (early 90's) as a run around. 1.3ltr carby, cable clutch, carby. Was cheap on fuel, easy to service and no one was going to steal it. the good car came out on evenings and weekends.

        • spackbace on 01/04/2019 - 13:39
          -1

          The whole 'fewer electronics' thing is such an old notion. Your car is run by a computer…

          • Slippage on 01/04/2019 - 17:29

            @spackbace: Id challenge you to find any computer in the 121…

            it's not an old notion, I would much rather a car with fewer things that were reliable, than a whole stack of half assed gadgets that no one would ever use.

            for example: in dash GPS's based off DVD's. who… the.. hell… uses these still?

            • spackbace on 01/04/2019 - 17:31
              -1

              @Slippage:

              Id challenge you to find any computer in the 121…

              Really? Do you think the engine decides by itself when to do its thing?

              Found 1!

              • Slippage on 01/04/2019 - 17:48

                @spackbace: sigh.. ok.. we really doing this?

                the item you have linked is for the DBII which was fuel injected, I was specificly refering to the DBI which is carburetor-ed

                h
                https://www.youtube.com/watch?reload=9&v=oIU-lGc3DL4

                • spackbace on 01/04/2019 - 17:59

                  @Slippage: My bad.

                  There's still all sorts of sensors, switches etc that are on a car of that vintage. Unless you think the speedo/taco work from magic.

                  You have no idea how many times I've heard someone over the age of 60 asking for cars to be 'simpler', with less to go wrong etc. The thing is, there would've been 60yo men in 1993 complaining about various things going wrong on the cars. They would've been complaining about electric windows and air conditioning etc, then power steering, then ABS, then ASC

                  It's a tired argument. We're comparing used cars here, it's easy to compare common issues and see if anything actually goes wrong. But the truth is, it hardly ever does. Buy from a reputable car maker, and buy a car that hasn't attempted an Indian Ocean crossing, and touch wood you'll be fine.

                  And my ex had a 121 bubble, they converted it to the 1.5L I think. They didn't hook up the speedo properly so it never worked, had to use a GPS based one on the dash. Took it to an auto-elecs when we went to sell it, was a cheap fix and got it all sorted lol she was too lazy to bother at any stage

                  • Slippage on 01/04/2019 - 18:17

                    @spackbace: You argument is also tired…

                    I love me some efi, I could think of nothing worse then going back to a carby car, especially in my weekender (anti lag for the win) but the point remains valid that they are simpler to work on and a great way to learn about cars.

                    in fact i often recomend kits like this, for those restoring older cars:
                    https://www.holley.com/products/fuel_systems/fuel_injection/…

                    BUT

                    I hate tech for the sake of tech. you want to put in bluetooth? great! make it do all blutooth functions (a rental i was driving the other day only did phone over blutooth, no music…).

  • Slippage on 01/04/2019 - 13:29

    Suzuki swift (if you fit)

  • Levathian on 01/04/2019 - 16:05
    -2

    For $6K I'd definitely buy anything Toyota, Mazda, Honda etc.

    Anyone suggesting anything european (VW LOL) or korean at that price point is surely having a laugh.

    • Levathian on 01/04/2019 - 19:48

      Seems like I hit a nerve saying to avoid Korean lol. But seriously look at this list of cars
      https://www.carsales.com.au/cars/results?q=((Price%3Drange%5B..5000%5D%26Service%3D%5BCARSALES%5D)%26(Make%3D%5BHyundai%5D%7CMake%3D%5BKia%5D))&sortby=Year

      Anything within OP's price point (that isn't an i20) is going to be pre-2013 with very high kms. = unreliable money sink.

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