Cheap Car for Travel

worldwidehappiness on 21/06/2020 - 22:32
Last edited 21/06/2020 - 22:33

I want a cheap car to travel up the coast from Sydney. Might travel 70km every day for 6 months. Needs to be comfortable, safe, and reliable, and cheap to run or sell for around the same price I bought it. What's the oldest (cheapest) one of each these that's still reliable? I will go to $12k maximum:

Suzuki Vitara: I heard Suzuki Vitara has a high seating position to see over cars in front - I like that.

Old Ford Falcon: High fuel costs but as an old cop friend said, "You can buy one with 300k on the clock and it's still good for another 200km and you can sell it for same price you bought it for."

Toyota Corolla: Reliability, fuel economy, resale.

Anything else? For anyone else reading this, I think a good tip for buying used cars is to keep an open mind and wait for a bargain. If you have your heart set on something, you might not be objective when it comes along (I made this blunder once and ended up with a dud).

Automotive

Comments

  • pegaxs on 21/06/2020 - 22:35
    +2

    Corolla, i30, Cerato, Falcon, Commodore, Camry/Aurion… in no particular order…

  • nick90 on 21/06/2020 - 23:12
    +2

    I got a BA Falcon on dual fuel which has done over 461,000km and still going strong. I will recommend a newer Falcon easily.

    However, you can also go for the following cars as well.
    * Toyota Corolla
    * Toyota Camry (the hybrid variant hold their resale value well)
    * Toyota Rav4
    * Mazda 3
    * Mazda 6
    * Ford Mondeo
    * Suzuki Swift
    * Hyundai i30
    * Mitsubishi ASX
    There are many more, but that all I can think of at this hour

    Some cars I would avoid like the plague are
    * Ford Focus LW with a powershift transmission
    * Holden Cruze
    * Holden Barina
    * Holden Captiva
    * Ford EcoSport with the powershift
    * Nissan X-trail, dualis or qashqai with a CVT
    * Kia TD Cerato (The newer Cerato from 2013+ are great)
    * Anything from Jeep, Dodge, Fiat, Great Wall, MG.

  • dcep on 22/06/2020 - 01:56
    +4

    falcon on gas

  • Euphemistic on 22/06/2020 - 07:38
    +1

    70km of what sort of driving?

    On the freeway a Camry or falcon will be super comfortable and effortless driving. A corolla or swift around town or urban driving as its smaller and less fuel consumption.

  • derrida derider on 22/06/2020 - 09:11
    +1

    12k gets you a reliable and comfortable car in any of the Japanese or Korean brands. The main thing is the service record - no car tolerates missed services once they're older.

    I wouldn't recommend an old Falcon though - sure the Barracuda engine is super durable (at least if you don't count the leaking power steering pump as part of the engine) but the rest of the car is not; the trim is cheap (that headliner falls down from the roof regularly) and you will be up for new suspension bushes (that infamous center diff mount …).

    • worldwidehappiness on 22/06/2020 - 10:19

      Sounds like you know your stuff. Do any of the SUVs stand out regarding reliability? Favouring Suzuki Vitara because of the (supposedly) higher seating position - like to see over the cars ahead.

    • nick90 on 22/06/2020 - 14:06
      +1

      My BA roof lining only cost $200 to replace. No biggie.

      The diff bushes are a pain. However, mine failed at 365,000km which is unsurprising considering how many KM's was on the car.

      Things do go wrong like all car. However, they're very cheap to repair.

    • Joney on 23/06/2020 - 13:30
      +1

      The 'Barra' engine (inline 6) in ba-fgx falcons is the Barramundi, named after the Australian fish since the engine is an Australian design.
      The Barracuda is an American V8.

  • wiipantz on 22/06/2020 - 09:19
    +1

    12k… you could literally buy so much for that. Gas Falcon is a great idea imho

  • WreckTangle on 22/06/2020 - 20:06
    +1

    Get a motorbike

  • worldwidehappiness on 26/06/2020 - 11:05

    Looking at LPG 2011+ Ford Falcons, I noticed prices drop significantly when they get above 200,000 km. Maybe it's because the Carsales.com.au filter stops at 200,000 km? For example 2012 XT with 210,000 km is $8,999, whereas a 2014 XT with 99,000 km is $14,299. At $8,999 you wouldn't worry about comprehensive insurance either.

    In 2011, the LPG Falcons got a performance boost. I wonder if the earlier ones are noticeably weaker? I remember my head hitting the headrest when I floored 1995 Falcon, so who cares if a pre-2011 LPG is 25% less than that? Still plenty of power. But if there are profound improvements in other areas, then that's different.

    Similarly, I wonder if the boost from the 2.4L Camry Hybrid to the 2.5L version is a profound difference or only a little better? There's quite a jump in price from 2.4L to 2.5L.

    Other cars: I like the idea of Aurions going under the radar (a 2012 with 100,000 km for $12k). The Lexus RX350 SUV is my dream car, but a bit expensive (a 2007 with 140,000 km for $14k) and running costs are high. A 2010 Lexus IS250 goes for $12k - I like that idea too.

    I noticed on Carsales some cheesy sales pitches on the private seller cars. Probably these are backyard dealers, and not to be trusted. I'm surprised people don't write better ads. I think buyers want to know the car's history.

  • [Deactivated] on 26/06/2020 - 14:41
    +1

    Don't get an SUV. You'll be burning fuel unnecessarily and have a worse-performing car.

    Get a comfortable sedan, I'd be looking at the best low-km v6 Camry you can find. Luxury seats and enough power for the highway. Depends on if you're driving in town or not, if it's more in town find a hybrid.

    Otherwise look at a well-equipped and looked after Commodore or Falcon, or perhaps a Lexus.

    • worldwidehappiness on 26/06/2020 - 19:58

      Thanks. Which V6 Camry do you mean?

      SUV's - I like seeing over the top of the cars in front plus the space and comfort.

      • [Deactivated] on 26/06/2020 - 21:09
        +1

        Whichever one you can afford! Go for comfort and good condition - a high trim model low km example.

        Something like this for example. P.s. you're looking for Aurions not Camrys.

        https://www.carsales.com.au/cars/details/2011-Toyota-Aurion-…

        A good sedan has as much if not more space than any SUV! And I do understand the ride height thing, but with all the other SUVs out there these days it barely makes a difference.

  • worldwidehappiness on 26/06/2020 - 20:02
    +1

    Looked at Rav4s. Weird anomaly: Lexus RX350 SUV's circa 2007 are about the same price as Rav 4 with equivalent age and mileage. I might get a Lexus RX350 or even a cheap RX330 (and not bother with comprehensive insurance). Are they good enough to do over 200,000 km? Guess it depends on maintenance history. (Pre-empting anti-SUV comments - I like seeing over the top of the cars in front plus the space and comfort.)

  • worldwidehappiness on 29/06/2020 - 11:32

    Regarding Aurion: I saw on YouTube that V6 engines are not as reliable (more moving parts) and more expensive to maintain (less engine bay space for mechanics to work in) and put more pressure on the transmission because of the extra power. Maybe 4 cylinder is the better option.

Login or Join to leave a comment
Login Join