Help First Car Recommendation - 2 Adults 1 Baby - Smallish Size - Melbourne - under $34,000

UPDATE - bought a new Kia Seltos sports+ I think it’s a little overpriced for what it is and was only able to negotiate $1000 off. But decent feature set, smaller external dimensions but very similar internal dimensions to a cx-5 which was our next favourite. I added some detailed thoughts on the other cars we test drove in comments below, if of interest.

Hi,

I'm looking for a car, incidentally my first car. I'm 34, but have travelled a lot, and have tended to live near public transport and close to the city, so I've never needed to own a car before. But, do borrow family and friends cars from time to time, or rent them on holiday. Quite enjoy an interstate drive but no interest in anything off road.

Well my wife has just given birth, 4 weeks old, and suddenly, a car has gone from, how the hell would we ever justify owning a car when we can walk to everything (IGA 7 min walk, larger shopping strip 20ish mins) to how can 1 of us justify leaving the other for 90 mins to go to supermarket. We've been borrowing my mothers Hyundai Kona Highlander for the last month and a bit, but with restrictions easing in Melbourne, my mother is keen to get her car back. However, we still have appointments and things to go to, so we are kind of keen to get a car soon. However, given the pandemic, this seems a bit tricky given used car prices have really shot up and there isnt a lot of stock in Melbourne, and new car shipments seem down so not necessarily easy to get a new car either.

While, we did toy with the idea of getting a used $15k ish hatch, like an i30 or cerato, or an older corolla, the truth is we just liked some of the more modern tech they have been putting in the last 2-3 years (in particularly rear cross traffic, blind spot monitoring) and much prefer the ride height of an SUV on trips. Although I understand it is somewhat psychological.

So what we are looking for is:

  • under $34,000 drive away
  • Small/compact SUV (between 4-4.4m in length)
  • Reasonable boot space for the size (330L+)
  • Not super wide (around 1.8, smaller is better) - Our parking spot is really unpleasant
  • Rear parking camera and sensor (front sensor a bonus with our spot)
  • Blind spot and Rear Cross traffic (just note this is a very very strong preference, we would be reluctant to chose a car with out it). AEB and other related tech seems to be pretty standard, particularly if car has these.
  • reasonably reliable brand with a future in this country (please dont recommend me a holden, alfa romeo, citreon)
  • preference for Japanese /Korean, but open to cheaper european I guess.

We live in a 2 bedroom apartment, we dont have a lot of stuff, our pram is a travel pram -it'd fit in a mazda 2. So not really looking for recommendations on something insane like a 7 seater SUV.

Currently, we are looking at the following:

  • Mazda CX-5 new, base model 2wd, has the safety, we like the look, but a bit on the large size. CX-3 seems too small in
    boot size to make sense to us.
  • Kia Seltos Sport+, 7 year warranty, like the look, decent all-round package, but right at the top end of our budget and
    seems like getting stock in next few months might be difficult (although 1 dealer we called had 2 in stock)
  • Suzuki Vitara Turbo - wife likes the look, reviews generally seem positive, fit out inside seems perhaps poor from a few
    reviews.
    • Mitsubishi ASX ES ADAS - Seems like you can get it for around 27/28 drive away, has basically teh safety tech we want.
      But the car is boring af, and doesnt seem to excel in any one area. But the price is compelling as is the upto 10 year
      warranty as long as you service at the dealer (which we probably would given the capped price). Dont like the new look
      front end, but could live with it.
  • Nissan Qashqai ST+ - generally seems to meet criteria
  • VW T-Cross - not keen on the brand, but it looks nice, seems to ahve a decent feature set for the price even if the
    optional packs do drive it up. Smaller than alternatives which is attractive.
    • Skoda Kamiq - also seems to have a pretty decent offering, but to get rear cross traffic really drives the price up. Also not
      as keen on the brand. Smaller than alternatives which is attractive.

We like the Kona, and theoretical a Kona Elite is just within our budget as well, But for the money the Seltos seems a better fit for us and not sure we need 2 in the family given mum has one. Subarus have been highly recommended to us by many people, but we dont need AWD and then to get the features we want is well out of our prices range on their smaller SUVs.

I'm asking for help as basically, im going around in circles. Not being able to test drive for another 1-2 weeks due to restrictions isnt helping.

Anyway, any recommendations including used cars would be appreciated. Used we'd ideally want something under 4 years old and under 50,000kms. But might consider something sub $15/16k (the saving might be too good to pass up) if its reliable and an SUV.

By (somewhat) popular demand TL;DR - Looking for compact SUV with rear cross traffic alert under 34k in Melbourne

Comments

  • +2

    I drive Kia and love it. Try to go for GT version

    • +1

      Can you lend give me $5k? It does look nice though.

      • +1

        @modiika
        We have cerato gt and got it for 31.5k. It has Generous boot and back seat.

        We were looking at cx-5 / seltos but changed our mind to cerato as slight small boot space but it is the same width 1800mm.

        We are also concerned about baby seat + 2pax in the back seat. Cerato has no issue.

        GT drives so well and cheaper than all the cars above.

        Dimensions
        Cerato 4510 L x 1800 W x 1440 H
        Seltos 4370 L x 1800 W x 1615 H
        Cx-5 4550 L x 1840 W x 1680 H

        Boot space
        Cerato 502L
        Seltos 433L
        CX-5 506L

        This is exactly why we went for cerato GT. The equipment / engine and drive is by far the best among all of the cars listed

  • -3

    There are dozens of threads about this on OZB, do a search on the forums.

    • +1

      There are, but rightly or wrongly every situation feels slightly unique. I found the one today about the new Doctor very interesting as his budget is somewhat similar even if needs are not.

  • +1

    Out of your list I'd probably pick up the Qashqai or CX-5. Both proven and reliable models. The CX-5 has a better infotainment system and if you feel it is too big consider the new CX-30. Qashqai will be on run out soon so you'll be able to get a better deal.

    The ASX is a solid and reliable car but it feels outdated. It's the same car that landed 10 years ago but that's not necessarily a bad thing. We have a Qashqai, CX-5 and ASX in our extended family. CX-5 is the nicer drive but I like the Qashqai's practicality.

    Skoda Kamiq is a new player to the market and looks nice. Not a fan of the VW Group DSG's in all honesty. Know people still experiencing issues with the new models so it's not really resolved.

    I can't personally recommend a Kia or Hyundai at this stage. Went through a horror experience with a lemon Hyundai over the past couple of years and I believe Kia are owned by the same entity. Support when something went majorly wrong was horribly lacking. If you do choose a Kona, avoid the 1.6L Turbo at all costs.

    Best of luck.

    • Out of your list I'd probably pick up the Qashqai or CX-5. Both proven and reliable models. The CX-5 has a better infotainment system and if you feel it is too big consider the new CX-30. Qashqai will be on run out soon so you'll be able to get a better deal

      Ok, Great that is helpful. There's a Mazda service centre literally around the corner from my house so that has been tempting for convience, though I guess that's once or so a year. I'll give both a try.

      CX-30 is more than the base CX-5, though i guess infotainment and some tech is newer. But I think boot is a bit small for us.

      The ASX is a solid and reliable car but it feels outdated. It's the same car that landed 10 years ago but that's not necessarily a bad thing.

      My head says this is the car we should get, but I cant get excited about it. And i think if you are buying a new car you should be able to be excited about it. I'll give it a test drive, maybe i'll like it.

      Skoda Kamiq is a new player to the market and looks nice. Not a fan of the VW Group DSG's in all honesty. Know people still experiencing issues with the new models so it's not really resolved.

      Not a fan of VW group themselves. But its a compelling price, and the few reviews tend to rate the engine, and they seem to get great real fuel economy. But, yeah i'm not keen on the potential long term costs of servicing and other potential issues with a Skoda/VW.

      I can't personally recommend a Kia or Hyundai at this stage. Went through a horror experience with a lemon Hyundai over the past couple of years and I believe Kia are owned by the same entity. Support when something went majorly wrong was horribly lacking. If you do choose a Kona, avoid the 1.6L Turbo at all costs.

      Re Kona my mother does have the 1.6L Turbo, i have seen some people report issues online, but not sure how wide spread it is. Hopefully she doesnt encounter them.

  • +7

    Just get a hybrid Corolla and call it a day. You don't need an SUV - the ride height difference between a small SUV a la Kona and a Corolla is negligible.

    Alternatively just get the Kona and call it a day? Who cares if you have two in the family? Haha

    • +1

      Alternatively just get the Kona and call it a day? Who cares if you have two in the family? Haha

      Or get a Kia. Basically cousins. Kona would make sense as you'll be taking it to the same place to service. Maybe just buy different colours or put a sticker to tell the difference.

      Just get a hybrid Corolla and call it a day. You don't need an SUV - the ride height difference between a small SUV a la Kona and a Corolla is negligible.

      Height matters, or at least that is why people have been programmed to think. You don't catch free money, usually you have to bend over to pick it up, then it pays to be short.

    • Thanks for your comment. I think we would probably get a corolla if we were buying second hand.

      Just get a hybrid Corolla and call it a day.

      I should mention, we wont be driving it much. It'll get around the use most people get from a second car. We dont need a car for our commutes (work in CBD), so it really would just be shopping, odd day or weekend away. Occasionally interestate holiday, that seems there will be a few more of in next few years given Covid instead of overseas trips.

      So my point is, does a hybrid make sense? I mean I like the environmental factor, but it seems marginal for our use and the cost is high. Corolla is $33k and hybrid $35k (SX is the first model to get blind spot/ rear traffic). Seems a lot of money to me for what you get. I mean I know Toyota, but its kinda fairly small luggage capacity (217L). Not sure why I wouldnt just pick the Mazda 2 for like 10k less?

      The CH-R design in the second seats is a deal breaker with that high window line.

      I could convince my wife to get a Rav4, but we dont want to spend 40k.

      You don't need an SUV - the ride height difference between a small SUV a la Kona and a Corolla is negligible.

      We dont need one. But we want one. My wife likes it, she's small, she enjoys it more on long drives. Rightly or wrongly, she's more comfortable in one.

      We did toy with the idea of a cheap hatch, even a KIA picanto. Honestly, I dont think I could convince her to pay more than like 23k for a hatch, because she wont view it as something for long trips. There is the Kia cerato S with safety pack in that range, but its a very long car. In the end, as we intend to own it 10+ years hopefully, we decided to get an SUV even if it was a want more than a need. It's hard enough picking between the 20+ compact suvs, let alone the hatches.

      • +1

        I typed out a long comment to this and accidentally navigated away from the page. Very upsetting.

        Here's the short version:

        You're right, hybrid isn't financially beneficially for your situation. It still feels good to never fill up and get very long range on road trips, though.

        • CH-R: bad design, poor interior space options
        • Mazda CX-5: much bigger than the other cars you're looking at. Base model is pretty low-rent.
        • Mazda CX30: not on your list, but would recommend. Mazda 3 is a great car, CX30 is based on that. FYI you said a Mazda 2 boot would work for you guys - Mazda CX3 is the same car.
        • Kia Seltos Sport+: Probably wise to avoid a 1st model year car but likely it shares most components with other Kias so low-risk.
        • Suzuki Vitara Turbo: Why do you need the turbo? The Vitara is a great car all things considered, good price, amazing reliability, Suzuki are never complained about as far as I know.
        • Mitsubishi ASX ES ADAS: Avoid Mitsubishi. They're just shit Toyotas. Old engines, old chassis, old tech, below average build quality (on the aesthetic/interior bits that is). Bulletproof, boring, not a place I'd like to spend a lot of time.
        • Nissan Qashqai ST+: Do not buy a Nissan these days.
        • VW T-Cross: This is based on a Polo, so if the CX3 is too small, so is this. Also, don't buy a euro car if you're worried about affordability.
        • Skoda Kamiq: See above but less bad because cheaper.
        • Hyundai Kona: Go buy one.
        • Subaru XV: Go buy one.
        • Honda HRV: Extremely practical, very reliable. Very boring. This car might as well be a Toyota. But Honda might not be doing so well in Aus in the near future, so might not be the long-term buy.

          Don't think there are any more cars in this segment.

        • +1

          Suzuki Vitara Turbo: Why do you need the turbo?

          FWIW the 1.6 is underpowered, and the Turbo model fits within OP's budget and has more comfort features

          • +1

            @spackbace: Oh I absolutely agree that it's a better car but it's a pretty tough argument to say a tiny car is underpowered with a modern 1.6. it won't be fast but it does the job.

            • +1

              @[Deactivated]: Oh yeah sure it does the job, but if the Turbo is in OP's budget then why not ;)

              • @spackbace: Actually the reason for the turbo is that’s the one with the safety stuff. Base doesn’t have rear cross traffic and stuff. And it’s also in budget. The engine is just a bonus.

                Have seen it for about 28k new, listed driveway is normally 31k. So it’s one of the cheaper options.

                • +1

                  @modiika: Ah ok! Used to work for Suzuki and liked my demo Turbo, only problem was having to slam the doors harder than a normal car to make them 'catch'. That was the first version of the Vitara, pre-safety features

        • Thanks for the updated and detailed further comments.

          It's interesting your view on mitsubishi vs the others here. The bulletproof thing is appealing and mentioned by quite a few people. If we get the ASX, i think it would simply be because if we can get it at 27k, it'd be a nice saving for the feature set over many of the other options but i'm not excited about it.

          CH-R: bad design, poor interior space options

          Agree

          Mazda CX-5: much bigger than the other cars you're looking at. Base model is pretty low-rent.

          Yeah the CX-5 we are looking at is low rent, but it has the safety tech we want and not to fussed about the other features, though obviously they are nice.

          Mazda CX30: not on your list, but would recommend. Mazda 3 is a great car, CX30 is based on that. FYI you said a Mazda 2 boot would work for you guys - Mazda CX3 is the same car.

          Well I think the reason we left it off, is it starts at $34k i believe, but yeah is technically in budget, and is more modern. While i think we could get away with the Mazda 2 boot, basically a sub 300L boot, it's a very big compromise and not one we are keen to make if we are paying $34k. While the CX30 is slightly bigger boot its basically just 300L and i just think we are paying for other parts of the car, which are less or priority to us, even if for most people it would be a better car for the money. We havent put CX3 on our list for similar reasons, once your close to $30k seems alot to pay for that boot space for a family.

          Kia Seltos Sport+: Probably wise to avoid a 1st model year car but likely it shares most components with other Kias so low-risk.

          Apparently its based off the Kona, although its substantially longer.

          Suzuki Vitara Turbo: Why do you need the turbo? The Vitara is a great car all things considered, good price, amazing reliability, Suzuki are never complained about as far as I know.

          As mentioned below, the reason for the Turbo is it has the safety features we want that don't come on base spec. They only have 3 models, base, turbo, and turbo all grip (which is AWD). I've seen the Turbo new for about $28k at some places, although normal advertised driveaway is $31k, so it's been an interest proposition at that lower price point.

          Nissan Qashqai ST+: Do not buy a Nissan these days.

          Any particularly reason? I understand they seem on a downward trend since the deal with Renault.

          VW T-Cross: This is based on a Polo, so if the CX3 is too small, so is this. Also, don't buy a euro car if you're worried about affordability.

          It has a surprising amount of boot space 355 with a sliding bench space that'll adjust up to 455l. It just seems that they use smaller engines, so have a smaller front compared to say a mazda, and thus have more room in teh rest of the car. It's hard to tell till we see one in person whether it'd actually suit us though, but on paper, I think you'd be surprised by it.

          But yeah the affordability is my main concern.

          Hyundai Kona: Go buy one.

          I like the Kona, but it's a little tight in the back and the elite varient despite the price doesnt offer as much as you'd think, particularly for the price. See Brydie76 comment below, which is part of the reason its not on our list. I considered a second hand 2018 highlander, but the prices second hand are a bit insane.

          Subaru XV: Go buy one.

          It's about $38-40k to buy the model with the safety tech unfortunately. Perhaps, we could negotiate it down but doesn't seem likely we'd get to 34. But looks like a great car.

          Honda HRV: Extremely practical, very reliable. Very boring. This car might as well be a Toyota. But Honda might not be doing so well in Aus in the near future, so might not be the long-term buy.

          Doesnt seem to have the safety tech BSM or RCTA on any of the models? So we've put the honda HRV and CRV to the side.

          • @modiika:

            Any particularly reason? I understand they seem on a downward trend since the deal with Renault.

            As you say - build quality and reliability have shit the bed in the last ten years. Wouldn't touch one personally, I'm sure a lot of other people in this forum would agree.

            It's about $38-40k to buy the model with the safety tech unfortunately. Perhaps, we could negotiate it down but doesn't seem likely we'd get to 34. But looks like a great car.

            Could you not get a lightly-used / demo? Also my understanding with XV was that the safety tech was through the range? I might be wrong on that though, not my area of interest.

  • +1

    Honda HRV.

    • I wish doesnt seem to have Rear Cross traffic on any of the models. The seats look cool though.

  • +2

    Have a TL:DR section.
    If you're not in a hurry, I'll wait till mid next year to buy so you can avoid covid tax, pumped up Super-cash buyers until all the resources stop.
    Cheers

    • Added TL:DR

      But yeah kind of in a hurry, dont really want to wait more than 1-2 months. And ideally weeks.

  • +1

    rear cross traffic

    I wish that was compulsory, with automatic braking, since so many people seem to reverse without looking. I've probably personally observed more traffic accidents caused by that than everything else put together (except maybe rear-enders).

    • Yeah, i mean it doesnt help that modern cars have pretty poor rear vision in my experience. But I just find it a useful peace of mind.

      It's a bit annoying that most brands tend to put it on their highest spec model. You end up paying for leather seats and stuff that i'm happy to avoid in order to get it.

  • +1

    My pick would be the ASX. I drive one occasionally for work and yes, they are absolutely boring AF, but they are super reliable, run on 91 unleaded fuel (unlike VW or Vitara turbo) and capped price servicing is cheaper than some of the others in your list.

    Pick one up 1-2 years old if you can (plenty on the second hand market). Yes, you'll be missing out on the 10 year warranty but you'll be saving yourself a bit of money.

    Good luck!

    • Thanks, was looking for first hand feedback like this.

      Yeah i was toying with a 2018 model. Seen them about 22k from a used dealer, and $17k from private seller. It's hard private sellers seem to always have vehicles on the written off register, which just makes me nervous.

      Kind of convinced my self to pay the difference from 22k used dealer to 27k new, for hte warranty, larger screen, and redesigned front end which might hold resale better even if its pretty meaningless to me.

  • +1

    Subaru Impreza. I think you can probably get the top spec version for that budget. Worth alook. Massive boot for it's size. Keep all options open.

    • Thanks for the suggestion. Certainly open to Subaru, they seem constantly recommended to us in our social circles.

      But at 4.47m long the Impreza is longer than a Seltos and with a smaller boot. It's not a bad boot size. But i'm struggling to see for our criteria, what would make it the best option. It's $32,500 drive away with the safety tech we want. I dunno, should i just spend an extra $1,500 and buy a used 2019 RAV4 GXL? I think that would be a closer fit if i was willing to compromise on size and then i'd get the height?

  • +1

    I picked up a 2018 GX RAV4 AWD end of 2019 used, ~20,000kms, $28k I think it was.

    It was one of the last of the older shape/style, It doesn't have blind spot or rear cross traffic alert, but the reversing camera shows an extremely wide angle.

    And even though GX is a base model, it has radar cruise, lane departure assist, AEB, front and rear sensors.

    Edit: This one here… https://www.carsguide.com.au/toyota/rav4/price/2018/gx----4x… its 1845wide

    • Sounds like a good deal. Not sure I saw anything like that currently available. Cheapest I can see near me is like $34k

      It's a little on the large size. But my wife has had a life long dream to own a RAV4, since they were the tiny SUVs in the 90s. So she would be swayed. But given the price used, and being slightly on the large size, dont think its quite right for us sadly.

  • +1

    Mazda 3 or 6.

    Since you are not driving often, keep a small car easy to maintain and fun to drive depending what you buy. But certainly better than a boxy steel SUV.

    • I dont think we are driving often. Mostly it'll be probably 20 mins a week tops of drive time. Though probably longer 1-2 hour drives once a month.

      I dont think i care that much about drive experience, so the boxy steel SUV driving experience isnt a huge concern to me. But definetly nice cars, I think the 3 is probably a sensible choice for most people.

  • +1

    Is 4480 long and 1850 wide too big ?

    • It'll fit its just more of a pain particularly the width. But if we loved everything else i'd consider it.

  • +2

    This comes from a Toyota salesperson FYI, but…

    The new Yaris Cross

    Honestly, my dad is close to buying one when it comes out (November 2nd).

    Really well equipped in base trim, but if you want Blind-Spot and RCTA you'll need to go to the mid-range GXL model.

    https://www.toyota.com.au/all-new-yaris-cross

    So what we are looking for is:

    • under $34,000 drive away (Expect it to be around there, maybe a bit less for starting price)
    • Small/compact SUV (between 4-4.4m in length) (it's 4180mm long)
    • Reasonable boot space for the size (330L+) (390L)
    • Not super wide (around 1.8, smaller is better) - Our parking spot is really unpleasant (1765 wide)
    • Rear parking camera and sensor (front sensor a bonus with our spot) (Rear camera standard, GXL gets F&R sensors and panoramic-view monitor)
    • Blind spot and Rear Cross traffic (just note this is a very very strong preference, we would be reluctant to chose a car with out it). AEB and other related tech seems to be pretty standard, particularly if car has these. (GXL gets this. AEB, Radar Cruise etc standard on entry-level GX)
    • reasonably reliable brand with a future in this country (please dont recommend me a holden, alfa romeo, citreon) (Toyota…)
    • preference for Japanese /Korean, but open to cheaper european I guess. (Japanese)
    • Yeah this looks super interesting, I didnt realise it was releasing on 2 November, which is crazy close, i thought perhaps early next year. At that price its interesting, it seems the closest allround if we could get it close to 34k for the GXL and this side of Christmas. I'll keep an eye out for it.

      • Pricing should be out next week :)

        • You’re not a salesperson in vic, by chance?

  • +1

    I had the same requirements
    The Kia seltos would of been my pick. It was by far the roomiest. But due to the demand the wait was 6+ months and buying essentially a 2020 at the end of year wasn't appealing especially because they weren't budging on price.

    I ended up with the VW golf. Grab your child seat and put it in each car. You'll be surprised how small some of these SUVs are compared to a hatch. Our main thing was not too compromise the passenger front seat position.

    • I spoke to a dealer a week ago, they just got 2 Sport+ in as stock, in the colour we wanted (white). But they are probably gone by now, i wasnt ready to put a deposit down.

      They also warned me they had 6 month waits, but are now seeing the waits ease to more like 3 months pretty consistently.

      Yeah, the Golf looks cool, but my wife doesnt like the look of the Polo or Golf.

  • +1

    I'm in a similar position as yours. Lived without a car all these time and with new baby see a value in having car handy for short trips. I've been looking through seconds market but it's too expensive right now. For new cars, I've narrowed down to

    1. Kia Seltos
    2. ASX
    3. Hyundai Tuscon - Tempted with new 2021 design though price would be a question.
    4. Subaru Forester if I get a good deal on new car.

    I'm planning to test drive all of them over next couple of months before finalizing the deals.

    Couple of months back 2018 ASX were going for 17K but all of them now are 21-22K which is bit too much for the car.

    • Yeah all seem solid, i was relooking at the Tuscon today, but I think for our feature set will be out of our budget, smae for Forester. But the Forester might have been my pick had we had a higher budget.

      Yeah, 2018 ASX were about 17k, which was a compromise I was totally willing to make but once they got up to 22K, then its like i might as well get new, then i might as well get something else.

      • Yeah - Tuscon will be beyond 34K but new car seems stylish. Only thing which I don't like in Seltos/Tuscon are back seat windows. They make you feel cramped for space which is not the case in forester.

        Someone posted in the forum that they managed to get Forester for 34500 with 2 year free service. You may want to check out this link. Initially forester was out of my range but after reading this I'm tempted. So I will go for a test drive after 2nd Nov. I plan to test drive all of them though.

        https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/570685

        p.s. I had found a 2018 30K mileage Cerato for 15K but it was out of my 5km radius and seller did not want to wait. So I lost on that deal.

  • +1

    If you want the car in the next couple weeks/month or so, you probably need to remove the Seltos unless you buy a demonstrator. They are in very short supply and I’ve seen people waiting 6-ish months for theirs. I was wanting one too but it was off the list for that reason.

    I would get a 2.0L Kona- and see if you can get a demonstrator highlander. The 2.0L has a conventional auto so is better for city driving and is cheaper. Everyone says it is slow but I’ve come from a sportier car to mine and it is perfectly fine (sports mode is fun too). Also, if you have driven a highlander definitely test the elite before settling for it. I got an elite as a service loan car yesterday and it feels so much cheaper than the highlander.

    • As above, I spoke to a dealer a week ago, they just got 2 Sport+ in as stock, in the colour we wanted (white). But they are probably gone by now, i wasnt ready to put a deposit down.

      Agree on Kona, just not sure it's the best value at the elite highlander end, and wouldnt mind a bit more space, but is probably marginal between all the models we are looking at.

  • +1

    I've had a 2012 ASX with CVT since new. Yes it's boring but it's been bulletproof which is what we wanted (2 adults and 2 kids). There's no point having the latest tech if it's unreliable. The CVT is the same to drive as the auto.

    I would avoid Euro and stick with Japanese/Korean for reliability. Yes they aren't as exciting but I want reassurance I can get to my destination.

    • Thanks, good to hear it's worked well for you. I'll try to keep that in mind when I try one out. Certainly nervous about the Euro models.

  • +1

    Mazda CX-5 by a long shot

  • +1

    Since parking is tricky why not get something like the autoparking 2015 Ford mondeo titanium hatch. Though it's not an Suv, it's pretty big inside and parks itself, has tons of safety features like blind spot alert, lane keep assist, in your price range. And super economical is you get the diesel, 5.5 l/100km like this one

    https://www.carsales.com.au/cars/details/2018-ford-mondeo-ti…

    • I guess i'm not keen to pay $30k on a used sedan/hatch, when we would prefer an SUV.

      I could see the appeal though, so thanks for the recommendation as I hadnt considered it before.

      • My partner has a 2011 titanium diesel, they're about 10k and I'm just buying a 2015 petrol one (91 octane and E10 ) for $17 (but 125k kms).

  • +2

    get an electric cargo bike. Parking + oil dependency problems solved!

    • +1

      Actually got a push bike during the pandemic, and will probably bike to work once I have to return to the office.

      Not sure the cargo bike is a good fit for 3 of us. Not exactly, suitable for weekend getaways. But perhaps it's a useful recommendation for someone else looking at this thread. Always good to keep an open mind, thats how i went so long without owning any car.

      • loads of great weekend getaway options on bikes too. or just use carshare for those situations. You'll spend $200 a week + on a car. Owning them is ultimately a dud most of the time imho

        • I agree it’s a real pain with a car seat. And living in an apartment wouldn’t be keen to keep the car seat inside.

          It is not impossible for us to live without a car. It’s just crossed the line into more work/effort than we’d like.

        • $200 a week + on a car

          What are you smoking? I love bikes and ebikes and cargo bikes, I've cycled to work for years. But advising a guy and his wife and tiny baby to get a cargo bike for weekend getaways is literally ridiculous.

          Also in what world is a car more than $200 a week?!?!

  • +1

    Whilst on the bus/tram just look at all the variety of vehicles. Then one will stand out as a possibility.

    • In my area they are all Mercs, VWs, Range Rovers. Otherwise its mostlys Mazda 2s and 3s.

      And no bus/tram for us in Melbourne given the pandemic and no where for us to go anyway. :)

  • +1

    Cerato for the budget? They are quite roomy inside, 5 star ANCAP & the 7 year warranty is massive peace of mind financially.

    We got a Sportage new a few years back and love it.

    • +1

      5 star ANCAP

      99% of cars have 5 star ANCAP these days, just depends on when they were tested

      • Agree, it shoudl be mandatory for them to advertise the ANCAP with the year.

        That said the Cerato is the most safety packed car i've seen dollar for dollar.

    • Yep, Cerato is super tempting. Except its quite long, wife hates the look (likes the i30, but those are more expensive with less safety). But the Kia brand overall is tempting. Hell, at one point I was convinved we'd buy a picanto and just use it for grocery runs but my wife and mum think its too small and a safety risk with kids. Oh well.

  • Not the Mitsubishi or the Nissan. Yuck.

  • Not even Toyota RAV4 ?

    • Out of budget

  • +1

    I can't recommend a specific car for you but I will say that you should absolutely buy something 2nd hand and under $30k.

    Reason is that you hardly drive to begin with. You don't need something flashy with bells and whistles. Those are for people who spend extended time in their cars.

    You're a weekend driver at best, and by the sounds of it the car will spend a lot of time in parking lots and shopping centres. Plus a newborn with all their food and vomit being lugged around. You get the picture.

    Buy something you don't really care about. Not a shitbox, but not something flashy or new either.

    • Yes this would be the most rational choice.

      I think we probably should be buying a used hatch. But the used market is a bit insane atm. Some times 2 years used are like $1k off new on the advertised pricing. Also to be honest part of the car purchase price is a gift and basically the rest is from a travel fund we didn’t get to use this year, and won’t got international travel in next couple years.

      But once I decide what we would buy new. We will compare that to a used $15k hatch, Corolla, i30 or cerato, maybe Impreza and have a hard think about whether we should spend the extra.

      It’s easy to look at a 28k car and end comparing it with a 34k alternative and justify the price difference, but that’s still a solid $6k difference. The incrementalism is what’s driven us from mid 20s to low 30s.

      Mechanically I know very little about cars, so a bit wary of second hand.

      • It's worth paying an extra $400 to get an independent mechanical inspection of any car you buy second hand. That will put your mind at ease.

        When it comes to Japanese or Korean cars, you really don't have to worry much. Mechanical issues are uncommon and when they do pop up they're fairly inexpensive fixes. It's not like a BMW or Audi where you need to worry about $10k repair bills from a car that just left the factory.

      • Mechanically I know very little about cars, so a bit wary of second hand.

        This needn't be a worry.

        Japanese or korean cars with low kms (sub 100k kms) and say, five years old or less are extremely unlikely to have major mechanical issues in the next five years.

        If you want a new car bc you want a new car that's cool but it's absolutely not necessary in most cases, yours included.

  • +1

    I like buying from a reputable dealer because the statutory three months warranty is fantastic. Get an end of warranty check done after 2.5 months and take it to the dealer and they will fix almost everything on the list, plus after a few months you'll know what you like fixed. Do get a dealer worth a real workshop, I mean a Ford or Mazda dealership preferably.

    Having said that,…. if you find a great car from a private individual you may just get a better deal, I've done both in the past, but it's a great feeling getting a list of issues fixed if they do find anything (often there is nothing to fix of course) :)

    I once bought a 2yr old Celica in Canberra and the nrma mentioned worn brake pads, worn synchromesh in several gears, 10+ things …. and most things i thought would not be covered by the 3 months warranty but the dealership said everything was covered and did it with a smile. I was most impressed, took a week in the workshop. I asked how they could make money like this and they said almost noone gets an end of warranty check or bothers about returning, assuming they are not covered for consumables etc… pleasant lesson learned!

  • +2

    Just thought i'd post an update on progress for any one interested and feedback on the drive of the ones I've test driven. Probably more just for my own sanity to put some thoughts on paper to be honest.

    Test Drives and comments (in order I drove them)

    • Mazda CX-3 - After test driving this Car my thought is, you really should just save the money and get a Mazda 2. This car is low, seriously low. While a lot of small SUVs are jacked up hatches (in this case a Mazda 2), this one is barely jacked up, even side by side, I couldnt really tell the difference. If you really like the form factor, then perhaps go for a cx-30, its only marginally higher, but its different enough from a Mazda 2, that if small size is your thing and a nicer finish important, perhaps you can justify that. Personally, though either look bigger, elsewhere or get the Mazda 2.

    • Mazda CX-5 - This was lot larger than the other cars we were thinking of, we were surprised that we really like it. We test drove the FWD MAXX Sport which is 2nd from the bottom. It was great, and the 8inch screen over the 7 in the cx3 was quite noticeable to my eyes. I think a 10inch screen is expected in the refresh due any time now. The car was good to drive (2nd best after suzuki), and really found the space better all around, particularly in the back seats. While on the small side internally to the mid-size SUV segment, we found it plenty spacious. Got the Dealer to agree they could do the Maxx for about 32, but we didnt finalise negotiations as we wanted to see other cars. This became our front runner and also emphasised how much more we enjoyed the height, the CX-5 is truely tall compared to the Kona and CX-3, and felt a more comfortable place to be.

    • T-Cross - The heavy use of hard plastics inside the car really undermined it for us. It has alot of great features and is a strong competitor to the Kona we are currently driving. But the Kona feels like a nicer car, particularly in the back seats (perhaps a bit unfair as our Kona is the Highlander). Not particularly keen on brand and servicing is quite expensive, however, the service pack for 5 years is $1,800 (quite a bit less than a forester for 5 years) and you can purchase it any time in first year of ownership. Also the engine, really was a slow to react from stopping and was quite unlike other cars i'm used to driving. I had read about it in reviews, but on my short test drive I twice encountered times when i was waiting 2-3 seconds for the car to move after hitting the accelerator. I think you could get used to it, but not sure i'd want to. Dealer gave up very little in negotiating (i.e. like $500). Only had base specs in demo (in which they could have been more competitive. The standard sound system is woeful, the upgraded one quite good. If the car with Safety and Vision packs had been closer to 30 instead of 35, we might have considered it further. This quickly became the first one we removed from list. My wife thought it looked nice but was worried it would age badly internally. Oh yeah, the excess on the insurance for the test drive was $5,000, which I think is insane, most other places didn't mention the excess, but the next highest one was $1,000.

    • Mitsubishi ASX - We went on the last day of the month, and the dealer had a white exceed (top spec) demo for $28.5 driveaway which is about an $8k discount and is cheaper than they would offer some models below it. I think they were desperate for another sale for a bonus. The 2.4L engine in the car was better to drive than i expected from reviews, and felt effortless getting up to speed on the highway. My main complaint was that the steering felt a bit disconnected or floating. I'll also noted its the only test drive i did where the dealer insisted on coming. The car is tale of 2 different eras, some features on the car are modern like large 8 inch entertainment unit, rear cross traffic, blind spot and others are quite dated like no adaptive cruise, older aeb, no front sensors (unless 3rd party aftermarket is your thing), some of the internal styling. We werent ready to make a call on the day as i had concerns about how dated it felt. However, in hindsight, with the 10 year warranty, capped price serving for 10 years (which was very reasonable when i looked at the schedule) and discount for the Exceed variant which had heated seats, upgraded sound, sat nav, panoramic roof, etc we probably should have taken it. In subsequent negotiation, the best they offered 34 driveaway with mats, at that price I dont think it makes sense unless you are desperate for apanoramic roof and leather seats in that price point. We may revisit this but I cant see us buying unless we can score an exceed for at or under 30k. CX-5 and Seltos seem better buys otherwise. We came to this decision the following week and by then it was sold (it probably sold the afternoon we were there it was taken out by someone else for a test drive while we were there). In summary, good points, were height, size, boot space, and external looks were better than i expected from photos. I do think its going to age badly, but if budget is top priority it'll be hard to beat on many fronts, as many models you can get for mid to high 20s with haggling.

    • Subaru Forester - Not originally on our list, but after we liked the CX-5, I decided we should try a competitor. I was also considering whether we upped our budget to the CX-5 touring which is low 40s. Based on spec sheet looking, I decided the L was the best bet, and located a used one MY20 2.5i-L for 32,500 drive away at a used car dealership. However, decided to test drive at a subaru dealership as much closer. The test drive car, was the top spec 2.5-S. My wife and I fell in love with it, felt so open and enjoyable to drive (3rd best after Suzuki and CX-5, although possibly the best suspension for city driving of them), safety features top notch. It's a little busy with so many screens but quite nice. That being said, the lower models seemed to have so many core feature missing so we quickly became convinced it was the S variant or nothing. The model we test drove was for sale, and was advertised for 43,990 drive away. Unfortunately, they were unwilling to substantially negotiate on this price, and we set a max spend of $40,000 after a review of our available cash. If any one is interested, apparently we drove a MY19 (although on the day we were told it was MY20), they later (by phone) offered us a MY20 demo for 44k or a new one for $46.5k. Personally, i dont think the discount were particularly compelling, although our target of $40k on the demo was probably unrealistic. We dont need the always on AWD, and in hindsight we decided we probably shouldnt spend 40k, so great car but glad we didnt buy it. Also checked out, but didnt drive, the XV, but that small boot is just ridiculous. Personally, there's like $9k seperating base forester from top, I think there is very little reason not to get top or second top model (if you dont like pano roof). The other models are so cheap, dont even get sat nav on a awd car seems nuts to me.

    • Suzuki Vitara Turbo. This car drove well, its very boxy. Very laid back sales man, who basically didnt try to hard to get us to buy. Not very strong discounting on the pricing. I think the engine( a 1.4 turbo) was great, but perhaps because its the most similar to the 1.6 turbo in the Kona i'm driving. In fact, in alot of ways its like the Kona, similar boot, and overall size. I think the infotainment screen a bit small (and dont like the buttons for quick access), no digital speed read out, and it all just feels a bit dated inside. Fairly decent safety tech, though the AEB is not as comprehensive as most of its competiors (although similar to ASX). The Front parking sensors seemed to only engage at the last possible moment, so seemed a bit useless to me, i guess i could have been further than i thought in my two tests (its a much boxier design) so perhaps it was safe, but i found them a bit nerve wracking to use as they engaged so late. Overall, i think this is a great car, but it really feels 5 years old, I think theres a refresh due in a year or so, and that will hopefully bring it uptodate and be a compelling option. I think its a good choice if the safety features it has are of interest as the KIA/Hyundai alternatives dont get those safety features until higher price points, online it seems you can get a demo turbo for like $28k. Also, by far the cheapest capped price servicing of any we looked at.

    So where to from here. Basically, after the CX-5, we've decided that we want a slightly larger car, that makes more sense long term, than getting a car that replicates my mothers Kona, which we can borrow. Part of this, is our neighbour who drove a massive 7 seater and consistently crippled the space on one side (other side fence) has left, and given its 1 bedroom apartment, consider it unlikely next tenant will drive such a large car, and well, could live with teh tight parking if we had to, though i think some midsize suvs like RAV4 are just that bit larger that i'm not really considering them. As we are looking up in size, I've also decided not to bother test driving the Toyota Yaris Cross although it ticks a lot of boxes, although i think the inside cabin looks very cheap, no arm rest, single usb on everything but top spec, and horrible interior colours on top spec. This effectively narrows our choices down to :

    • Kia Seltos (Sports+) - Will test drive tomorrow, i think this maybe the winner. Modern, not quite as large as a cx5 but with same boot space. I'm curious how the back row will compare. I think overall Mazda finish may be nicer, but probably close enough not to bother us. The annoying thing to me is that there doesnt seem any scope to meaningfully negotiate on price and i think it would be a very compelling option at 31/32k. However, it appears two dealers near us might have new stock of the one we are after, so perhaps it doesnt have to be a long wait even if it does end up cost effectively 35k (white is a premium colour, and the base yellow looks ugly in person).

    • Mazda CX-5 - I'd love to get the Touring as i think that's the best value. But, we've moved away from our 40k budget, back to about 35, and It seems unlikely we could get there. While i do like inbuilt sat nav, for when you are outside mobile network coverage, i dont think the Maxx Sport is meaningfully worth the upgrade over the Maxx. So I think we are looking at either trying to get a 2019 touring or demo for 36kish, or a MAXX for under 32 if possible. New models for 2021 seem very imminent (but is that 2 weeks, or 7 weeks, who knows) which would probably be a good time to get a bargain on the current models.

    • Kia Cerato - We may test drive the Cerato. Looking at S w Safety Pack, if we could get one of these new for 22-23k, which seems achievable from others results online, its a pretty compelling option giving good boot and internal space and all the safety features we want. But will my wife be happy long term in something so low? I have my doubts.

    • Nissan Qashqai - We may also if we get desperate and still cant decide test drive a Nissian Qashqai, while online reviews have discouraged me from a Nissan, its still a reputable brand with no specific issues with the Qashqai that i've been able to see, which we should be able to get a decent price on for the features we want (i.e. under 32K, maybe even sub 30).

    As you can probably tell from the massive length of this post, I've possibly been overthinking this and hope to make a decision tomorrow after test driving the Kias.

    • +2

      As per thread update above went with Kia Seltos.

      Enjoyed the drive. 10inch screen is really good. I thought the sound system was better than quite a few other brands, though not as good as top line Seltos or ASX we tried with a dedicated sub woofer. The safety stuff was great.

      I didn’t realise it had this feature where it alerts you when the car in front of you moves off , if you don’t move within 1-2 seconds. Which was handy because I got a bit distracted on test drive messing with functions.

      I would have l preferred the GT line if we could have got it at 40 but just wasn’t going to happen with the current demand. And money in our pocket is probably better.

      Dealers

      I found city Kia, chadstone mitsuibishi and penfold suzuki great to deal with. None tried to sell me too hard and none pushed extras. Didn’t grab a second salesman when I wanted to leave. Efficient. Mitsubishi guy really prompt at giving good upfront discounts, I think Mitsubishi are a good option for the price considering feature set, warranty and established reliability even if a bit old and boring.

      Volkswagen, Subaru and Mazda dealerships were more of a pain. At Volkswagen, I waited a long time to be helped despite an appointment made well in advance(45 mins?) and made it hard to leave even when I made it clear I wasn’t making a decision that day, honestly $500 the best they could do blerg. Mazda were very good at offering a discount, but did feel a little sleazy as you would typically picture a car sales men however main complaint was after going through everything and deciding we weren’t ready to decide they made us wait an extra 20 mins while theyg went and got a manger who ran through everything with us again before we left. Subaru was fast to start test drive but slow once we got back. My wife lost it at me afterwards (she was there and got so impatient with how slow they were). Before we got to price the male salesmen left and they brought in some young women to try and upsell is expensive paint protection and stuff ($2k for some package) and then going through every other accessory option. Seriously I can’t believe they actually do this, I was there with my wife and our new born.

      • +1

        Thanks a lot for sharing your feedback and experience. Your initial post prompted me to get back into research as well. I'm in a similar situation, where we have our first baby on the way, and are looking to get a new family vehicle; preferably a smaller SUV type. After reading your post, and the following comments, I started my own research. I didn't get to test drive stage, but ended up with the Kia Seltos Sports Plus at the top of my list, so it was cool to see that you settled on the exact same conclusion! I'd be very interested to hear your feedback after driving it for a little while, and am also curious which Kia dealership you went with (if you don't mind my asking).

        • +1

          City Kia, its weirdly in Richmond. No specific reason, except they were close. In fact it seems i actually made an appoint to test drive with a salewoman at a different dealership, but we only confirmed by phone, so when i rocked up to city kia they dont have any women car salesmen and no one by the name i had. Mystery for the ages.

          Since my above post, i had a follow up call about car extras like Dash Cams, Ceramic Paint Protection, Tinting on front windows etc. It was easier to deal with not being in the store, so I dont really consider it a negative even though i dont think their offers were good value.

          I'll update with thoughts in a few weeks on the car itself. Since making the decision, i have stared longingly at the GT spec sheet. There are so many little details they dont make it into the sports plus, it really drives me nuts. But I cant justify the extra $9k, especially with how little we drive. In hindsight, i wish i tested a Qashqai, because i think there's more room on the price and the range is pretty compelling. But you cant test everything.

        • SO had the car for about a week now.

          My mothers car, hyundai kona, which I had been driving full time for last 3 months or so has the same (or basically the same) 1.6 dct awd turbo that is in the higher end Sport+ and GT Seltos. And I have to say, I prefer the CVT in the Seltos i got. It's just a smoother ride and experiece and less jerky at low speeds. Only once has it sounded a little gaspy when accelerating fasting, but I really had to look for it to notice it. I'm not someone who care about having a performance engine or drive. But nonetheless, i think the CVT here performs really well (considering its a boxy SUV non-turbo), and i think most buyers would be very happy with the feel.

          I was a bit disappointed to find out the front passenger seat doesnt have height adjustment (my wife is quite small, so extra height would have been nice). User profiles are nice, but not sure theirs a lot for them to do in the Sports+, its not like the seats are memory based. Perhaps the mirrors but havent tested that. Its a little annoying as it popups every time you start the car and is unresponsive for a few seconds.
          Audio sounds pretty clear, though not much bass, however, otherwise seems similar to "bose" system in the higher variants. For the type of stuff I listen to in the car, its good (enough).

          I bought a very short (10cm) USB to lightning cable for my phone, and havent really missed wireless charging, though it was slightly more convenient.

          Really noticed the bigger internal size and boot compared to Kona. Car seat has been easier to use, and fits much easier than it did in Kona (good 2inch gap between passenger seat and car seat), in Kona it was like 1 cm.

          I think the steering is better than the Kona feels a little more direct.

          Dont really notice the extra height of car without them side by side. But at least without the sunroof, i have alot more head clearance than on Kona.

          I do wish it was possible to buy the GT line upgrades without the AWD engine. Rear air vents and USB, LED headlights, heated coole seats, height adjustment on passenger seat, and yes even the sunroof are all things i would have been happy to pay a few grand for, but not 10. That being said, I'm glad we didnt spend any more on the car, given our limited use, even this is probalby more than we should have spent.

          I did forget to negotiate for included floor mats or full tank of petrol. So whoops.

          Anyway, thanks for everyone's advice/input/opinion.

    • though i think some midsize suvs like RAV4 are just that bit larger that i'm not really considering them.

      RAV4:
      Length - 4.6m
      Width - 1.855m

      CX5
      Length - 4.55m
      Width - 1.840m

      So 5cm longer, and 1.5cm wider, puts it out of contention…?

      As per thread update above went with Kia Seltos.

      Ok well there ya go

      • Well i guess it was at top end of our budget, and so popular i thought hard to get a deal on.

        To be honest, width was a big issue with our spot, so it was already a compromise on the cx5 being 4cm wider than most of the competition we were considering, and another 1.5cm seemed too much. I was kind of overlooking in the cx5 because, after test driving a bunch, the extra space internally seemed worth the compromise even if i looked like an idiot every time I parked the car. But happy with the compromise we made.

        Probably would have been ok length wise. We almost bought the forester which i think is 4.6 as well. However, I do think for us the smaller car made more sense, and 30kish made a lot more sense financially for us that 40kish.

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