Anyone bought recently under $30k New Car please share you experience thanks
Update:
I have now narrowed it down to these 3:
BYD Atto 1
Tigga Pro 4
Haval Jolin
Thanks for all your inputs
$30k Budget (Cant Be over) Yearly Drive Just under 15000km, Must Be New, Any Brand, Must Be Auto. Suggestions?
Aerith-Waifu on 22/10/2025 - 19:09
Last edited 25/10/2025 - 03:22
Last edited 25/10/2025 - 03:22
Comments
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Maximise the depreciation?
doesnt matter if its suv or sedan, but needs to be new. Had enough of second hand cars……
You need to get your cars checked out by a mechanic before buying them second hand.
Plus new cars have recalls and aren't guaranteed free of defects. Just make sure it's not a 'grass is always greener' situation.
The easiest solution is to just stop buying shit secondhand cars.
I suggest you buy the car most comfortable for sleeping.
Had enough of second hand cars
maybe you didn't try hard enough
well had 3 of them in the cause of last 20 years and all are troublesome, this needs $500, that needs $1000, worst of the worst is the VW Golf, every time the bloody thing needs service its always $1000+.
So no, new it is
@Aerith-Waifu: So you're going to waste $20,000 in depreciation to save $2,000 in repairs?
Geniuses like you don't belong on ozBARGAIN@field1985: $2000 in repairs are pretty much every year and you still end up with an old car. With new car I dont have to worry too much for 7 years at least.
@Aerith-Waifu: Having owned 3 Golfs (currently a Mk7 Alltrack) I don't recommend them to anyone unless they intend to do their own services.
$1k-$2k/yr is quite normal once a car starts to age. Our 2004 Honda Accord Euro was costing that in the past few years.
We have recently sold the Honda because my lazy kids couldn't be bothered leaving it with me to keep on top of minor issues.
I do understand your logic, especially about driving an old car that lacks modern technology such as airbags and possibly doesn't stand up well in an actual crash.
My 28yo decided to stick with public transport & Ubers.
My 23yo bought a new Mahindra XUV3X0 for ~$23500(?). Her initial budget was $15k for something 2nd hand but she soon got frustrated with the "find a car, have a look, car has more issues than seller let on, thx for wasting my time" process and the Honda needed to be sold while it still had rego.
It's not what I would have bought but she's happy. She paid cash from her savings. Yes it will depreciate like a stone but she will probably keep it for 6 years.
I bought my Octavia new for $30k, kept it 13 years, travelled 205k km and sold it with several faults for $2k. $2150/yr depreciation is acceptable to me.
@Aerith-Waifu: Same thing with new cars after the warranty expires. Big services are due after 100,000KM.
@Aerith-Waifu: None of those cars had a Toyota badge, did they? Exactly. You thought of buying something a bit more flashy, and then got burned. Now you're going to get burned again by buying a brand-new Chinese-made car (not saying Chinese cars are necessarily bad, for the price point, they're good).
@Aerith-Waifu: Basically OP wants Corolla reliability BUT,
1) Don't want to buy a new corolla as it's too expensive
2) Don't want to buy an old corolla as it's used
OK, good luck then (Sorry to break it to you, you will NOT get the same reliability with any of the options you've chosen).
Nothing wrong with secondhand cars under warranty.
Most of the chinese have 7-10 year warranties which nullify any potential issues regarding breakdowns etc.Better than what VW/Audi etc will give you.
Unless you really want to get cooked with the 50% depreciation over the first 3 years.
Plenty of not chinese cars offer decent warranties.
Mitsubishi and Kia immediately come to mind.
In general, far superior build quality on both those brands.@LlamaOfDoom: I would suggest kia or Mitsubishi, but their pricing is getting up there and the fit out is inferior to the Chinese equivalents.
Don't get me wrong my Kia Sportage was indestructible - hit 275,000k's before i sold it, it's just the newer one's aren't holding up as well, anything turbocharged seems to take a hit in the reliability department.
Going to run it till it dies so dont care about resell value at all
@Aerith-Waifu: If youre going to run it til it dies, dont buy a petrol car. Youll likely be looking to upgrade to an EV in a few years when fuel prices are even higher and everyone you know keeps telling you how they charge their car for next to nothing.
Plus, if youre looking to keep it forever, it'll be out of warranty at some point and you might end up with repair bills again. An EV is not likely to fail in the drivetrain, but suspension parts and possibly some bearings might need replacing after 10y.
@Aerith-Waifu: Just be aware that the battery will only have a 10 year warranty at best, and I know Tesla only guarantee it will retain 70% capacity at the end of that warranty, and a replacement battery costs almost as much as you’re wanting to spend on the car alone.
An EV after 15 years will likely only have 30-40% of its battery capacity/range left, so will be next to useless.
Car battery tech needs an evolution, or the cars need to have their prices slashed so you can buy a new one every 10 years affordably.
@MrFunSocks: Newer Evs are only dropping down to around 75% battery after 15 years. I forget the name but one Chinese brand going to replace the battery if its health is below 75% at the 15 year mark. Battery tech has vastly improved in last 2 years.
An EV after 15 years will likely only have 30-40% of its battery capacity/range left, so will be next to useless.
Probably not. The latest data aplears to show that current battery tech tends to slow degradation after 80% remaining capacity. Indicating that the battery is kikeky to see out the life of the car with over 70% remaining.
Additionally, good charge practices will help battery longevity. Minimise fast charging, especially when its hot or cold. Avoid charging to 100% unless you need to. Avoid droping below 20% SOC etc.
Tesla only guarantee it will retain 70% capacity at the end of that warranty, and a replacement battery costs almost as much as you’re wanting to spend on the car alone.
Assuming you pay full retail price for a brand new battery from Tesla, which would be the dumbest thing to do for a 10+ year old car. Refurbished Tesla batteries removed from near-new crash-damaged cars are currently available for as little as $5-6k, with a full battery condition report and warranty.
I am deeply confident that in 10 years time, aftermarket Tesla batteries will be widely available with increased capacity and reduced weight.
I am deeply confident that in 10 years time, aftermarket Tesla batteries will be widely available with increased capacity and reduced weight.
Agree. The future of the 'engine swap' will be upgrading batteries.
Never had a new car in my life. Even the ones ive sold i know are still on the road today. Dont buy rubbish then look after them both in the way you drive and with servicing.
Look at Demo cars too, save $thousands and almost brand new.
Its obviously a guessing compeition
Renault Metallic SUV getting a bit long in the tooth?
Sold that one long time ago for a RAV4
Did the RAV4 have roof racks for a kayak?
Kayak? Not a water person.
NEVA 4GET
Star wars stickers would most likely devalue a model Y below 30k.. 🤔
I understood this reference
high learning kurb.
Glad you are paying attention
Well I am a Pokemon guy so it has be to POKEMON!!!!!!!!!
Well I am a Pokemon guy
Which episode were you in?
LOL
Suzuki swift , Hyundai i30 ⁉️
You should be specific about petrol or electric , I'd go petrol 💯
Suzuki Fronx now too
You can get an electric for under $30k?
Are suzuki any good?
This November you can probably order the BYD Atto 1 Seagull probably around $25k
Dolphin essential is available now for around $32kAlternatively you can get a Picanto or Swift hybrid
Yeah.. the Swift "hybrid" isnt really a "hybrid" in the sense of the Corolla being a "hybrid". The Swift's hybrid system is more of a second alternator/motor hooked up to the engine and powered off a 12V battery. It's more of a "token" system they added just so they could fool people with the "hybrid" sticker on the back. You cant drive a Swift in EV mode like you can with a Corolla type hybrid system.
That’s the same with Nissan xtrail isn’t it?
If you're talking about the e power system, then no. The Nissan uses the engine as a generator to charge a small lithium ion battery, which powers an electric motor that is hooked up to the drivetrain. The engine therefore can run at a constant (efficient?) rpm, and only when the battery needs a charge.
Most importantly, the engine never engages with the drivetrain directly in the Nissan.
@CocaKoala: Thanks. So can it run by battery alone? I just remember reading the fuel economy was pretty poor for a hybrid.
can it run by battery alone?
Think of it as an EV with a really small battery so the battery depletes rather quickly (just a few kilometers?).
Therefore it comes with an onboard petrol generator that sits in the engine bay. The "generator" will come on as and when required to top up the battery.
As a result there may be no correlation between the engine rpm and what the car is doing. For example, the car may be accelerating rapidly but the engine might be off. The car might be in stop and go traffic and the engine might come on.
The swift series are renowned for cheap running and reliability , I'm pushing my daughters for this or the i30 Hyundai.
Are suzuki any good?
I've had a Suzuki and it was a great car.
Mum drives one and it just keeps on going.
My best mate in NZ has a swift as a company car and thrashes the life out of it and it just keeps on going.
Swifts are awesome and near bulletproof.
I30 is $31500, over my budget
Near new , demo or used
seriously 1500 on a 30k car is going to be the make or break?
They've set a budget and are going to stand by it. They even let go of a deal for a brand new Lexus rx350 hybrid because the one day sale price was $30,001.
Could you imagine they walked out saying "that's over my budget".
Small car ok? Maybe Byd atto 1
Oh i didnt know they have an atto 1? I will check it out
Will be released in November.
https://www.carexpert.com.au/car-news/2026-byd-atto-1-full-s…
Looks great! Wonder if its bigger than the current gen Kia Picanto?
@DashCam AKA Rolts: Very helpful, thanks many. I actually dont mind an EV. If its released at below $30k I am very interested
wow this looks amazing!
@Aerith-Waifu: Have seen plenty of these in China. They look pretty good, and are pretty popular.
If i was getting a second car I'd be having a close look.
Are you replacing something or 1st car? What do you need from your car? Passengers? Luggage? Range? Possible charging at home? What sort of driving? Just urban or country as well?
BYD atto 2.
Just need a car which will last 7 years, after that dont care what happens to it, just for me, no need to go country driving, just city driving. No need to carrying anything, just A to B driving. Atto 2 I will have a look. Like the Atto 1 alot now thanks to DashCam
Don't buy a petrol car then. Find a suitable EV. Save more if necessary. Its not worth buying a new petrol car if youre current car does the job and you need to save a bit longer to up your budget.
something something chinese.
why do you need new?
Warranty! My VW Golf died with TCM error, only got 130k on it too. So enough is enough.
Thats because you bought an old Golf/ Euro..
Buy an old Jap or Korean car and it would probably be still ok. Old corolla or camry etc
old Golf/ Euro
ozbargain comment section just isnt the same without that 1 euro car guy
Warranty!
Reliability >>> Warranty
Warranty gives you peace of mind, but it's really not as beneficial as some seem to think it is. If your car is an unreliable POS, you'll just be spending your time on the phone with the dealer, arguing about whether something is normal, trying to replicate issues, being without your car for weeks on end, having issues come and go, and eventually just having a shit ownership experience.
If you're sick of unreliability, then stop buying unreliable cars (either used or new). Renault and VW are terrible decisions if you value reliability. Trying to be cheap with a new car is also a terrible decision for reliability.
If you want to go electric, just get a BYD Dolphin, otherwise, get a slightly used Camry or Corolla and you'll never have any issues.
Dont mind EV, looking to test drive the Atto 1
It's probably a $100 single solinoid but they want to replace the whole mechatronic unit
Oh this one is actually very nice. Will check out thanks
You could get 30 30 year old Camries for that price. That's almost one for every day of the month.
Simple. Buy the fastest car you can afford.
Otherwise known as the slowest car your ego can afford.
Why "Must Be New" ? You're losing $5k-$10k as soon as you drive it out of the car yard.
A <3-year-old car with log book, <30,000 km, and RACQ/RACV inspection, is nearly as good as a new car.
My current car, which I bought 2nd hand (saving me $12k) is still going strong 13 years after I bought it, with no major repairs.
If you can point me to a $30k car with say, 50km on the clock for $20k to $25k, I'll buy it right now.
These cars don't exist.
That's because nobody wants to lose $5k-$10k
New is good as I am going to run it till it dies
no they dont
I'll second the BYD Atto 1 and pocket $5k
If you wanted to be really spicy, get a (slightly) used Fiat 500e. Should be old stock of those floating around with less than 10k km on them for around that $30k mark… But be warned… it is a "Fiat" :D
Had a look at carsales. Theres a bunch of EVs under 30k. Plenty of demo models with under 5k km. Dolphin, MG ZS, Ora, MG4. Even more with 20k-ish km and plenty of warranty.
Just bought a 2022 Honda HRV (petrol), 40k kms, $25k
Not going to win any awards for best car (cos its booooooring!), but its comfortable, and most importantly for me, holds heaps of stuff inside with fold flat seats
I'll third the BYD Atto 1 and novate lease it.
https://www.carexpert.com.au/car-reviews/2026-byd-atto-1-rev…
I'd get the Premium with the larger battery.
Yes this looks amazing, will be my first choice at the moment
what about Mahindra XUV3X0 https://www.mahindra.com.au/models/xuv3x0 under $24K and with full 7 years warranty.
Jesus, the name 'XUV3X0'
That looks like the the random characters when I slam my keyboard when I want to enter in a fake email address on a website.
Jesus, the name 'XUV3X0'
It's not the name. It's the discount code you enter when you purchase it online before November 30.
looking forward to the discount!
Just like that toyota ev car ..
bZ4X
Need lowercase and UPPERCASE for password security.
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What size?
Why does it have to be new?