Hi All,
Just hoping to harness some of the Ozbargain power.
My car spontaneously combusted a few weeks ago :(, after a few nervous weeks finally got everything settled with the insurance company. Now trying to decide what to get and where to snag a good bargain.
My criteria :
Thanks!
I'd go a 3yo golf. I know you specify japanese, but the 1.2 TSI (turbo intercooled petrol) is what wifey and I have and it is a fantastic car to drive.
6 speed, too, so it's really efficient both around town and on trips too. We got ours as a demo for 23k, so a 2 or 3 year old should be well under 20…
Otherwise, DrStinge is bang on - for some reason I am a Toyota fan, but Hyundai really do have a good market share these days and for good reason
How much is servicing on a Golf (minor and major)?
If you have to ask, you can't afford it.
For instance, I love my MINI more than any car I have ever owned, including a Monaro (two completely different cars), but the servicing costs are eye-watering - around the $1200 - $1400 mark for a major service from BMW.
Luckily I have found an independent German engineer who charges 40% less. Still very expensive though.
Just had our 1st service, it was $450 at the dealers. Mrs wanted to send it there, but if you go to Ultra tune it's usually a lot less, and DOES NOT void the warranty (you try telling Mrs Me that!)…
Also, services are every 15000 kms, so it may average out similarly to everything else…
Sorry for the delayed response - haven't touched the computer in a day or two (and loved every minute of it!)
Thanks have heard some horror stories about servicing on a Golf, that seems slightly expensive but still reasonable.
The DSG gearbox when that packs up is another story though :)
2nd hand current-gen Mazda 3? It's
Well I am not that into cars so I'm sort of sheep'ish as in following the crowd. There got to be a reason why it's the best-selling car over the last 2 years…
My mum just recently bought a 2009 corolla for $15k with about 30,000km. Its fantastic on fuel does way better than my diesel ute (yes I am jealous) and is great little car.
New Nissan pulsar, manual 20k auto 21k
Or 1-2 year old corollas are pretty good. Even cheaper now new model came out weeks ago.
I don't know what they're like, but the new mirage is being advertised for $12,990 with a $1000 "gift card" at the mitsubishi dealership near me.
Failing that, like DrStinge said, the Getz is a solid car for a low price secondhand.
hyundai i30
Thanks all been looking at Mazda 3 the last few days…
Must admit that Kia + Hyundai have really got their act together… but still not convinced
Kia and Hyundai are quite impressive now. My sister bought the top of the range Sante Fe by Hyundai, it's an amazing car for the price, power, features etc.
We are buying a new compact suv next month, and looking at Rav4 and now an ix35. Both good cars. And my next company car may be the Kia optima.
How long do you intend to keep the car? I ask as one of the biggest costs in buying a car is likely to be the depreciation. I dont know the depreciation rates for the models mentioned but potentially the Corolla and Golf might hold their value a bit better? Have a look at Redbook or Glass's Guide online to get an idea how much a 1 or 2 year model has dropped in price. Pointless to 'do a magna' and buy a car that is good value now thinking you got a great deal and then find out you are losing mega thousands more when you sell in 4 - 5 years time.
New Yaris is around $17k or so but if I was looking at that form factor i would just get a used Getz for around $8k if you don't mind the look. Cheap to run, parts and servicing is cheap, relatively zippy in a manual, an honest car.