I may be looking for a used car to run/keep in the vicinity of Melbourne, Australia.
I'd be hoping to find something 5-6 years old, around 50-60,000km on the clock tops. Family hatchback sized (or saloon, which I'd actually prefer). Manual or auto. Inevitably petrol-powered.
The ranked shortlist I can come up with so far is:
1) Mitsubishi Lancer
2) Hyundai: i30 or Elantra
3) Kia Rio - current shape 5-door
4) Toyota Corolla - probably commands a higher price because of perceived invincibility of Toyota in these parts...
5) Ford Focus - but scared off by Powershift Gearbox. (Then again so is everybody else in Australia it seems, so they might be going cheap...)
Input welcome as to which of the above might be best/most reliable etc.
Or feel free to come up with alternatives.
Thanks!
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Your mileage per year/type of journeys etc
Cars - petrol/diesel. man/auto......
more detail needed
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- Probably around 6000 miles per year, trundling around suburbia at weekends. No big trips or long distance journeys. Not doing the daily commute. Driver and a couple of passengers max.
Don't care about the gearbox; the majority of cars in Aus are automatic and petrol which I can go along with. Fuel costs not really an issue on such a low mileage. Cheap purchase price and affordable maintenance is more important.
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Our experience of Hyundai has by and large been positive (we had a Coupe and have run an i10 for 6 years) and furthermore the i30 seems to be a good car according to reviews I've read. The only issues across the range seem to be largely confined to clutches which won't affect you on an auto of course.
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I'd go with popular opinion and buy a Toyota. Their reputation is deserved and any additional cost be be recouped on resale.
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Are these any help? European cars but they are all much the same these days.
www.jdpower.com/press-releases/2015-uk-vehicle-dependability-study-vds
www.reliabilityindex.com
As always the cars condition is paramount.
Toyota or Honda would be high on my list.
Last edited by: Old Navy on Fri 13 May 16 at 09:04
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You'll know European cars have a poor reputation for reliability over here A-L....
Avoid the Powershift, even if it's more reliable than the VW DSG, they're pretty horrible in stop/start traffic in my experience. you may find a manual Focus, they're built in Thailand for the A/NZ markets.
A manual car is likely to be cheaper over here as you'll know.
The Corolla will be a good choice, the Kia will possibly be cheapest and the Hyundai will make a good alternative. Have you considered the Mazda 3, also very popular or a Subaru Impreza ?
I reckon if you can find a 1.4TSi 90 Golf VI MANUAL you'll get a bargain due to the reputation of the 118TSi, 77TDi and DSGs, although they need 95RON (or 98RON) rather than the 91RON beloved by Aussies.
I'd avoid the Holden Cruze although they'll be cheap for obvious reasons.
Cars do tend to do higher mileages here though, 20,000-25,000Km a year seems fairly normal for most people.
Can I suggest an alternative - a 6cylinder Ford Falcon, maybe an LPG model. Remember 81RON is about 50p/l. I think the Holden Commodore is also handsome, but then it's a Holden. Maybe a Camry or a Mitsi Magna/380 too ?
Which part of Melbourne are you planning to be in ?
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Aren't we overcomplicating this? A simple brief requires something simple - meaning locally typical - in good condition from a trustworthy source. So if the locals tend to choose automatic petrol Corollas, there'll be a sound reason for that, and plenty of garages that can fix an older one cheaply and quickly when necessary. Once you go left-field, you risk losing your initial saving (which isn't likely to be huge, given it's on the price of a five-year-old Corolla) in repairs and wasted time.
Another thing: if you're based in New Zealand but keeping the car in Melbourne, that suggests it's for use during occasional visits to Australia. If so then simplicity and reliability trump any ideas of excitement or beat-the-market cleverness. In other words, you want something that will just start when you get there and take you where you want to go, then not complain about being forgotten about till the next visit. In other words, you want a Toyota.
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>> Aren't we overcomplicating this? A simple brief requires something simple - meaning locally typical -
>> in good condition from a trustworthy source.
Well probably but isn't that the point ?
Go to Carsales.com.au‎ and play with the search options. People tend to want ridiculous amounts of money for really quite old cars by UK standards, they don't rust so there are plenty of 10-20yo models on the road.
Remember, there is no MOT equivalent in Victoria (although it will need a roadworthy certificate to be sold and registered to you, rego is about $AU800 a year in Vic) and people seem to think servicing is a conspiracy to defraud them and therefore optional.
Good luck, I may know of someone selling a manual Corolla (but it's probably 15yo) and someone else who was considering selling a 5yo manual Impreza. I'd still go for a Falcon FG, the taxi drivers swear by them and they're fun to drive.
Last edited by: idle_chatterer on Fri 13 May 16 at 10:36
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Good tip with the Mazda 3, Idle-C, i had totally overlooked that option.
Honda Jazz might be within budget too (AUD 10-12k) but not sure I'd fancy one.
Would a used Cruze be all bad?!
WdB has summarised it perfectly: a petrol Corolla would fit the bill perfectly but I don't want to pay a premium for a Toyota if I can find something similar from Korea or Japan which will save me a few quid.
Location would be down toward the Mornington Peninsula, Idle-C, but commutable to St. Kilda by bus/train combo...
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I see, we lived in Brighton when we first arrived but have since moved to the eastern suburbs because of the kids' schools.
Don't forget the tram option too, slow but great for reading or listening to podcasts (or just zoning out), I commuted by train or tram for 3 years but have recently taken to using the car since I have a company parking space in the CBD (Southbank).
I'd still recommend a larger car, Commodore, Camry or FG Falcon. Petrol really is quite cheap and I feel a little under protected in SWMBO's Mazda 3 with all the utes and SUVs.
I guess the weather is better than NZ but it is certainly getting wintry now, only making it to the low 20s during the day ;-) although it will get colder.... may I ask is this a temporary move or are you coming over the ditch ? If you want advice on schools etc then message me, we came on a 2 year assignment (follow on from HK) and seem to be here until the kids finish school now....
On the Cruze, I have a friend with one who seems satisfied so maybe I have a bias.
Last edited by: idle_chatterer on Fri 13 May 16 at 11:36
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Cheers I-C. Might be moving to Melbourne from NZ in July for a couple of years or so. Plan would be to keep the house in NZ and try to live frugally- hah! - for the first year or so before committing fully. Hence no desire to spend too much on a car! (Probably not worth importing my current wheels from NZ either). Anyway, will know more at the end of the month and will gladly drop you a note at that time!
At first glance, a 2011 Kia Rio 1.6i manual with 65,000km looks good to me for AUD10k...
Still 22 degrees today here in the North Island too btw :-)
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>> you want something that
>> will just start when you get there and take you where you want to go,
>> then not complain about being forgotten about till the next visit. In other words, you
>> want a Toyota.
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Won't the vast majority of cheap moderns do this without blinking? Even Vauxhalls? Set a budget, then buy on condition, not brand.
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Logically you are right Al, or so I would hope! But still makes sense to try to draw up a shortlist and canvas opinion on perceived reliability or any tales of woe.
I'm hoping it will be like that rental car experience on holiday, when you end up driving round Majorca or somewhere in a diesel Hyundai i20 or something that you would never buy at home, but it does the job so you don't really care!
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>>
>> Won't the vast majority of cheap moderns do this without blinking? Even Vauxhalls? Set a
>> budget, then buy on condition, not brand.
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Yes, even Vauxhalls :-)
Whilst in general, as an experienced bangernomics buyer, I agree; there are models with inherent design faults I would avoid irrespective of condition and service history. VAG 2 litre diesels with a Bxx series engine for example...or 2 litre diesel BMWs with N43 engine.
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Ah, that's part of the point I'm making, Spammers. The vehicles you mention aren't in the category of car which the OP is investigating.
Is there anything scary in his category? Not really. So condition is everything, over brand.
Of course, someone will trot along now and tell me the inherent flaw in the petrol engine, manual variant of the KIA C'eed, for example, which will make it a high risk purchase.
Of course, I'd make sure I chose something in good condition with a chain cam engine. ;-)
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>> Ah, that's part of the point I'm making, Spammers. The vehicles you mention aren't in
>> the category of car which the OP is investigating.
>>
Yeah I was just making the general point that there's more to bangernomics than condition and FSH, rather than any specific vehicle for the OP.
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Cheap-ish used car purchase: which of these..? - Falkirk Bairn
