Need to Buy Used Car for Mrs~10K, Corolla, Yaris or Civic or Mazda3?

ntt on 18/05/2015 - 01:53
Last edited 20/05/2015 - 02:17

Hi Ozbargainers,

My boss gives me the budget ~10,000 to buy a used car for her. She is not picky (actually she doesn't have a well knowledge about car), here are some her bullet points:

  • Below 10,000 ( I can throw some small money into it if it necessary).
  • Safe as we have baby, but usually I use my car as 1st option to take our baby to Child care, but wish sometimes my boss can do that.
  • Low Maintenance / not so high KM (<100,000 is an ideal number)
  • Small NOT so big as Camry, Commodore (she definitely is not a good driver, would hit anything on her way)
  • (not so high fuel consumption)

I picked Yaris as my first choice, however, after asked my mechanic who gave me an advice that Corolla is a better choice as there are no big different about dimension and fuel consumption. I'm also got impressed Civic and Mazda3.

the question is should I look further into smaller car such as Mitsubishi Mirage or Nissan Micra OR stick with those above?

Any suggestion?

UPDATE: I live in Adelaide and the car price in here is ridiculous compare to other state, for example, with 10,000 bucks I can only buy Fiesta 2008 but in Vic, I can buy 2010

I should divide into 2 groups and guys please help me pick:

Group 1, city car:
* Suzuki Swift
* Nissan Micra
* Ford Fiesta
* Toyota Yaris
* Honda Jazz

Group 2:
* Toyota Corolla (it's my currently number one choice now)
* Hyundai i30, Elantra
* Kia Cerato

Automotive

Comments

  • ezz88 on 18/05/2015 - 06:13

    Corolla provided it's not too small.

    • ntt on 20/05/2015 - 01:55

      it's smaller than our Camry, and bigger than city car

  • Scorpiogirl on 18/05/2015 - 06:23
    +1

    Mazda 2 or i prefer 3. Be careful there is small and then there's small!

    • [Deactivated] on 18/05/2015 - 17:30

      I have heard Mazda 2 have a good ANCAP safety rating. If your partner is a poor driver as you say and likely to get into an accident, safety is really something you should take into account.

      • ntt on 21/05/2015 - 03:04

        Oops, I pressed the wrong vote button, blame to my fat thumb, sorry for neg you

        • [Deactivated] on 21/05/2015 - 10:35
          +1

          Fat thumbs be damned!

  • ESEMCE on 18/05/2015 - 08:16
    +2

    You'll get a more recent Hyundai i30 or Kia Rio than an otherwise equivalent Mazda 3, Corolla or Civic.

    If you're really after one of the compact cars, add Fiesta and Jazz to the mix. Jazz might be hard to beat on price cause they've been imported on the Thailand Free Trade Agreement for a while now.
    Any of the Japanese or Korean options are good ones in these sizes and all of them meet your requirements. Safety differences may help split out a few from the pack, otherwise price, features and condition will.

    • ntt on 20/05/2015 - 01:59

      I love Fiesta and Jazz although I have never driven one of those. But is it expensive to maintenance? I find Jazz is more expensive than others in the same field

  • tomleonhart on 18/05/2015 - 08:29
    +1

    Nissan Micra :)

  • spackbace on 18/05/2015 - 11:10
    -1

    Manual or auto?

    If manual, I'd say a Suzuki Swift. Should be able to get something in the current shape (2012 onwards) for that budget, safe, very very reliable (seriously reliable).

    Only downside is the boot wont fit a big pram (thinking baby jogger here), so depends what she normally uses with baby.

    Very easy to drive and park.

    • scotty on 18/05/2015 - 12:08
      +1

      Suzuki Swift

      Had that as a rental car once — very nice drive. However the lack of boot space is a huge downside. The boot can't fit a proper luggage in and with smaller pram you wouldn't be able to fit much shopping in either.

    • [Deactivated] on 18/05/2015 - 17:28

      Only if they have stopped having drum brakes all round.

      • spackbace on 18/05/2015 - 17:29

        All round? Only on the back, have had discs on the front for years.

        GLX model gets discs all round.

        At the end of the day, the rear brakes are about 10% of the brake force for a FWD car.

        • [Deactivated] on 18/05/2015 - 17:32

          Some of the newer (sugar cube shape) Swifts were still made with front drums. This is a post looking for a used car.

        • spackbace on 18/05/2015 - 17:33
          +1

          @woolfenstein:

          Should be able to get something in the current shape (2012 onwards) for that budget

          Apparently you didnt bother reading my post

          Edit And in fact, I dont think any car made over the last 10 years has had drum brakes at the front

    • ntt on 20/05/2015 - 02:03
      +1

      Definitely Auto, she even sometimes uses wrong P and R (sigh).

      • TheMoDz on 20/05/2015 - 22:58
        +2

        this and that fact the you said she can hit anything…
        consider 5 star ancap or a tank

  • crazym0nkey on 18/05/2015 - 12:35
    +3

    I've got a Micra, and a great little car, frugal.
    But I'm always craving for a bigger car since the baby.
    I'm just sick of putting shopping in the front seat (the back has a pram).
    Not to mention I've hit my head a couple of times cox wife didnt open the tail gate to its max height. My usual hunch/duck didn't suffice.
    Depending on child seat, the back turns into 2 seater.

    General small(micro) car quibbles;
    suspension too weak (bad over any sort of bumps/holes, acceptable body roll when pushed)
    air-con not as powerful
    Will struggle at take-off with 4 adults on board.

    The old corollas are size up, little more power, space, comfort.
    My 2c is go for this size/category, shouldn't be that much harder to park this compared to the Micra (Thinking of ur Mrs driving skills here).
    Mazda 3 would be nxt pick, thou it feels (can't remember the specs) longer especially the hatch version.

    • npc on 18/05/2015 - 13:12
      +1

      This ^ is very rare occasion when someone who ones the particular model of vehicle doesn't say "it is the best vehicle in the world" but rather accurately explains it's pros and cons. Thank you!

    • ntt on 21/05/2015 - 03:20

      I really concern your helpful advices. So did you mean Corolla is not big different compare to Micra? I was split into two decisions, the first one is pick a micro car as Swift/ Micra because it is very small, so that it's very easy to park/drive ( she's also a terrible parking person), but the safety is another big concern. That's why I have a second side which prefer bigger car such as Corolla/mazdar3/Cerato/I30

      • crazym0nkey on 21/05/2015 - 09:37

        Its hard to review based on someone else's driving skills, but from what I observed when my wife had to drive my friends old corolla (someone T-bone our car in carpark) for like a month, it didn't appear difficult.
        Sure the time u transition across it will feel big(ger?), she would stretch her neck sometimes in the carpark to judge the bonnet length.
        But as with anything new give it a few days/weeks of easy going, she will be fine.

        Drive aside, practicality wise, it is bigger: seating/cabin space (what I can see/feel, I dont know the exact numbers), luggage space. (We had the hatch back version)

        So to anwser your Q, they ARE different, no matter how/what u look at.

  • Colombian on 18/05/2015 - 13:08
    +2

    I got a Yaris Sedan 2006 few months ago for 10k with 23.000km on the odometre. Very happy with my choice.

    • ntt on 21/05/2015 - 03:12

      Wow low km but also low year. How do you feel it? Is it too small? The driving experience? I'm like a short to medium man (1.75m) but my wife is really short

      • Colombian on 21/05/2015 - 05:58
        -1

        I'm a bit tall (1.85m) and don't have any problem with the size of the car. Good driving experience IMHO. My wife is also short (about 1.55-1.60m) and she is delighted with the car.
        We didn't mind the year as you can see that a 2015 yaris sedan is almost the same car with some improvement in security like side airbags and traction control. The last owner is an old lady who couldn't drive anymore.
        It is a very economic car, a full tank lasts about 600km. Boot is big for a small car.
        We are planning to have this car for very long time and maybe leave it as a second car in case we need bigger room when time comes to start a family.

        • ntt on 21/05/2015 - 11:33

          Damn it, wrong vote again, next time I will use laptop

      • [Deactivated] on 21/05/2015 - 10:44

        Family has had a 2 door Yaris from new since 2007/8 (Uncle won it in shopping centre raffle - wut?! and sold it to my Father). Good on fuel, hasn't had any major issues, not too tiny (adult male drivers seem comfortable, I am 170cm and fine too) but definitely a small car, boot space minimal. I have a 2007 Getz and I definitely think the Yaris was more enjoyable/zippy to drive and also had better fuel economy.

  • stargalaxy on 18/05/2015 - 15:49

    How about this $5999 for 2012 model with 38K KMs? I know it is a proton and quality is dodgy, but millions used them in Malaysia.

    http://www.carsales.com.au/dealer/details/Proton-Persona-201…

    • ntt on 20/05/2015 - 19:04

      sorry but it is so risky for us.

  • TheMoDz on 20/05/2015 - 22:54
    +1

    op just a random question…
    Is it your boss? or your wife? or your wife is your boss?

    • ntt on 21/05/2015 - 03:10
      +1

      I'm confusing. Is it a question? Or sarcasm? Or sarcasm question?

    • crazym0nkey on 21/05/2015 - 09:39
      +1

      You will know when you get one.
      Or if you already have one, and she's not taking the BOSS role, then I envy you my friend.

  • lemc6125 on 29/05/2015 - 11:26

    I've currently got a Yaris (and a baby!) and I have had a Civic. I don't have much experience with the other cars except a friend (who also has a baby) has a Mazda3 and another friend (without baby) has a Corolla.

    The most important choice for us when choosing the Yaris was the safety rating. With the safety pack, the Yaris came in at the safest option with 5 star ANCAP rating. In saying that, now that we are considering expanding our family, the Yaris is not going to be big enough for us.

    Has she checked whether she can fit the pram in the boot of each car? That's been very important for me - I can fit my pram in the boot if I take the seat off and place it on the rear passenger seat. Such a pain.

    The Yaris has been so easy to drive/park.

    My experience with the Civic was pre-baby but that car got me through my P-plate years. Again, it had a high safety rating (but I don't think it was 5 star) and it never had mechanical issues despite my lack of care.

    My friend has just bought a Mazda 3 and loves it. Heaps of space and drives nicely.

    Best thing to do would be to have wifey test drive the cars you're considering, then grab a cheap $10 Tiger airways flight to Vic, buy the one she wants then drive it back.

  • ntt on 10/06/2015 - 00:37

    NEWEST UPDATE

    after we took some test drive on Jazz 1.3 2010, Fiesta 2012 1.6 and Swift 2010 (actually I did, my wife was so afraid to do so), my conclusion is Fiesta is the best of fun drive and strong engine compare to the rest of them.

    BUT, while we took a test drive, suddenly I saw and had a curious on Suzuki Celerio. We went inside the car and took a test drive with it. It has a lot of features for a standard basic car: bluetooth, ESC, ABS and interior space is not also good quality but also huge. The driving is normal-good, but when idle or stop at red light, it has shaking/vibrating than normal ( I'm driving Camry). The saleman explained that because of small engine(only 1.0 and 3 cylinders) which made us concerned. Do you think it's normal because of the small engine? After all, the price is very reasonable, only 13,500 drive away with 5 years warranty I reckon.

    TLDR: We decided to go with Suzuki Celerio which has 1.0 Engine 3 cylinders and the drive away price is 13,500 with metallic paint. Can you find it good/bad decision and best price? Can I ask them for some accessories like carpet?

    • spackbace on 10/06/2015 - 10:11
      +1

      Yes you can probably shave about $500 off and get floor mats.

      The Celerio (like the old Alto) is designed to run on premium. All car dealers will put regular into all their cars. Expect the shakiness to ease up with premium in it. Maybe even try to negotiate to get a tank of premium fuel included.

      I've sold Suzuki up to a year ago. The old Alto was good for the money, just basic, but what more do you expect for the money?! Very very miserly on fuel.

      • ntt on 10/06/2015 - 17:40

        it's already cheaper than anywhere about 500. When I went to another dealer, the saleman didn't have a warm welcome and said it 14490 or something like that, and if I want to install reverse sensor, it costs 500 more but it is free now. Floor mat is 95 and dashmat is 115, ridiculous

        • spackbace on 10/06/2015 - 17:47

          Actually yes you're right, they're $13,990 drive away, plus $475 for a metallic paint. Floor mat price is correct, however dash mat is $60, he's just trying to re-coup commission out of that price.

          At the discounted price, including reverse sensors, looks like you've got a good deal. Get them to include a full tank of premium fuel and enjoy :)

        • ntt on 10/06/2015 - 18:07

          @Spackbace: where can you see the accessories price? I went to another dealer as mentioned and they quoted 14475 as you said, including reveres sensor.

          and by very miserly on fuel, what do you mean? I think Alto and Celerio is the one, just a big upgrade, that's why they changed the name.

        • spackbace on 10/06/2015 - 18:10
          +1

          @ntt:

          where can you see the accessories price?

          I work at a Holden/Suzuki dealership ;)

          and by very miserly on fuel, what do you mean? I think Alto and Celerio is the one, just a big upgrade, that's why they changed the name.

          Same engine, different with lots of other stuff. The new auto is more economical than the old auto, so given that the old auto was miserly, this one will have a ridiculously low fuel bill!
          (By miserly I mean very very very very low!)

        • ntt on 10/06/2015 - 18:15

          @Spackbace: most of people when I asked them what do you think about the Suzuki 1.0l, all they say is no, why not Hyundai or Ford, something like that…and why 1.0, it's too weak, it cannot go well when go uphill. I have no idea, the only thing I know is when I tried to press so hard the gas pedal, it worked harder than my Camry 2.4 to get 60 kph.

          Wow I haven't know that you work at Holden/Suzuki dealership. the driveaway is included 1 year CTP right?

        • spackbace on 10/06/2015 - 18:20
          +1

          @ntt:

          Different states, different CTP. In WA it's 6 months rego, stamp duty etc.

          They're zippy enough for around town

        • ntt on 10/06/2015 - 19:00

          @Spackbace: one more question, do you know how much for the reverse camera , including installation fee?

        • spackbace on 10/06/2015 - 19:28

          @ntt:

          Not sure, it would be aftermarket

  • Scorpiogirl on 10/06/2015 - 12:25
    +1

    If you and your wife like this car, then that is what matters as you will be driving it! Not my personal choice. With $13500 i would get a car a few years old or pay a few thousand more for another new one but that's me.

    Seems a lot like the Suzuki Alto. Of course cheap but to me they are a shoe box with are fine for 1 or 2 people, not kids. If you dont care about practical and functional space like i do, then no worries.

    Don't get me wrong you get what you pay for just as Spaceback says and this car may suit your needs. Just hope those needs don't change too soon. Very basic cars mean there may be less interest in it if you go to sell it. I don't think they have a good resale value. It's basic features will become outdated. The engine does not have much power as u say, so think about that. When the Alto came out i used to worry about going around the corners in them or up steep hills. Lol

    I agree with Spackbace. I would definitely ask politely as a condition of sale for a full tank of fuel ( the good quality stuff) and if things like car mats are important to yo, than that too. If they say no then i would go to a different dealer. That's me though. If you are spending that amount of money and that ask is too much for them i would move on. Make sure you are happy and have everything in writing of what you want before you go through with the deal. Always get everything in writing. Past experience talking here. Good luck!

  • ntt on 11/06/2015 - 22:51
    +1

    BOUGHT IT today, few

    • frutter on 11/06/2015 - 23:32
      +1

      Noice have fun with new car!!!

      • ntt on 12/06/2015 - 01:28

        Thanks, but we are waiting until Monday to get the car, I'm busy tomorrow

  • frutter on 11/06/2015 - 23:34

    SOrry if offtopic, can anyone recommend or even give a review on any pre-purchase car inspection companies that they have used in Adelaide. e.g. RAA

    I am looking for one and will fork out $400 fora comprehensive report as long as they are top dogs!

    • ntt on 12/06/2015 - 01:27
      +1

      the most popular service I know is RAA, most of people trust them. It costs you 250 for full check report as I know, but now they remove the price, you must contact them to get a quote. If you are RAA member, you could get discount. If you don't, contact me, I can help you by giving my RAA membership, only if it is not forbid to do.

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