Hi guys, I was looking for a new (used) car to replace my worn out Camry 2001. My budget is between $15000 - $23000, <40000 km, automatic, probably 4 cyls - 2.5, the model year should be 2013 - 2015. I am currently travelling 44 km a day for work and light travels on weekends. Can you guys give me some good advices on which car should I be looking at ?(my friends are recommending Toyota Camry, Mazda 3 or Subaru - affordable and inexpensive for running costs). Besides, I was considering some Finance options (e.g. paying upfront and finance the rest). What would you guys recommend? I really appreciate your inputs!!!
NEED HELP! I Was Looking to Buy a Car, in Need of Your Opinions!
Superdawg306 on 09/02/2016 - 21:36
Comments
Or save some cash and get a base model? Why get a flash car if you don't want it, let's face it no one 'needs' a luxury version to get from a-b.
Personally I tend to like the model up from the base model. They seem to have additional features I like and in second hand guise are often the same price as the base model.
Put it this way.
When i was looking for an SP25 second hand. The Sp25 with luxury option didn't cost any more than the base model.
Go on carsales look for mazda 3 sp25 year 2013 <40000kms. sort by price and you'll see what i meant.
Fair enough, but I wouldn't be actively looking for the luxury, or upper model. If it fell into my criteria for the right price, different story. Thankyou for backing up your recommendation. If it comes down to two similar cars and one is base model and the other is a hi-spec model I know which one I'm going to drive away in. :) how does the sp25 compare to the standard Mazda 3 though?
I do get turned off by similar comments in other threads. Someone is looking for a small SUV and almost immediately someone else recommends a Jeep Grand Cherokee., "best value 4wd you can get", but not suited to what is asked for. Some threads are "I need a new car, I've got $25k" and you can't recommend anything without finding out what the use will be, could be a hot hatch, plain family sedan, SUV or anything for that price. (This isn't quite one of those threads though)
@Euphemistic: I love my SP25 :D very good to drive. Just that a bit more power / torque that makes it good.
Having said that, fuel economy isn't great :(
Mazda 3 SP25
Hyundai i30 / elantra is a good option too. The new model of elantra is launching in a few weeks so you can get the 2015 model under 20k easily. All the best.
Cash cash cash. If you have the cash, always pay cash. Why? Unless you can get an interest and fee free deal on finance, you'll pay more to them than the 'saved' cash will earn even in a high interest account. The loan companies know that, it's how they stay in business, so be the customer and not the product and pay upfront whenever possible.
not necessarily
depends on a lot of factors
low interest debt is not always a bad thing
Why is paying more for the same car is a good idea? You get the same car, the same warranty, the same service… why pay more unless you have to?
It might matter if you have a mortgage and a lower interest on the car could mean you're better off leaving cash in your offset account.
^ this
and you may wish to use the money for other things that getting a loan for is impossible (holiday etc…)
shares, super, there are many other ways to use money that you wouldn't be able to get without the security of the car
IMO
@bikuta: I was assuming you wouldn't get a lower interest rate on your car than your house. I guess if you can find a deal that good, then sure. From what I can see at the moment car loans seem to be about 0.5% higher than homes, so I'd pay the car first.
Do you have a family? How much room do you need in the car? Hyundai i30 are good value. I find Mazda 3 a little small compared to other cars in it's class. Corolla is more roomy but Mazda 3 looks better, in my opinion.
Hi, I don't have a family, so no need for a SUV or something like that. A 4-5 seats sedan would do just fine, as I occasionally have to drive someone. I do like Hyundai, but 1 of my friends has an i30 and it kept breaking down now and then, so I am quite skeptical about the brand now.
It seems like everyone is really into Mazda 3, so I might give it a go. Although it is quite suprising no one was suggesting a Camry, as I thought Toyota would be more popular.
Camry is good value for money, but very low on the wow factor.
Smaller cars?
I had a brand new Suzuki swift as temp car for 3 days last month. It was very average to drive.
I much preferred the rental kia Rio I had late last year.
Both used very little petrol. The kia just seemed a better car in terms of build and drivability.
Pay cash for your car and get yourself a 2013 SP25 with the luxury option.