Which car of these would you choose?

Scorpiogirl on 28/04/2016 - 12:46
Last edited 28/04/2016 - 12:49

I would kindly appreciate some real life advice from 'helpful' ozbargainers or people in the car industry. A friend is looking to purchase a new to few years old( no older than a 2014 model) car. They are considering Holden Commodore sv6, Holden Commodore Storm, Holden Cruze(2016) sri z series, Mitsubishi and the Subaru Imprezza. Budget ideally around $30 000 or less.

Love to hear your thoughts but other than just say none, perhaps suggest another. No Toyotas, Hyundais or Kias. They don't like them but i know a lot of Ozbargainers do! Personally i look at what you get in each for the price and if its driveaway. Sat nav in it is ideal but not essential. No hear say or regurgitating online reviews please. Just genuine views particularly if you own one. Thank you in advance 😊

Automotive

Comments

  • inherentchoice on 28/04/2016 - 12:55
    +1

    The Cruze is more or less a Daewoo, so it's not really rational to exclude Hyundais and Kias.

    • cpho on 28/04/2016 - 13:05
      +4

      Except the new series is built in Adelaide, and had it's engine revamped (1.6 Turbo IIRC) for Australian roads.

  • chartparker on 28/04/2016 - 12:57

    Subaru Liberty would be my choice (but I'm hugely biased) :D

  • tomleonhart on 28/04/2016 - 13:01
    +2

    Don't buy a Cruze.

    Ask Spackbace for Commodog option. He's good with those.
    Thorton82 is going to recommend a Jeep Grand Cherokee.

    My suggestion: Mazda 3 SP25 Astina 2014.

    • WhatWouldBiggieDo on 28/04/2016 - 13:23

      this. The Mazda 3 is a very good car for what it is

  • spackbace on 28/04/2016 - 13:03
    +2

    Holden/Suzuki salesperson here, so let me get that bias out of the way now :P

    Go the SV6, ideally the Storm (gets GPS/Fog Lights, few extra bits). Very well featured cars, easy to drive. Tons of sensors/cameras etc

    Forget the Cruze.

    Lots of VF ex-rentals out there, up to them if they want 1 or not. It's the reason why the resale of the VF plummets in the first 12 months.

    But yeah, SV6 should tick more boxes than the others you've listed :) If they have kids, or might have kids, the wagons are really handy

  • biozet on 28/04/2016 - 13:15

    test the actual engine of the car he will actually buy…while models certainly have strengths and weaknesses, the variance in identical engine/car performance remains so relevant. the contrasting factors in a second hand model makes this even more important. having said all that I think the imprezza looks great. but is probably down in cabin size compared to the commodores.

  • WhatWouldBiggieDo on 28/04/2016 - 13:22
    +5

    The cars are all fairly different.

    The commodores are full-sized sedans. Very comfortable to drive and lots of inclusions and really good value for money. BUT they are thirsty. If you do lots of driving you will probably grow to resent how much you spend on fuel.

    The Cruze and Impreza are mid-sized sedans/hatchbacks. I personally wouldn't touch a Cruze, for the same reasons I wouldn't touch a Captiva or any other GM Daewoo. The quality is abysmal. The Imprezas are fairly well built cars but the base models have very ordinary interiors.

    And Mitsubishi what? The lancers are a decent car. They just had a facelift, but are still fundamentally the same car they were back in 2008 (the rumour is that there will never be a new lancer). The lancer is VERY reliable (as is the ASX which is based on lancer running gear) however people don't know them for this. A family friend is a service technician at a large Brisnbane dealership, and tells me that since this iteration of the Lancer was released in 2008, he has never seen nor heard of a single case where a lancer has required an engine-rebuild.

    I would also suggest looking at the Mazda 3 and Mazda 6, as well as the Focus and Mondeo if your friends is looking for a mid to large sized car in that price range.

  • plmko on 28/04/2016 - 13:50

    I would buy an Impreza hatch, but there is an impending complete revamp + platform change in the next year. Then again that is the endless cycle case with all cars really.

    Hence, pony up the cash and pay up for the upcoming Levorg turbo.

  • Euphemistic on 28/04/2016 - 14:59
    +1

    Need more info. What size family, how many passengers and how often? Do they drive for holidays? Need to cart stuff around, sporting equipment etc? How much city vs country driving? Need/want to tow anything?

    For me ideally would like to be able to tow, carry 5 in comfort, and be a bit of a workhorse. Won't get driven too much as it's a second car, with the other car for holidays. I'd recommend a twin cab ute, probably a Ranger.

    To many of these posts "Which car is better" without saying what it will be used for.

    • Scorpiogirl on 28/04/2016 - 18:54

      My apoligies and i would reply to clarify, like i am. I was mostly asking people who have had any of those mentioned. Not so much the what ifs. I guess it's more of what you can get in a car for $30000 or under give or take. Driven less as a second car, in the city, not a very small hatch and mostly 1-2 people majority of the time but yes a family. No to towing but leg room in back preferred.

      • Euphemistic on 28/04/2016 - 21:07

        In that case a commordore is too big, but good value for money if space or towing was required. Lancer or Impreza would probably do the job nicely. Don't go with the Cruze, not a good history of reliability. Mazda 3 would be another good option.

  • addytom1 on 28/04/2016 - 15:32
    -2

    Audis are great but have excessive fuel consumption.

    The BMW 335 is fun to drive.

    • cpho on 28/04/2016 - 17:43
      +1

      Not having a go at you, but your comment is pretty irrelevant to what the OP is asking.
      You're comparing apples with raspberries here.
      OP is looking into cars <$30k. BMW is way out of reach and the only Audi in that $ range is the A3, and I dont think the little 4 cyl, 1.4L can really be compared to a Holden SV6..

      • donga100 on 28/04/2016 - 18:23

        Even the A3 is out of that price range, only the A1 can be bought for $30k. Extremely different car to the examples mentioned by the OP.

    • shadowarrior on 29/04/2016 - 02:52
      +3

      Not really sure, I'd rather go for a Bugatti Veyron instead. But for a daily car, I would recommend a Maserati Granturismo.

  • Peck on 29/04/2016 - 09:55
    -1

    New Toyota Corolla Hatch. Made in Japan and well under $30K

  • Stewardo on 29/04/2016 - 10:00
    -1

    It would really depend on so many factors mostly what is important to your friend who's buying the car?
    If you can prioritise these statements you will have a better Idea of what you want
    Are you worried about:
    Resale value
    Service costs
    Looks
    Wow factor
    Interior features
    Fuel economy.
    Speed.

    Personally I'd steer clear of holdens
    I'd try to stick to some thing made in Japan
    Mazda cx3 MAXX $25000
    Mitsubishi asx

    • [Deactivated] on 05/05/2016 - 16:53
      +1

      Absolutely good points.

      We have both the CX5 and the ASX (both in automatic and both 2.0L).
      Only used in city so the 4WD was not considered.
      I let the wife and kids have to CX5 (so I get to drive the ASX).

      We have always stuck to Japanese made cars (for the last 25 years) however the Korean cars (Hyundai/Kia) are getting up there in value for money - but not sure about longevity though.
      Service intervals every 12 months - capped.

      The CX5 has a bit more boot space plus it has the fancy dash GPS/music screen thingy (too distracting for me).

      Both have all the same safety features including rear sensors, but the CX5 has rear camera in dash vs ASX rear camera in rear view mirror (which I prefer).

      Both optioned with full size spare which we both can change (father in law is a retired mechanic so wife has no issue changing tyre). Plus he OK'd both selections.

      No issues with CVT with the ASX. I've driven many CVT cars since the mid 90's (first one was a Nissan Micra CVT) and the ASX would have to be one of the better ones around (quiet, smooth). My friend just bought a new Nissan Dualis and found his CVT to be really noisy and clunky.

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