Hi guys, I just got my P licence and considering buying a car, I nearly have zero knowledge about cars so I don't even know where to start. My budget is 10k, main purpose of the car is to drive to work and for shopping and other daily activities. As I'm a new driver I want the car easy to drive and easy to be serviced. I'm not after anything fancy and I don't really care about energy saving or environmental friendly. Just need a simple reliable car. Any suggestions welcomed. Thanks in advance!
Recommend a second hand car for a new driver
CharityCase on 07/10/2016 - 10:19
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Mazda 3, Huyundai i30, Honda Civic or Corolla, as long as it's Japanese or Korean cars, you just can't go wrong with it, good luck :)
Hyundai. We have never had a problem from any of ours. Economical, reliable, and 10k will get you a 2010 or newer i30, or 2013 or newer i20, both in auto. There are heaps of great cars around on this price bracket, but in my humble opinion the Hyundai stands out as the best overall option. Good luck.
Thank you wolffram, all my friends told me Japanese cars more reliable than the Korean ones, what's ur opinion?
Your friend is right. We have i20s & i30s along with Corollas in our work fleet, and I can assure you the build quality of the Corollas is far better. We find lots of little things that won't necessarily stop the car, but will irritate the hell out of you seem to go wrong in very short order in the Hyundais, almost like clockwork at 20k.
The other big issue for secondhand with Korean cars is the cost of spares, they will cost you a lot more than the equivalent part for a Japanese car. If you get one out of warranty, it can become a money pit…source: former Sonata owner here.
Then there's the resale value…
Toyota Yaris
Agreed
If you're planning to hold it for a few years, Nissan Pulsar's are an absolute bargain, Cavernous boot space, and excellent rear passenger leg room, reliable, but not particularly exciting engine.
You can pick up 2013/14 manual models in your price range that will still have a "new car" feel.As above though Hyundai and Kia have been making Car of the year for the past 5 years, and you may even be able to pick up a Kia in Warranty!!!
Corolla and Mazda 3 are the other obvious choices… steer clear of the Civic in my opinion as it "requires" premium fuel and apart from the badge offers nothing extra over the competition.
Ignore Holden/Ford/Proton and anything European, Indian or Chinese.
There are Indian cars? Really?
chery
Chery is Chinese I believe
Proton Saga is Malaysian. Appaling quality and plasticky interior.
what model Civic needs premium fuel, our 2010 model never needed it?
The next model from yours then..
I've just been in the market and a 2013 Civic I was looking at required 95 RON.
kia Rio -I had one as a rental 2012 model. great little car. shortly after had a Suzuki swift as a rental and I much preferred the Kia.
Kia was more responsive - both engine and handling wise.
And another stupid question, new models supposed to be better than older models right? Say a corolla 2013 must be better than a corolla 2010? But does it worth the money difference?
As with all secondhand cars, it depends on the car and depends on what you value and what you can afford.
Don't forget, a more expensive vehicle = higher insurance premium
Lots of factors to look at, important ones being the number of K's done and regular service history.
K's are way over-rated as a measure of wear and tear in my opinion.. It's the type of K's that are far more important.
A ridiculously low Km car is unlikely to ever have got to operating temperature, so all it's K's are "Hard K's".
Similarly a low K older model has older components that have aged with time rather than wear.
Not really. As an example, Toyota Yaris has been using the same engine since 2003 or so. Changes have been cosmetic and in security such as airbags, etc. Yaris engine are known for being reliable, you can see cars with 500k on the clock without having to fix the engine.
Corollas are in a similar situation.
where's the comment about the Suzuki Swift?
Make sure you factor in the cost of insurance and rego
Toyota Corolla.
- Bulletproof engineering and goes forever with little problems.
- Bland looks but good resale.
- Low performance means low risk while gaining valuable experience for a new driver.
- Low insurance cost.
Sell it off when you get off your P's and move up to something better. Use it to stay safe while still learning to drive on your own.
Falcon - had a number of them and they last. Probably does not sit well with the Toyota / Jap car crowd. Also suggest you look into buying your car from Pickles Auctions - every weekend they have over 200 fixed price cars for sale at reasonable prices (in Sydney anyway) - mostly ex lease and government cars. Most their cars are in the 10-20k range but you should be able to get something ok for under 10k. And if you decide to buy Toyota there are plenty there too.
Thx for ur advice, how do I get into auctions?
You go in and register in person
See google maps for your nearest branch.
It's quite fun. My corolla is from pickles too, got it in 2010 and it is a 2009 model. Cost I think 16k including insurance.
Auctions are a good way to pick up a cheap car, BUT…
As you mentioned "I nearly have zero knowledge about cars ", you will need the advice from someone who can spot the problem cars. You will also need some way to get them roadworthy (or what ever it's called in your state.) and registered as the cars are generally unregistered.
So out of your $10K. Allow for the cost to have someone with you (Mobile mechanic ETC or save some money if you have a contact who will do it for free.) Have an allowance for some minor repairs and the inspection. Then you have to pay for registration and insurance. (Ok, you have to pay for insurance wherever you get the car.)
I have seen some horror stories of cars purchased at auction and others have picked up an absolute bargain. (That's why you're on OzBargain right?)
If you are keen on the Auction option, go to one or two and gain some experience without bidding, then plan well ahead and wait for the right car to come along AND stick to your limit.@straphlinger: I thought the cars in the auction are ex-government cars, so I reckon buying from government is more reliable than buying from private sellers? What should I do if I got a car from auction but later on found out there are major mechanical problems with the car?
@ltq19900310: if you buy at auction, you take the risk, and you wear the cost of repairs, same as with private. Yes, buying from a govt auction is a lower risk as they generally sell their cars early, but… I know of two cars (Captiva) from a council that were sent to auction early in their expected lease as they were causing trouble for the workshop.
Did not suggest you go to the auctions, although that is an option too. Instead look at their "fixed price" section. They operate like a car dealership and you get some warranty and guaranteed title. Have a look at their website at pickles.com.au and search for fixed price cars. In Sydney at the moment they have over 300 cars on display although most but not all are over 10k. Good luck and as some of the others said get somebody with car buying experience to go with you. Take your dad, he will enjoy it - time for some father-son bonding and he may even give you an extra 3 grand to buy something better :-)
By the way you can sit in their cars, but they don't offer test rides. And in theory there is no haggling - hence "fixed price cars". Personally I bought 5 or 6 cars this way over the years and never had any real issues.I actually really want to buy their fixed price cars. But most of them are not really a bargain I would say. Do you think those cars you bought for fixed price justify the price?
I would highly recommend buying a Toyota Corolla , Yaris or can consider Mazda 3 and Honda Civic as well.
As everyone suggested above that the reliability factor of Toyota won't let you down ever. If you are going through a dealer you can probably find a decent Corolla or Yaris for 10K
If you have someone that can help you finding one privately, ensure you find the one with proper log book service history and also get the PPSR report to ensure that the car has not been written off or any flood/hail damaged.
Happy shopping and good luck :)
Corolla.