Hi I've been looking at a small hatchback car to buy that's good on fuel low on ks. I have $15,000 to spend and would like something made 2013 or newer. I had a test drive in the Hyundai i30, Mazda 2, kia rio, Toyota yaris and they all drove nicely. Anyone have any of these cars let me know your experience or recommend something else.
Thanks
Small Car to Buy? Yaris Vs Mazda 2 Vs Rio vs i30
yoshiyoshi on 15/01/2017 - 10:10
Last edited 15/01/2017 - 10:10
Last edited 15/01/2017 - 10:10
Poll Options
- 24Hyundai i30
- 4Mazda 2
- 27Toyota yaris
- 5Kia rio
- 10Other
Comments
Ohh ok they are all around the same price used so thats why I added it. I'll have a look at the corolla thanks
The equiv. to an i30 is a Kia Cerato, not a Kia Rio (smaller)
I had a Micra as a hire car recently. Besides the fact that it struggled going up hills at more than 100 with the aircon on it was a really good car that had a great turning circle, great features, used about 5L/100km at 110kph with cruise control.
My vote however would go to the yaris..
I live in city but also go away on weekends and travel some days for work through the week. If the car struggles I worry the engine will go sooner rather then normal life but I know nothing about car :)
The Micra's engine really does struggle a bit. Compare the Micra's 1.5 against the Mazda 2's 1.5, they are miles apart. Mazda 2 had no issues going uphill. Also it's more fuel efficient.
I would go with Kia, as I believe they have an unmatched warranty period, and features are likely to be far better than the Toyota or Mazda for the same price. The Hyundai sits in the middle of these for value for money, but still a good vehicle.
I've read people saying that the warranty covers pretty much nothing because in the small print it classes everything as wear and tear. Anyone have more information?
Fair enough, I don't have personal experience with the warranty, I owned three toyotas from new before my current car, and the first of them was a Yaris which was well-built but far too basic and unpleasant to drive, very much the same as the Mazda 2 — if you just want a cheap shopping cart they are reliable but no fun to drive on a daily basis. If you can find one, a second-hand Prius would be far better, features, handling, performance, economy, though you would be looking at ~2011 for <$15k.
Manufacturers Warranty won't cover things like Battery, Tyres, Oil, Filters, Spark Plugs, Air Con Regas, Wiper Fluid, Brake Pads because they are consumables.
Check if buying used that the Warranty can be transferred to you (and that it is done, balance of warranty transfer to Change of Owner form should be in the Owner's Manual an Posted off to effect change). Check the Vehicle qualifies and has a good service history before buying).
From what I read all warranties are transferable on those cars thanks
@yoshiyoshi: They may be transferrable but the question is are they still valid, ie logbook, modifications etc
Yaris is ok but I hate the fact that Toyota is still flogging the 6 mo service interval. Kia rio would be my choice. But if you can so 17500 you can get a Cerato
which state are you in yoshiyoshi?
Profile says Melbourne, so assume Vic?
Don't you know how to check it ? lol
Yes I'm in vic
Toyota Corolla,Hyundai i30 or Mazda 3, nothing else if I was you :)
Brand new Swift, but I'm biased.
$15,990 drive away. Strongest resale, bulletproof reliability, 5yr warranty
I'm gonna guess that most of the cars you're looking at are ex-rentals too
Which ever as long it's in good condition and low ks
The Mazda or the Yaris would either be out of factory warranty or close to
Something to think about
have a look at a renault Clio - brand new $14999, nice looking car and great interior too. And a bit different from all the common yaris/maz2 driving around too.
And what happens if u get involved in an accident or it breaks down and a part needs to be replaced? Does have Renault have parts in stock locally?
yes, all fine.
and 3 years of services are included, and 5 year warranty, and 5 year breakdown service (both extended by another 2 years if you still own it).
I'm currently looking at the mazda 2 and kia rio - swinging towards the kia cos of the warranty and in 2 weeks a brand new rio will be released…
It either Toyota Corolla vs Hyundai i30 for me
I bought a 2014 Hyundai i30 last year 2nd hand from dealer for 14,000
Car fit all requirement for me! :)
Learn to batter with the salesperson for 2nd hand with low km will be skills you need to learn from ozbarginer
Had a couple of rental cars over the last year or so.
drove a kia rio, suzuki swift, hyundai i30, mazda 2.
for me the Kia (~32,000 on the odometer, used for city + highway driving) was the clear winner. good power/accelerationg, nice handling, excellent fuel economy, heaps of storage (especially around the dash for phones, drinks, stuff, etc.
the hyundai (~25,000ks on the odometer, used for city + highway driving) next - solid little car - pretty much the same as the kia but not as Zippy
mazda 2 (~15,000ks - used for city, highway, dirt roads) - similar to the hyundai
Suzuki swift (brand new car, used for city driving)- disappointing (sorry SB), felt under powered, steering was crappy, meh.steering was crappy
Surprised you found that actually, if it's one forte the Swift has been renowned for, it's the drive/handling
I've voted Yaris, but I'd be honestly be leaning towards the Corolla…rock solid.
We have i30's in our work fleet, they don't compare to the Corollas for build quality, power or driving comfort IMO, and fiddly little shit starts going wrong after about 20k…not major breakdown stuff, just trivial things that will irritate you more than anything.
My advice, thankfully not listed, but steer clear of the Ford Fiesta/Focus lines if anyone suggests them…we also had them in the fleet once & whilst very nice to drive, they are total bloody lemons from a reliability & safety perspective. Heaps of well documented issues, and Ford are total dicks with warranty.
I understand we're getting some Kias in the fleet soon; I'm looking forward to seeing if they've improved since the last one I drove…it's been a couple of years, so hopefully they're better than the last mediocre experience.
Go for the Yaris in cosmopolitan. Reliable car and even safer in cosmopolitan.
Go Hyundai Getz!
Have owned both swift and yaris. Swift was great,highly recommend.
Yaris overerated,overpriced, cheap and nasty interior and a slug to drive.Now have a 2016 Mazda 2. Best ever. Really goes great, even better than the swift.We just been through similar question and went for the Honda Jazz vti Manual new for just over $15k, collect on monday.
We currently have a Honda. Key points were price, gadget (inc rear camera), massive boot space with 'magic seats' which go up or down.
Good luck, took us few months but really happy with decision.I am going though a similar decision process as the OP. Test drove the Jazz and thought it was good. The only thing that didn't appeal to me was that the cost of servicing seemed more than Hyundai or Mazda.
What did you decide to do? We had Honda previously and thought servicing was reasonable and trustworthy.
Hondas hold their price well too, check out resale values as part of decision against competitor cars
i30 is a wonderful car but price depreciation heavily affects them.
A lot of people in the used car market still don't trust the Korean makes, even though they've gotten much better over the last decade.
Hyundai i30 is not in the same class as the rest of those cars. The rest are all light cars. You can compare the i30 to a corolla which are both small cars