My wife and I have just gotten pregnant and when the baby is due she will take time off.
In this time we will lose her company car and I'm wondering whether it's a better investment to get a brand new car on the lower scale ($10-15k+) for the 1 year she will take off work or buy a cheaper second hand car for sub $5k.
She is planning on going back to the same job in a year's time to which she will get the same car back.
Thanks in advance for any replies.
Two women on IVF?
no such thing as a brand new car being an 'investment'
Unless its a 80K car, thats a high-yield investment
Yeh I knew this would come up though his low scale 10-15k wouldn't meet that.
Perhaps take out a loan of 65-70k, it is a high yield investment after all.
Clearly, it's a high yield investment vehicle.
That's such a high-yield joke right there, perhaps you should have invested in one that hasn't been beaten to death?
well depends on the timing i guess, a joke is only as good as how you execute them.
On a serious note their is no such thing as a brand new car being an 'investment'.
Being pedantic but if you really had Arab Money, you'd know that's not true. Many supercars appreciate in value e.g. Ford GT or literally any Koenigseggs etc…
Yeh doesnt exactly meet his requirements, but I can tell you now I have experienced it with a second hand car, I was so close to purchasing a car for 10k that is now worth 30k+. But yeh not a car that a wife and new born would be using.
I have a friend who seems almost addicted to buying cars at auction then selling them for a profit
McLaren F1, beautiful car.
McLaren P1, beautiful car
@dcep: Oh yeah, 100%. But there's just something about the old school sheer crazy engineering of the F1.
Bnr34
OP said $10k-$15k. That's not going to buy you a supercar.
Second hand car will always be the better option.
Not always. In second hand market is based on availability.
There's always heaps of people with 2-10 year old cars getting rid of them. If you want a VERY SPECIFIC car then sure. But wanting a car of a particular model / colour / age / need it now is really artificially making the same sort of decision as 'I want a new one'.
Most hire companies offer long term rentals so you might be able to get one for a year for less than that.
Alternatively, if you do not drive often, consider a car share scheme like GoGet.com.au if you have pods available nearby then just pay for what you use.
I wouldn't want wife and newborn rolling around in a $5k car…
Do those car share schemes have infant seats already out in? If not it’s not worth installing a baby seat every time you use a car, it’ll take like 45 mins to get it right for the one trip and you have to carry a baby seat to the car share, and remove it. Omg it’s all too much for a parent without sleep.
The long term hire seems like a better option
I have not been through this yet myself, but thought the ISOFIX baby car seats slotted into the 2 attachments points and click-click, all done. Highly doubt it takes 45 mins to setup each and every time..
You can even get ISOFIX compatible strollers where the whole baby seat attach to them directly to make life easier.
Unfortunately not quite. Also need to make sure seat is at the correct angle and the isofix doesn't adjust when moved around. Looking at about 30 minutes each time you put one in to adjust it. (may need to add time while you swear at it)
i reckon it takes about 30 mins to attach properly, and about 15 mins to detach. Just from my experience, but i guess if you do it once a week, you could get faster. But honestly not a couple of clicks to get it right and safe IMHO
@cloudy: No way does it takes 45 min. I can reinstall my kids non-ISOFIX car seat in half the time. Removal only takes 1 min max. It just takes a bit of practice to work it out.
@TheOtherLeft: Yeah I don't see it…. Our isofix baby seat is in and out in less than 10 minutes. Am I doing something wrong?
@db87: Your probably familiar with your car. Pick a random car and see how you go, that is what OP will have to do with car share.
@TheOtherLeft: I am cheap I have one baby seat and two cars. I can do it install in 15 mins. My arms are thin.
OP could install the baby seat in his car, and when the wife & kid need a car for the day, OP could use a GoGet / Uber / train…
(If wife & kid don't need to drive separately to OP very often)
There really is not much to installing a car seat once you know what you're doing.
Nothing wrong with that. My last subie was sub $5000 wagon, 2002 Impreza. Looked good, AWD and in a car accident it was a tank, 5 star ANCAP and the most reliable car I've ever had. If anyone is selling with low km's for a reasonable price, I'll buy once I sell one of my two cars.
$10k Camry. In 12 months you'd likely sell it for about what you paid, or not too far off. Will only need 1 service in that time. Look for good tyres and long rego
Plenty of room for a rear facing child seat, plus the 2 of you if need be
Can testify.
Bought mine about 4 years old at the time. Sold it a year later for about $250 less than I paid (not counting stamp duty).
damn it! I feel like every other post is about how much my Camry lost in depreciation..
Are these brand new Camry's or 2nd hand?
+1 for Camry, look at 50 series (late 2011 onwards for petrol, early 2012 for hybrid).
What brand new car even on the lower scale is $10-15k?
If it's for 1 year, I'd also recommend what Spackbace recommends.
A large car that won't depreciate much and be easy to sell.
A Camry or Aurion will fit in perfectly.
Something $15K would be a Kia Picanto or some other micro car, or a 1yo used i30 go
Good point.
Not sure I'd want a Micro or City car to fit my new born baby, pram etc. etc.
Hard to resell after returning to work - and receive a company car.
Some company can pay "Car Allowance" instead of physical car.
Might not if she is not working for 12 mths.
As per RACV, Suzuki Swift is cheaper than Kia Picanto - during 5 years of usage.
https://www.racv.com.au/content/dam/racv/images/membership/b…
Even cheap subcompacts like the Kia Picanto or Hyundai Accent start at $17k by picking the poverty pack, and manual will hurt its resale value which will sink like a rock. A 2 year old i30 or Mazda 2/3 is a better pick, so long as it hasn't been thrashed.
Buy a reliable car based on it being a good deal. Avoid dealers, go private and make a bunch of low offers. You may be able to sell it for what you paid after a year = free car basically.
And if low-balling private sellers, make sure you've done a ppsr
I would say buy a car that suit your needs. You will be traveling with a small child and would be carrying a pram etc. small car or hatchback may or may not suite your needs.
2 year old Japanese car for $10k - 15k.
Also, first kid? Don't count on any 'plans' like her going back at a certain time.
Cheap brand new cars tend to be much more poorly made than older ones that cost a bit more originally. They'll depreciate just as hard as any new car (% wise at least for the first year). A car that's 4-5+ years old that doesn't do too many KM during the year probably won't decrease in price too much.
Also keep in mind that plenty of people plan to go back to work then don't / change their mind / go back part-time / get extra money instead of a company car.
Get a ute chuck the kid in the back strap the baby car seat down with some 2.5 tonne truckies ratchets and you'll never hear it scream with a good pair of speakers.
Unless you plan on holding onto the car for a decade, just get second hand.
KIA make fairly good quality cars these days, and they offer a 7 year Factory Warranty. So if you look around for something like a 2015 Cerato for $14k, you end up with a used car with 4 years of Factory Warranty. When you sell it a year later the 3 year Factory Warranty makes for a good selling point.
I work for a Kia dealership. Can vouch for Kia reliability. Rediculous how little we have to work on them in comparison to other brands we work on.
My Wife Is Losing Her Company Car
What She Does Next WILL SHOCK YOU!!!!
Don't even think about buying a new car, especially in that category. Pieces of crap.
Look into the long term car hire as someone else mentioned, but the best option here is to get something that has already done a lot of its depreciation and sell it next year for not much less than you paid.
Kid stuff = need boot space, so don't go smaller than a Camry, but I'd be going something more SUV-y personally. A 5-10 year old RAV4, CRV, or X-Trail will have done most of its depreciation and still be in decent nick, will fit all your crap, keep mum and bub safer than a new micro car.
hes having 1 baby not a family of 5… why do people get fuel hogging suvs for no reason other than to be a soccer mum
Because a small SUV is not much worse on fuel than a large sedan, if at all, and you can fit more stuff in? I'm not saying go buy a LandCruiser. It's pretty obvious though that if you have a baby it would be nice to be able to carry more stuff around than a Camry can. Plus, higher boot to put stuff in and out of - less stress on the body. Higher seating to put baby down into - less stress on the body.
I'm all for not driving SUVs if you don't need one, but having a kid is a pretty damn good reason to not have a sedan at least, and there are some positives of an SUV vs a hatchback too.
we've gotten by with a suzuki swift and then a polo gti for a combined 9 years of ownership, 8 of them with a kid. nothings ever been a struggle fortunately. you can always make do with what you have
long term rental seems to be a good idea in this case
I have a wheelchair in the boot of my Camry, I have fit 12 full shopping bags in the boot with it in addition to my jump starter and tools. A Camry is plenty of space for 3 people dude.
@Beansbeansbeans: Its better in almost every way except function.
Sedan more efficient, better handling, probably better safety and better insurance.
SUV/CUV better visibility, easier loading and access/egress, better for taller or larger people.
I am a young, light, fit, nil body issues and I'm getting tired of getting in and out of utes, sedans and wagons. That said I hate pulling up into lifted utes as well.
We bought a Mitsi ASX just before our first baby was born. The ASX uses the Lancer platform so I consider it a small/medium SUV. Even with 2 kids it's a really good size. The only time I find it undersized is when going on road trips, camping etc. That's why I also have the roof pod for those occasions.
SUVs are great with baby capsules due to it being higher then a traditional sedan/hatch and hence you don't have to bend down as far to swing the baby into the car.
Factor in car cost, insurance, CTP/rego and maintenance and fuel.
$10k is $192 per week in Ubers, depending on where you live it might just be cheaper to do that or share your car with your wife (if you have one). I'm unsure if there's Ubers with child seats but public transport is another option. I know this may not be ideal but it also depends on where you live.
You realise that the car will probably be worth almost $10k in a year. So you've only lost the cost of opportunity, not $192 a week in Ubers.
Waittttt
Did you just agree with a Camry?
You?
😂😂
It seems like the best car for the OP. I don't have to love a car to see it's the best option.
$10k is $192 per week in Ubers
You need to bring your own child seat with an uber - a lot of hassle with a newborn.
You probably make great financial and logical decisions
what is your car, could it be the family car for the 12 months? The Family car should be a decent car. Will your car suffice as this And switch back once the company car comes bac? If this is the case, buy a $5k car for yourself.
You are going to need a car with lots of space. Well as much as possible.
Having just had our first child 6 weeks ago, we have a medium sized SUV and our Pram still takes up the whole boot. I sold my Mazda 3 beforehand since it was not big enough to fit the rear facing capsule, pram, portable cot etc etc etc. You will need space, as much as you can get. Buy a second hand SUV or station wagon.
you can get a city mini jogger or similar, rather than some giant pram you're just going to hang your shopping off. the city mini you can fit behind the drivers seat or in the boot of a small car
It depends on what you class as a better investment.
The cheaper option will likely be a sub 5k car.
Main sacrifice would be safety and features.
IMO Buy a 10k second hand car with 5*NCAP
-less depreciation
-more peace of mind
-ISOFIX
Not sure what kind of new car you would get for 10-15k
Having three kids, I completely disagree with the above comment, get a smaller car I'd say, it'll make parking much easier and be better on fuel, you still have a spare seat in the back to put shopping and nappy bag gear on….
When you have multiple kids, and they make friends, do weekend and afterschool activities etc, that's when you need the bigger car (as we now do, like a Kia Carnival)…
In saying that we live a minimalist life and never had stupidly oversized and overpriced prams, cots etc which really are not required and are more of a modern fad (marketing, gotta spend all this money on useless crap for your child!) for the wealthy, spoilt, and self absorbed - none of this is really required and unless your a jogging prammer is def not required imo, our kids, and kids generally if they're tired will sleep anywhere, in or on anything.
Anyway, I'd go a standard sedan even a hatch if you wanted, the boot on some of the sedan's like a camry for example is huge with plenty of space even for a wanky pram - but as the last post says, if you want to look at anything, i'd be looking at the ANCAP rating. Good luck!
And if there not tired they won't sit in anything
Do you drive to work or just to station you get by for 1 year with one car and uber?
I think you might fine you 15+ new small might back fire big one you baby come you most like need CX5 or big car if wife she want to take more them 12months off the first baby
I’m on the 2nd hand Camry band wagon as welll. Big-ish, Safe, reliable and won’t depreciate.
You can go smaller - just check what pram you’re going to have. The bugaboos can be quite big to pack away. But saying that, our friends have 2 bugaboos with 2 kids and comfortably fit in an X3.
If thinking smaller, Corolla (although they’re priced similar to Camry) or Mazda3.
I like SUVs with kids, as it’s easy to remove the capsule at waist height. Then again, our small car is an Isuzu MUX and my work car is the stupidly large Amarok. For SUVs consider a Kia Sportage. There should be some 5yo examples floating about, that came with a 7y warranty. Then when you sell it, you can still sell it with factory warranty
Both having babies CONGRATS
Do you have a garage? If so get an EV, petrol cars could be phased out by the time she goes back to work.
LOL
Where the hell can you get an EV car for $10-15k?
and
How is australia going to phase out petrol cars in 1 year, let alone >10? good luck with those pipe dreams
true. even if you can get one with that price, it's probably about time to replace the battery.
Meta jokes on ozbargain?!? What next..
At least someone got the reference!
my bad… :(
I made that post hahahah
So both of you are pregnant?
On a serious note their is no such thing as a brand new car being an 'investment'. Second hand car will always be the better option.