Help Me Buy a Car - Something Like Mazda 3?

nikoris on 17/07/2019 - 19:19

I have been driving a 2002 Mazda 323 hatchback for the last year and its time to upgrade to something better.
I have been looking around and Mazda 3 models from 2009-2012 look nice, and to the price i want to (no more than $8000)

What i want from a car is simple:

1) i want a sedan or a big hatchback with space for groceries
2) Its for me and my wife and possibly a new child in the next 2 years
3) Dont really care about speed, comfort is more important

Is trading my mazda to a dealer for another car a good idea?

Any suggestions welcome

Automotive

Comments

  • GangGang on 17/07/2019 - 19:25
    +1

    If a a child is on the horizon, get a hatchback. Much easier to loan the pram.

    • nikoris on 17/07/2019 - 19:26

      It's actually not on the horizon but its a possibility.

      • crentist on 17/07/2019 - 19:48
        +3

        Then get a sportscar while you can. An mx5 has basically a mazda3 engine so its kinda what you're after, just without the extra crap like backseats and a roof and any of those other things you wanted

        • nikoris on 17/07/2019 - 19:48

          I literally wrote that i dont care about speed and you suggest a sports car.

          • crentist on 17/07/2019 - 19:51
            +24

            @nikoris: Well they aren't fast

          • aja12 on 17/07/2019 - 20:56
            +5

            @nikoris:

            I literally wrote that i dont care about speed and you suggest a sports car.

            I literally can’t believe this.

            • Car-la-la on 18/07/2019 - 08:55
              +2

              @aja12: Hahahaha that's funny, good detective work

  • crentist on 17/07/2019 - 19:57

    Mazda3 is good. Corolla is good. Flip a coin
    Both should be hassle free, decently comfortable, suit your needs. I'd take both for a spin and see how you feel about them.
    Could even try carnextdoor or drivemycar and find a couple the older models to rent, and have a decent amount of time to get a feel for them.

    • nikoris on 17/07/2019 - 19:59

      https://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/kogarah/cars-vans-utes/2009-…

      How about this?

      Its like 3k cheaper than the usual price of these cars….

      • crentist on 17/07/2019 - 20:09

        Is it? The similar ads underneath all look about the same.
        Impossible to know if it's actually any good without actually seeing it. In person it might obviously be crap.

        And don't trust dealers, better to get a car expert friend for a second opinion, and pay for an inspection from NRMA or somewhere, just to avoid getting scammed on a lemon.

        • nikoris on 17/07/2019 - 20:11

          just to avoid getting scammed on a lemon.

          Well, the thing with dealers is that they do have some sort of warranty and i can 'easily' trade my old car for a new one (provided they give me a good price for both)

          Otherwise i will have to firstly buy the new car, then sell my old one, which is far more trouble

          • crentist on 17/07/2019 - 21:15

            @nikoris: I wouldn't place any value on a used car warranty. They don't apply to cars over 10 years old anyway I think, so in your budget they may not exist.

            Private buying and selling is way more hassle, but I kinda like getting a sense of the previous owner. And an old 323 shouldn't be too difficult to get rid of I think.
            Also scares me to think that no one would privately buy a car that's having serious problems, so they'd get dumped on dealers. Must be a few land mines around.

            • nikoris on 17/07/2019 - 21:39

              @crentist: What kind of dealer would buy a land mine?

              You know that they sell/offer warranties with used cars, right?

              A land mine would 99% be sold privately, hoping for the buyer to not see the problems.

              • Euphemistic on 17/07/2019 - 22:42

                @nikoris: Dealers get stuck with dodgy cars regularly. They take a trade in with very little inspection and often trading in is easier than selling a car with problems privately.

                A big dealership will often have ties (or own) a smaller independent looking yard where they sell their ‘rough’ cars.

              • zoob on 18/07/2019 - 08:21

                @nikoris: Try claiming on one of those warranties and you often find all sorts of exclusions that they use to get out of having to fix the car.

  • Stimps on 17/07/2019 - 20:11

    Mazda 3’s are great cars but they do like a regular service so only get one with a full service history.

  • theHMASfriendship on 17/07/2019 - 20:22
    +3

    I don't have any spare cash to help you buy a car, sorry.

    • nikoris on 17/07/2019 - 20:22

      Come on bro, im greek

      • theHMASfriendship on 17/07/2019 - 20:34
        +1

        Nice to meet you, Greek

      • Speckled Jim on 18/07/2019 - 09:21
        +2

        So is Nick Kyrgios.

        You're the second Greek —
        within about a week —
        using money to excuse,
        more entitlement abuse.

        TL;DR - take up pro tennis.

  • aja12 on 17/07/2019 - 20:26
    -3

    Why don’t you trade in your wife’s phone that you hate so much? That’d be worth more than your 323 as a trade in.

    • nikoris on 17/07/2019 - 20:27

      Oh, the lifeless troll, what a surprise

      • aja12 on 17/07/2019 - 20:29
        +3

        Oh brooooo, just trying to help a Greek brother out, don’t hate. But seriously, you spend more on your phones than on the cars you drive 😂 No wonder you complain so much.

        • nikoris on 17/07/2019 - 20:30
          -1

          instadownvote

          • aja12 on 17/07/2019 - 20:35
            +2

            @nikoris: All this time you were driving around in car that cost less than your wife’s phone, no wonder you were so bitter about the S10. So much resentment 😂

            • nikoris on 17/07/2019 - 20:35
              -1

              @aja12: Sorry, reached my max for today.
              Come by tomorrow again, for 5 new downvotes

              • aja12 on 17/07/2019 - 20:39

                @nikoris: Ok, I’ll come back tomorrow night and contribute some more.

  • p1 ama on 17/07/2019 - 21:00
    +1

    Is trading my mazda to a dealer for another car a good idea?

    Doubt anyone would take a 2002 Mazda 323 as trade-in. Better to just buy your car and sell the old one on the used market. Corolla or Mazda 3 both fine for what you want. No issues with your budget.

    • Slippage on 18/07/2019 - 13:52

      I tradded in a early 90's 121 in, wasn't an issue.

  • hctan on 17/07/2019 - 23:24

    For that price range, a well serviced and looked after Honda or Toyota

  • Bid Sniper on 18/07/2019 - 08:25
    +1

    Have a look at a Hyundai i30 as well, similar class vehicle.

  • Daniel Plainview on 18/07/2019 - 08:32
    +1

    Hi OP,

    FWIW I think one of the miskaes folks make when they purchase a budget car is spending too much focus on 'maxxing' the car they get for the money instead of identifying that they don't have a lot of money to spend either initially on the car AND ALSO any potential future costs - so they should prioritise targeting a car that has good reliability levels and also IF repairs are needed is known for being very cost effective to do so.

    So it's almost a cliche but I'd say to get a Corolla - they're not as comfy as their peers but their reputation for reliability & ease to find parts etc is there for a reason.It's completely counterproductive to only spend $8k on a car, when you end up getting a $2k bill in the first year for major parts that need replacing etc.

    As Corolla's are so sought after they hold their value a lot more than other cars of the same age - so expect to have to either take a car with more mileage or age. As long as you get ABS and front airbags I'd tend to prioritise lower mileage.

    I'd also consider the Hyundai Elantra - this in particular is a very good deal:
    https://www.carsales.com.au/cars/details/Hyundai-Elantra-201…

    I'd try and get a private sale (it's more flexible to allow you to have car properly checked - and get this done!) and make a priority of looking at service records and that it has good tyres (as a new decent set will set you back $400-500).

  • Ugly on 18/07/2019 - 09:04
    +1

    You can get a 2015 or 2016 Kia Rio or Cerato for that money.
    Warranty on Kia's sold from 2015 onward is 7 years, so you can have some comfort on buying a used car that still has 2 or 3 years of factory warranty remaining.

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