I want to buy a Reliable car - I currently have a Ford Mondeo that I picked up from an auction and have had a terrible experience.
I need help with getting a good deal and deciding if;
I have noticed because of the ride share industry - resale value of Hybrids are high.
Any tips with getting the best deal in the current market.
Thanks in advance.
lesson learnt with mondeo the hard way :(
I still can't figure out how people buy those or captivas etc when Google exists. Just typing in Mondeo brings up pages of horror stories.
The funny part is that i read all the reviews- but the fact that the car was in an immaculate condition i took the risk!
@Sam Sharik: Out of interest what model year was the mondeo and what went wrong with it? My last experience with a Ford vehicle was over 20 years ago and that was awful
@Sam Sharik: Damn that's annoying for a pretty new car.
After the old ford I switched to a Toyota which still runs to this day, done over 380,000kms on it now and hope it'll last a bit longer. Hopefully their quality is still up to scratch like their 90s models
I have an MC Mondeo diesel and it has been bulletproof.
The issue seems to be that the OP bought at auction. (I doubt there was a warranty)
The repair cost for the DCT transmission is around 4-5k, including a 1 year warranty. Not all transmission repair shops know how to fix them, they also require manufacturer tooling in many instances (Same for most companies). These transmissions are sensitive to old fluid, so 2-3 year or 40-60k kilometre services are a good preventative measure.
DPF issue can happen because previous driver didn't do enough highway km or run it in 4th gear (above 2500rpm) on the motorway for 20 minutes once every few weeks. Sometimes the DPF fuel jet can be ruined by the lack of regeneration, that's about $800 fitted at a ford service centre.
There has also been a bunch of software updates that my local service centre received from Ford Europe, as they have much more experience with these cars over there. They quizzed their Euro counterpart and were surprised to receive a bunch of software updates for improving reliability.
The curse of random capitalisation strikes again!
If you get an RACV inspection then private sales will save you a lot over a dealer. Their warranties don't mean much anyhow.
The risk with auctions is you can't drive the car before purchasing.
true- i have always stayed away from dealerships
I would second the inspection.
Why not also look at a Kia or Hyundai which still has some warranty left and petrol version. IMO
Buy from a dealer because most private sellers are trying to get more for their cars than what they are worth. Private sales don't incur GST nor do they have to supply any statutory warrant, yet they want retail prices for their shitter. So, if you are looking at a private sale car and are not getting between 15~20% off as a minimum over average dealer prices, don't bother.
At a dealership (at most anyway) they have to sell the car in a roadworthy condition, so (most) issues will be fixed. For example, if it needed new tyres or brakes or a service, these are usually done. Private sales are usually because the car needs a heap of work or a huge service is due and it isn't going to be done by the private seller because of "cost".
Dealers have other systems at play they can call upon if you buy a vehicle from the network, such as "Toyota Certified Pre-Owned" where they only take cars that have low km with full service history. (Spackbace might know more about how that works.)
Dealer (reputable) if you want a drive in/drive out experience, private if you are going to save a lot over retail price and can be bothered with the potential that it could become a money pit in a very short amount of time.
I didnt cover auctions, because basically, if you dont know what you are doing, DON'T. Cars usually go to auctions because even the dealer doesn't want them. I am not saying there aren't deals to be had at auctions, but its like going through a mountain of rocks to find one diamond. Same with wholesalers. Don't go to a wholesaler unless a: you are getting a min of 10~15% off retail, and you need to be on your A game and know what you are looking for, and b: because cars at wholesalers are usually the ones that dealers didn't want AND the auctions didn't want…
Not totally true. Fleets often go to Auction as the fleet managers often get cars from various dealers and they dont want to negotiate each secondhand trade in. Auctions cover their butts in case someone disputes what the old car was worth.
I know as my Bro was a fleet manager. Even buying a great used car from him, required getting an Auction house quote before it could be sold "privately" that established a "fair" price
Frankly the deals on a new Camry hybrid are probably a better deal, given that when I looked 2016 are not that discounted from a new one for a 3 year old 100K driven car, and you get savings on 5 Year Warranty - far longer and capped priced servicing for 5 years.
The prices include all on road costs inc stamp duty which adds another $700 to the used car, plus rego is 12 months vs probably 6 months on the used car. End of year savings should get for $33K, vs $24K used (plus stamp duty etc $1.5K plus lost savings on capped price servicing over 5 years)
Plus the 2016 is the older shape (But great cars - I have a non Hybrid 2016)
Or if budget is an issue, maybe a Corolla Hybrid new, as they are around $27K on road (Corollas are larger now)
(Corollas are larger now)
The boot certainly isn't and is the only thing that put me off this otherwise great car.
The new sedan sorts that out, for the same asking price :)
I am amused by how ride sharing (which isn't technically true anymore, it is more like shadow taxi) is destroying more than just used car values, it is causing more pollution etc.
Best I have seen is someone doing Uber with a BMW X5. Great for the Uber riders, I pity the fool who needs to do Uber with an X5. I am sure there is a few fools like that around. I have also seen a Porsche SUV Courier.
Hooray for late stage capitalism! (not that there's anything wrong with that)
it has always surprised me how people rideshare on expensive cars- I wonder if they still make money
I was once picked up in a Mercedes sports car. The owner has retired and said he was just doing it since he was bored. Seems ride share helps some people to stay active as well
true but most of the people do it to earn a living.
Probably Dads free fuel supplied company car
i think the car needs to be owned by person who drives rideshare
Most likely bought with parent's money, owned by them therefore not very financially aware of the total cost. Always amusing.
What is the saying about wealth doesn't survive 3 generations. The smart ones actually lock up their money in a trust for long as possible (99 years or something like that) and dish small amounts of it out.
As was said previously, a 2016 Camry Hybrid is around $21,000-onwards. 2016 means it's out of warranty (3yrs/100,000kms), and at that sort of age where tyres/brakes could need replacing if they haven't been already.
New Camry hybrid is the all new shape, more safety features, better capped price servicing ($195 for the first 5 services at 12m/15,000km intervals), better warranty (5yrs/unlimited kms, 7yrs on the engine and drive-train if using genuine parts, 10yrs on the hybrid battery if it gets a yearly check as part of your servicing). And a new one now has Apple Carplay/Android Auto.
Given the resale value on current hybrid Camrys, you could look at it as approx $10,000 loss of resale of a new one after 3yrs/100,000kms travelled, yet you'd be covered by warranty and cheap servicing over that time.
Easy to formulate an argument for both sides of the coin (new vs used), but the new model (2018 onwards) was a definite upgrade over the previous, from safety and features, to design, to the mechanicals (the change from electric to petrol is a lot less noticeable on the new model).
Just my $0.02
true
Forgetting the green issue for a minute, it's probably better value to get a new Kia or Hyundai with a 7 year warranty and fixed price servicing. Hybrids are fine if you want to uber but if not I don't see much point until prices are on par or petrol goes crazy (doubt that will be for quite some time).
New hybrid Camry is only $1200-$2500 more than the petrol, and on fuel savings alone you'd make that back after 22,000-46,000kms travelled. Not to mention that in base Ascent trim, the hybrid model gets keyless entry/start and dual-zone climate control in that price difference.
Not to mention, the electric motor adds more low-down torque, making it a nicer drive over the petrol as well.
If you're looking at owning a car for 100,000kms or more, hybrid easily makes more sense.
valid points
+1 for a Kia Cerato or "Alldai" i30. Much better idea for many people who "used to buy" Camry ;) Check out the new Cerato boot and price before you even look at another Camry… Real world economy in outer burbs or country doesn't favour the Camry Hybrid… My $0.001 worth . Fwiw last 3 car purchases have been i30's.
Auctions are where you push off your crap.
The tip is money and willingness to walk away.
Buying from auction
a) No warranty
b) No test drive
c) difficult to arrange a full inspection
d) Non-negotibale plus buyers premium
e) Dumping ground for unwanted used cars
Buying from a dealer
a) Full 3 month Warranty if car has less than 160,000km on clock though its probably still under manufacturers warranty if this is transferable
b) can test drive as long as you like
c) easy to arrange full inspection
d) Usually overpriced but dealers are negotiable
e) easy to arrange finance if required
Buying privately
a) no warranty unless original dealers warranty can be transferred to new owner
b) can test drive and arrange full inspection
c) Possibly cheaper than buying from a dealer but not necessarily,. Though probably more motivated to sell hence probably more negotiable.
d) probably dealing with original owner who should be able to provide full service history, log books and manuals, all original keys, tips etc
useful comparison. what do you think about buying it new?
Resale value of the hybrids have always been high. Get one with a good service history and you'll be fine, the Mondeo is a complete dud of a car no matter where you purchased it.