Hi OzBargain community,
I'm looking to buy my first car, however I'm a total car and mechanical noob, so I’m really after any advice and suggestions I can get!
Being a young male I’m statistically more likely to be involved in a crash…. So I don't want to buy a new car as my first car - just something fairly cheap, affordable i.e. about $10,000.
I definitely want a sedan. I really don't care about what make, I only care about it being economical and reliable, so preferably Japanese or a Korean car after 2014? I've heard that Korean cars really only started to rival Japanese quality after 2014
From my understanding diesel works out to be the cheapest due to the mileage, then LPG and lastly petrol. So I’d preferably want a diesel then LPG and then a petrol car. However, if I were to buy a petrol car about how much would it cost to get it converted to LPG dual fuel?
Also, I've heard that cats running on LPG lose more horsepower performance over time, is this correct?
I was tempted by the Holden Cruze’s features and cheap price, but from my readings I've found that they really aren't recommended as they are a bit of a lemon.
From my understanding the Cruze is manufactured by Daewoo in Korea and then assembled in Australia. Daewoo appears to be a bit of a lemon tree, is this an overstatement, are there any good Holden Cruze’s?
I've created this spreadsheet list of cars I'm currently considering.
I'm currently leaning towards the following cars:
| Car | Year | Kilometres |
|---|---|---|
| Nissan Pulsar St | 2013 | 63k |
| Toyota Aurion AT-X | 2011 | 74k |
| Nissan Pulsar St | 2014 | 89k |
| Hoden Commodore VE | 2012 | 127k |
| Nissan Pulsar St | 2013 | 63k |
| Holden Commodore Omega | 2012 | 142k |
I'm really only interested in the two Holden's due to them running on LPG and having a reverse camera. I really want a reversing camera, if however the car doesn’t have one I'll get one put in.
Eagerly waiting for replies! 😄
Update 1
I'll mostly be driving around Adelaide, with the occasional drive through the Adelaide Hills - this will mostly be during holiday breaks from uni.
I'm guessing I'd need at least a 2L engine for my needs?
Update 2
I've just changed the sharing on the spreadsheet file, now anyone can view it - sorry
Update 3 I've made up my mind to get a Toyota, unless someone can convince me otherwise
Update 4
I'd just like to thank each and every one of you for all your help. You've been absolutely amazing in helping me buy my first car - a 2013 Toyota Corolla sedan with 70k on the clock for $12,000!😄
Haven't you heard, Holden collapsed years ago.
Just shop around at any car yard. There are plenty of vehicles under 10k and you get warranty.