Most Affordable Car Overall to Buy Used

Hi all.

Long time lurker, first time poster here.

My current car is just about dead. As a result of this I am in the market for purchasing another car.

What suggestions would you have for a car that would be the cheapest to own overall? Taking into account purchase price, registration, insurance (3rd party only), servicing (by a mechanic as I live in an apartment), fuel, etc. I live close to the city in Perth so a lot of my journeys are close through the city to get to and from Uni and work with a lot of time in stop start traffic. I do also visit my family once a month or so who are a two hour drive down the highway. Any recommendations for what to look for and what to avoid would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

Comments

  • +61

    If you're a long time lurker you would probably come across the Toyota Camry and Tesla Model 3 as the Ozbargain car of choice.
    Take your pick.

      • -8

        exactly… Camry drivers are the new Volvo driver too.

        • New electic Volvo actually much fun to drive than Tesla 😆

          • +3

            @boomramada: Volvo just too 'Geely' ( aka Zhejiang Geely Holding Group Co., Ltd (ZGH)) for me.

            • +2

              @Ade99: I said fun to drive, technically they both made in China.

          • @boomramada: LMAO Electric volvo is $80k.

    • +2

      looks like it'll be a camry due to limitations of not being able to charge at home and the lack of superchargers around here :(

      • +5

        turn that frown upside down, oh what a feeling toyota ;)

      • Just checked tesla charging map, heaps of options around Perth

        • +1

          The only supercharger is around a 25 minute drive away and the only other smaller Tesla chargers are at hotels

      • +6

        The shortlist is Gas-Falcon, LPG-Commodore, Honda Euro, Camry, Corolla, i30, Model 3.

        …or a High Yield Investment 🤷

    • +3

      I would add Toyota Corolla to the mix.

      As mentioned, not an "exiting" car to own, but dang, keep them serviced regularly and they will run practically forever.

      • +20

        What the point of driving somewhere if you can't even exit the car?

        • +2

          typo - pre-caffeine - "exiting" —> "exciting" (which I suspect you got from the context :p )

      • I agree with the practically run forever with little maintenance, just change the oil at a minimum.

        • Mates wife bought one new. Never changed the oil once. Think she got 4 or 5 years before the engine broke. This was about 10 or so years ago.

          • @DarwinBoy: MY GOOD sir. If she changed the oil, it would run for 20. What a waste.

            • @Naigrabzo: I know. My mate had recently married her when she complained a red light come on and the engine wouldn't start.
              Lucky my mates uncle runs a wreckers so he was able to get another engine shipped 4000km cheap.
              It was a good lesson for him and her.

      • If you can live with the blistering paintwork and faded headlights on older models.

  • +8

    OzB Camry

  • +5
    • +1

      Insightful article. Thanks!

      • +4

        Those costs are for new cars. Once you’ve taken the major hr on depreciation the costs may change. For example a less popular vehicle may depreciate more inflating the overall costs initially. Once it’s older it’s quite likely that could change.

  • +21

    Used Corolla or Camry.

    • Came to up vote this, if you are budget conscious this is the way. If you are budget conscious and do your own maintenance and repairs you can expand the list, but they are still great since they are inline 4s and quite simple

      • I'm certainly no mechanic. But even I was able to change the valve cover gasket in my 04 Corolla. Relatively simple car to work on.

    • +1

      and once you buy either one…just change the oil, coolant, transmission fluid, brake fluid, powersteering (for older ones) fluids.. and it will run another 100,000kms.

    • Corolla, unless you want a larger more powerful sedan. Not much difference in the Corolla, but am guessing they are better on fuel, easier to park etc.

  • -2

    Tesla. They are more expensive to buy used than new… But dont worry, they will pay for themselves in 3 years…

    • +5

      LITERALLY FREE MONEY

      • -8

        When they release full self driving, Tesla cars will "to the moon" and used ones will cost $600,000 because "RoBo TaXi"

      • cost you money not to!

  • +11

    I would recommend doing some math on your realistic driving needs, factor in some public transport use, and then compare something like GoGet for when you actually need to drive.

    • +3

      Fully agree. Used to have a brand new car in the inner CBD of Melbourne and it was the most useless thing out, because I would take PT to work anyway. Depreciation hit like a B as well.

      The car hire companies often have reserved parking as well (i.e. easy free parking in the CBD and most suburbs, and they're pretty cheap when you consider that they pay for petrol, maintenance, insurance, etc.

      Wish I held off for a little while longer - have since moved into the suburbs with a slightly outdated car that I paid the premium of new for… oh well. I do love my car so only minor regrets there!

  • It used to be commodores the cheapest to buy used before holden closed.

    • +5

      2012 LPG Commodore checking in.

      cheap to buy and service. half price fuel.

      • +1

        And also half fuel performance compared to petrol

    • +5

      Falcons were even cheaper. Price per kilo, those second-hand Australian cars were a bargain I shall miss the next time I am in the market.

      • +1

        Yeah, it's getting harder to find good examples that aren't v8s and turbo that are appreciating

        • +1

          People are now buying up the V6s thinking they're a future money maker like the V8s are, even the base model commodores are going up in value.

          • @Icyraindrops: They're going up in asking price. Realistically I don't think the sales support it, and they're the same POS now as they were before covid.

            i6 BA falcon was my worst automotive investment. It had more problems, and I lost more on it in depreciation then every single other car (7) I've owned…

          • -1

            @Icyraindrops: Pretty dumb considering we are on the edge of petrol disappearing. No one is going to want a V6 when petrol becomes really expensive. Some might still want a V8 or other special model, not a bog stock fleet vehicle though.

      • +1

        My falcon has never broken down in the 9 years i've owned it. Serviced regularly at 10k. No major issues. Never been left stranded or unable to start.

        • Guess it depends more on the driver and not just the car…

          • +2

            @smartazz104: haha yeah. I barely rev past 3000rpm (The falcon has plenty of power for day to day driving). Only changed tyres three times in 170,000km… that's how chill I drive. It's a daily commuter. Serviced on the clock. With some optional maitainence (eg ATF fluid and filter change).

    • +1

      Aurions seem better value these days.

      • I highly doubt that, on 2nd hand market all toyota cars are an extra 20-30% cost + an extra 20,000-60,000 km run compared to any other average car in market. No doubt toyota has reliability, but at there extra hyped up cost I wouldn't call them worth it

        • I recently bought a 2017 Aurion from fleet. 40,000km on the clock for $21k. $23-24k for falcadore with 100,000km more on the clock. All similar spec.

          • @Supercool: I was thinking of a lot older vehicles like 2000-2010 models, you can lookup most toyota's got like 200,000 +kms and still ask for $5000+ a lot ridiculous BS, when other similar cars like i20, falcons, getz, swift, barina, pulsar etc all got a lot less mileage and still $1000-$2000 Cheaper than toyotas.

            Let alone you'll see many 2018 models with like 130,000Km + (those that have ran the car 13x what a typical person drives in a year to them driving in e.g. 3 years) still asking for $16,000+. that's how ridiculous market is atm.

            In my opinion toyotas are overhyped in used market. in Newer model ofcourse the price difference is not much is terms of %.

            It's just like Oneplus they used to be great in terms of price and quality but as their product started to be top range with so much popularity, they racked up their prices to the roof at which point it has been not so good choice for consumers in market

  • +9

    Hyundai Getz.

    • Absolutely, I have 2 of 'em…practically anything with Hyundai in the name. 😉

    • Not a bad little runabout car. Had one for work and I was pretty impressed.

  • +4

    Honda Accord/Euro

    • +1

      There was a time that was true. The Euro isn't sold in Australia any more and the newer Accords are ballooning in size with outdated technology. Ageing Hondas are expensive to repair too. I say this as an ex-owner of two beloved Accords.

  • +4

    There is no single answer to this question.

    Firstly you need to determine what you want to use the vehicle for. This will help determine size and shape you want. Then you can look at the cheapest to run in your chosen category.

    You have also given no indication of your potential budget

    The biggest cost in newer cars is depreciation so buy an old car, especially if you need to add in finance costs (including mortgage repayments you could be making). Other running costs are similar across vehicles.

    Otherwise, buy the smallest cheapest second hand car you can find, insure it third party property only and be prepared to take a loss if you crash it.

    Possibly one of the cheapest ownership models is buy $1k car with rego. Don’t transfer the rego, then when rego runs out sell it for $500 and get another one. Don’t service it either.

    • +3

      The money saved goes towards your early funeral!

    • +6

      Don't transfer rego? Why so the original owner can cancel it then you need to get a rwc on a 1k car good luck lol

  • The avg annual cost of a car (small) is : $8,203 (car loan+fuel+insurance etc)

    • -1

      Yes, because transport is free if you don't have a car.

      • Much less than that.

        • +10

          About $100 a week to get the train from gold coast to brisbane, so $5k ish. So 2/3rds of the price, and that only takes you to one place and back, 5 days a week. No flexibility to go elsewhere, whenever you like. No thanks.

          • @brendanm: Almost impossible to get tailgated by old mate in his lightly modded work Ranger/Navara while sitting on the Robina express though. In the 60km/h roadworks stretch past Logan that everybody and their nan insists on doing 75-90 in.

            • @esq:

              In the 60km/h roadworks stretch past Logan that everybody and their nan insists on doing 75-90 in.

              That's because the roadwork speed there is 80 last time I checked.

              • @brendanm: Yeah I'm just riffing mate I live well up the coast these days.

    • +1

      Those cost calculations are based on buying a new car and suffering the associated high depreciation and comprehensive insurance costs. Buy a $5 banger, insure it with 3rd party and you're down to $5k per year or less depending on how much you drive. Service and repair yourself to bring down costs even further.

    • +5

      8200 is really worst case scenario, though. It can be a lot less than that, even with conservative estimates based on 5000km per year.

      $700 ($7000 for a 2014 suzuki swift, worth $0 after 10 years, $700 depreciation per year)
      $1000 ($300 service 2x year + 50% to cover the more expensive logbook services)
      $350 (third party insurance, depends on the person)
      $845 (rego metro melbourne)
      $200 ($600 dollar set of tyres every 15kkm)
      $560 (5000km of fuel at 160c/L and 7L/100km)

      Total $3655
      Versus public transport 4x per week 2 ways; $1872

      Very rough, but done intellegently owning a car doesn't have to be super expensive. There is always a chance for large unexpected expenses though e.g. write it off in a crash or have some major problem that needs to be fixed.

      • +2

        If your tyres are only lasting you 15,000km you should probably get that checked lol

        • -2

          Just being ultra conservative to make a point. Servicing is also very unlikely to cost you 1000/yr.

          If you drive like a hoon and buy chinese garbage then you can probably hit 15,000 without too much of an issue.

      • +1

        Why service twice a year if only driving 5,000km?

        • +1

          You should change your oil every 6-8 months if you are using non synthetics, especially if you don't drive often. Most people don't change their own oil, so taking it for a service is required.

          EDIT: obviously balance the risk of damage from contaminated oil with the value of the car, not suggesting you pay to have the oil changed in a $2k car twice yearly

    • 'The avg annual cost of a car (small) is : $8,203 (car loan+fuel+insurance etc)'

      I expect that's for a new car where depreciation (loss of value) is a major cost - OP asked about used cars

      my 30yo Honda Civic just cost me nearly $1658 to re-register for another year - $447 CTP Green Slip insurance, $290 rego renewal, $179 TPP insurance, $42 rego check, and after much deliberation I ponied up $690 repairs for new left driveshaft rubber boot, front brake pads, rocker cover gasket kit, engine oil change/service and new spark plugs, having spent only about $100 on maintenance in the previous 3 years. Depreciation is about zero now.

      Over 18 years of ownership since buying the as-new 12yo car, my spreadsheet tells me my TCO is about $41K including the purchase price, or an average of about $2.3Kpa - including fuel and service - but then again I've only driven about 56000km in 18 years.

  • +7

    Corrola for a small car. Reliable and cheap to service.

    • +1

      Not cheap to buy second hand though.

  • +12

    I have a 2011 Mazda 2 manual. Cost 6.5k to buy second-hand in 2018 with 90,000km. No loan.

    Comprehensive Insurance: $50pm
    Petrol: $40pm
    Rego: $800py
    Servicing: ~$300py

    Total: ~$2200py.

    Currently sits on 170,000km. I was driving heaps for work, but now with WFH for the last 18 months I barely drive. I've thought about a new car but really, this is so cheap I can't justify it.

    • +2

      Yep.

      My mechanic said that Mazda's were one of the most reliable cars he looks at.

      Impressively you can even get a bike in the back seat with the front wheel removed.

      A reliable Mazda 2 is about the cheapest decent car on the market. Maybe a Kia Rio might be another ?

      Even in the current climate with high used car prices : $7K in WA for this one :

      https://www.carsales.com.au/cars/details/2011-mazda-2-neo-de…

      95K done.

      • +12

        Impressively you can even get a bike in the back seat with the front wheel removed.

        Wouldn't the car just tip to the front side rendering it impossible to drive?

      • +1

        removing the front wheel may cause some steering issues!

      • Mazda 2 has historically been noisy on the road - not something I want - but the used ES300 Lexus I really liked but didn't buy was a size too big for the missus …

    • Servicing: ~$300py - Wait till you need to replace brakes/tyres/or general wear and tear we

      • +1

        It's a mazda 2. Brakes are probably $300 an end, $400 for 4 tyres for good ones.

        • Sounds expensive for brakes, just get them on sale and diy. Not that hard.

          • +1

            @TEER3X: That's if paying someone to do it, which most people will do.

        • Brakes should cost about $120 tops assuming replacing the pads. It will take you 30 minutes for the first one but after that much faster!!

  • A budget will be helpful.

    • +1

      OP just wants the most affordable. No real need for a budget to be stated, elsewise we go down the rabbit hole of which car is 'best' for the money etc.

  • +3

    I'd highly recommend the Ferrari 458

  • can you drive stick

    • +23

      Probably easier to drive car than a stick

      Oh you mean a manual gearbox?

      • +1

        you're in a funny mood. eat some sugary treats to cure your 3:30itis

      • +3

        He probably meant riding a stick, or possibly a broom

        :)

      • +3

        Manual? Yes
        Stick? Unfortunately I'm not tall enough

  • -1

    Pick the right vintage car and value will increase.

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