Thoughts on Car for My Kid and Car Inspection

whatthecrappin on 03/11/2022 - 10:14
Last edited 03/11/2022 - 10:29 by 1 other user

Need to buy a first car for my kid. Figured I either spend a bit now and get it right (and not get her stranded remotely!)

Anyway, I'm thinking about a 2016 SR Hyundai Accent 75K Km for $15k

Problem is I want to get it checked out by a mechanic. RACV looked like the ideal choice, but they don't do checks onsite - closest garage is like 30 minutes away and is going to be difficult to coordinate

The good old Corolla is overpriced ATM so this seems like a good compromise

Anyone actually used a mobile inspection service and if so which one (car is western suburbs of Melbourne)

And yeah - I know, kid is most likely going to scratch, crash the car, but given Uni is remote, the last thing I want is stranded somewhere or the car requires a local mechanic in some country town

Automotive Car Hyundai Motors

Comments

  • brownsound on 03/11/2022 - 10:26

    i had a mobile inspection via redbook, i liked their thoroughness.

    They organised with the seller when the best time to visit their home.

    This was in NSW.

    Cost around $280

  • MS Paint on 03/11/2022 - 10:27
    -1

    How remote is this country town? Most universities are in regional cities like Bendigo etc. Plenty of services in such towns.

    • Euphemistic on 03/11/2022 - 14:16

      What about between uni and melb?

  • apple2016 on 03/11/2022 - 10:43

    Inspecting a car without being able to get under and have a clear view of the engine etc is not going to be very helpful. There is a reason RACV does not do mobile inspections!

    the last thing I want is stranded somewhere

    This should not be an issue if you have basic knowledge about the car.

  • whatthecrappin on 03/11/2022 - 10:52

    problem is more coordinating with the seller to spend half their driving to a mechanic, leaving the car there, getting back etc. if I was seller, no way I'd entertain that (I was fine with people getting a mobile mechanic to come over, but stuffed if Id spend a saturday doing all that legwork)

    car is for my daughter - so if she was stuck in ballarat or even worse on the way to melb its gonna be a real hassle. at that "I'm independant, but I'm not really age)!

    • MS Paint on 03/11/2022 - 12:14
      +1

      Just get RACV total care and make it someone else's problem.

      Ballarat is not far from the western suburbs of Melbourne and on a major highway. It's not like your daughter is going to be stranded in the arse end of nowhere. Ballarat also has a mechanic in town (so I've been told).

      • whatthecrappin on 03/11/2022 - 12:21

        lol, I'm sure they do. its more the fact that travelling at 10PM near Ballan and stuck waiting for RACV. TBH every time Ive called on those guys they've put me on a flat bed where I've fixed it myself at home (to be fair it was a motorbike, they dont even jump start you these days which is just nuts). every single time its been a flat bed :(

        anyway - it was more getting the the seller to go to a mechanic for the inspection not me going to to the mech once its mine

        but yeah - total care is definately a goer for piecxe of mind

    • apple2016 on 03/11/2022 - 14:20

      Cars dont breakdown suddenly unless you have a flat tyre or run out of fuel or dead battery.
      These things can be easily mitigated.
      Know how to change a tyre and have the spare ready to go.
      Carry a jump starter kit or cable.
      Ensure there is enough fuel.
      The best thing would be to do would be services/checked from a trusted mechanic after you buy it.
      Before you buy, its would be ideal to get a inspection from mechanic. But this would be tricky.

  • brad1-8tsi on 03/11/2022 - 11:10

    Good choice of vehicle and should give many years of trouble free motoring if maintained properly.

  • FoxJump on 03/11/2022 - 12:30
    -2

    I got my kids a LR knock off ride on car for their first car. Theyre 3yo and can drive it well

  • LanceVance on 03/11/2022 - 14:01

    Another old dependable is a Honda Civic with a good service history, that or an i30 and your daughter should be fine save for if she gets a flat tire. Or if you're fine going older then something like a Toyota Avalon would be just as reliable and much more comfortable.

    • whatthecrappin on 03/11/2022 - 15:46

      ideally looking at 10k - under 100,000km and 10 years max. this one was pushing the budget by ALOT, 50% but covid has thrown everything out a bit. Avalon is probably too big a car (worried about fuel). I really wanted either a toyota or the accord euro, but both are out of budget. to be honest, this is way too good a car for a first car, but its going to be short city drives (i mean, ballarat isnt exactly massive) with the occasional trip back to melb.
      not too keen on older, someone ele's problem , then just becomes mine ;)

      • LanceVance on 03/11/2022 - 17:45
        +1

        I'm on my 2nd Accord Euro and can't state enough what fantastic cars they are. My 1st one got totalled at 190,000 k's with no issues and I bought my current one 2nd hand at 185,000k's and is currently on 215,000 with again no issues. Actually just took it on a mountain road trip where I was absolutely fanging it and again no issues. They'd be a great first car. You could also buy a lower kilometre example with the older shape and most likely be totally fine. They are sensitive to oil changes though so make sure your daughter takes care of it and doesn't treat its service schedule like an indestructible 90's Corolla.

        • whatthecrappin on 04/11/2022 - 14:11

          Honda accord Euro was actually my first pick. But damn, they hold their value well, and no way I'm going to get close to my criteria.

          Turns out I have to go for a sedan - which severly limits choices. From memory the Accords are also a little more thirsty too?

          • LanceVance on 04/11/2022 - 22:35

            @whatthecrappin: Not especially thirsty. Most of my driving is around town, my 1st Accord Euro was an auto and that averaged about 9.5L and my current is a manual which is about 8.8L. Keep in mind I drive with a heavy foot. On a highway trip however it easily sits around 6.5-7L and if your daughter has a regular commute from Ballarat that will keep her average down. The biggest price impact comes from the fact they require 95RON fuel, but get her on the 7/11 price hack and that helps quite a bit.

            Compared to my wife's Corolla the fuel usage is actually about the same, Corolla does run on 91 though.

      • kerfuffle on 03/11/2022 - 17:52
        +2

        Under $10K with max age 10 years? In this climate? That's called a unicorn.

        My 10-year-old car got written off and it just hit 100K km and insurance gave me $13K as a settlement.

        • whatthecrappin on 04/11/2022 - 14:14

          thats an ideal choice :)

          Im stretching it to 15K if its a damn good car (like this one).

          Cars do seem to be dropping a little atm due to the rate rises. Personally I would have thought it would only happen once the new car pool is sorted, but there you go

          I'm also thinking of holding out till Feb (but still look if something comes along). Feb means cars magically become one year older ;)

  • elgrande on 03/11/2022 - 14:47

    What suburb? Melton or Werribee?

    • whatthecrappin on 03/11/2022 - 15:42

      hoppers - so close enough to werribee

      • elgrande on 03/11/2022 - 18:11

        Could you drive it to Werribee Jax tyres? They were good at short notice for me.

  • tjaye on 03/11/2022 - 15:53

    As an alternative or additionally, you can call up the previous service shops if the car has a logbook and enquire into any issues that had been ongoing or major fixes. This is normally my starting point as they are noted down in the service notes, given you have the VIN or Rego (assuming it hasn't been changed) they are generally happy to chat about it but won't give you any of the documents as you aren't the owner. Can also be cross-referenced to https://www.carcomplaints.com/Hyundai/Accent/ but it seems it's not such a problematic car with systemic issues to lookout for. Any issues you're likely to run into afterwards are just purely general servicing/part failure over its age that happen to every car.

  • Brucet on 03/11/2022 - 19:31
    -1

    Hyundai Accent I never wanted it.even for free.

    • whatthecrappin on 04/11/2022 - 14:09

      I got halfway there to check out the car - then my daughter drops the bomb - no way is she going to have a hatch. end of discussion. (she's paying half - so to be fair she has some say in the matter in the LOL)

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