Hi Guys,
I need some suggestions for choosing a car under $30K. I am after the best value for money (i.e longevity and the safety feature).
My choices in hatchbacks and small SUVs (2022 - 2023 model) are as follows:
1) Kia Cerato S with safety pack
2) Kia Stonic Sport Automatic
Which one would you buy and why?
Any other recommendations are welcome.
I really appreciate any help you can provide.
Thank you everyone in advance.
I like the look of Kia Stonic/Seltos, Suzuki Vitara/S-Cross and Mitsubishi ASX ES.
Go drive them. Other peoples opinions are irrelevant.
Opinions on reliability and insight into any build issues are far from irrelevant. I'd be asking on Whirlpool forums.
@gakko: They’re anecdotal. An issue 50 people have doesn’t mean I will too.
Conversely, everyone raving about how great a car is doesn’t mean I will have the same experience too.
It helps rounds out part of the research but not something to rely on.
@Hybroid: Hear about issue from someone more experienced, google it, see that it is a common issue, avoid car if it's a deal breaker. What's so hard to understand about that?
@gakko: Every car has issues. Go google the car you own now, along with "common faults" and I bet it returns results
@gakko: Believe it or not, some people have been happy with those cars and have had no major issues…
@spackbace: Dunno why you were downvoted for true post… My mother has one with some 300000km on it and no issues so far. All she does is change the oil periodically (herself, which I find really impressive given she is >60) and take it into a mechanic once a year.
@Assburg: Yeah my olds have a 2016 Malibu that I warned them off buying, but it hasn't given them any trouble at all, despite minimal servicing.
@gakko: That's me, bought a Cruze in 2012 - not ideal.
Amazingly the massive cost of a chip replacement (something like 3k, cars worth 6k), I got covered out of warranty. Absolute miracle how it all went down.
@spackbace: Some cars have far more and far more serious issues than others - some cars on the other hand are practically rock solid.
A bit of research online can be helpful. Dismissing it as all anecdotal so therefore none of the information can be useful is just being ignorant.
@Hybroid: I reckon if I put out a question about a car and 50 people told me they'd had a specific issue with it, I'd reasonably be sceptical about buying one.
Exactly, that was my next point lol
We're all different and like different things. Different body sizes/shapes will determine different comfort level behind the steering wheel, for one thing
Go drive them. Other peoples opinions are irrelevant.
I don't know why this is considered sage advice.
You can't possibly get an accurate view of a car through a test drive, in fact, I would say that a test drive hardly gives you any insight into the car at all. If you're buying a fun car, then yes, by all means test drive it and make sure you love the experience. If you're buying an SUV, then the driving experience is not your priority anyway.
Actual ownership experience - e.g. issues that one has, what servicing is like, how easy is it to get parts and work on, are there issues with the infotainment system…etc. are all things that will not be apparent whilst test driving.
@p1 ama: A test drive will give you a good initial reaction of the vehicle, space, comfort, driving dynamics etc. Recently was given a Venue as a rental car and didn't make it to the exit barrier, it was absolutely awful. Very cramped inside & uncomfortable seat, very bare nasty cheap plastic interior and couldn't deal with it. Went back and got it exchanged for something else.
Actual ownership experience is anecdotal. Doesn't necessarily mean you'll have those issues too. Plenty people own Jeeps here just fine even with the extremely poor reputation they have.
@p1 ama: Thank you for articulating my point better than I could. It's vindicating to see my initial heavy downvotes have turned into upvotes haha.
Mate, my opinion is the only opinion. Centre of the world with my 44, dead fish and F350 rolling coal.
Drove a Stonic hire car for a week. Absolutely gutless. Looks are all well and good until you can't accelerate up an incline without a good windup.
fuhck suv, get i20n or fiesta st
Already got Fiesta 2012 Manual done 80k, giving trouble RPM drops to zero while driving and back to normal after few seconds. Local Mechanic and Ford service centre unable to find any problem.
giving trouble RPM drops to zero while driving and back to normal after few seconds. Local Mechanic and Ford service centre unable to find any problem.
So because of one bad experience with a car you are ruling out an entire class of vehicle?
If your mechanic can't find the problem then it's time for a new mechanic lol
My best mate has a 2013 fiesta he bought new. Although it’s been a reasonably reliable car (for a Ford) he has had to get it fixed once or twice. Hasn’t even done 80k yet. My mum’s neighbour had a focus and had nothing but trouble.
OP should just get a corolla.
Mine is nearing 16 years old, done 270k+ and not a single thing has gone wrong yet. They made them better back then though.
Fair play to OP.
As someone who has owned 3 Fords in my lifetime (2 of them were new co cars) I will never get another one. They're great for the first year or so, but then things start to go wrong.
Yeah…. Best experience with Fords were the Lasers, which were co-designed with Mazda.. since then it's all been downhill. Ford Escape was my last one.
My wife has a 2011 Fiesta (Auto) which had similar problems and similarly the mechanic couldn't resolve it. Took my 10 mins of googling and 10 minutes of time to resolve, the issue was a build up in the throttle body. Throttle body cleaner, a rag, 2 screws and it was fixed.
Ozb got thing for SUV, they are great, I don't own one but I have used few, they have height advantage and roomier. There are popular for reason, not just dropping off kids at school.
Ozb Australia got thing for SUV.
I think it's weird that people will pay so much more in price, servicing and petrol for something pretending to be a 4WD that can't actually do off-road (or will never be taken off-road by them) but I'm obviously in the minority.
I was talking about Ozb got a thing against SUV, maybe due to deep bond with Camry. There is no major price different between SUV and standard sedan based on what OP's choices. These days people don't buy them for pretend 4wd, that was a mind set 10 years ago.
fuhck suv
This is unnecessary, its sounds like people has some sort of hate towards them. Is it because they block the view when you in your Camry stuck behind a suv?
@boomramada: Statistically, SUV occupants are just as likely to get hurt in an accident as sedan drivers (when in accidents with non-SUV cars), while the occupants of non-SUV cars are far more likely to experience a significant injury in an accident with an SUV.
They are not safer, they just create risk for others.
@Assburg: Easy solution, if we can't beat them, just join them :) But as a choice at the time of purchasing I don't blame for person who getting one due to height advantage and good on shitty aussie roads.
It's a capacity thing. Fold the rear seats and you can fit lots and lots of things inside, which is awesome.
@nobro25: I'm firmly middle class and even I've seriously thought about doing this lately (but with a van).
@tp0: Due to the inflated wheel arches and other superflous gubbins they get injected and pumped up with They can sometimes have less boot capacity than hatchbacks or liftbacks/ wagons of course and just have the illusion of space wherein it's just more plastic guff spread around. Silly cars for silly people
@wiipantz: Yeah and… The vertical room they may offer isn't really safe without a cage behind the backseat anyway, then it becomes silly to fold the back seats down for "extra space", so unless you get rid of the back seats and install the cage further up… But there's already vans for that.
A good sedan pretty consistently more usable storage space than an average SUV, weighs less, better aerodynamics -> better fuel consumption, doesn't detract from other people's road safety.
Proper 4x4 also have a place… But it's not in the city.
Some SUV's have a degree of off-road capability. But I agree about not understanding the point of a car made to look like off-road capable while being 2WD. Bring back the minivan! (my first car was actually a Mitsubishi L300 4WD van; terribly weak engine, but dual-range gearbox and a suspension so high that it needed a ladder to get in).
Height advantage = higher center of gravity (more prone to rollovers).
yea but reviewers are speaking very highly on new cayenne. I wonder how that feels.
This guy fuhcks. Seriously though the insationable thirst for SUV's(Sh1ttie Underpowered/ Unstable Vehicles) is truly mind bottling.
I wanted an i20n as a second car, was a bit late to the party after WRC season and they closed off orders =(
Guess I'll stick to my rexy.
Good on you man. i20n is literally my goal for next 2 years, you saying second car is crazy. what's your main if you don't mind me asking?
Rexy
Hyundai i30 would be my pick. Should be able to get a brand new one fairly well spec’d at that price.
If you are not against Chinese car makers. MG and Haval provide great value for money. People are happy with them, and they sell a lot of them.
That is the stupidest Fartbook group, period. Just a bunch of knuckle dragging, bogan dimwits all circlejerking each other.
Went there thinking it was a MG problems group or MG hate group, and it’s just w#&kers talking shit about all cars, and weirdly enough, not a lot about MG.
It seems to be a discussion group inhabited mainly by the Neanderthals from the start of 2010, A Space Odyssey…
Don't hold back there pegaxs
May be it run by Toyota hilux mummies group ;)
That is the stupidest Fartbook group, period.
Antivaxxers, flat earthers, MLM….
I ‘refuse’ to engage in said subject, as I might ‘incriminate’ my self my lord!
It's wild, the whole group seems to be half people complaining about EVs, and the other half complaining about 4x4s.
@Sleeqb7: There were some good points raised about EVs when I read through some posts. Eg. Not as environmentally friendly as people make them out to be due to mining for the batteries and one I hadn’t previously considered, they are heavier compared to normal cars because of the batteries, this can result in roads becoming worn out quicker, i.e. rutting. Seems like it might be somewhat true as well although time will really tell.
Either way that page is good for a laugh.
Not as environmentally friendly as people make them out to be due to mining for the batteries
Because mining for oil and then converting that crude into fuels and then shipping that fuel out in trucks to the fuel stations is a very clean process?
While, yes, EV's have a slightly higher manufacturing environmental impact, their "long term" (cradle to grave) environmental impact is much much less than ICE vehicles. Batteries can be recycled… You cant recycle burnt fuel… You can fuel an EV on wind/solar/wind up hand generator if you had the time… At the moment there is no ICE equivalent to renewable or zero/low environmental impact fueling options…
they are heavier compared to normal cars… this can result in roads becoming worn out quicker…
Not really. Take a like for like vehicle, such as the Hyundai Kona that comes in both ICE and EV, and the ICE version is 1,350kg and the long range version of the Long Range Kona EV is only 1750kg. Compare that to the best selling twin cab ute in Australia, the Ford Ranger, in the XL trim level, it comes in at 2,140kg. The Tesla Long Range Model 3 is 1,850kg or only about 300kg more than an equivalent BMW 3 Series… And dont even get me started on the 2,380kg Toyota Prado child delivery mom mobiles…
EV's are really no heavier than average cars around them. Big arse tradie vehicles packed to the roof line with tools, tool boxes and fat tradies weigh far more than an average EV… (as do those jacked up, pseudo-offroad soccer-mom Prado and the like.)
Seems like it might be somewhat true
The first sentence in that article is bullshit… "Electric cars have come under criticism from some scientists for emitting a lot of fine dust, produced by the tires and brakes."
For a start, EV's use a lot of regenerative braking. This is where the motor is turned into a generator to pump recovered energy from slowing down back into the battery to help the car slow down without using their brakes. EV's hardly use their brakes, so that sentence is bullshit from that perspective. ICE cars with CVT and automatic transmissions are far greater producers of "fine dust", as they have to use their brake a lot more than EVs.
And basically the rest of that article is bullshit because they are basing all this mis-information on their initial erroneous remark. EV's are not heavier than average cars (especiall here in twin-cab ute/Big SUV loving 'Straya), and even if they are, it's by an amount that is not significant. They dont use their brakes as much because of regen, so that part is also bullshit. Tyres dont wear out faster on EV's, I dont know where they got that shit idea from.
It's almost like you went looking for confirmation bias and hit every bullseye on the internet.
Because mining for oil and then converting that crude into fuels and then shipping that fuel out in trucks to the fuel stations is a very clean process?
The point was that manufacturing batteries still requires mining metals from the earth, as a result there is still harm being done to the environment. You don't seem to want to acknowledge this point, instead you deflect and go on about how digging for oil is also not environmentally friendly and that burnt fuel can't be recycled, which are valid points, but doesn't mean that minerals still need to be mined out of the earth to create batteries for cars.
they are heavier compared to normal cars… this can result in roads becoming worn out quicker…
Not really. Take a like for like vehicle, such as the Hyundai Kona that comes in both ICE and EV, and the ICE version is 1,350kg and the long range version of the Long Range Kona EV is only 1750kg
Is a 30% increase in weight for the same size and shape car trivial to you? Maybe I should have been clearer, but I thought it was innately understood you would be comparing the same model ICE car to the same model EV car. Why would you compare an EV Kona to an ICE Ford Ranger?
An ICE Kona is lighter than an EV Kona as you've pointed out, unless Ford roll out some sort of technology like using carbon fibre panels in their Rangers it will be highly likely an ICE Ranger will be lighter than an EV Ranger. If you have a hypothetical situation where a section of road is driven over by 3 ICE Konas and 2 ICE Rangers, and then all of those cars become their EV equivalents, it is quite possible there will be more wear and tear on that section of road, especially if there is constant rain.
I simply think this something that needs to be considered a bit more deeply instead of dismissed.
Tyres dont wear out faster on EV's, I dont know where they got that shit idea from.
Happy to go out on a limb and assume you know more about EVs than I do since you seem to be quite passionate about the topic, but after a quick Google there are plenty of websites saying that tyres do wear out faster.. I'm sure driving style would contribute greatly to how quickly tyres wear out, and since you can get instant torque from an EV I'm sure plenty of people will enjoy fanging their EV at the lights. Not sure why you need to use profanity here, but do I sense some annoyance?
It's almost like you went looking for confirmation bias and hit every bullseye on the internet.
Nope, I was just reading that FB page and saw someone raise some interesting points about EVs I hadn't considered before which I thought made some sense (i.e. EV = heavier = more wear and tear on the road). I'm actually not biased towards or against EVs, just like to keep an open mind about them.
At the moment there is no ICE equivalent to renewable or zero/low environmental impact fueling options…
Well that's not entirely true, there is ethanol and biodiesel. Sure, the farming to get those resources isn't always great for the environment, but neither is mining for the resources for EVs and related electrical infrastructure.
As for 'sustainable energy', we still haven't even figured out how to properly properly recover and recycle the resources that go into making those sustainable energy generation and storage devices. All we've got is a haphazard setup with a few retailers having a go at collection of batteries and some small players having a crack at recycling solar panels. Plenty still ends up wasted in land though.
Don't get me wrong, there's a place for solar, wind, batteries and EVs, but the rushed and poorly planned implementation and transition is a complete joke.
@stewy: We haven't figured out how to make it economical, but we certainly do know how to. The economics will come in once there is a larger scale.
@stewy: I will also add EVs are astronomically more efficient so even if they are using fossil fuels to produce electricity. In fact, the total carbon footprint over the lifespan would be less than a third of what an ICE would have been at that point even on fossil fuels.
@pegaxs: I think you would fit in well at that mentioned FB page with all that stuff you are talking about.
EV's are really no heavier than average cars around them.
Thats just not true and it's one of the biggest downfalls of an EV. To make light of it (pun intended) is really doing your whole argument a disservice.
That XL ranger at 2,140KG is only slightly heavier than a small compact hatchback runabout EV, Curpa Born at 1927kg. So a medium sized pickup weighing the same has a small hatchback is nuts on a different level.
the only thing they discuss is MG, Haval and Tesla, but yeah its a troll group :D
How is this group representative of anything? It is just full of haters with bias. Anything negative will confirm their point of view, and anything positive is ignored by them. You should check groups that consist of owners.
Not to mention they don't even discuss Haval or MG that much.
the only thing they discuss is MG, Haval and Tesla, but yeah its a troll group :D
@Tomhaigh1: What?? It isnt. It is literally "EV's are shit", followed up by "Toyota is shit", followed up by "is my Mazda shit?" and it's onto pissing on Ford Rangers and the wife beater singlet owners, then it's back to Tesla bagging… Only to round out the expereince by going back to piss all over Ford vehicles again…
While I agree that it is 110% a troll group full of (fropanity) wits, there is very little on there about MG/Haval… (Tesla is an easy target for bogans and rednecks.)
While I agree that it is 110% a troll group full of (fropanity) wits
Not sure why you're getting so annoyed at a group that you acknowledge to be full of trolls. How did this group affect your life before you came to knew of its existence? If you are really annoyed you could go in there and tell them how you feel.
There's a pinned post that says in it "…It's about Shit Cars and it is largely satire and great fun." They all know they're just taking the piss, if you're getting so annoyed about the content in there you musn't have a lot to worry about (and this isn't a dig either FYI).
MG and Haval provide great value for money
define value beyond the sticker price?
I went and saw one of the MG (SUV) a few months ago and the brake calliper was spray painted red with overspray all over the wheel and body. If that sort of visible thing is being short cutted, what else is?
and they sell a lot of them.
because at face value they have a cheap sticker price
I went and saw one of the MG… the brake calliper was spray painted red with overspray all over the wheel and body.
Not a factory thing. They dont put the whole car together at the factory and then decide to paint the calipers after it is assembled. This was either done by the dealership (still doubtful) or by the previous owner (more likely) or you are just making shit up because "mG CaR bAd!!1!!"
@pegaxs.Hell, aren’t we on a roll today!
or you are just making shit up because "mG CaR bAd!!1!!"
Lol ok mate.
define value beyond the sticker price?
Cheaper than competitors with a lot of features and comparable reliability to established brands.
the brake calliper was spray painted red with overspray all over the wheel and body
Brake callipers are painted separately so unless you can prove it with a photo I call it a bullshit.
Brake callipers are painted separately so unless you can prove it with a photo I call it a bullshit
What's with all the mg lovers coming out of the wood work?
I have nothing to gain from making this up, just sharing what I've seen but whatever mate, you do you
Dunno why you got negged so much.
I rented an MG MG3 for 1-2 weeks recently on an interstate holiday, it feels cheap and it was way underpowered. Really didn't like it and don't recommend.
Recommend renting a car to test for a week before buying, i usually try to rent cars I want to test out.
I agree, MG3 is not a very good car, but it is also very cheap. I would recommend only MG ZST/HS (avoiding ZS) or Haval Jolion/H6.
Good idea, know anywhere that rents out lambos? Looking for a weekend car for my 2nd wife
In fact there is but I think you'll find it a bit expensive, though maybe not as much as maintaining 2 wives…
IMO you’ve picked decent repeatable brands. Go sit in the ones on your shortlist and test drive the ones you like to sit in and are comfortable with features of. Pick YOUR favourite.
you is bad
From your comments, you're making mechanics look bad.
@Tightbungholio2: Weird, my mechanic, who is an actual mechanic, told me Mazda's are the worst Jap cars, all plastic, scarce reliability, and advised to stay away from Mazda and buy Kia, Hyundai, Honda and Toyota.
A Mazda for under 32K? lol
OP didnt mention it had to be brand new
Mazda 3 is just under 31k isn't it
I'm in a similar boat, looking for a replacement/downsize for my old Rav4.
Interesting that you put Seltos on the list, but Kona is not there. After going through a number of options from Kia, Hyundai, Toyota and Suzuki, we've narrowed down our choice to Seltos and Kona. The first one has 7y warranty, a bit larger and has a very nice dashboard (but not on basic model), the second one is the best mix of size/price/value. It will most likely be Kona for us, need to test drive both of them.
I drove both and bought a Seltos Sport+ 2.l CVT.
The Seltos is appreciably larger inside, hence the decision.
A mate drove my Seltos and bought a Kona 'cos he reckoned that the Seltos was too large for him :-)
Both very happy with our purchases after 2 years.
What's wrong with the old rav4? I ask because they are very reliable and comfortable in general - depending on the year.
To your question you might be best looking at putting your name down for a new rav4 or corolla cross, keep the old rav4 until it arrives and then you'll get good money for the old?
Tbh, I'd keep my 2011 Rav4 with 200,000km on odo forever and I agree with your "in general" but mine started to show some age with repairs estimated to start at $1k, and that is not to guarantee a fix.
So far mechanic couldn't find what's causing the problem and gave me a few options to try, each one is more expensive than other. Taking it to another mechanic next week. If we can find the root cause and it's trivial to fix - I might keep it after all.
I'm a relatively risk averse person, so to drive and always know that at any time the problem can get worse and cost me thousands - not good for my mental state and I'm at a stage of life where my mental health worth more than a cost of a new car.
As for Rav4 or Corolla cross - they both are way above $32k. While my mental health is important, it'll be just fine with a less expensive car 🤣 And kids are no longer interested in camping anyway, so something smaller will work for us.
Worth noting the new Kona will arrive later this year which is a substantial refresh. Looks to be a little closer to Seltos size though…
I've also heard that the new range is designed with EV first in mind (good for those who can sort sacrifice it) and also will be a bit more expensive
Get the Kona.
SUVs are boring mate. Get a Mazda 3 or even better get a used GTI.
Two of the most common and boring cars in their categories on the road, a flogged OOW GTI doesn’t fit the criteria
What do you like the look/drive/features of…?