If the main thing you are looking for is reliabilty, a car that wont break down and if it does wont cost much to repair and your budget is under $13,000 , either a small of medium sized car, no older then 15 years and no more then 200,000kms and l live in a rural area and do 15,000 kms a year, assuming the car was well looked after , l want a car that will last alteast 5-7 years without any serious problems
whats the best car to buy
Whats Most Reliable Used Car under $13,000
cranswick on 28/02/2023 - 08:13
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Fun??
To be fair it can be fun to drive a slow car fast.
Way more fun driving than a fast car slow.
@tryagain: Totally agree. Had a 91 corolla when it was about 20yo. Great fun in regular traffic because you could wrong it’s neck and not get into too much trouble.
At the point of 13k budget / reliable and the spirit of slow car fast. Its fun.
Then I got my real fast car, not so reliable and over budget lolHello, fellow Golf R driver.
Errrr, Lancer?
Reliable and fun?
Hmm.
4g63 lancers are absolutely bulletproof and do 0 to 100 in under 5 seconds
got a gun to try it out?
Under 13k in decent condition?
Had one. Was a very fun car indeed.
'Mitsubishi Lancer, bat shit boring but reliable and fun to drive'
a neighbour has one of the last Evo (rally race winner?) models in perfect condition which I believe has increased in value since he bought it - due to rarity and collector value.
Base lancer is much less fun than an Evo or even an RA.
Some 2.4L models with some minor upgrades/minor tune could be considered 'fun' still, but yeah for just reliable, base lancer are solid!
My 2008 ES is going strong still.. If you excuse the paint :P. (bought 2014 used at 78k, 175k now)
One where you don't have to take out a loan for it
As someone who's on their third one in 17 years of driving, I say Toyota Corolla.
How's the new one going, by the way? I'm still waiting for my Cross Hybrid :-(
Mechanically wise it's great. Fuel consumption on the way to work today was 4.0L/100km. Practicality wise it sucks compared to my old Corolla haha (less interior storage, sunroof operation is two switches rather than one)
How far do you drive to get to work? Is it a hybrid?
@OZBargainer in SA: 30km and yes. 10km highway, 14km motorway and 6km Parramatta Road (whatever the busiest road in Adelaide during peak hour is, multiply by 5 and that's Parramatta Road)
What year was your old Corolla? I have a 2009 corolla and I really like the layout on the inside when compared to the newer versions… but the hyrbrid is awesome and the handling feels better in the newer version compared to mine…
@kerfuffle: I’m pretty sure I have the same model/shape as your previous… mine’s a hatch. Great everyday car, nothing fancy… I generally don’t keep much in my car (after a break in) so I’ve never really thought about interior storage. Unless your talking about luggage.
I think my mum use to do a similar route to you… m4, parra rd… she’d go up wattle street and end up in Ultimo though. Agree parra road is a parking lot.
I generally don’t keep much in my car (after a break in) so I’ve never really thought about interior storage
Talking about the nooks and crannies. The 2011 version had three auxiliary boxes, a band in the sun visor for keeping your ticket/papers and additional door pockets near the handle. Lost all that in the 2022 version. I now use my cupholders to temporarily store my ticket/credit card.
Plus sunroof operation is now two switches rather than the one in the 2011 one.
Why are they so bad that you went through three ?
Where did I say they were bad? I went through two and on my third one at the moment. The first one had a leaking issue and was 17 years old when I traded it in. The second one was T-Boned and written off at 11 years old. Took delivery of my third one a month ago.
I guess another way to phrase is us why aren't you still on the first one?
2001 Camry owner and doesn't miss a beat
@Jackson: It was 11 years ago and I wasn't responsible for looking after it at the time, so I can't answer any of those questions. Unlike the 2nd and my current 3rd ones, it was purchased as a used car and we didn't know it was a repairable write-off until we traded it in (which probably explains why it was so cheap when we bought it). Both my 1st and 2nd ones I had for a decade, so I expect the same for my 3rd one
can you see the bonnet when driving for your Corolla?
I know they had a series that the windscreen was slanted that you can't
It's called adjusting the height of the seat …
'As someone who's on their third one in 17 years of driving, I say Toyota Corolla'
last year I sold a Honda Civic I'd bought when it was 12 years old, and had for 19 years - it was then nearly 31 years old - never had a problem with it - it still ran perfectly.
Yay for you.
Toyota Camry
or honda jazz if size matters :)
my car enthusiast friends have recommended Honda Jazz as fun to drive - I believe I read they were excellent for load capacity with infinitely variable moveable seat combinations
and would be excellent in the city - but I didn't rent one overseas after reading they were twitchy steering at highway speeds
Can confirm, you can load absolutely ridiculous amount of stuff at the back with the rear seats folded.
maybe it was an older one they were a bit rattlier. The only thing i would want from a jazz is better sound proofing or the ability to squeeze 2 more people in the boot
Another day
Another cranswick car related postOP I just saw your previous posts - just buy another Camry
Doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.
as just about every taxi I've seen in Sydney - apart from wheelchair types - spamrys are everywhere
like the ideal property purchase you just missed out on - another one will be along in a minute
I'm going with Uber. :+)
In a rural area?
totally missed the "rural" bit…
(need coffee)
How rural we talking about? A Bondi definition of rural (i.e. Katoomba) or somewhere that's actually in the outback with a population of not much?
I'd say Toyota of some description - reliable, cheap to fix, and parts are easy to get which is an issue you have being in a rural community
I bet he lives in the outer suburbs of Melbourne haha.
a new suburb - i.e. his username - 'Cranswick'
unless he's the cardiologist in Sydney's Blacktown - https://goo.gl/maps/nrFDQScci3ndgeq78
Non EV
Non Turbo
Non Auto
Non SUV
Non Sporty
Non Modified
Non Euro
Non Americas
Non Korean
Non-Non JapaneseMost sedan or hatchback Toyotas, Hondas and Mazdas will be a good place to start. And must have a provable FULL service history.
Non flooded
Non UV damaged
Non city banger
Non left at the beach whilst surfing the big waves or living nearby
Non molested
Non high km
etc…Non Sporty
Everything is "sporty" now. I laugh when I see a car with a lawn mower engine say sports on it.
Unfortunately a lot of car makers use 'sport' as a trim level designator (looking at you Kia). Same motor and gearbox as the base model - WTF?
Yep! Hyandai with the "n-line" VW with the "R-line" and BMW with M-sport. I'm pretty sure Audi have it too with s-line.
@coffeeinmyveins: I think the Hyundai (i30 at least) n-line stuff has turbo engines, just not as dialled up as the full N
Corolla ascent sport = alloys and leather steering wheel.
Non rotary
Do you want Diesel or Petrol in this rural location?
How about a 2016 Toyota Yaris manual for bang on $13,000… It should last at least 5-7 years without any serious problems - assuming you service it at the correct intervals
https://www.carsales.com.au/cars/details/2016-toyota-yaris-a…OP sounds like the type of person who doesn't drive a manual car
$15,290 when new… probably under $14k after discounts..
Insane inflation. 7 year old with 130,000km with nearly zero depreciation
Insane appreciation.
5-7 years? Should last 15 at least.
Why do so many people think a car is meant to last under 10 years on this site? Is it because they don't service or because they just want to convince themselves they need that shiny new car with the new car smell?
It should last at least 5-7 years without any serious problems.
Does not mean
This car will be scrap in 5-7 years.
The cars people are talking about here, petrol Toyotas, lancers and Hyundais, won't have serious problems for 20 years/250k kms if they are serviced on time. Some will go much further
Aurion over camry for highway driving.
My 2010 Aurion still going strong.
have you had to change the tappet gasket or head gasket yet?
I had two 2007 aurions in the household, one sold around 200k another 140k mark - the only mechanical issue was broken fuel latch cable clip on one of them (most likely user error, as I can't imagine how else you could do this). Amazing cars, drove one for about 5 years and still think that it was one of the best cars I had.
@corvusman: Yeah I liked the look of them so I went and bought one without even test driving. No regrets it's still serving me and my family well.
@Munki: Mate got 2007 Presara with 120k on the clock in October. It has full leather auto seats with memory settings, sunroof, climate control, keyless start, rear view camera, roomiest interior and all this for just14k.
And while the gearbox is a bit dull, the punch that 3.5 engine has - it is more than decent.
Honestly, the value you get from Aurion is ridiculous.
@corvusman: Yeah the leather seats in my 2010 have held up really well. Also the auto tilt side mirrors has made parallel parks even easier!
Nope haven't had to. My mechanic says mine is still in very good shape. Only done about 151k on it. Serviced regularly - though I missed my last service, so need to bring it in again soon.
@Munki: that's cool
had the one before the Aurion, an Avalon and tappet gasket cracked below 50000km … maybe bad luck
@Munki: ya they were and didn't do very well in sales
but straight away they introduced the Aurion which is exactly the same but more sporty look
@Poor Ass: Yeah the Avalon was keeping in line with their period of "white goods look". The Aurion was quite refreshing by comparison. I got the one with the fact lift, which had the nicer rear lights.
Actually my only complaint is that the entertainment system is so dated. Didn't even have USB for their supposed "top model". It has decent speakers though, but what a major pain it's been to burn CDs with mp3 and now I use a FiiO BTR5 with the AUX-in.
@Poor Ass: Nah it was definitely around. All other cars had it around that time already, so it was really no excuse. Toyota just takes their time implementing tech.
Loved my Aurion. But in NSW you pay an extra $175 in rego for a pre 2017 aurion vs camry (non hybrid) for weight alone.$400 vs $575
So I went Camry after
https://www.nsw.gov.au/driving-boating-and-transport/vehicle…
Wow I didn't even know this.
Yup. New camry (anything over 2018 model) and hybrid camry same weight bracket as Aurion.
Camry 2012-2017 non hybrid just sliding under the small to medium car weight range
I only paid $400 for my 2015 Aurion. Maybe this is a 2023 thing? Don't really remember what I paid last year, but don't think it's $400
Start earning more, save, get a better car.
There goes that idea…
They received a 6.1% allowance increase a few months back so all good.
l want a car that will last alteast 5-7 years without any serious problems
You don't want a car recommendation, you want a crystal ball!
I just read that point as “I want a Toyota”
My Corolla just turned 16, has 277000kms on the clock and hasn't had a single issue yet (touch wood).
I highly recommend corolla.
Better to drive than the yaris.Congratulations. Are you going to have a party when it hits 300k?
Mine is 15 years old and just hit 120k.So you dont live rural and you never go anywhere on Australia.
120k is a lot of not anywhere. They must be going somewhere
Got an 18 year old Honda civic with about 250k. Only recently upgraded to a newer Outback for more room for the family, so it's not getting much love lately. But I don't think it will every actually die. Never had any major issues..
I got a Mazda 3 and it's very reliable, never had an issue and very fuel efficient. Good for city driving - but not sure about rural/offroad/lots of k's
I have noticed typical basic Japanese cares like Mazda 3, Toyota Corolla and Mitsubishi Lancer are very reliable in general unless you don't maintain them.
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In before all the Camry drivers, Mitsubishi Lancer, bat shit boring but reliable and fun to drive, if its manual.