Hi All,
Pls recommended small car with good average needed for school runs under 10 K budget and which has near 5L/100k avg or I am dreaming
I researched following under 10k but not sure about avg L/ 100km
1) toyota yaris
2) honda jazz
3) mazda 2
I guess under 10k I will be looking at 2 generations back sigh !
Thanks
Best value and fit by far is the Mitsubishi Mirage
Cheap and cheerful and dirt cheap to run!
Good to see an OP have done their homework for a change, a poll may help with decision.
Done
Clearly haven't done that much homework if they think they can get those cars for under $10k and also under 5L/100km…
OP needs to say how far the trips are though.
if short trips, economy is much less of an issue - also Diesel's probably not a good idea.
If you are doing school runs in peak hour stop start type traffic it is unlikely you will average 5L/100km in all but a few vehicles.
Pls recommended which does good avg in your opinion or its near 5L
All of your choices are economical on fuel and great for school runs. I just don't think you will meet your fuel economy targets in anything except a hybrid vehicle.
Hybrids are out of budget unless imported from japan which will be around 180k plus driven not worth it.
@salrock: I found decent condition smaller cars are very hard to find, just get a decent quality car for the budget, don't concentrate too much on the brand or fuel economy.
@boomramada: it is because there is a shortage of new cars, and people are forced to keep using their vehicles when the quality is being kept.
@SnoozeAndLose: Nah, even before COVID, good-condition small cars are hard to get, especially in Toyota Yaris, Honda Jazz and Mazda 2. I was looking for ages for my old man and ended up getting him a Ford Focus for a $10K price tag. That was like 5 years ago. At that time, decent car would be $15k. Btw, this was in SA, maybe different in other states.
@boomramada: I sold My Mazda 3 60k at 2019 for $12k
I think Mazda 2 would have been cheaper than Mazda 3
@SnoozeAndLose: Believe it or not, you can get a good-condition Mazda 3 / Lancer for under $10k. But all I saw were very bad condition small cars and few good conditions which didn't have any service history sound bit dodgy.
it's pretty hard to find a small car as good as this car's condition.
eg https://www.carsales.com.au/cars/details/2013-mitsubishi-lan…
Keep in mind, there is not much price difference between new Mazda 2 and 3 yet, small cars' prices hold better.
Hence, OP should concentrate on the condition of the car, not just the brand, else might as well get a $4k car for a school run and put $6k in the bank.
I guess under 10k I will be looking at 2 generations back sigh !
At least you know they've been thoroughly tested and remained reliable..?
Yes I think these three are reliable as per my research .
Even those cars won't be able to stay below 5L/ 100km if all you are doing is short school runs. Better off saving money on the car cost itself.
Yep, have a 2014 DJ Mazda 2. It reliably does 6-6.5L/100km on mixed cycle driving using either U91 or E10. I suspect it would be hard to find a DJ for under $10k.
Reading this makes me cry. Liberty GT that only takes 98 and gets 11.7L/100KM
Get it tuned. - mine's got more power and averaging 9.2L/100km
@Cliche Guevara: It's a 2004 model with 320,000KM on the clock and I primarily do very short trips with it (<10km). If i do highway driving I get 800km to a tank, it's not a "tunable fix"
VW up! or VW Polo. Would need to find one is good nick. It still may not exactly fit your criteria, but it will be very close and considering they mostly school runs, the fuel economy won't make a big difference.
Also, don't discount Suzuki Swift. Again, not quite the 5L/100km, but well under $10K.
My VW up averages 4.6L/100 with AC always on and a mix of around 80% city 20% highway driving. 170,000km and it’s been faultlessly reliable. Yes it’s a Volkswagen, but it has no features on it to break. It’s great fun… the 3cyl engine is characterful and willing, and I enjoy driving it like I stole it… everywhere… all the time.
One thing to consider however is that both the Up and Polo require 95RON unleaded, so while yes under 5L/100km is achievable… the fuel is more expensive to buy. I can’t be bothered doing the sums.
Just my 2c 🤷♂️
They can also run e10 fine which is a saving when factoring in the mpg
My Up definitely cannot run E10.
So you are quoting 4.6L/100 from the car computer because you can't be bothered doing the sums?
The sums I was talking about were clearly the cost difference between a 5L/100km car that requires 95RON and a car that uses slightly more, but only requires 91.
Anyway… 750km, 35L tank… seems about right to me. I still don’t understand why you’re so salty?
The Up! is a great car, but a class smaller than those listed. Main concern would be interior space for kid(s) and crash safety, relatively speaking.
As someone else wrote, if you need consumption near or better than 5L/100, your only hope was a hybrid. Pre-covid, early Prius/Insights were often below that 10K budget.
Given that Tassie has been gouge-central for used cars, many of which seem to be cast-offs from the mainland, I feel slightly better about our Jazz purchased last August for $3700 (2005 model with "just" 185K when I bought it).
But is it? The 5 door Up is quite spacious, and has a bigger boot (251L) than a Suzuki Swift (205L) or Mazda 2 (250L). The seats also fold flat, making loading things like prams easier. It is only a 4 seater though. It is dimensionally smaller, but is an incredibly well packaged car.
I’m not here to shill the Up (I’m actually in the process of selling it as I’ve bought another car), but it is spectacularly economical. Sub 5L/100km is completely achievable.
The Up was/is wildly popular in Europe, and yet was so unpopular here that it was eventually discontinued around 2015. I always figured it was because it was manual only.
Anyway, I rant on.
hyundai accent
hyundai i20
kia rio
suzuki swift
are small and reliable cars, as others have suggested don't focus on the fuel economy as your short runs will never match that of figures on a piece of paper as well your own driving style.
size and budget of the car will dictate what your buy.
Even with hybrids you will use 6l/100 on school runs - kids get given free public transport anyway
No they don't if they live within 2km of the school (assuming you are also talking about Sydney where you live)
If kids are within 2 kilometres then fuel consumption wouldn’t really be an issue
Yep, you could drive a unimog and then still be fine with fuel use
@Peanut Money.Nope,3.8 to 4.5L/100.
Regional school runs maybe
Again,nope.
Which state gives free public transport for school kids? at least not in NSW
if willing to take on a bit of risk and happy to wait, you can look at importable options.
Honda Fit would be my choice
How far is the school run?
How many KMs will you do a year?
My thoughts too.
If it's literally only for low-speed (40-60kph) suburban school runs all year round, tiny cars are fine.
Throw in the occasional road trip or highway driving, and I'd prefer a car the next size up for practical space + safety. I like to build a buffer into purchases so unless this is a 2nd car I'd be getting the next size up anyway.
I was thinking more like, if you're doing 50 or 100km a week, then also get the bigger car.
An extra 3-5L per week is nothing and will give you a much larger range of (more comfortable) cars.
I think we're on the same page ;)
Only thing is, the bigger cars generally cost more. I haven't looked recently but for $10k I'm guessing you'd be looking at quite an old car, or one that's been thrashed.
@andresampras: I think larger cars are better value for money.
Eg. I found a 2010 Aurion with 125k on the clock for $10,200.
One of the cars above similar age and KMs is only going to be slightly cheaper.
Sound advise . We are doing 50KM per day
If you can find one, a Kia Picanto.
I was going to say Kia Picanto too. My parents have one. It's quite zippy for the engine size and more roomy than it looks. They once transported a tallboy home with the rear seats folded down. Petrol consumption has been around 4.5 to 5L/100km.
every $1,000 you spend less on the car = 500L of fuel@ current prices . Assuming you have a main car you get will be less fuel efficient maybe 10-12L/100km
if u drive to school and back, thats 8KMs a day picking up/drop off and returning home. 500L of fuel will give you extra 4,166 KMs of travel or 520 School days/ 104 weeks/ 10.5 terms/ 2.6 school years.
Now does fuel economy really matter if you are primarily picking up and dropping off your kids? cant you just use your main car for school pickup drop off and SAVE 10k????
The other half taken the main car to work.
Only way to get 5L per 100k's will be get a PHEV and plug it in each day or a fully electric car.
None of those in stop start traffic will get there (maybe 6.5-7L)
Small cars like the 3-cylinder Polo will do under 5L/100km realworld in the city easily. No you don't want to drive them on the freeway up hills loaded with 4 adults. Polo is the perfect for school runs. Light enough so your kids can push it home when the DSG kaput.
@ Drakesy.Nope.
Its getting used for school runs
6L per 100k around town more likely
I have a Hybrid,sits in the low 4L/100 to very high 3L/100 consistently. In fact it hit 2.8L/100 very briefly.
Another option would be a diesel car i.e Ford Focus or Mondeo. I had a MA Ford Mondeo and would get mid 6's. They are fairly reliable too with many examples on carsales with over 300km on them. If you get a Ford just avoid the dual clutch auto from that era.
Diesel plus school run doesn’t make sense. Needs to get out on the open road regularly.
If you get a diesel for the school run the DPF, injectors, EGR etc will all clog up pretty quickly.
Not advisable.
Diesels are only for frequent highway driving, if it doesn't get up to temperature the engine will shit itself as the DPF clogs and basically ends up with a severe bout of constipation - can't remove exhaust gases and the engine blows
VW GOLF? dime a dozen so plenty of parts.
1984 Suzuki Swift/Holden Barina would do it. Should be about $9500 change too.
Add a Suzuki swift to your list. Then go test them all and pick YOUR favourite. Your decision could be based on looks, interior comfort/features, space, driving dynamics or anything else really, doesn’t even need to be a rational decision (i like the rego plate?). There’s not a lot between them IMO.
Yaris and Jazz are both top picks, also most reliable out of any list.
I bought a 2007 Prius (sedan) for 8k during COVID. Does about 5L/100km. Had around 170000kms on the clock, right now sitting at 205000kms.
Highly recommend
So far no engine/battery issues. Just gotta find one in decent condition.
Sticking my kids in a small tin box to travel 12 thousand kms a year is not something that I would consider.
Very nearly lost a family member when they were involved in a country road smash that tore their Barina apart. Anyone in the back or passenger side would have been killed.
Police said she was lucky and the damage was "normal". They now have an Aurion.
Hmm
Sticking my kids in a small tin box to travel 12 thousand kms a year is not something that I would consider.
So you’ve got a land cruiser for the school run?
Country road smash is pretty unlikely on a city school run.
Nissan Note is the only vehicle that can reliably hit the numbers you’re looking for. But at ~15-20k for car
VW UP!
Suzuki swift
Ford Fiesta Ambiente, pretty amazing!
Honda jazz - however I find it over priced