Car Options - Budget ~ $10k

Misha Bakunin on 12/07/2023 - 11:53
Last edited 12/07/2023 - 13:35 by 1 other user

So I just got my insurance settlement for my Honda Integra, which was low Kms, good nick except for the small recent fender bender at the very front. Surprisingly they didn't want to repair it (it could realistically be done for 2-3k if you went to the right place), instead they offered me about 11k to write off the vehicle. They will not let me buy back the vehicle.

Bittersweet because I loved that car, but it was more than I expected, so I can live with it.

Anyway, I'm looking a car that's cheap enough to maintain with parts etc, not tiny, with not a tiny engine, but nothing too large either, I don't need a heap of storage or a big engine. Preferably easily connectable to my android phone or featuring an easily upgradeable head unit that can connect. Probably sporty looking to a degree, or if not a little classy looking. Not a Camry, which I know everyone loves, but honestly I find extremely dull looking and just in general dull.

I had that last car for almost 20 years, so I'm not familiar with the current market, hence the question.

So far, early days of looking, I am thinking Mazda 3 or 6 (only problem is phone connectivity for that price, they feature non standard head unit assemblies mostly). Or a Lancer. The wild card option is to replace my old Honda Interga with one very similar to my old one. That's all I've come up with so far….

Grateful for any suggestions….

Automotive

Comments

  • Jimothy Wongingtons on 12/07/2023 - 11:54

    Corolla?

    • Misha Bakunin on 12/07/2023 - 11:54

      Good option, I only had a very quick look at them, I'll have a better look thanks

    • dogboy on 12/07/2023 - 12:41
      +1

      They said

      Probably sporty looking to a degree, or if not a little classy looking.

      That definitely rules out Corollas.

      • kerfuffle on 12/07/2023 - 12:42
        +3

        Corolla Sportivo. Done.

  • 10khours on 12/07/2023 - 12:04
    +2

    Engine size by itself is pretty meaningless. What matters is power to weight ratio.

    A small engine makes sense in a small car. Not to mention that a turbocharged smaller engine can be more powerful than a larger NA engine.

    Mazda 3 and corolla have small engines, but its totally adequate for the size of the car for like 99% of people.

    Anyway I would get a civic, corolla or mazda 3 with bluetooth for audio. You won't get android auto for that price. Slap a good phone holder on with wireless charging, android auto/apple car play is so overrated, you get pretty much the same experience by buying a $30 phone holder.

    • kerfuffle on 12/07/2023 - 12:29
      +2

      As someone who had a Corolla without Android Auto and now has a Corolla with Android Auto (after the old one was written off), it's definitely not overrrated. The extra screen estate is most welcome.

      • Adredocto on 12/07/2023 - 12:35
        +1

        I wasn't fussed about android auto in the marketing material when i got my last car. Then i used it and it's one of the few cosmetic things I want in any future vehicles.

        Having all your content available and not having to deal with inbuilt GPS is a massive win.

        Edit: this was in a Kia, Toyota's cousin đŸ˜‰

    • seannami on 14/07/2023 - 08:03
      +2

      I'm gonna contradict you on Android Auto. It's 100% worth its weight if the car has a touch screen. Being able to have satnav and audio controls on the same screen is great, the voice controls seem to be much better through AA, and Google maps satnav kicks the butt of any built in I've seen.

      My only very very minor complaint is that my work's parking app doesn't work through AA so can't set up parking through the car screen, but that is very first world problem :p

  • boomramada on 12/07/2023 - 12:06
    +2

    This is a Toyota forum, other than the obvious, you can get any resonabilly good Japanese or Korean cars for the budget of 10k then update the head unit if requied.

    • [Deactivated] on 12/07/2023 - 13:19

      ugh ….

    • Misha Bakunin on 12/07/2023 - 13:32

      Yeah, ok, but the payout was much more than I expected… Now I can spend up to 12k. Though 10k is preferred. So that's double what I thought I could spend roughly. Hence the new post.

  • vinni9284 on 12/07/2023 - 13:00
    +2

    Although a side topic for future proofing, when you figure out what you want, factor kms, log books, condition, PPSR/odometer checks, inspections and the usual FB marketplace & Gumtree scams. This time is still bad for cars. Although they are on the way down, many are still overpriced. For $10K, you have to be very vigilant (and lucky) to buy a decent car.

  • Shadowsfury on 12/07/2023 - 13:05

    Almost everything you wrote goes both ways and takes the middle ground.

    • Misha Bakunin on 12/07/2023 - 13:36

      Yeah I know, I guess I'm looking for middle ground.

  • Miami Mall Alien on 12/07/2023 - 13:13
    +2

    So I just got my insurance settlement for my Honda Integra, which was low Kms, good nick except for the small recent fender bender at the very front. Surprisingly they didn't want to repair it (it could realistically be done for 2-3k if you went to the right place), instead they offered me about 11k to write off the vehicle. They will not let me buy back the vehicle.

    And you didn't look for a panel beater to repair it yourself… because?

    The most value-for-money car is the one you already have.
    The most reliable car is the one you've already owned for several years and serviced regularly.
    The most economical car is the one you've already driven for tens of thousands of kilometres.

    In this used car market, $11K will get you the square of root jack, some sh*tbox that's had its kilometres wound back and hasn't been serviced regularly since Moses wore short pants. You'll realistically need to add a few a thousand to your insurance settlement to get something decent so I really fail to see how spending $2-3K to repair the Integra is the worse option here (unless there's more damage to the car than just a fender bender).

    Your old Honda Integra is probably going to be more reliable than a lot of newer cars these days and much cheaper to run.

  • Misha Bakunin on 12/07/2023 - 13:29

    Because I figured they should repair it considering the damage, that's why I have insurance…. It's a total surprise that they would be not and would rather pay me more than 3 times that amount…

    Also, in reply to what you said, despite the rest of the body being chose to perfect, and the engine being low Kms, there was some mechanical wear relating to the front end struts etc, which was not urgent but within the next year or so would have cost me between 2-3 k in repairs… I really doubt they would have noticed that though, not that it's necessarily relevant.

    • Miami Mall Alien on 12/07/2023 - 13:46

      Because I figured they should repair it considering the damage, that's why I have insurance

      Yes, in an ideal utopia that doesn't exist.

      It's a total surprise that they would be not and would rather pay me more than 3 times that amount…

      No it's not. That's standard operating procedure for car insurance companies, even with cars much newer than yours. They lose money on the majority of repair work (unless it's a very straightforward and common part replacement) hence they have little incentive to offer repairs in most accidents and they make good money on every car they can sell for scrap/spares.

      It'd still work out much cheaper to have your current car repaired and it'd be the more trustworthy option (assuming you find a decent panel beater) compared to buying something new and cheap in this current Wild West of a used car market.

      • Misha Bakunin on 14/07/2023 - 15:22

        Yes well I have a family friend panel beater that would have done it for about 2k.. In hindsight you are probably correct. I did not realize, I've had very few accidents in my roughly 25 years of driving, and it's too late now…

  • Vancomycin 1000mg on 12/07/2023 - 16:01
    +1

    Mazda 3 Sp25, zippy and responsive. Get one with Bose sound system and add Apple Car Play.

    Basically new modern car with decent power.

    Edit: Lancer has shitty paint and peels off.

    • CurlCurl on 12/07/2023 - 16:59

      Lancer has shitty paint and peels off.

      Interesting response. Do you mean every Lancer, or just the one you may or my not have owned?

      • Vancomycin 1000mg on 13/07/2023 - 15:21

        Basically all Lancers from 2007- 2013 models.

        • TEER3X on 14/07/2023 - 15:24

          Have a ceramic treated one from 2010, paint looks really good.

    • Miami Mall Alien on 12/07/2023 - 18:36

      Edit: Lancer has shitty paint and peels off.

      Most modern factory automotive paint is absolute sh*t due to two reasons:

      • The paint layer being applied onto panels is much thinner than it used to be in the past, mainly for cost-cutting reasons (the combined layer thickness of the primer, paint and clear coat can be as low as ~100 microns these days, whereas the normal thickness that any decent car detailing/paint shops will aim to restore cars to during a colour correction/respray is around 170-200 microns).
      • As a consequence of numerous emissions/environmental standards and legislation around the world, most car manufacturers now are forced to use OEM/factory paints that are far less durable than they used to be as they can't contain various chemicals/solvents that were used to give paints more wear-resistance in the past.

      This is why modern car paint fades and develops clear coat peeling in a few years (especially if exposed to the elements for most of the year and not cleaned/waxed regularly) and why paint chips, scratches, dents and other damage is much easier to acquire on newer vehicles as well.

  • Gdsamp on 12/07/2023 - 17:06
    +2

    Small Cars (consider in the following order):
    Toyota Corolla (No brainer)
    Mazda 3 (Slightly more enjoyable choice than corolla, but prior to 2013 these are noisy)
    Honda Civic (good choice, honda autos tend to be the weak link so maybe go manual)
    Hyundai i30/Elantra (Solid choice)
    Kia Cerato (Similar to i30)
    Mitsubishi Lancer (opt for manual, save the CVT headache)

    Large
    Toyota Camry (obvious OzB choice)
    Honda Accord / Honda Accord Euro (The Euro in manual guise might sufficiently fill the good to drive hole left by the integra's passing, but it's still a boat.) (timing belt on the v6s, general honda auto weakness, VTC actuator issues on the Euro)
    Mazda 6 (Avoid diesels)

    But for 10k you're gonna have a hard time finding something that has been well maintained (full service history), in decent condition, hasn't had its odometer rolled back (as recent OzB threads have shown to be rampant) and isn't a repaired write-off. Do your PPSR Homework.
    Seriously consider if you can bump it up to 15k, which seems to be where the 10k cars pre-covid are now priced.

    • brad1-8tsi on 12/07/2023 - 18:35

      Honda Accord / Honda Accord Euro (The Euro in manual guise might sufficiently fill the good to drive hole left by the integra's passing, but it's still a >boat.) (timing belt on the v6s, general honda auto weakness, VTC actuator issues on the Euro)

      Two very different cars (have had both - still have a Euro the kids punt around)

      Accord Seppo is a floaty boat made for North Americans.

      Accord Euro is a fun drive and they handle well. I wouldn't call it a large car - medium?. I've never had an issue with the Automatic but they do need a regular 50k fluid dump and the external filter. VTEC problems are largely due to lack of oil changes and sludging in the 2 filters that are cheap to buy and easy to change.
      The problem is that the newest of the original Accord Euro (CL9??) are now 15 years old and people want silly money for the few nice examples that are still on the road.

      • Gdsamp on 12/07/2023 - 22:00
        +2

        agree with all your points. i have a 2011 euro (CU2) and while it's great to drive, the bigger 2nd gen isn't quite as nimble as the first.

        In OPs case there's a risk as these cars get older that the maintenance items you mention might get skipped, particularly at the price point they've mentioned.

        I probably also should've mentioned the aurion as a contender as you get the 2gr-fe v6 that doesn't suffer from the same oil burning issues as the camry's with 2ar-fe (older than 2012). While regular oil changes are a must on these they're a pretty robust engine overall.

    • Misha Bakunin on 14/07/2023 - 15:05

      I can bump it up to 14k max if really needed… Close enough to 15k I guess. Thanks for your interesting information.

  • Euphemistic on 12/07/2023 - 18:05

    Just scrolled through carsales for a bit. Chose $11k, <130k, hatch. Plenty of options. Would avoid probably half of them not being Japanese pr Korean.

  • jaygriz on 14/07/2023 - 09:34
    +2

    mitsubishi asx - incredibly easy to work on, lots around (spares), good size, slightly underpowered but with a drivechain that ran for more than a decade you know it will be reliable. You'll need to update headunit but fascia kits available.

    • Misha Bakunin on 14/07/2023 - 15:13

      Interesting, never heard of it…. Thanks

  • dkwon10 on 15/07/2023 - 07:39
    +1

    A 10 years old cerato koup with low ks is around 10-13k

    • Misha Bakunin on 15/07/2023 - 14:33

      Looks good, easy to get parts for?

      • dkwon10 on 15/07/2023 - 17:41

        Never thought of this.. I always wanted to downgrade my 2016 Elantra to an older cerato koup or integra hence the suggestion haha

    • Misha Bakunin on 15/07/2023 - 14:38

      Actually I read that's it gutless, and has a poor turning circle…

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