Hi l am looking for a reliable used car, mid-sized sedan or SUV, not a small car like a Corolla or Mazda 3, more the size of a Camry sedan or Mazda CX5. l want the car to last ten years or 150,000 km, l drive 15,000 kms a year in the country roads.
Is $15,000 enough for such a car?
Hmmm
Im looking into my crystal ball….
10 years on…..
not a small car like a coralla or mazda 3, more the size of a camry sedan or MAzda cx5
Tell me you've done no research without telling me you've done no research. FFS.
He’s another high mileage Camry guy
Camry will last double that… easy
l want the car to last ten years or 150,000 km , l drive 15,000 kms a year in the country roads. IS $15,000 enough for such a car?
If you're lucky or know what it takes to pick the right one, yes. If not, no. At $15K its not guaranteed, but that's about the point where it becomes possible to get a good one. You just have to know which one that is.
It's never guaranteed no matter how much you spend
Well, go visit a sites like car sales, and see if you can get a car (Mazda cx5) under 100k driven (since you want to drive it for another 150k/10years) for $50K.
That will answer your question.
Make sure the check engine light is on, otherwise you won't know if the check engine light works.
Is that the high yield investment option?
it is like people dont know how use google anymore
That's a lot of effort to post a list of small cars that OP expressly stated they didn't want.
It's just a paste from an AI generator.
ChatJVT
I love how the post that has the most amount of words JV has ever written in it was in fact, not written by him but AI.
Which AI though. This one seems to spit out references which is nice - so not ChatGPT?
Probably copilot
please show your camry keys and collect your ozb badge at exit. those things when looked after is nigh indestructible. your only problem will be you won't have any reason to upgrade down the track as it will just keep on going
Will out live you
You could get one for $10k, but the more you spend the less risk of failure. Have a look arpund, theres heaps of 10yo+ cars still driving.
Many cars will last upwards of 300000km if looked after. BUT, IMO once over 200000km is when you are much more likely to starting to need repairs. Having said that, keeping an older car running can be overall cheaper than purchasing a much more epxensive car in the first place.
I wouldnt put money on a $15k not needing any repairs in 10y or 150k km but wouldnt bw surprised if it did just keep going.
I've had my 17yo corolla for almost a decade now, relatively low KMs at 160k, has only needed to be repaired once to replace transmission belt. so agree aim for sub-200k mileage and get a mechanic to look at it pre-purchase if you are not so inclined
Probably correct for an ICE…however a BV is another prospect with a whole new set of battery packs being required
Maybe for an older EV, and unlikely to be what OP is considering with a $15k budget. The figures I have seen show still 90% after 300,000km.
Reference: https://electricvehiclehub.com.au/information-centre/how-lon…
Not many EVs avaaible for OPs budget.
If your buying a $15k EV its likely to need a new battery before too long. Current generation EVs should have battery life well.into 300k km and well over 10 years.
I reckon theres quite a few city commuters that would be happy with half range EVs if they could get them cheap enough. If you only drive under 40km a day to commute you dont need 300km range.
but the more you spend the less risk of failure
Really? LOL
It should be common sense but … common sense ain't so common.
Should also add that buying a cheaper model of car means its more likely to be newer. As an extreme example see how old a $15k prado is vs a $15k corolla or yaris.
thanks l dont mind repairs but just not really expensive repairs
A huge number of people in regional Australia spend much less than $15,000 and travel a lot more than you plan. Find a good mechanic, regular services and dont drive like an idiot like half the population (hard breaking and acceleration)
hard breaking
That definitely won't be good for a car with all the plastic parts these days.
This was true, but probably will double OP's budget. When was the last time you're in a market for used car that is relatively new? After COVID everything has changed, used cars are way more expensive than before. If you're looking for something 5 yo with 70k, you probably will saves 15% off the brand new price especially for Toyota hybrid. And for 15% savings you've already lost your warranty if there's something wrong with the engine.
lf l had the money l would buy a near new, but my budget is around $15,000
If this price estimator is anywhere near accurate - I suspect not, maybe - it should be easy to find a Camry that you will get 150k out of without too much drama. If you have enough mechanical knowledge to avoid duds.
"Reliable" is the key word here. Just be because it's $15k, doesn't guarantee reliability. Look for service logs & do a PPRS check. Inspect the car or have someone do it. There's always the possibility a $5k car could be more reliable than a $15k car if it was looked after.
IMHO a well looked after 'undesirable' car (at worst a Camry) is the target here. Not a price.
A $5k undesirable is fine, if it is well cared for, undamaged, garaged and even if it requires $10k worth of repairs. (Assuming you do not pay a gangster or a politician's friends/relatives to do the work).
Just as long as that 'undesirable' car isnt rare and hard to get oarts and repairs for. Something solidly built, reasonably common but boring is what you want.
I went through this with an aunt who had a budget of $15k for a medium sized hatch. And I actually struggled to find something that would be "reliable" for someone who is looking for a car that will just work reliably without checking on things like oil and water levels.
So the requirement was something made within the last 5 years and under 80,000kms, Japanese or Korean made (buyer choice). The best I could find was 2018 Kia Rios
We eventually had to push the budget to $20k and get a 2019 corolla with 30,000kms. Got lucky with that car.
Personally I would have suggested her to get a brand new mg3 with 7 years warranty for $20k driveway, but you just can't convince some people.
MG3 are loud pieces of shit so glad that didn't happen
yes but future maintenance fees not considered
I know Camry will last you longer than 10 years but I'm not so sure about that regarding Mazda's. If you're after a SUV why not consider a RAV4 which is much more safer bet compared to Mazda CX-5. I'd buy a 10 year old RAV4 in a heartbeat for the same price of 5 year old Mazda CX-5 if reliability and durability is my first priority (resale value would be an added benefit).
Get a Honda Accord, great cars.
Even a CR-V.
But if talking an SUV, I'd go a 2012-ish T31 Nissan X-Trail manual petrol for the win.
Dont get a t31 CVT auto.
Yes. Should be easy to do. I buy cars in a similar budget to you in NSW.
have bought over the past 5 years.
Kia optima
Nissan Altima x 2
Had a VF Commodore wagon for a while as a work issued car.
That's luxury, my mate bought a $700 suzuki, run for 2 years without any maintenance, sold for $1200
Personal opinion don't buy the cx-5 or any of the cx series because they are all fuel guzzlers if you do a lot of city driving and all of them are not very practical for storage.
The cx-5 wagon has a tiny boot compare to similar SUVs and even smaller than some hatchbacks.
Mechanically and resale they are pretty good but they big but interior not practical
Cant beat a falcon on gas
Yes
Thanks, l am thinking either a camry, rav4 or Honda accord, Are the Rav4 and camry both equally reliable , is the rav4 more expensive then the camry and l am talking used about ten year old under $15,000
RAV4 will likely be more expensive than Camry as more desirable to many with kids. Likewise will hold its value.
is the RAV4 as reliable and last as long as the camry
The dead giveaway generally is what taxis drive.
They use Camrys.
yes?