First child is coming later this year which means I will have to say goodbye to my car-free lifestyle and buy a car.
Budget is $15k and I am after a <10 y/o hatchback.
I am thinking a Japanese/Korean brand makes sense economically and want something cheap/reliable but not too boring (hence why I am asking and not just buying a Corolla).
All poll options are based on currently available cars with ~100k km in NSW for about $15k.
Any experience/stories with these cars are welcome.
Whatever comes second will be the next Corolla.
Check out engine issues with the i30. Most of them are good AFAIK, but i recall seeing some issues with one particular engine.
Otherwise, the subaru might be a bit thirstier than the others, but not massivley.
Otherwise go and sit and feel and drive all of those, then pick the one YOU like. Cant go far wrong with any of them.
My 2014 i30 was a great car until about 2020, and then became a POC. Everything is breaking, snapping, peeling. Paint, plastic trim, fittings, stereo. And the engine is literally on it's last legs, mechanic is suggesting to simply replace the engine entirely. I wouldn't buy it again that's for sure
And yet a few posts down an i30 owner is loving their 2010 model.
Make sure you think long and hard about which car seat and pram/stroller you choose too.
We had a Mazda 3 sedan, ended up having the rear facing car seat in the middle so the front passenger seat was useable… This also helped because the shopping could fit on the rear seat whilst the pram took up 70% of the boot.
When we sold the pram / bassinet they picked it up in a Mazda 3 hatch which somehow seemed to have even less room in the boot.
Drove an i30 diesel for some years as a rep car , and actually I was very impressed with how zippy it was.
Unfortunately yes like others said I am obligated to vote Toyota Corolla. Classic ozbargain car, only bested by 1996 maroon Camry , ideally with random panel in different colour, 5 million dings from shopping centre parking and coat hanger aerial.
I have a 2010 Hyundai i30 diesel, it's pretty great. Beats the petrol imo. Fun to drive, especially up hills. It does not give a shit about an incline.
That engine feels very solid, like it'll last another decade or two. Of course the low km helps (~65k).
The only downside I've found is the slight paranoia of absent-mindedly putting in some unleaded.
I'd go the Kia Serato, just because it has Carplay/Android Auto. Otherwise factor in the cost of getting that in whatever car you buy. Hyundai and Kia were early adopters of it.
Mazda 3 and Subaru are likely a bit lower on road noise, personally I hate the corolla because it feels cheap, plastic, noisy and slow. Reliable for sure, but plastic (all cars are made of a lot of plastic, but the Corolla really feels it).
Don't forget the option of a used EV and a novated lease, if possible. Worth running the numbers.
We compared boot sizes on current models before a recent purchase. Corolla hatch boot is tiny at 213 litres - not sure you could put a folded pram in it, Impreza boot is somewhat bigger at 291 litres , Mazda 3 hatch almost the same at 295 litres and i30 hatch very much bigger at 395 litres and Cerato hatch bigger still at 428 litres. and Camry sedan is 524 litres.
OP's going for a 2016 Corolla, not a current model Corolla
Corolla #1 then i30 a very close second.
bmw e39
2016 Toyota Corolla = cheap to service and maintain
2018 Mazda 3 = likely looks better, zippier, nicer inside, 2 years newer than the Corolla
2015 Subaru Impreza = doesn't look very good, but AWD can be nice to drive.
I'd definitely go for the 2018 Mazda 3, although it may depend on the individual model. There can be significant differences in specs between models.
Redriven review of the Mazda 3 from the generation you are looking at. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9GCkAhaiKkE
Low KM over brand allegiance.
Anything over 150k and you'll start seeing problems crop up.
I know that was a rule of thumb years ago - does it still stand with 2010s models?
Depends on your risk appetite. Plenty of cars make it well over 250k km without major issues. IMO 200k is where you start to get more niggles and potential for bigger issues.
2019 Suzuki Swift.
My ex has a 2016 Kia Cerato automatic hatch. She loves it but says it's heavy on fuel. Apparently she gets around 10l/100km in Sydney suburban driving.
Personally I'd aim for a manual Mazda 3 hatch.
I have driven the Cerato a bunch and really like it but it is the thirstiest on paper so it not too surprising she gets that kind of economy.
How does she drive? 10l/100 out of a modern hatchback sounds like a leadfoot.
How does she drive? 10l/100 out of a modern hatchback sounds like a leadfoot.
As I said "suburban Sydney". As you appear to live in Newcastle I'm not sure how you'd be intimately acquainted with the joys of the St,George district of Sydney but maybe you do.
I dare say she does lots of short trips & heavy traffic but I haven't been in a car with her for 8 years so I have NFI. My kids mentioned it uses as much as their old 2004 2.4l Honda Accord Euro which coincidently is about the same as our Golf Alltrack uses in Sydney driving.
I wouldn't call the 2016 Cerato a modern hatchback. It's a 2.0l NA that only produces 112kW & <200Nm torque and dates back to at least 2009 but probably earlier. When it was purchased new in 2016 it was a cheap ($17200 DA) basic car and it seems to do what it has to do.
Ok, maybe 10yo isnt truly modern, but its modern enough to have an ECU, injection and OHC etc.
I was getting 10l/100 out of a 2003 forester which is why it sounded surprising to me. Maybe its the extra city traffic, maybe it wasnt driven efficiently. Since getting a car with a fuel economy display, ive noticed i can get better l/100 than ny partner in the same car. Partner doesn't drive quite as smooth, tends to brake harder etc.
@Euphemistic: I think any Cerato/i30 automatic 2.0 owner of that period will confirm they like a drink.
My ex isn't my biggest fan (what a shock!) but she always thanks me for pointing her towards the bargain the Cerato was.
I do remember that when she had the cavalcade of Commodore company cars the front brakes were good for ~25k of stop/start peak hour traffic so she probably does ride the brakes a bit.
As I said, our Golf Alltrack DSG gets about 10 and the Skoda 1.8 manual also got about 10 and the 2000 Mazda 323 1.6 was 10 as well. I think it's just the traffic conditions where we live.
Golf…. Just kidding. Corolla all the way.
I had a mazda 3 when my first was born, it was fine.
18 months later when our second arrived we found it to be cramped with a child seat and bassinet thing, so we upgraded to a hyundai tuscon, which was great (not very powerful but far easier to load kids into it - and boot space was awesome <— i.e. pram).
the tuscon also coped okay with a 3rd kid (2 boosters and a bassinet) - but we had to upgrade to a larger car once all 3 were in booster seats.
There is no chance you'll get a newer Mazda 3 over an older Corolla?? I know you're saying that's actually available, but my experience was the 3 is a good few thousand more expensive
I'd definitely be getting the Mazda 3 if that's a genuine option
A German car e.g. a VAG car.
Life is too short for a cheap Jap/Korean econobox. Get a VW Golf R, MK6 generation.
I have an older i30 diesel. I like it, and think diesels are worth looking into for whatever model you choose.
Not sure about the more recent versions, but mine was more expensive and fun to drive than the petrol models of its time.
Diesels can have a bit of a reputation for being old slow truck engines, but they put in a turbo for commuter cars. This makes them zippy and basically means you have a pretty normal feeling car with heaps of torque.
So it doesn't seem to matter if I'm driving up hills with 3 adults in the back seat, the car doesn't struggle or make any extra noise, and always feels fairly quick.
It's pretty neat
I learned in Euro Diesel and enjoyed the turbo a lot. However, I am wary as don't the engines tend to be a bit more costly to maintain?
Yea probably. I think I've been paying $400 or so for basic servicing, but then it's only once a year.
This is OzBargain. The Toyota will win the poll anyway 😂.
A 2018 Mazda is a good option if you can get it for the same price as the older options.