Hi All,
I am planning to buy my first car (5 seater) with approx $3k. I am looking for automatic car.
So question is how much old car i can get with 3k? What is brand that i should look for.
Since i do not have much experience with automobiles, i thought to get your advise.
Any advise will be greatly appreciated.
I guess like any car but because the Excels were so popular due to their price point they were a popular target for P-Platers to thrash, as a result there are LOTS and LOTS of lemons on the road. That said, one with a service history and/or looked after in general can potentially be a good car. I'd not recommend a manual when the OP doesn't want anyway, most of the manual Excels I've seen are pretty bad due to the above reasons. The autos are probably a safer pick.
I wouldn't personally recommend one full stop but if you can get a good one they'll be fine. Get it once-over'd by a quality mechanic at the very least. This should apply to any car though.
I think the trick for finding a good cheap car is to avoid the popular ones. That is why I like Magna's. They didn't sell well, nobody really liked them and there are heaps out there in good nick still, cheap as chips.
Yes second hand Magna and 380 — those are family car bargains.
Yeah the 380 is a great car too, absolute bargains for the feature set. There is a guy on the AMC (magna forums) who put his 380 on Direct Injection LPG. Gets 11L/100km at 70c/L. Works out to be equivilant of 5.5L/100km at petrol prices, in other words cheaper than most 4 cylinders. No power loss from direct injection either. But expensive to convert.
Anyhow, I've taking things off taken somewhat now. My bad :)
good luck finding a 380 for 3k!
looking at upgrading our 97 commodore for a 06 magna even - cheapest we're gonna get out of buying a magna for is about 6K for anything with reasonable K's
Anyone wanna buy a 97 S exec II with heaps of kays for about 2.5K :D
http://www.carsales.com.au/private/details/toyota-camry-2000…
http://www.carsales.com.au/private/details/toyota-corolla-19…
not me…… just an example in carsales.com.au
I'm looking for a first car actually and have a budget of $7000. What do you guys think of an early 2000's Mitsubishi Lancer? Reliable? Cheap to repair?
when u press the pedal, the engine is loud, but the car is not moving……. their sport car is famous, normal car…… not anymore for me.
And that's the TRUTH!
Can only agree with edgar28, I bought a Lancer last year and find that it is lacking in torque/power. That said, Lancer's are fairly reliable. I wouldn't pay 7k for one that's 10 year old.
the lancer is the same as the civic which is a camry which is a polo which is a impreza…..you get the picture.
kirasuran: Not sure what you are trying to say, those vehicles are quite different. Different platforms, size, drive chain and country of manufacture. Polo and Impreza in particular stand out.
What i'm trying to say is: each of those are the "basic"/"steady" cars of each company and in themselves, nothing special (which isn't the point of this topic anyway)
I have one of these (and have driven others). It is a solid car, but try to get the 1.8L so you can make it up hills! Also, many of them do not have ABS, for this price make sure you are getting one that does. You can get a more fully featured car in a different model for this money, but the Lancer is not a bad option.
When I was young. I had a 1.5l ricer lancer bought from new 1997 to 2007.Driven hard its whole life, bounced off the rev limiter every gear change cause it was so slow. had a fully sick exhaust with no cat or muffler that scared most grandmas in walkers crossing the street.In addition it was hauling about 100kg of fibreglass ricekit and another 40kg of doof doof. It had more paint jobs then your adolescent sisters toe nails to add to the weight, plus maybe 10-20kg of bog in the panels from numerous mishaps with the local indigenous. It was lowered about an inch off the ground enough to plow crops.
Fact is…. it lived. The engine went strong, never missed a beat. The clutch at almost 200,000km was still factory standard. the aircon still super cold, the electrics worked like they did when it was new. Nothing much to fault even the CV joints were going strong Those bitsaremissing just lasted. Good economy and every wrecker stocks parts for the CE shape cause every other ricer has smashed them up.
inb4 falcon on gas
Dad goes on and on about Suburus. He fixes cars for a living, owns a car repair shop. says suburu's are the most reliable parts wise out of all the brands, as of right now.
If you have to repair them however they will cost lots due to AWD. For this price point I would really avoid.
Why does AWD cost more to repair?
RWD is the simplest and easiest/cheapest because there is just a diff connecting the engine to the wheels. FWD adds CV joints which wear and will need to be replaced.
AWD has the problem of FWD as well as TWO additional diffs (one to split front/back, and another at the back as per RWD). On top of this the front/back diff is very complicated (there are many different types, but none of them are as simple as the FWD/RWD diffs). Finally, as the power from the front and rear wheels will not be perfectly balanced you are increasing the load and wear on all of these components (why AWD uses more fuel and goes through more tyres).
I have an AWD car a really like it, but you have to be prepared to pay for it.
Well said, that's exactly right.
AWD cars are great, they just cost more in every respect.
to be fair, they are safer in slippery conditions. not all suburus are AWD though - i drive a leone, 1990. it has 4wd but its not on constantly.
to be fair, they are safer in slippery conditions.
Everyone is agreeing they are good, but there are costs involved.
not all suburus are AWD though
For a long time they have been.
i drive a leone, 1990. it has 4wd but its not on constantly.
I think you are confusing AWD and 4WD. 4WD vehicles have a fixed (or rigid) centre diff which is used for offroad/gravel/snow and can be disabled for normal driving. AWD vehicles use a centre diff to dynamically send power to the front/back as required. How much and when depends a lot on the particular car, and this is sometimes describes as not being on constantly but this isn't very accurate as there is generally some power on all wheels.
Sorry to say but Subaru's are pretty poor when it comes to reliability.
I had a Subaru WRX GC8. The gearbox exploded and when I went on google to find a gearbox for it - all I could find was other people who were also looking for gearboxes because their's also exploded LoL.
My mate has a Subaru Liberty - it drives like dogs balls - handles poorly and chews through petrol. He has had to do an engine rebuild and his aircon stopped working. Could have just bought a new car but loved his Subaru even if it cost him the price of the car to get it back on the road and working again.
Maybe the new ones are good - but for the money this guy wants to spend he'll only be digging a hole for himself.
I agree, my sister had a late nineties liberty and it was gutless for the engine size and fuel consumption. It was a one owner car and she drives like grandma but the motor decided it didn't want to live anymore. She put a used motor in it and when the car exhibited similar symptoms a month or two later she traded it in. Be very wary of the service costs on boxer engines. Some repairs are more difficult than an inline 4.
i'm confused. when i say subaru, i'd probably avoid WRX, just because they get stolen. like. ALL the time. its the cheapass's racing car. no idea about gearboxes, maybe you just don't know how to drive haha
dunno bout engine on liberty ! haha
This is the dumbest comment ever.
My NA subaru impreza is sitting on 240,xxx kms currently and is still pulling strong. Yes it's gutless, but its a heavy 2l engined car with AWD… what do you expect? Subaru's are built to last. Gearboxes explode on WRX's because of bad drivers abusing the cars. You can't drive a car like you stole it and then complain when shit wears out. I've owned my car now for just over a year, the only thing I've had to replace was my front cv joints and that cost a whole $300 and the car cost me $6000. My good friend also drives a liberty from the same era, and has not had any of these problems you say are common.
Just FYI, I don't grandma my car by any means, but I know how to drive, the majority of people who would blow gearboxes in subaru's up are either stupid lebs who legitmately don't know how to properly drive, or idiots doing skids/burnouts/quarter miles.
in any case, you're not getting a decent subaru for $3k so it's irrelevant.
also, idiots in this thread are saying that you're not getting a good car for $3k are retarded. OP keep your eyes open, don't be choosy and be prepared to get your hands dirty and learn alot. The best thing about having a beater car is the motivation to not spend any money it, forces you to learn some great skills for later. OP, just for a personal reference, talk to your friends and family, you will see that older people will generally be against it, I have no idea why, but i have found that the general consensus from older people on anything about life is usually negative, don't let the nay sayers stop you from doing something.
p.s. I'm speaking from experience, nearly every single one of my friends had a car that was worth less than $1000 for their first car. The majority of them were either sold to distant friends or written off before they broke down. Truth of the matter is, if you're buying a $3k car you're not going to need it for more than 2 years tops, so just suck it up and stick with it till you have the means to upgrade.
This is the dumbest comment ever.
Great start.
My NA subaru impreza is sitting on 240,xxx kms currently and is still pulling strong.
One example is not a statistically strong case.
stupid lebs
Racial abuse in there for good measure.
.. who legitmately don't know how to properly drive
er… no idea what you mean here.
In any case, you're not getting a decent subaru for $3k so it's irrelevant.
Which would be the whole point, such a car will cost too much to maintain, thus not a good option.
OP, just for a personal reference, talk to your friends and family, you will see that older people will generally be against it
Against what?
I have no idea why, but i have found that the general consensus from older people on anything about life is usually negative
Now we are being ageist…
I disagree. Subaru's (whether Impreza or Liberty) should last as long as competing Japanese manufactures.
The examples of broken gear boxes and catastrophic engine failures is probably due to the drivers who intentionally abuse the AWD system.
A car with AWD is not designed to lose grip on hard acceleration. When a hoon driver jumps into one of these cars, hammers the accelerator and drops the clutch they are likely to find that the tyres grip 100% and will transfer the stresses onto the drive train. This results in problems like chewed up gearbox (if unlucky) or a burned out clutch (if they're lucky).
Its not reasonable to expect a consumer priced AWD vehicle to accept the punishment that an AWD super car can.
So what you're saying is that a substantially powerful car was made with a weak ass gearbox so that when you want to use all this power - the rest of the car can't handle it?
i would recommend something like these, always go for less kms as possible, its like the lifespin of a car, 250k is sort of reaching the end.
http://www.carsales.com.au/private/details/mazda-121-1997-14…
http://www.carsales.com.au/private/details/toyota-starlet-19…
I have a VT commodore (2000 model)and that car has not let me down not once, its fast also if i remembered its has a 147kw (197hp) engine. Vt's only cost about $2000- $3000. have a look on gumtree.
Just found this one that you might like and its only $2300
http://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/melbourne-cbd/cars-vans-utes/…
i rather to buy a bike!
Our son is looking for a small car at the moment and originally wanted to spend around 3k but we wanted him to have something with at least drivers airbag. After plenty of looking it looks like 5k is more realistic to get a nice car with RWC and plenty of Rego left. We might have a look at this one on the weekend if it's still for sale.
http://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/dandenong/cars-vans-utes/2000…
I bought a $300 ford telstar about 5 years ago, the only thing I have spent on it is new tyres, fuel and a few oil and coolant changes.
done about 120,000km with it, never missed a beat and still goes today.
I laugh at people spending 10-30k on a car.
Then you will laugh at me for spending 80k on mine.
Its apples to oranges really, yes i could go and buy a 1000 dollar car which will get me from A to B, however i don't get the tax benefits (its on a lease) factory warranty and reliability, the comfort, the power and so on.
End of the day for most people buying new cars its because they want to, not because they have to (well some isolated cases you have to but they are the minority)
Life isnt always about saving money and being tight, and you should spend money on items you enjoy, mine so happens to be a supercharged v8.
Life isnt always about saving money and being tight, and you should spend money on items you enjoy, mine so happens to be a supercharged v8.
wrong forum? This is ozbargain
My first car when I got out of school, was a Toyota seca - never broke down once and again I've bought a new toyota this time. I'd say if you go older car, toyotas are a well made car.
You can find 2000-2001 Ford Festivas, Mirages for about that price, 1999 Lancers and Kia Rios also are around that range. These would be the ones that I will recommend both because of the reliability and the fuel consumption. They are also simpler to repair. in general the smaller cars will be better as you can get a newer car and consequently more modern/reliable car ceteris paribus. Sure, there is the occasional 1990 [insert model here] that has never missed a beat but most people will agree with me that the older a car is, the more likely problems will start to creep in. So buy as new as your budget can afford, and go for Japanese/Koreans if you can for reliability.
A pre 2008 Kia? are you kidding? they have only just started to pick up in the reliability department, let alone a pre 2000 one.
Two big problems with what you say:
1: Smaller cars are MORE expensive than big cars, particularly at the cheap end.
2: Newer cars are NOT inherently more reliable. They often are a lot more complicated and a lot more expensive to service.
Go by the service history and using, not the build date. Also The quality on Korean cars has improved a lot since 2000, if you are getting something that old Korean builds are not a good idea.
Toyota Corolla, can't go wrong. If your based in Sydney, I'd be more than happy to check a car for you for a small charge. Contact me if interested.
Late 90's to early 2000's Nissan Maxima's (V6 engine). Japanese build quality, excellent cars for that money. Mechanic hates 'em because they are so reliable.
The V6 engine (through several generations) is considered as globally one of the best car engines…reliable, good performance, economical. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nissan_VQ_engine
Plenty of spare parts and easier to service than something European.
http://www.carsguide.com.au/buy-a-car?expanded=no&makes=490&…
Just buy a $500 shitbox like a Datsun 120Y and spend the other $2500 on beer.
That way when you break down, you'll have something to do.
Great discussion and very informative! Love ozb!
Thinking of selling my Toyota Corolla 97' 135,000km, has been serviced every 6 months or less.
Had timing belt changed after 100k, and bits and pieces done but no airbags, so I'm thinking of upgrading to a newer car.
How much do you think I can sell it for? Where is a good place to sell it?
I'm located Sydney, NSW.
Starting place for prices is Redbook, but note that it is not always accurate. To sell you can consider Gumtree/Ebay/carsales depending on the type of sale you want.
Assuming you have factored in fuel, insurance, registration etc.
I'd go for nothing bigger than a 2.0l, Corollas are renowned for being reliable, even with higher km's. Parts are easy to find, and can get both genuine and non-genuine (therefore cheaper). Every mechanic can work on them reliably. Good fuel economy, cheap to insure, and plentiful in supply.
Just use carsales, limit your search to your area, budget and other criteria.
You can also not limit it to Corollas, and select by body type if you want to compare other makes.
I've had 2 of them, also had 2 Foresters (great but expensive to service), plus a few others.
All, thanks a lot for all comments. I would like views on Lancer coupe, made in 2002 with approx 150k on odometer.Im currently talking with lady owner who want to sell it.
I could not found any reviews of Lancer coupe hence looking for your help.
Hows your overall performance of Lancer coupe. whats benefit of coupe compared to normal car and whats disadvantage of it.
If it is the 1.5L it will be SLOW and have trouble getting up hills. If it is the 1.8L they are OK.
The coupe is pretty much exactly the same as the sedan, but you have two less doors which makes it far more annoying to use.
Thanks Bruce. This is the car:
http://www.carsales.com.au/private/details/mitsubishi-lancer…
Its 1.5L but has only 142K on odo. Its 6k currently but seems like i'll be able to bargain it around 3k.
Being a 1.5L, a coupe and presumably no ABS it is not a great pick I would not purchase this car. Also as mentioned a few times above, you will pay a premium for a smaller sought after car like the lancer.
Edit: Just noticed it is even the Auto 1.5L. I would feel unsafe pulling into traffic in this car.
Thanks Bruce. I take your words. Also wife had concern that being a two door, it will be difficult to move my 1 yr old in and out of car…So i'll pass this.
holy crud, yeah give the 2 door cars a miss with young families, get something with a decent sized boot.
your probably looking at a late 90's commodore/ford for the $$$ you have.
should be in OK condition, with plenty of space for the portacot, pram and baby gear… ours has served us well enough…
Almost zeroed down on 2000 falcon n 1997 commodore with 170k on odo. Price tag is approx 3700 with rwc. Any word of advise by expert.
It will chew through fuel faster than you will ever imagine. Stick to mid or small car, the 4 doors have a surprising amount of room.
not bad, but seems a bit pricy when we where looking even car yards had 1997 commodores on gas for 2800…(before talking them down) should be able to get it for under your budget i rekon… (even with RWC) as i said above i rekon max we'll get for ours will be about 2.5k with RWC. (and 100k KM more km on the clock)
Man that's alot of comments. "CNIMINC" must be totally confused with alot of suggestions. :D
Though one suggestions
Mazda 323 model 2003 pretty good car around 6-7k.
dude, right in the subject line there… 3000 budget, how is 6-7K = 3k????
Yeah lots of suggestion from experienced people. I never had car and neither any experience in automotive. I learn a lot from this comments.
OK, so I got 1999 au forte with 145k for 3200. I am yet to do mechanical check by state road.
nice, thanks for letting us know, was that with RWC? Decent Kays, the fords seem to be mostly reliable and parts are pretty well priced too…
just remember the regular maintenance, (highly recommend learning to do the filters and oil and plugs yourself) should last years to come!
thanks wisc. yeah with RWC…and will be getting stateroads mechanics for comprehensive check as well…
Are you sure you're not trolling? "Rusted and fallen apart"
The Excel is a great car, they're zippy and are cheap to service. They win no prizes for looks or features but there is thousands of them left on the road, I still see them all the time.