Lol at carstauranga and darryl - that gave me an arvo giggle.
thejazzpianoma,
Dec 14, 10:20pm
] Funny man! Poster lives in Tauranga like me.
I would hate think what one of those Tributes would use doing the city crawl.
kazbanz,
Dec 14, 11:06pm
27 pukeko- A new kid on the block on the funcargo ilk is a car called the Toyota Ractis. Basicly Toyota listened to people who said the funcargo is um "interesting" to look at and jazzed it upA LOT. In my opinion its a heck of a lot of car. Mechanically you have a 1500cc funcargo engine and an auto gearbox with If you want to use it flappy paddle tiptronic. Its retained the space in the back that the funcargo has--ie TONNES Has the fold away seats of the funcargo Has the high seats in the front and big doors the funcargo offers, But its got a cool look the funcargo never quite captured. Have a look at this advert for an idea 432225093
27pukeko,
Dec 15, 12:15pm
Thanks, checked it out - hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm lol Do the japs have any style!haha
kazbanz,
Dec 15, 1:03pm
ACTUALLY--I really like the darn thing. Um I can't discuss specifics but I've been driving one thats a different color and really enjoy driving it. That color might not do them justice
rovercitroen,
Dec 15, 1:48pm
The Ractis looks very "Daihatsu Sirion" like to me - no surprise I guess.
thejazzpianoma,
Dec 15, 2:25pm
The Ractis is also a known STI. (I am not kidding)
I know that sometimes things are lost in translation. but when the marketing people said "you want it to go viral" I don't think that's what they had in mind.
mugenb20b,
Dec 15, 5:26pm
Really!
thejazzpianoma,
Dec 15, 5:55pm
The wingroad gets a firm no from me even though there are many that will rave about it. The wingroad is a limited run Japanese market only orphan that tends to drink the gas and surprisingly for a modern car is very poorly rust proofed underneath.
Car dealers love them because they can buy them cheap and they are reliable and being chain driven they don't need to spring for a timing belt change before they sell them. But thats ALL they are, functional transport, not economical, not particularly nice to drive, not well designed not well featured etc.
You do however get many people who believe the hype from the dealers and think they are the bees knees.
The Caldina like the Wingroad was designed as a "trade tough" wagon that could be used by Japanese tradesman during the week but be the family car at the weekend. The Caldina is arguably better but they are still not a lot of car for the money.
Best thing is to drive them both and then hop into the Golf wagon. you should get exactly what I am on about. I think you will be very disappointed after your Audi in the U.K.
What usually happens after a post like this is you get a swarm of Caldina and Wingroad proponents who are jumping over themselves to tell you how they are the best cars in the world because they:
1. Function 2. Don't break down
Apparently they have the market cornered in these areas.
27pukeko,
Dec 16, 1:38am
hmmm wonder if I will find something that ticks the boxes and is not an ugly box with no nice lines lol. having said that, maybe they look better in the flesh, will hit the road tomorrow and scope out a few dealerships
horsepower7,
Dec 16, 1:45am
altezza! vitz rs! corolla! sooo many options lol
27pukeko,
Dec 16, 2:07am
Funny was at the old folks home this avo and a nice black sw was parked outside and Ma said thats a nice one so I went and looked at the badge and it was an Alfa-romeo lol.
I didnt buy the Audi - was my german surrogate grannys' and she used to let me drive it all over the place - much fun
thejazzpianoma,
Dec 16, 3:12am
There ya go then, You should get one as a treat for your mother! She can get chauffeured around in it! They are actually really good value and a properly decent vehicle. Parts are surprisingly inexpensive, the engines and transmissions last really well and what problems you do have are usually niggly inexpensive stuff that can be done when you are ready. There are a few things to know and look for when buying though so if you do decide to buy one yell out so you know what to get. Just be aware if you liked driving the Audi you could easily fall in love with the Alfa. Your budget should be able to get you are really top example all freshly serviced and ready to go.
mugenb20b,
Dec 16, 1:32pm
The 2 litre 4 cylinder engine is bulletproof. They use a bit more fuel than the auction suggests. The Vitara has a separate ladder frame chassis, so they are very strong, they also have lots of room in the back, easy to get in and out of, and most importantly, they are very, very capable off road. Good axle articulation, sought after by 4WD enthusiasts as they have a 'low range' transfer case option, and they retain their value to some degree. On the down side, I found that some Suzuki parts (not all) cost a small fortune and I wasn't really impressed with its on road manners, although, I can live with that. They bounce around a bit. Take one for a drive and see what I mean. If I had spare $10k and two less children, I would definitely consider the Vitara as part of my vehicle fleet, due to its off road capability and ease of servicing.
thejazzpianoma,
Dec 16, 1:46pm
I agree with mugenb20b, quite a good often overlooked option for a 4wd. However a considerable sacrifice in terms of handling, and fuel consumption for someone who just wants medium height seats. We have probably drifted away from the seat height thing a bit much with some of the options. If your Mum is finding some of the options a bit too low then you would be much better back where we started with the likes of the Touran etc. BTW, Turners have a regular supply of Tourans for sale at reasonable prices. You would need to get to the Auckland branch to view though, but well worth the effort. http://www.turners.co.nz/Vehicles/Pages/Car.aspx!RefId=967246http://www.turners.co.nz/Vehicles/Pages/BrowseVehicles.aspx!scope=Cars&view=Vehicles&ctype=Car&make=Volkswagen&model=touran
27pukeko,
Dec 16, 1:55pm
Meantime I will see what I can find today to test drive - will look for a Vitara (thanks mugenb) some VW's and might even look at a tribute as there is one up the road
mugenb20b,
Dec 16, 7:09pm
I would like to add some info about Alfa Romeo 156. Now, they are bloody nice looking car, they offer a fantastic driving experience and have loads of character. But, I have seen several with Selespeed (sillyspeed) transmission problems. Most have randomly simply lost all 'drive'. Unable to select any gears, nothing, but after 12 to 24 hours, they came right again. So, I would advise you to get the car checked out by someone who knows their Alfas (Jazz maybe!). I have also heard from one owner that Selespeed transmission is awful for city driving, but fantastic on the open road. But, I guess you can get used to it.
27pukeko,
Dec 16, 10:48pm
Saw lots of cars today - took a Mazda familiar for a drive lol - was a well priced nice wee car with lots of room in the back. but the engine light was on!
Looked at the tributes - too big, honda cvr - too big, and a late model vitari (couldnt find older one) but all the sills are too high off the ground so i would be lifting Ma's feet everytime.
Then i found Toyato Voltz.They are more pricey but have nice low sils and high seats that dont have the wings on them (so quite flat to slide into) and heaps of room in the back for all the horse crap.Also look sporty and not like a nana/housewifes car.any opinions on them! Will try and take one for a spin tomorrow.
thynds,
Dec 16, 10:50pm
Don't you mean more like about 20L LOL
mugenb20b,
Dec 17, 12:25am
Around town, yes.
mugenb20b,
Dec 17, 12:27am
No, please don't put any horse crap in that car.
27pukeko,
Dec 17, 12:29am
lol I do actually occasionally cart horse shit as my mates like it for their gardens - maybe if I get a voltz ill tell them they have to come pick it up themselves!
grangies,
Dec 17, 12:56am
Body parts will cost a small fortune, as they are quite rare cars in NZ.
They are USA built for the USA market.
27pukeko,
Dec 17, 3:37am
Had a google of the voltz's and it seems they were only made for a few years so parts may be hard to get - or would they just use corrolla parts!lol
Have also been looking at the Mitsibishi Airtreks which seem similar to the voltzs
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