Which car to buy

am starting on the journey of having to replace my car and need to do some research on what to buy but am a little lost on where to even start. My current car is Honda Accord and I have loved driving it but now it's getting old. I am thinking I should probably stick to what I know as this has been reliable but would welcome any advice on where and how to research so I can make an informed descsion

forget about your budget, economy, engine size, reliability, vehicle size, what you need it for or where you drive, start with the important stuff.Whats your favourite colour!

A later model Accord would be an obvious choice. What year do you want and how much do you want to spend!

and what colour

You could buy a car magazine eg NZ Autocar, go to the car guide at the back, and put a line through all cars and brands that revolt you. That should shorten the list somewhat, if you want a new motor.
Or for an older motor, go to the library and decide on the year of the car you want eg 2007, and do the same exercise, but make a list of the winners.

fordluva - yes I had to laugh because that was so on the button. I was trying not to sound "blonde" and impractical.
I do have a budget - $10k
size - I live in the hills so need some power without it costing an arm & leg so I'm thinking I probably need min 2.0
year - as young as possible so I don't have to go through this exercise again
and I'm thinking mileage should be under 100,000

I probably should have added, I really only need to get to work, in Auckland City and home in the Waitakeres. But would like a car that I can use for the occasional weekend away. My Honda Accord 2.2 (I think) is what I currently have

Manual or auto!Makes quite a difference in the type of car you should choose.

cant beat the trusty corolla sedan, mite be able to pick up a good low kms nz new one for 10k, good on gas, newer models have all the safety features and vvti engines. cant go wrong in a corolla and if you are driveing the western every day then this would be your safest option

Are cars much of a muchness under the bonnet! Is the real difference the way they look and the cosmetic features! Why are some models considered more reliable than others!

Thats an EXCELLENT question.
With regard to pricing it has more to do with fashion and looks than substance. For example the Suzuki Swift looks cool and sells for a fortune secondhand but its cheap to buy new, cheaply made and uses very ordinary quite outdated technology.

In terms of technology some cars are miles ahead of others. For example the 2004 and newer VW Golf uses a very new kind of gearbox that means lower maintenance, much better fuel economy, more gears and more power than a traditional automatic. Coupled with the very advanced FSI engines the VW can give you a massive difference in fuel economy compared to the more basic rivals (which are sometimes dearer!) with similar performance. Unfortunately the Golf is about 3K over your budget so is just used as an example here.

In terms of reliability, thats a can of worms and controversial subject with so many car dealers in here. Pretty much because the secondhand car market in NZ is made up almost entirely of used Japanese imports the myths and legends about reliability have got pretty out of hand. As a result cars like the Toyota Corolla which is marginally more reliable than some other cars can be more than twice the price of other brands. so any small advantage in reliability is lost as you have already paid a massive premium regardless of whether the car breaks or not.

The key thing is that most modern cars are very reliable. Sure some are a bit more so than others but often thats just because they use very old and simple technology or lack features so score higher on tests.

You also need to be aware that reliability is a function of how well the car has been maintained in past, how old and how many km's its done as well as the badge on the front. People (and especially car dealers) get really carried away about certain badges on the front and completely forget about the other factors. which are probably more important that the brand of car.

If you want to get really good value, go for a non-Japanese brand that still has cheap available parts and is considered reliable and popular overseas. Talk to the specialist garages that look after that make and find out what breaks and what it costs to fix.

Thats what I have done for years and I have saved a fortune in the process. Currently one car I recommend a LOT is the 2001 and newer Fiat Punto's. You can pick one up for about $4000 with 4/2 star NCAP rating, phenominal economy and features. Compare that to say a Suzuki Swift and you have a better car mechanically for less than half the price. Its probably a bit small for you but again its an extreem example so you can see what I am on about.

Anyhow, in short. Pricing in NZ usually has a LOT to more to do with fashion, looks and badge perception than what the car is actually worth. The great news is that with a little research and cunning (and the ability to sort the myths from reality) you can capitalise on that and get a great car for a song that is still going to be fantastically reliable.

Except that is you opinion only.

The Swift may have an older gearbox design but it has a far better engine to make up for it - 90 or 100hp is significantly more than the 60 or 80 you get on a Punto

Go away, I am not going to have another nit picking argument about that. The Punto is a similar priced car new and competes in the same segment, look at the price secondhand and you will see the value difference. There is NO need to pollute yet another thread with a silly side tracked argument about tiny differences in performance.

In short the Auto Swift is slower than the CVT Fiat and the 5 Speed 1.5 Swift is fractionally faster than the 5 speed Fiat. There is bugger all in it and its just a stupid tangent.

Neither vehicle would likely suit the OP its just an example.

You were wrong last time, you're wrong this time and you'll be wrong next time.

Just stop it.

Man you guys are worse than parenting haha!

Yeah sorry about that.

Anyway just be careful about advice from here - make sure you do your homework and rely on your own intuition about whether a car is going to suit you.

The figures are there on the internet if you don't believe me. They show exactly the same as what I have said, always have always will.

Besides what would I know about Punto's, I only used them exclusively for my work fleet vehicles and compared them directly to the Swift one after the other, manual and auto in person because the Swift was high on my list of possible alternatives.

Jazz out.

deja vu, lol

Helen_nz2, do you care about auto/manual, or are you open to suggestions!

+1 All we hear is jazz and his obsession with euro cars aka especially multipla's and puntos.

bugger off

zirconium - I defineatly want automatic.

Sorry, previous message was confused. Just suggesting you try driving a mazda 6 or a toyota avensis, if you are thinking about a change from honda. Some of them have tiptronic gear boxes, which can be used in standard automatic mode if you like. :) And particularly see if they will let you drive it home so you can see what the handling is like on the hills. (I live in the Waitaks too.)

Given what you are after sticking with a Honda may be a good course of action. Just make sure the auto has been serviced on schedule.

One of these 353785544 could be a nice alternative as well. The V5 is a very well proven bombproof engine that requires very little maintenance. If you feel the wagon is a bit large the 4 door saloon version is not far removed from the size of vehicle you are used to.

Going with that post 2001 shape is a good idea and lovely examples well under 100k can be had well within your budget.

Servicing is minimal, parts are cheap and easily available and reliability is very good. Just make sure that the air conditioning is working correctly as this can be a little pricey to fix.

The 1.8 Turbo engine may suit you well also, its got plenty of power but rewards you with surprisingly good economy around town. The only catch with the 1.8 is that being a cambelt engine this will need changing every 5 years or so, not a big deal to do on that engine though.

Best of luck with whatever you choose.

It's quite a drive from the Waitaks to centre city, so you have to do cambelts every 4 years or so anyway. :)