Hi TradeMe Community, I am looking to buy my first car (automatic) and am wondering what would be the best make to buy! Would like your input. Thanks
foxdonut,
Mar 3, 1:54am
Can you drive a manual transmission! I prefer an auto myself for the extra control but eventually you'll find yourself in a situation where you have to drive a manual transmission and knowing how, and having a licence to do it, will be useful.
Go with an old cheap front wheel drive like a Corolla or Civic, they're easy o look after, if you bash them up a little it doesn't matter and they're cheap to run.
wills,
Mar 3, 1:59am
Whats your budget poster 1!
jarrod261,
Mar 3, 2:31am
MK1 ford escort. Best first car ever.
bitsy_boffin,
Mar 3, 2:50am
Early 90s Mazda MX5 Manual
Cheap.Fun.Reliable.Look good.Great to drive.
Edit to add: sure you could get an auto.But don't!This is NZ not the USA, land of the straight road.Once you can drive a manual, you can get in any auto no trouble, but not the other way around!
justme73,
Mar 3, 2:54am
Easier if you name a few you like in the $$ you are looking at and people will say good or bad and why. Will you own short or long term! Will you look after it! Town or openroad!
Toyotas always reliable
foxdonut,
Mar 3, 3:01am
Do yourself a favour and buy something old and cheap. You don't want an old heap of shit, but a car that might give you a few basic problems isn't so bad - you'll learn lessons a lot cheaper than if you go out and buy something flash. Make sure you do your research on the car you choose and cars in general - things like tyre rotation schedules, maintenance schedules, servicing requirements etc all teach you about cars and ownership - too many people seem to take it for granted and either get ripped off for repairs or are ignorant of what needs to be done to a car until it fails in a spectacular way because basic jobs weren't done on it over the time it was owned.
nzman89,
Mar 3, 3:07am
i was thinking about spending around 7 - 10,000.
69steel,
Mar 3, 3:11am
For that price I would go for a toyota corolla runx
pollymay,
Mar 3, 3:34am
Spend less than that in case you mess up. Bumpers, tyres, maintainable items. They are all items that may pop up on top of petrol and oil changes. If you really are a beginner you will be learning the cost ropes to.
Cheapest most reliable POS you can find
ct9a,
Mar 3, 3:35am
anything jappanese
thejazzpianoma,
Mar 3, 4:13am
2001 ore newer Fiat Punto. Foryour 6-7K you will get an absolute minter with say 35K on the clock. Super economical, very reliable, parts are cheap and they are very safe (4 1/2 star NCAP) The best thing is they are stupidly cheap to run so you will be able to afford to do some decent road trips etc. Look around and compare the spec and price point.
Something like this, but you could get even lower km's etc if you look around 357917015
You can get them in manual too if you prefer.
thejazzpianoma,
Mar 3, 4:26am
What a load of bollocks. These puppy's love the open road, they are only doing 1950 rpm at 100km/h and there is plenty of interior room for the size of the vehicle. They handle great at speed.
The only complaint on the open road is they do have a little bit more road noise than the larger cars.
They are zippy and fun around town too.
BTW, having actually owned these and used them for personal and work use and having done some long road trips in them I know what I am on about. We used to take one to meetings etc in Hamilton from Tauranga with 5 adults in them from time to time even.
ct9a,
Mar 3, 4:28am
u poor bastard!
5 adults in a fiat haha like 5 tongans in a mini.good on ya mate
ct9a,
Mar 3, 4:29am
o as i advised take one for a spin and OP you will see what im saying
nzman89,
Mar 3, 9:16pm
what about a Toyota Allex!
rachsta,
Mar 4, 2:47am
I'm going to jump in on the bandwagon here, because that's exactly what I need info on too. First car, automatic, except I'm on a budget of 4k max because I've saved it myself. Any help greatly appreciated. Something reliable, and not prone to mechanical problems. Cheers.
icemans1,
Mar 4, 11:15am
toyota or nissan
a18a,
Mar 4, 12:48pm
Ford Laser
ceedoubleyou,
Mar 4, 10:24pm
Does anyone else advise their kids not to buy a car. a similar colour to the road! I once had a dark coloured car come out of the shadows and I didn't see it until it was on top of me.
big.b-lil.c,
Mar 4, 11:18pm
before you think abought what brand of car to buy think abought how many doors 2 or 4, sedan, hatch back, station wagon, 4 cylinder, 6 cylinder or even a v8. what do you want to do with it! shopping basket or cart the family and friends. tow a trailer! electric windows! air conditioning! around town driving or long highway trips! imho abs brakes is a must
iron-maiden,
Mar 5, 8:22pm
primera :)
iginoi,
Jun 19, 2:42am
+1. A little Toyota or Nissan IMO, cheap to maintain, parts are plentiful, fun cars. You don't need to spend that much dinero on a 1st car, save up for a cool 2nd car instead, just have heaps of fun and learn for now
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