I am not quite following your logic now toysky, are you no longer worried about safety!
Regardless of brand you need to be pretty close to a year 2000 model for any kind of decent safety. From there the exact year will depend on the make. Also for the huge km's you are doing its only going to be a false economy trying to run something older.
When I mentioned Volvo's I was meaning the likes of a V40 or similar.
It might be time to take a step back and give us some feedback on whats on your mind so we can make more informed suggestions. Did the Mrs approve a Punto or has she gone off that idea!
phillip.weston,
Apr 3, 3:45pm
I think with their $3500 budget it isn't going to get them a close to a 2000 Volvo, well at least a good condition one with no issues.
thejazzpianoma,
Apr 3, 4:08pm
They arn't super thick on the ground by but they are around. The hard part is getting one not running a Mitsi GDI motor. Repo cars had a 2001 V40 with low km's that went yesterday for 4K, I would have pointed it out but it was running the 1.8.
The S40 is often the slightly cheaper one and is also a great option.
That said, the Punto is going to still win out on running cost by quite a margin. Pretty much in the price range with that level of safety the Punto is going to bethe cheapest thing on the market to run/own. I can't think of anything else that will match that level of economy + safety and remain on or close to budget.
phillip.weston,
Apr 3, 4:18pm
Most of the ones I've seen seem to have the Volvo 2.0 engine in them, I haven't actually seen a Mitsi 1.8 GDI powered one in the flesh (yet). The 1.8 is not a bad engine so long as they are looked after.
thejazzpianoma,
Apr 3, 4:20pm
toysky, I might have found the perfect thing!
Check this out, its local, the right model, manual, low kms, the right year and the right motor. Will probably go for a good price too.
This would be exactly what I would get (assuming its in good nick and checks out).
Its also the more economical motor, but when its for someone else I get a bit nervous, especially now they are older. The cheaper ones are often the 1.8.
Anyhow, hopefully the poster will take a shine to what I posted above, it would be perfect in my opinion.
magoo2,
Apr 3, 6:45pm
none of my cars have airbags,and one of them has no seatbelts.I never feel unsafe in any of them
toysky,
Apr 4, 9:28am
I am sorry to dissapoint you all. After 4 days of trippin up an down Timaru to Ashburton I have not seen 1 fiat of any description. Last night I bought a 2 owner Nissan sentra Q hatchback 114k nz new $3100.00 --------------------- SORRY !
johnf_456,
Apr 4, 9:45am
I'm not disappointed, its your choice you don't have to listen to what others say. Nothing wrong with Sentras.
phillip.weston,
Apr 4, 11:32am
what year was the Sentra!
cocabowla,
Apr 4, 11:41am
no need to be sorry , you asked for opinions and got some, some good some very biased and one or 2 of no use. at the end of the day its your money to buy whatever you like and you're happy with.
vtecintegra,
Apr 4, 11:44am
Look for the ETi - its a 1500cc SOHC VTEC specifically designed with economy in mind (its actually less powerful than the basic non-VTEC and has really tall gearing)
meeshel,
Apr 4, 11:47am
my partners brother had a mate killed on the road last year. (high speed head on) his airbag didnt go off and was killed instantly. his brother sitting next to him. lived. but the airbag snapped his neck. maybe he rolled off the side of it. i dont know
a friend of mine had a head on. about 80kph. she snapped her ankle from stomping on the brake so hard. but thats it
i would only ever have a car with airbags now
toysky,
Apr 4, 5:55pm
Sentrais a 1996
smac,
Apr 5, 6:17am
An airbag breaking someone's neck sounds like no seatbelt being worn.
phillip.weston,
Apr 5, 6:38am
If it's an N15 that's reasonable buying, if you got the last of the N14s, well, I think you paid alot of money for a mediocre car.
richardmayes,
Apr 5, 11:52am
LOL - strong contribution.
The way you talk about small cars "rebounding" off other objects, it almost sounds like fun!
smac,
Apr 5, 12:56pm
A smaller car (or more importantly it's passengers) may or may not fare better against "lots of steel" in an accident. But either way it's not due to the simple "mass versus mass" equation you're talking about. Crashes are incredibly complex, and you're dumbing it down too much.
richardmayes,
Apr 5, 2:03pm
Do the maths.
Have a head-on with identical car, coming the other way at the same speed, and the conservation of momentum means both will come to a dead stop as per the NCAP test, with the same rate of deceleration generated in the NCAP test. So the deceleration and resultant forces the NCAP crash test dummies experienced is (probably) pretty directly applicable.
Have a head-on with something twice your mass, coming the other way at the same speed, and the conservation of momentum means that after the crash the bigger object will have lost less speed than the smaller object, in the same time, and the rate of deceleration through the crash is correspondingly a lot higher in the smaller object.
Will airbags help you ride this out! I don't know. But in 2005 I walked away from being rear-ended hard by an SUV doing twice my speed on the motorway, and I owe that to old british steel, no airbags were involved!
smac,
Apr 5, 5:00pm
Richard you're still talking about calculations based on solid objects. Doesn't apply.
richardmayes,
Apr 6, 7:30am
Correct I'm ignoring the details of the crumpling.
But A cyclist is not a solid object, nor is a Mercedes truck carrying a container full of steel. Would the new 2011 Suzuki Whatsit really not feel any difference, having a 50km/h head-on with a cyclist vs a 50km/h head-on with a Mercedes truck carrying a container full of steel! No difference at all!
If so I will definitely be buying one. Sounds like great technology.
smac,
Apr 6, 7:38am
I'm curious.what DO you drive!
richardmayes,
Apr 6, 8:04am
A Triumph 2.5PI, although I don't see where you're going with this!
mr_lovebug,
Apr 6, 8:12am
You only need air bags IF you plan to crash your car & you want it writen off.
I have seen cars turn up at pick a part cos the air bags have been set off when the car was getting worked on.
Personally my car (a 98) don't have ANY air bags,when I had a oops & had to get it fixed late last year it was close to getting writen off.Without air bags.
smac,
Apr 6, 8:25am
Right. So you're advocating 60's-70's bulk steel over a more modern design to withstand crash damage! Go for it, hopefully other people reading this see the lack of logic when this is combined with statements like "Correct I'm ignoring the details of the crumpling. "
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