just get a corolla, reliable, cheap on gas, decent size and not to bad to look at.
trdbzr,
May 14, 5:25am
Stay away from Mitsubishi, Subaru, Hyundai, Mazda, Euros etc. Just get something from Nissan, Toyota or Honda.
deviant.s,
May 14, 5:26am
I'm not talking about air bags, I'm talking about staying on the road.and in the event of an accident having a car that won't disintegrate completely. And I know Saab wouldn't be the best choice for reliability but it was an example of a safer car, reinforced pillars etc. My choice would be a BMW e34 or similar, nice wide profile sedan with plenty or metal between you and on coming traffic. All I know is after driving cars built for the open road I feel very unsafe in those plasticy toys :)
ninja_man,
May 14, 5:36am
nothing wrong with lancers. we had a gsr from new and not a single problem with it we put 250k on the clock. just goes tk show that if any car is looked after it can be reliable.
ninja_man,
May 14, 5:44am
an open road crash no matter wat car your in u will most likely get injured. Whats this so called car "built for the open road"! Is it a fully built race car will full roll cage!
morrisman1,
May 14, 6:01am
I know of a Nissan primera, p11 chassis (late 1990s), 1.8L, Mid 100,000km for sale at $2500 ono.
Very good car for the money. I think it is in Auckland
richardmayes,
May 14, 6:03am
As a gross generalisation, Toyotas, Nissans and Hondas are better built and more reliable than other Jappers - but any car will die if you never get it serviced, while many cars will live almost for ever if you look after them well.
On the open road / Auckland motorway you want to be driving a proper full-sized 4 door car that gives you some reasonable chance of walking away from a decent collision.
A lot of people seem to believe a crash will never happen to them and therefore worrying about crash safety is silly. Maybe they're right, but what if they're wrong! A lady going over 100km/h stacked her SUV into the back of my first car when I was going less than 40km/h in a traffic tailback on the Northern motorway. Before I walked away from the scene, the cop and the towie both said they reckoned I'd have probably been killed aged 24 if I'd been in some minimal little Jap hatchback from the 1980s or 90s. (So don't get one of those, they go fast and handle well and use minimal petrol but they are just not safe on the open road if anything goes wrong. )
Get a Honda Accord, or a Toyota Corona / Camry / Caldina, or a Nissan Bluebird or Maxima or Primera. Something with a decent amount of metal around you.
(And something that has room for your mates and plenty boxes of piss for the weekend.)
johnf_456,
May 14, 6:40am
If I was concerned about safety I would not even travel full stop. You could die from a guy running you over while crossing the road to get to work. Life is too short to worry about that sort of thing.
You cannot live in cotton wool for ever, did you never get hurt growing up!
morrisman1,
May 14, 6:47am
No fun in wrapping yourself in cotton wool but it is intelligent to take reasonable steps towards protecting yourself. Something late 90s minimum with that budget, and at least with airbags.
In the $4000 range there are a few good options but you cannot be too fussy unfortunately.
bitsy_boffin,
May 14, 6:48am
If you don't need to be carting junk or people, I'd second the Mk 1 MX5 suggestion.It's a very reliable car, that handles well, has no particular vices, looks great (IMHO), and is really very, very cheap.
stevo2,
May 14, 1:21pm
+1. If you're going to do a few highway trips, you might as well have some fun at the wheel.
scotthurst01,
May 14, 2:03pm
There's a 2002 pulsar on here for just over 4k, the shape is the same as the bluebird sylphy, they're also quite economical to run.
rovercitroen,
May 14, 2:46pm
A GOOD well looked after Mercedes Benz 190E 2 litre. These STILL drive well compared to many much newer cars and parts / service needn't be expensive either. And at least you have some crash safety compared to a 4k Corolla, Pulsar, 323, etc.
kazbanz,
May 14, 5:08pm
That depends on the motor/drivetrain
hippygal,
May 14, 5:57pm
Cool thanks for that will get my daughter to check out the thread when home from school as the car is for her :)
robotnik,
May 14, 6:02pm
When my child starts driving saferty will be of primary concern. His car will be something like a late model Falcon with a 5 star crash rating, lots of airbags and power for overtaking.
thejazzpianoma,
May 15, 12:06am
As much as I love those 156's I am not sure they are "first car" material. What kills the twin sparks for this purpose is the 3 year timing belt and the cost of doing it. Also, for 4K you are generally buying one that needs the timing belt done immediatly and that will add anything up to half the purchase price again. (you can get them done cheaper though with some shopping around and being a bit cunning).
If you had slightly more budget and perhaps slightly different circumstances I would be all for it though.
Oh, and that particular one in the link looks a bit knocked around and its selespeed which is not the greatest idea on a budget or for a new driver for that matter.
pebbles61,
May 15, 12:09am
My kid is gonna get a motorcycle =D.safe as brooooooooo!
red97,
May 15, 12:30am
mitsubishi mirages in particular like to have there oil and water checked every now and then
matthew111,
May 15, 12:32am
there are plenty of cars that are reliable for $1500
scotthurst01,
May 15, 1:03am
Says its a 1.6, so it'll be a QG16de engine.
r15,
May 15, 1:47am
a sohc vtec 1.5l civic would be cheap as motoring, or else for a high mileage traveller like yourself you may be interested in a diesel
trade4us2,
May 15, 6:57pm
My friend and I have Mazdas that are now over 20 years old, and are the most reliable cars we have ever owned.
I'd recommend a Japanese car, not European or Korean (or USA!) I think that Mitsubishi & Subaru are too complex and therefore unreliable. I think that Nissan & Honda like to have flashy and not well designed bodies. Toyota should be good but I have grave concerns about the recent accelerator problems. That shows me that Toyota have sacrificed reliabilty and simple design and made a simple device like the accelerator linkage into something dangerous.
So, back to Mazda. You may have to pay a bit more for a Mazda because they are popular.
ringo2,
May 15, 7:02pm
I don't think that you will a late model Toyota for $2000.
hippygal,
May 16, 2:56pm
Awesome :) thanks.
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