Ok i currently own a holden. Wonderful on the open road. Just too costly running around town. . Need to downsize car wise. Im returning to study soon, so need a dam good run about for the next 3 years while im on a limited income, so dont want to be worrying about a car breaking down. Im working on aprox $10,000 budget. Ive been browsing trademe. Seems to be loads of people importing at selling onwards. Surely some of these are a good idea to buy! I like the look of some of the hatchbacks.Any advice appreciated
morrisman1,
May 8, 4:56am
how much will you get for your holden! No sense spending $5000 to save $500 a year in fuel.
ks1972,
May 8, 5:03am
Hmm. Holden worth at least $8-$9000. We are just going to be on a real low income for the next few years. Im for ever running around town after kids. Now will be driving around town more with gettin across town everyday for myself also
morrisman1,
May 8, 5:11am
Why are you setting a $10,000 budget then! You can get a pretty good car for less than $5000 if you know what to look for. If finance is going to be a problem then having a $10,000 car should be your last priority.
ks1972,
May 8, 5:14am
Morrisman1 true. Thats why im here for advice. I dont know a hell of alot about cars. And im guessing a lot of people in this thread do. :)
morrisman1,
May 8, 5:17am
What do you need your car to do! We may be able to recommend a good value model which will get you through until you have the income to get something fancier.
trdbzr,
May 8, 5:18am
It would be helpful if you listed your preferences eg engine size range, transmission, how many people you will likely carry etc
ks1972,
May 8, 5:22am
I need it to be economical. Reliable. Its generally only going to be driven around town (apart from the odd trip to visit rellies 1 hour away). I have 2 school aged kids.I certainly dont have to spend $10,000, but i dont feel happy spending $3000, as i really dont want to be having to many major dramas for the next 3/4 years. Hope this make sense
ks1972,
May 8, 5:23am
Im not fussy auto or manual. Im guessing 1800 would be good engine size!
mm12345,
May 8, 5:23am
Not really important.You can get a VW Golf or Fiat Multipla for less than $10k.Both are supremely reliable, can tow horse floats, and don't use any fuel at all.
trdbzr,
May 8, 5:26am
They can even leave Landcruiser, Pajero's etc for dead when it comes to really rough off road terrain as well.
morrisman1,
May 8, 5:26am
You can also get a 2012 Fiat for less than $10,000. You just gotta wait for the right deal to come up, in about 6 years time.
trdbzr,
May 8, 5:33am
Ok for something pretty much bullet proof reliable, something like a Corolla, Pulsar, Wish, Caldina, Wingroad etc will be pretty good for you. The best part about cars like these are that in the very rare occasion something does break, it will be very cheap to repair. Now there are certain cars to avoid though. Any of the older Toyota's with the 2L D4 engine, and the older Nissan's with CVT transmission and Neo engines, any Mitsubishi that says GDI. Be weary of the pre 2002 Mazda SP20 because they do have weak transmissions.
Avoid anything Euro because they are no where near as reliable and they are generally more expensive to fix when something does go wrong.
morrisman1,
May 8, 5:37am
How about a late 90's model Nissan pulsar, sunny, sentra or lucino. They are all basically the same car but the Pulsar is the trendiest one. Some real bargains can be found in the less popular models like lucino or sunny.
1500cc or 1600cc doesnt matter for you, they both go alright. Yes they are essentially trouble free engines, very well built and easy to work on too. The only problem that keeps coming up is air flow meter failing and needing rebuilt, a couple hundred dollars if you get the misfortune of that happening. Most don't do it so don't stress.
The driving experience is nothing too inspiring but not bad none the less.
This is just an options and is in no way the only option!
ks1972,
May 8, 5:42am
thanks guys - (guessing you are guys) Appreciate your help. I will have to have a good hunt. Im guessing you wouldnt advise me to look at thses imports on trademe (that appear to be everywhere on tradme)!
mm12345,
May 8, 5:45am
These are usually very easy to fix.Hardest part is cutting the plate off to get into them, but I've done them in about 20 minutes without removing the throttle body.I know that there's a bit of a market in "recond" units for $200 - I should set up to do them.At half that price you could still make a killing.
morrisman1,
May 8, 5:45am
Well most of our vehicle fleet has come in though importing companies. I certainly wouldn't say run away but as with any vehicle it is important to have them looked at by a competent mechanic
trdbzr,
May 8, 5:46am
Tens of thousands of people buy imported cars every year and most of them do fine. Just make sure to get a full proper pre purchase inspection and buy a mechanical warranty if you want for peace of mind. If you do want a NZ New car then have a look, they will be on here as well. Just be careful because some sellers think that NZ New means brought 2nd hand into NZ and being the first registered owner, when in fact it means bought brand new in NZ and has a full NZ service history.
morrisman1,
May 8, 5:52am
I had a realization the other day. All nine cars on our property are NZ new!
~ 91 Sentra - aussie built ~ 99 Primera - Jap built ~ 06 Tiida - Jap built I think ~ 94 Peugeot 405 - No country would want to take credit for that POS ~ 89 Mazda 121 - Jap or korean built ~ 57 Minor 1000 - nz built ~ 59 Minor 1000 - nz built ~ 63 minor 1000 - nz built ~ 66 minor LCV flatdeck - nz built
I dont have anything against imports either, just the way it has worked out
kazbanz,
May 8, 4:07pm
KS1972 --I'm a bit confused as to what you intend to do exactly. Are you thinking to buy a car then sell yours later ! are you thinking you will trade your comode in on a car! Do you have the $10000 as cash saved already or do you propose to finance the new car. -The reason I'm asking is that there may be a hole in your logic if the comode is really only going to sell for $5000 for example
ks1972,
May 8, 10:27pm
Hey kazbanz. I have the cash ready to spend. Once i have the new car i will sell the commodore and replace it back into my savings
a.woodrow,
May 8, 10:31pm
Personally I would just leave the money in the bank. It would be a long time before you made back the purchase price in fuel savings, and you have a more comfortable larger car to drive.
ninja_man,
May 8, 10:36pm
no point spending more than what the commodore is worth. it defeats the whole purpose of getting a cheaper car to run. You could always just advertise for swaps for a similar priced vehicle.
foxdonut,
May 8, 10:56pm
If you want a car that will do everything great then you can get a kick ass Honda Accord for 6-7 grand. Or a good one for 4-5 grand.
They'll tow light loads like trailers and small boats, fit kids, have a boot, go alright on the gas, wear pretty much any tire you put on them without having a fit and the older models have a clutch made from unobtainium.
spongefrisk,
May 8, 11:43pm
What are the specs of the commodore you are looking to sell!
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