Considered opinion.the clown that writes the Dog and Lemon is a Corolla loving idiot who hates virtually everything else without real valid reasons. All the models you are looking at are fine as long as they have been maintained well.
johnf_456,
Aug 7, 5:16pm
Nothing wrong with those choices for a first car but like above get someone who is mechanically minded to check them out or a get a check done.
blodz,
Aug 7, 5:26pm
yeah +1 to that dog and lemon guide just had a FTO which was a great quick car and the dog and lemon guide says its a madmen or enthusits car i mean sure i was an enthusiast but thats a bit harsh
kazbanz,
Aug 7, 5:29pm
Sueh-There is NOTHING wrong with the pulsar. They are a good reliable little car. keep in mind also she is working to a very limited budget so what car thatd and l recomend is she going to be able to afford! I MUST say though. Her budget constraints mean I would judge each car on a case by case basis. The cars you have selected might be utter piles of rubbish-or might be rerally nice well looked after cars. My FIRST question would be-"how long have you owned it" My only concern with the mazda familia's is they have fallen out of the "ma and pa" kind of owner and became quite popular with the backwards hat fraternity. -But again case by case basis -it could be a car owned by a little old lady As others have said --once you have semi decided then I'd get a mechanical inspection doneand if not a mechanical person --have it explkained to you by someone who is
sueh,
Aug 7, 5:35pm
Thank you all very much, I'm sure I'll be back with more questions soon!
sueh,
Aug 7, 5:42pm
Lol at "backwards hat fraternity".
kcf,
Aug 7, 5:46pm
The Dog and Lemon guide is generally regarded as the most hilarious bit of motoring fiction ever written, just FYI.
The author is frequently referred to in polite company as being "that idiot who wrote the Dog and Lemon guide".
kcf,
Aug 7, 5:51pm
The 323's will go for fairly good money, as they are far more popular than the Pulsar / Sentra range for no particularly good reason.The Pulsar's can rust quite nicely around the front door hinge area, and around the rear guards.Electrics on both Pulsar / 323 aren't the most wonderful things around, so you will find non working electric windows and inside fans are pretty common features.Both models if you can get an EFI version rather than a carb'd version you're more likely to have an enjoyable vehicle.
But, if you're in the $2k first car market, nothing you are looking at is going to be a wonderful or faultless vehicle.Just goes with the territory of that sort of budget.
Corolla / Pulsar / 323 / Starlet all are going to be pretty decent vehicles that shouldn't break the bank, and will be as good as whatever the maintenance schedule has been by the previous owners.
ceebee2,
Aug 7, 6:26pm
The best apsect of Nissans is that they do not have cam belts and are quite peppy engines for their size, easy on the pocket for new / second hand parts. I bought Nssans for 2 of my three kids with very few issues.
sueh,
Aug 7, 6:54pm
ceebee2 do you mean all Nissans or just the Pulsar! We are looking at Sentra also.
sueh,
Aug 7, 6:54pm
Does anyone have any comments about the safety ratings of these cars! Thanks
vtecintegra,
Aug 7, 7:03pm
None of them are at all good by modern standards.
The Pulsar will be a bit better than those Mazdas by virtue of being newer, but it wasn't a particularly safe model for its time.
sueh,
Aug 7, 7:08pm
So what would be regarded as a safe model in this price range! Thanks
spongefrisk,
Aug 7, 7:45pm
I think Sentra was the name they used in NZ before they changed to pulsar. I have a 96 Sentra Hatch 1600cc. Same as most of the pulsar hatches that are 1500cc Jap imports. Has now done something like 265000 km's. Nothing major spent on it. I think I have done a left front wheel bearing and just had the rear brake shoes and cylinders done and I have owned it from around 90,000kms I think. Keep it serviced about every 10,000kms and keeps trucking along.
sueh,
Sep 21, 6:07am
Thanks for that spongefrisk.
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