Advice when buying a car (4k-6k range)

Hi Daniel,
Any genuine seller should be more than happy to let you get a pre-purchase inspection. I would suggest you avoid the VTNZ or AA pre-purchase inspections though, as they seem to charge a lot of money and do a pretty poor job.

Just ask to take it to a decent mechanic, ideally a specialist who knows plenty about the make/model you are looking at. I would definitely suggest you get an inspection once you have found a car you are happy with.

With regard to the VW, you are in luck. VW parts are well priced and easily available in NZ. Just be aware you will get a lot of people without much clue who just hate on anything not Japanese so you need to be careful sorting the real from the imagined.

The Beetle in general is an O.K car (although that particular one is not recommended), personally though I think the VW Golf is much better even though they are mechanically much the same. You should be able to get a MK4 Golf in your budget and those are an excellent car for the money. The only real issue with the Golf is many people don't maintain the automatic transmission, this can lead to a very expensive failure. So either buy manual or get one that is going nicely with lowish km's or service history and service it properly straight away. This apply's to many cars of the age not just VW's.

The Corolla in your link like most Corolla's is absurdly over priced. You can do a LOT better than that for your money.

Likewise the Suzuki is a pretty lack luster vehicle, while the km's are lower again you can do much better.

Aside from the Golf my other pick's in your price range would be the Fiat Punto and possibly the Fiat Stilo ( but come back for more info as the Stilo can be a bit niggly ) Fiat parts are also cheap and easy to get, they are nice and reliable too.

Hope that helps.

www.carjam.co.nz is a good place for outstanding finance on the vehicle, if its been stolen etc.It costs for a complete report, but you'll get some facts on it. Spend some money with the AA and get an AA report on the one you like.Ask in advance how much it costs for an AA inspection.

I would also suggest you consider travelling to pick up a vehicle. Its well worth the effort as you should be able to get a MUCH better car than those ones you have linked to locally. Its well worth the extra effort.

Something I've found useful when buying cars, look for a car towards the lower end of your range in a mint condition rather then one that would usually be out of your range but cheaper due to poor condition/mileage etc. Saves you the potential of it being a lemon/neglected etc in the future.

Thanks for the tip

im not saying jazz's advise is bad or wrong but as someone who maybe has little vehicle knowledge it is only fair to warn you that his advise is VERY one eyes towards european cars and any time some one asks a question regarding what car to but he hammers the thread with recommendations of VW and Fiat and bad mouths ANYTHING japanese. Im sure most people will back me up on this

I'm hoping that I will get a few people to recommend a few cars

Either one car will be recommended alot or I'll get a better idea of what to look for in a car

If you want recommendations you will need to list things like what you are using the car for, what class/type of vehicle, seats, etc that you would prefer. A lot of variety in what you can buy, even in that price range!

That Punto dosn't look too bad, little heavy on the price though. That one is a CVT, which is the way to go for a little auto car as it will give you the best of power and economy, but only if its a well built CVT (which the Fiat one is) with service history. Some, like the one in the Honda Jazz just don't last.

The good thing with that one is its got low enough km's that if you serviced it straight away you should be O.K.

CVT Service is a bit pricey, allow at least $350, timing belt, tensioners, waterpump done properly on the Punto not sure (as I do them myself). I would say at least $500 maybe a bit more. If you call Italian Auto Centre in Auckland and ask that will give you a good ballpark figure to compare locally.

You can also order parts from them and they may lend you or your mechanic the cam locking tools if you buy parts from them, then you can do the job properly and easily.

That Stilo is a bit pricy for those km's IMO. Compare it to the Auckland one in the link to see what I mean.

In general, since you don't seem to mind auto/manual (I see you have been looking at both) I would strongly suggest you stick to manual if possible. Like I said when referring to the VW. If a car is going to have an expensive problem in that age group it will likely be the transmission. People just don't maintain them and they often don't last. For a car in this price range the cost of an Auto transmission rebuild could be as much as the car is worth. This applies to pretty much all auto cars in your price range, some will last a bit better than others if service is neglected but its always a concern. Its a bit different if you are buying a much newer or low km vehicle.

I am not so keen on the Ford Ka as a vehicle, it just isn't in the same league as the Punto. You will see what I mean when you drive them and compare spec.

The Stilo and Punto are both really safe cars. Even the smaller Punto is at least an NCAP 4 and some versions are higher. You get 2 -6 airbags, pre tensioners, ABS and a really solid passenger cell in those.

I will have a look at what else is available in your area when I get some time and post some ideas. Ideally, I think you need to drive some of the suggestions so you can appreciate the big differences between them.

As mentioned above I do usually recommend European cars. That's simply because Japanese cars are grossly over valued in NZ. Because NZ's used vehicle market has revolved almost solely around used Japanese imports for years they have become over hyped and over valued. Its not my fault, its just how it is.

So unless you don't want good value for money there are very few Japanese cars worth recommending.That should be obvious to see comparing the likes of that Corolla to the Stilo for value, especially when you compare the spec of the Stilo by comparison.

Go thejazzpianoma. Jesus.

all ford ka have vanished on european roads due to rust.just a hint plenty fiats still exist them are galvanised and resist rust better

Economy.

98 or newer, 1500cc - 2L, cheap to run & maintain, don't care about power, I would prefer 4/5 door, but 3 door is fine
I'm 6'4 so sporty cars usually don't have enough head room
Make doesn't matter, Its just something to run around the city in with the rare trip to Wellington.

I wouldn't of ever looked at an Escort but it looks nice

The Escort sounds ideal for what you want. They are a pretty good car and with low km's, good history and nice condition its a pretty good recipe for success.

My only issue with the escort is that one is fairly basic, but I get the impression that isn't likely to worry you too much. Compare it to the Corolla you were looking at (which is a similarly spec'd car) and it represents significantly better value.

I will have a bit more look when I get time in case anything else jumps out at me.

BTW, economy is another reason to go for manual in a car of that age. With the exception of the CVT Punto most automatics will sap quite a lot of your economy especially around town.

Also. be aware that CC rating isn't necessarily as good a guide to performance as you might suspect. For example, the 1.2 Litre Punto twin cam CVT will easily out perform a 1.6 Corolla Auto.

In general, you may find European (especially German) cars are designed a bit better to suit your height. Not just headroom but all the little things like seatbelt height adjustment, headrests, steering wheel positioning, seat height etc. It all adds up to being a lot more comfortable if tall.

I can't remember what the Escort is like in this respect (been a while since I sat in one, and I notice less being a bit shorter) but I think it will be O.K.

BTW, some might nit pick my saying the Escort is a similarly spec'd car to that Corolla. I am talking about the cars in general, admittedly the exact Corolla you are looking at does have alloys, air con and a few extra bits. As opposed to say the Stilo which is quite an evolutionary step forward on both cars in terms of spec.

Basic doesn't really worry me

I put the CC rating mainly to keep the fuel cost low but a little bit of omph is nice

I see the Fiat and Golf is still the preferred choice being suggested to the novice buyer over the corolla, namely for higher spec and slightly more power.
All the 'higher spec' options mentioned, have been on most jappas for the last 15 years (seat belt adjustment/ headrests/ tilt steering etc) except for perhaps seat height adjustment.
As far as power is concerned, I don't think most people would mind getting to the speed limit in a second or two slower than the Punto. Afterall, we are talking of a $4-6K price range here and let's face it, neither are performance cars.
If buying new, Jazz has a point they are very reliable if the servicing is kept up to date. Problem is, these are 15 year old $4-6K cars and this is unlikely to be the case. At this age, the Corolla is almost certainly going to give you more reliability and lower maintenance costs.
Unless your an enthusiast like Jazz, I would not buy a Fiat, despite our selectively knowledgeable friends one eyed, blinkered glowing endorsement.

Yes the carolla might be a better buy if you dont like driving but thats not what the op wanted was it and he is 6.4 not going to fit in a carolla

I've had a civic, 91 prelude and a ferio all of which are smallish cars and I had enough head room

Carolla might be a better buy of I don't like driving!

Another tgray post without bothering to even read the thread.

If you had, you would understand its about value for money AND that the primary suggestion at the moment is actually a Ford Escort.

Why don't you make some useful suggestions for a change instead of just hacking on others genuine efforts to be helpful.

No one is stopping you from posting links to Corolla's that represent similar value for money and condition/km's to the Escort I suggested.

He is saying that the Corolla is very bland to drive, which is true.

I am more concerned though that they are terrible value for money because they are over hyped and grossly over valued in NZ.

Also, the little bit of supposed extra reliability you might get from one is going to be well undone because you are generally going to be looking at a higher km, older and less maintained vehicle for your money.

If you have a look through the Corolla's for sale and compare what you are getting in terms of km's/year and condition to the Escort you will no doubt see what I mean. (If you havn't already from the Corolla you were initially looking at)

That sounds very defensive Jazz.
In reply I would say I did read the thread and your original reply was saying the punto and golf over the corolla.
Useful suggestions! I thought I did make one - buy a corolla.
Value for money!
A 1998 corolla is worth the same as a 2001 punto.
Doesn't make the Fiat a better buy for the money.
I feel I am in a position to contribute in a helpful way to the original poster, as I sold 174 cars last year and had no comebacks at all.
That would not have been the case if I were selling Euros.
As far as escorts are concerned, I don't know enough about them, so didn't post.
Jazz, I think you should go a little easier on people who don't share your views. This message board can accommodate contrary opinions. The fact we don't agree is fine by me and gives the original poster information to make an informed choice.

buy the corolla may be bland but you wont have your hand in pocket for over priced repairs!. Mines done 560k and ive spent bugger all on her:)

No, you were the one who came out in your first post and said

"Unless your an enthusiast like Jazz, I would not buy a Fiat, despite our selectively knowledgeable friends one eyed, blinkered glowing endorsement"

That was unnecessarily rude, and very disrespectful after the effort I went to helping the OP, you got as good as you gave so you don't get to climb on your high horse.

You are welcome to your opinions but don't make personal attacks and then complain because the person you attacked bites back.

Which Corolla!
The one that's done 4 times as many km's as the Escort and has a higher reserve!

Why not post some links to Corolla's in the OP's price range that you recommend!

The last comment was tongue in cheek and I forgot to post the smiley face.

For the record daniel_c I have actually owned two Corolla's of the age group/price we are discussing here. We have also had the Escort, Punto's and Stilo's in question in the family as well.

I work on them, pay for parts and drive them. When I have been to busy with work I paid for others to service them.

The Corolla's were considerably more thirsty than the 1200cc Fiat yet were not as fast. They didn't break down, but neither did our Punto's or Stilo and the Escort has been the picture of reliability as well.

The thing is Toyota don't have any sort of "magic wand" that makes their cars more reliable than everyone elses. They have a slight edge over some of the competition because they build very simple cars and their quality control is good.

However the vast majority of modern cars are well built with good quality control too. All cars have moving parts that wear out over time and will wear quicker if abused and servicing is neglected.

Buying a particular "Badge" instead of a lower km, better maintained vehicle with known history that is also a respected model is just silly, if reliability and low running costs are your aim.

There are one or two known lemons in the market but they are few and far between. If you could buy a Corolla in similar condition and age to the likes of the Escort for the same sort of money I would certainly be suggesting them, but the value just isn't there.