Im thinking about selling my car an getting a cheaper one.
Im looking at spending about $3500, Im wanting a small car good on gas. I have looked at a few on tm, but Im yet to come across one with a service history. . . .
It neds to be reliable for my work as I have to travel localy to clients.
I have never purchased an old car before, and not sure about no service history records ect.
Im thinking a toyotal starlet would be a good option.
splinter67,
Oct 10, 11:28am
What do you expect for 3.5 k reliable and service history cost more than that how about a nice bicycle
millerz08,
Oct 10, 11:31am
I have always sold my cars with a service history, so I thought some cars would have one.
ceebee2,
Oct 10, 11:38am
I would recommend as first choice any of the Nissans, Pulsar, Sentra, Sunny. These are "no frills" ecoonmical relaible cars with no cambelt worries.
Second choice would be Mazda familia, 323, Astina, these cars all have cam belts but are good for reliability, economy.
pericles,
Oct 10, 11:43am
I picked up a mazda 323 for son, it has no probs
millerz08,
Oct 10, 11:58am
I was also looking at a Mazda famila. It done about 200km, but has sevices records. I forgot to ask about the cambelt though.
I have a Mazda 2/demio 2007 I recently purchased, but Im thinking I will sell while I can still get a good price, as I need some extra money.
Not sure if im making the right choice or not though.
smac,
Oct 10, 12:02pm
Weigh up what you'll lose in selling the car, versus the cost of credit.
If you'll lose $3k selling a car that otherwise suits you, but will pay less than that in interest if you borrow the money.
robotnik,
Oct 10, 12:13pm
I suggest a Fiat Punto. Another poster will be along soon to explain why.
r15,
Oct 10, 5:01pm
i suggest not anything european in this price range for the same reason most people don't own them.
n1smo_gtir,
Oct 10, 5:13pm
tbh if i was in your position, i'd keep the late model demio as been a much newer car, it's a heck alot more reliable, you buy a cheap runabout and you could be paying over the roof for maintenance when the car starts packing the sad, a car with full service history is very rare these days, you and a few others might still do it but the chances are that alot of old cars gets changed hand that many times, the service history gets lost down the track.
if you must, i had a 96 nissan pulsar 2dr hatch that's 1.5L. got it for $2600, went very well, never missed a beat, i've done my own oil changes and spark plug change and fuel filter changes.
Just make sure you check it out properly or you would end up making two mistakes: getting rid of a decent cheap runaround reliable demio and stuck with a lemon which will cost you more in long run.
chebry,
Oct 10, 5:54pm
Most people arent smart enough thats why they get sucked into the shiny shit box from Japan thats uncomfortable to drive but has a camchain which will last forever NOT
r15,
Oct 10, 5:59pm
amazing how focused some people are on camchains and cambelts.
they never influence my purchase, only it's a bonus to me if its been done recently.
japanese cars come as boring or as exciting as you're prepared to spend. however in this case it's $3500 which might get a nice little mid 90s corolla or pulsar or civic or something
- not very exciting compared to constant breakdowns in a shit old bmw / mercedes, or looking like an idiot driving an old poverty spec euro car, but thinking your hot s##t because its euro.meanwhile the rest of us laugh at you.
monaro17,
Oct 10, 6:06pm
Ahahahahaha. Who ever could you mean!
edangus,
Oct 10, 6:29pm
Keep ya current car if you can afford to.
807,
Oct 10, 6:30pm
" shiny shitbox from Japan " ! Don't think a lot of people would agree with that statement.
magicmat,
Oct 10, 6:36pm
Wow that is actually a great deal if it passes a mechanical inspection. The value of these things has plummeted big time since I last cared to take note. That is a lot of car for the money.
thejazzpianoma,
Oct 10, 6:44pm
Vote for the Punto 2000 or newer here too.
With one caveat though, you want service history for transmission fluid changes OR buy one with less than 80'000km OR buy a manual one.
The Punto is going to be one of the very few cheap small cars that will be properly safe (4 Star Plus NCAP with ABS, Multiple Airbags, Pre-Tensioners and a well designed bodyshell.
If going Auto its going to blitz the opposition on economy and even in manual it will be very difficult to beat. Its also got a lot more go and is far more capable on the open road than its Japanese equivalents.
You are more likely to get something like that with low km's and service history than a Startlet, Corolla etc and you should be getting a later one in better condition for your money too.
scoobeey,
Oct 10, 8:31pm
go for the corolla . might be boring but very reliable:)))))
fryan1962,
Oct 11, 6:23am
I thought a runabout was a boat
thejazzpianoma,
Oct 11, 6:31am
Nope, the term has also been an official motoring one since at least the days of the Model T. (When you could buy a Ford T Runabout)
fryan1962,
Oct 11, 6:40am
And I was going to believe you
Then I typed runabout into google.boatshave a look
Runabout From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia A runabout is a small vehicle: Runabout (boat), a small boat Runabout (car), an antique car body style, and the name of a 1964 concept car Runabout (carriage), a type of horse-drawn vehicle Runabout (series), a series of destruction driving video games Runabout (Transformers), the name of two different characters in the Transformers universe Runabout (Star Trek), a type of spacecraft in the Star Trek universe
thejazzpianoma,
Oct 11, 6:44am
True. and if you go to www.penisland.net you can buy writing instruments.
Welcome to the English language.
thejazzpianoma,
Oct 11, 7:45am
When buying a cheap small car the last thing I am worried about is what others think. I am buying a car for ME not them.
For $3500 the best value is generally the hidden gems. Those are often really good internationally respected vehicles that are shunned in NZ simply because people believe the car dealer nonsense. Which is usually uninformed wives tales used to sell over priced and under featured Japanese imports.
Its up to you OP, you can buy a much older, less safe and out dated vehicle in the hope that some magical fairy badge on the front will protect you from doing any maintenance or breakdowns.
Or you can buy something newer and likely better looked after.
r15,
Oct 11, 4:20pm
i love my magic fairy toyota badge, it's kept bad things away from my wife and my own vehicles for years! and most of my family too
thejazzpianoma,
Oct 11, 4:27pm
Ahh the old scientific test without the control group routine!
Problem with that is I have a collection of what are supposedly some of the most unreliable badges on the planet. Yet despite doing serious km's (had a small fleet of them for work vehicles too) I have had to tend to almost nothing except scheduled maintenance.
I have enjoyed significantly nicer vehicles with better fuel consumption for a much smaller price tag over that time too. Our Installers Multipla for example cost less than half in running costs (including maintenance) compared to my friends Toyota van he used for a similar purpose. I paid half as much for the much safer and more comfortable Multipla than he did at purchase time too.
Oh and the extended families fleet of similar vehicles have been similarly problem free. In the last 10 years I can remember a crook coil pack (replaced under warranty), a MAF sensor and a VVT solenoid, and that's about it from about a dozen cars, some of which were 10 years old.
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