pot calling kettle black there . you cant possibly believe a 3k euro would be a better car than a 3k jap car, any repairs ro a euro that value would be more than its worth surly
whqqsh,
May 5, 4:44am
have you owned a few of both to compare? we have & have found the euros are very reliable & contrary to popular belief parts & service costs are pretty good (BTW we use Qualitat) & often way cheaper than some of the shocks we got with some Jap parts
fordcrzy,
May 5, 10:38pm
a punto doesnt have the nana car tag. its kinda outta that sort of demographic. buying him a platz/echo you may as well throw in a David Baine cardigan to go with it. get a punto if you want something cheap to fix etc
mals69,
May 6, 12:46am
Finally someone with a brain.
No need to have owned both - the resale value of euro trash say's it all!
house2,
May 6, 1:18am
Thanks - we were concerned about those k's so I think we'll we'll disregard it - (unless maybe they have loads of records to show what has been done - I did email but no reply as yet). I did think that the k's would give us bargaining power.
We also disregarded the Polo since I posted, mainly due to its size - I saw one on my way home from work, our son is pretty tall and it looked tiny
I like that Fiat but its just a bit much - I doubt they'll drop to what we want.
Glad we are on the right track, we're feelign much more positive now about the VW/Fiat options after talking to a coupe of owners today - its hard though we have come up against some negativity as well. I'll revisit the puegeots tonight
Timewise we have a lad chomping at the bit (naturally), plus as we are out of town it is very handy for him to have his own wheels but in reality we don't HAVE to rush. Your comments come in really handy in that respect as we haven't seen what has come and gone over the months
Thanks again, I'll post more links as we go - if you get time to check them out it is apprectiated but please don't put yourself out :-)
fordcrzy,
May 6, 1:22am
IMO the most reliable car for 3K is a mazda MX5. seriously they dont rust like hatches do and they are pretty much bullet proof. most common problems are easily fixed and diagnosed by an active club and forum. find one with a roof no older than 4-5 years and your golden. ive had mine for 12 years and its only left me stranded ONCE when a failrly new sparkplug failed.
thejazzpianoma,
May 6, 1:43am
If you find the Polo too small the 206 may be as well. They do have a fairly good reputation in a collision though. Obviously size is a factor with safety but it isn't the be all and end all. The Xsara is basically a 206 mechanically and a bit bigger so may suit more, just not as many around.
With regard to the Punto, realistically the going rate on one like that is only about $3000 - $3500 with those km's in that condition. The pre-facelift version can be had even cheaper and it's essentially the same car (look for the longer front headlights). I wasn't so much saying "buy that one" as to say use it as more of a guide to compare to the others. I personally wouldn't pay that much for one, but at $3500 I would be considering it if I had that much to spend.
Just remember the MOST important thing is going to be the individual vehicle, how it's been treated and how you maintain it going forward when it comes to reliability. At that age/price the badge on the front is fairly well down the list on things that affect reliability.
Keep the links coming!
Oh, and none suitable on here at the moment but a Fiat Stilo with the 1.6 or 1.8 would be worth watching for too. Just not the "Abarth" which is the larger engined one. definitely not one of those!
johotech,
May 6, 2:00am
WHY hasn't anyone asked what your TEEN wants?
It took OP until post #37 to state that their teen was a male. I would have guessed female, from OPs choice of car.
Surely he would want something noisy, like a Subaru or Nissan? Like every other sensible teenager!
whqqsh,
May 6, 3:44am
nah, sez in the OP "HE wants a manual" solves the gender question for me
house2,
May 8, 6:11pm
Jazz - we are considering automatics now too, just seems to be so many more around. DO we have to think differently when considering this. Can you have a quick look at this & give your opinion https://www.turners.co.nz/Cars/Search/Volkswagen/Golf/14038709/ Cambelt done 13k ago
alfa13,
May 8, 7:20pm
House2 - that fiat punto is definitely worth a look.
house2,
May 8, 8:24pm
Thanks - it does look good - not too may k's etc, It's just that its a bit over budget. Think we're going to have to make a trip to the big smoke (grrr) so maybe we'll call in and see it
dinx,
May 8, 8:37pm
Dont rule out euros on turners. Was at an auction in person last night and they were not any getting bids so you could have got them for a real steal had I looked at them. I was looking at a couple of cars specifically but it was VERY noticeable they were not as popular.
Doesnt make time bad cars thou, just nervous buyers, the same ones paying too much for the old Toyotas lol. Its pretty insane what people pay/ask for Toyotas, they are great but overpriced at that end of the market IMHO.
dinx,
May 8, 8:41pm
Turners were def not meeting their auction estimates last night on the euros. Some went silly low prices because they have been passed in a couple of times. Auctioneer wasnt doing the selling now thing but truth was some didn't appear to even have a reserve or he was changing it on the spot due to lack of interest ;-) He was changing and throwing up the selling now banner when there was little interest on existing bids.
house2,
May 8, 8:43pm
This is what we feel too. I admit we are a bit nervous, but as you say it looks like we'll get more car for our money and its not like we're looking to spend a fortune. If it dies we'll have loads happily telling us I told you so :-).
dinx,
May 8, 8:58pm
Given what I saw last night be looking closer at them. I was eyeing up a couple of Colts, missed one cause I was being frugal and the other was passed in because when you add $400 buyers premium turners charge plus they wanted $400 on the road costs it was overpriced to me ;-) I should hv bid higher, #1 choice was nz new with service history but rough body, hindsight lol. And the viewing I had arranged on a private sale for after auction text me someone had hit buy now and purchased unseen.
thejazzpianoma,
Feb 6, 6:51pm
I am a bit luke warm on a MK4 Golf in Auto. They are getting quite old now and it's very hard to get one that hasn't been abused by either lack of transmission servicing or use of incorrect coolant (which causes the transmission cooler to block and the transmission to overheat). Coolant in a VW should always be pink/purple in colour, never ever green. If it has green coolant, give it a miss.
They are also a bit thirsty with the auto + old fashioned 2l engine combination.
If considering Auto, I would personally probably err more towards the Fiat Punto or Grande Punto. The Punto is CVT, and a particularly good unit, it still needs servicing every 40K or so though. Fuel economy is unaffected between manual/cvt in those. Likewise the dualogic automated manual in the Grande Punto is very good, great reliability, no servicing required, very long life unit.
Also, what ever you do, don't even think about buying a Peugeot or Citroen in Auto. They have one of the worst units for reliability around. Great in manual though, as is the Golf.
Also, be VERY wary of Turners cars. I have looked at several in the last week and all have serious issues that were either not disclosed or not properly disclosed. There are occasional bargains but you need to check them out in person and very very carefully. Don't trust the "mechanical report" in the window. I have bought a few bargains from Turners myself over the years, but a quality car from them is the exception rather than the norm. They are a bit of a dumping ground for cars needing expensive repairs.
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