Suggestions for car for learner.

Morning. I have a friend who wants a cheap car approx $3k for her to use as a run around and for her 17yo son to learn to drive in. Needs to be a manual, not over ~1600 for insurance reasons and obviously pretty reliable with minimal chance of major repairs. Looking at Corollas (plus sub-models) and pulsars. Any other suggestions that might be worth a look?

Thats a good start. avoid mitsis at all costs

peas--The following is passed on personal experience rather than as a car dealer.
Number 1 son is now 19 His first and so far only car is a Manual Nissan Sunny done 300000 km.Other than normal vehicle servicing its cost him nothing.
EX wife I purchased a 1996 manual sunny for now 11 years ago. it was totally abused the that entire time and I don't think it was ever serviced
For number two son I bought a starlet
All have been reliable for your sort of purpose

Pulsar/corolla, best cheap cars out there.

Problem is they're not cheap, especially corollas. Their reputation puts prices up and sometimes a really good car of same year and condition can be a lot less. So for the same money you can get more car for your buck but still get good car. Mazda 323, Honda civic, holden Astra, come to mind, arguably more reliable as May have lot less miles for same money. You could get a civic with close on 100,000 km, maybe even nz new, for this money.
I'd much rather a civic than a corolla or pulsar, far nicer drive.

same here except ours is a 94 corona manual , corona slightly larger more comfy I rekon

I had considered Civics. The Corona's 2.0l will have the insurance shuddering with a 17yo behind the wheel I would think.

my corona has a 1600 engine 4afe same as corolla

Yes tamarillo to Civic, no to Astra, the pulsar is very good to drive, we have two in the family, one with 250k, still tight as, Also we have a nissan primera with the 1800 in it, that has the best automatic gearbox of all of them, and rides the smoothest, all very reliable and cheap.

You are looking at some of the most over rated and over priced cars in the segment. They are also cars that often appeal to people who neglect them.

The badge on the front actually means very little when it comes to reliability, especially when a vehicle is that age. Km's, type of use and servicing are far more significant factors.

I have owned lots of very nice sub 3K cars, and look for the "hidden gems", the very good well respected (in other parts of the world) cars that our silly NZ "japanese or nothing" attitude causes them to be over looked and under priced.

You should be able to wind up with something about 10 years newer with half the km's and significantly safer if you go down this track and use a little time, common sense and patience. Some suggestions are:

Fiat Punto (2000 or newer)
Fiat Stilo
Fiat Panda (2005 or newer, bought ours for $3500)
Citroen Xsara
Citroen Xsara Picasso (if he doesn't mind the look)
Peugeot 206

Don't forget to budget for bringing ALL maintenance properly up to date and keep it that way. That's your best insurance against expensive repairs.

The vehicles above are galvanised so no rust worries. All are very good in a crash. All are good on fuel, Citroens and Peugeots often appeal to old people so buying absolutely pristine examples is often easy. The Citroen/Peugeot 1.4 and 1.6 single cam engines are some of the simplest, most reliable and easily serviced engines on the planet. The Fiat 1.2 and 1.6 unit's are phenomenally reliable and ultra efficient. Just service them properly, always changing the waterpumps with the timing belt and not neglecting coolant and oil changes. Fiat and Citroen/Peugeot parts are easily available and well priced in this country with new and used available and plenty of third party part importers.

Remember the winning formulae is:
* Pick a top example (low km's, gentle use, evidence of good servicing)
* Bring ALL servicing up to date as the manufacturer intended (and some in some cases).
* Keep it that way.

Best of luck with your hunt.

Puntos ate hard to find under 3k. youll be hard pressed to find a 2004+ for under 3k

Make sure you get him something he wants to drive and look after, The popular cars are popular for plenty of reasons, Don't get something too electronic that will cost an arm and leg to fix, otherwise you will have to throw it away. Talk to your local mechanic who will look after it, be careful out there. Good luck.

tell her shes dreaming

cheap cars are cheap for a reason

kiwis are bad for buying low & selling high - if its worth good money it will be sold for good money. the idea of selling a car for what its actually worth is an anathema most people

buying cheap is a lottery - theres always going to be someone you can find who was a "winner".

even when you find a carefull owner who treated it nice & serviced it regularly, it could still wind up coming out with expensive breakdowns after the purchase

just looking for a good model is no guarantee

I like to think of it more like playing poker. There is an element of skill and an element of chance. The idea is to capitalise on your skill to increase your odds significantly, by keeping a cool head, and playing with logic/math not emotions.

Sadly though, everyone wants to leave the poker table and rush to the roulette wheel. Where they throw everything on black because years of social pressure has told them black is "lucky" and the only option to play.