Hi all. I am in the market for a new car (meaning pref brand new) and am at a bit of a loss what to buy. Have been putting it off for a few months but now need to make a purchase decision. Have a budget of $50,000 or thereabouts. Please don’t tell me to pay off my mortgage - this is a retirement vehicle. Do not need (nor want) an SUV, or stationwagon nor anything too large (no kids - just wife and I) so was thinking about a nice sedan. Company car was Commodore SV6 but would like smaller than that ideally, but not hatchback sized either. Not that keen on euro cars as have had a couple of disasters in the past - one a merc and one a Beemer, so definately NO Volkswagens or Fiats. The Subaru Legacy was quite appealing but I felt the 3.5 V6 a little on the larger engine size for us. The new Mazda 6 2.5 turbo is of interest and the Hyundai Sonata 2.4 Elite would probably suit too. So I am looking for suggestions of anything else I should consider, maybe even a hybrid or PHEV? Thanks.
sw20,
Jul 15, 1:04am
Ford Focus ST.
cjohnw,
Jul 15, 1:16am
Nah. Firstly, we were unlucky enough to own a Focus with the Powershit gearbox a few years back and vowed never to buy another Ford. Second it is only available in manual and thirdly, a bit too “boy racerâ€. Was thinking a bit more “lux†to be honest.
m16d,
Jul 15, 1:55am
Listing #: 1671481654
thejazzpianoma,
Jul 15, 2:02am
Volvo V40
thejazzpianoma,
Jul 15, 2:03am
Also, don't discount a modern hatch, for what it sounds like you are wanting a large hatch would probably make more sense. Hatch doesn't necessarily mean small car anymore, take a look at a Skoda Octavia to see what I mean.
thejazzpianoma,
Jul 15, 2:07am
Also, thinking about a traditional Sedan for that money, I think driving a Skoda Superb would be a good idea. Even if just to set a benchmark in terms of what you should be able to get for the money.
Although the more I think about it, the more I think the Superb could be exactly what you are looking for.
msigg,
Jul 15, 2:31am
For a smaller car you can,t go past the corolla, excellent vehicle all round, otherwise larger you could look at the Camry, Mazda or Hyundai, you really need to go to some of the dealers on a fine day and do some test drives to get a good fit and feel, all suggestions on here are personal and at the end of the day you must be happy with your purchase and keep it a long time. I think the hybrid options like the Camry are a good option because fuel is only going to go up in the future and the greenies will push that. Good luck.
bazfan,
Jul 15, 2:37am
What sort of KMs do you do per year? The Kia Optima is quite a nice sedan. TBH what about the new Mondeo liftback? I like the liftback styling personally over a sedan and its more practical.
Also can’t go wrong with the Mazda 6. The safety features of the Legacy with I-sight also put it right up there
vtecintegra,
Jul 15, 2:48am
I don't think you'll get a turbo 6 much under list, at least not for a while yet
Why does the larger engine in the Legacy matter to you?
3tomany,
Jul 15, 2:53am
You would get a Mondeo titanium for the coin you have. No worries about reliability with them and a lot of car for the coin. Although you dont need an suv escape titanium is on special for about 46k at the mo, again top spec and a lot of car for the coin. Failing that mazda6.
cjohnw,
Jul 15, 2:57am
Thanks, some good suggestions. Maybe I need to give more information. I am in early 60’s and now sold my business, handed the company car back and retired. We are currently building a house in the South Island and will move there early 2019 - so was attracted to the Subaru AWD (correct?). We have 2 small grandkids who may occassionally be passengers. Skoda and Volvo are not brands I am too familiar with and I need to be mindfull of local servicing availability when we are living in SI. We looked at Honda Civic sedan but wife thought the styling a bit too radical. Won’t be doing huge mileage in the future so petrol consumption not a huge worry. Thought the smaller turbo engines (such as Mazda 2.5 turbo) would be better than a larger heavier V6 (correct?) Happy to hear alternative thoughts and suggestions. Cheers.
intrade,
Jul 15, 2:57am
if you think you wont get a disaster then think again all new cars are garbage. Idealistically you would want a chevrolet bolt EV but i dont know if they ever make one RHD
blogzy,
Jul 15, 2:58am
Stinger looks good. Big engine 270kw !
cjohnw,
Jul 15, 3:02am
Nice. Thanks, added that to the watchlist and will check it out. Looks about Commodore size.
I was in a similar position and looked at the new Commodore, Mondeo Titanium, Camry, Sonata and Optima. The Sonata and Optima are good cars but big and hard to get. The Commodore didn't feel as well built as the Japanese and Korean cars but it has a great engine and gearbox as does the Camry but both are large cars. The Mondeo didn't feel that well put together but drove very well. The Camry was my second choice along with the Honda Civic Sedan. Ended up with a Honda Accord 8 months old for a very good price. It's quiet, comfortable, economical, has plenty of power and handles very well. But it might be too big for you also.
The Civic Sedan is a very nice car and has lots of safety tech. You can get a low k one for a good price. Honda (all dealers) are having trouble selling sedans so there are bargains to be had.
I don't know why you would want to buy "new". A year old car will save you a small fortune and you might want to change cars in a few years. Just because it's retirement you might still have another 3 or 4 cars in your future. You don't want to be stuck with something you end up not liking.
davidmoore,
Jul 15, 3:43am
Kia Stinger, fantastic looking car
meow_mix,
Jul 15, 4:10am
The current new Subaru Legacy is available with a 2.5L 4 cylinder engine, cheaper to buy than the big 6 cylinder. The 4 cylinder 'boxer' engine is a well proven design and they come with AWD.
harry353,
Jul 15, 4:11am
Very low driving position. Hard to get in and out of.
s_nz,
Jul 15, 4:12am
@cjohnw,
How do you value Performance / comfort / styling / economy / reliability? What sort of driving do you do (city / rural mix), and how many km do you travel a year? Do you need usable back seats? How long do you plan to keep the car for?
From what you have said so far I would take a look at the following:
- Brand New Toyota Camry Hybrid ZR (Top Spec) - $49,490. This is a new shape that has just be released. It is a comfortable, powerful (160kW) mid size sedan, with heaps of interior and luggage room, and tiny 4.2L/100km rated fuel consumption. Toyota hybrids have a great reputation for reliability. (Just don't get white, or you will look like a taxi).
- Listing #: 1664839640. Ex-demo 2018 Lexus IS 300 F Sport. $59k. A little over-budget, but Lexus is the Luxary brand with highest owner satisfaction. The Lexus IS is a small rear wheel drive performance sedan. I have never been in one, but they are meant to be great to drive, and stacked with luxury features (acoustic deadening etc.), but cramped in the rear seat.
A High spec Honda Accord would also be a safe play in this segment.
Regarding Hybrid's, I have a Lexus hybrid, and like it. The toyota / Lexus hybrids have a great reputation for reliability, and is nice an smooth. The power-train in my Lexus hybrid is 200kW so has plenty of go.
Regarding Plug in hybrid (PHEV), The only two non euro, non SUV options to consider are the Hyundai Ioniq PHEV ($56,000), and the Toyota Prius Prime ($48k).If I was looking at the Ioniq, I would be looking to see if the pure electric one met my needs, and look to do away with buying petrol competently. The Prius Prime has quite bold styling, What do you think of that?
One thing is very likely though, petrol prices will continue to increase.
s_nz,
Jul 15, 4:14am
Regarding EV's, and PHEV's, here is a NZ specific guide:
I would stay away from direct injection engines if you can. All of the VW group of cars and Volvo. Plus as you have said, the Euro stuff which is usually great when new but age poorly sometimes.
I don't know why anyone would pay thousands for a new pure electric or hybrid car when the equivalent in petrol is by far the cheaper option. That money saved will buy a lot of petrol. Unless of course you do it for other reasons.
thejazzpianoma,
Jul 15, 4:24am
Also. if you are well down the island don't forget as set of spare rims with snow tyres. I often managed to pick these up well under $1000 on here slightly used. Paid $600 for the last set with brand new snow tyres on them. It makes an enormous difference once the temperature drops.
Since the public registrations are closed, you must have an invite from a current member to be able to register and post in this thread.
Have an account? Login here.