Put simply-if you want a car that is safe according to the totally flawed government rating system then you need to buy an older Euro -with all the expensive issues that entails. Spend more money or compromise on "safety" equipment.
s_nz,
Feb 25, 12:37am
Safety ratings like ANCAP get harder every year. So a 4 star car rated in 2020 will be safer than one rated in 1999.
tygertung,
Feb 25, 12:46am
What about a Suzuki Swift? Could be economical on fuel, or perhaps a Mazda 2?
kazbanz,
Feb 25, 12:59am
doesn't help someone wanting a safe 4k car.
absolute_detail,
Feb 25, 1:28am
Dont even worry about the safety rating, Chances of it actually making a difference is so low its not even worth considering
tamarillo,
Feb 25, 3:39am
Poppycock
gph1961,
Feb 25, 4:21am
twaddle
kazbanz,
Feb 25, 4:35am
04 is gen 1 battery pack not gen 2 at 180k and 17 years old its end of life
vtecintegra,
Feb 25, 4:43am
You mean gen 2 not gen 3. Anyway it's still likely to be a better buy than anything else at that price point.
billy.bragg,
Feb 25, 4:55am
Hey sorry to butt in but I see you are the guy to ask questions. My partners Ford Transit Van 2009 that he brought over with him from the UK has just be stolen. He needs to replace it with another Ford transit for work. Stupid prices down here in Chch. Not sure what I'm asking but we need some help on finding another one. Would appreciate some suggestions if you would be willing to offer some advice? Thanks.
s_nz,
Feb 25, 7:15am
04 is gen 2. Gen 1 Prius's had issue's, but gen 2 are regarded as the ultimate for reliability in high mileage taxi duty (they are considered better than gen 3).
I would expect the batteries to run well past 300,000 in them (in private ownership). Plenty of 300,000km+ Prius around.
Personally I prefer the gen 3 as my head doesn't touch the roof in the back seat, but can't be had with a $4k budget.
s_nz,
Feb 25, 7:22am
Probably best to post your own thread (with more details such as budget and perfected config (i.e. SWB, low roof), rather than hijack this one.
But anyway no need to limit your search to one area. Scope one out on here you like, negotate the price (conventional on satisfactory per purchase inspection) and if happy, have one of the mobile inspectors go and check the car out and send the report. If OK make payment, and either arrange it to be trucked south, or arrange to drive it back to Christchurch yourself.
absolute_detail,
Feb 25, 9:41am
All modern cars are safe enough and buying one purely on safety rating is stupid
hotelcarpet,
Feb 25, 9:50am
as above You get T-boned there's no spare ribs.
tygertung,
Feb 25, 7:08pm
If it is being driven around town at 50 km/h, most cars are going to be reasonably safe I would have thought.
tgray,
Feb 25, 7:13pm
Then they stuck 4 more airbags into it and it went to 4 stars.
intrade,
Feb 25, 9:59pm
And then they added 16 more airbags in my passat and now the station wagon has less room inside then a mk1 tini hatchback punto with no airbags
vtecintegra,
Feb 26, 12:06am
No that isn't what happened. There are two sets of safety ratings in use, ANCAP and UCSR. The Swift was 4 stars ANCAP but only 1 star UCSR
mrfxit,
Feb 26, 1:11am
LMAO, As per normal, who's telling porkys, really depends on who you are talking too
tgray,
Feb 26, 4:03am
I thought is was 1 star ANCAP with 2 airbags and then 4 stars with the knee and side airbags fitted. The Swift wasn't 4 stars ANCAP with only 2 airbags. Not talking about USCR.
cjohnw,
Feb 26, 4:43am
Yes. Sorry that there hasn’t been a lot of useable advice for you to consider. It does happen that threads get sidetracked onto other topics and issues at times. Good luck with your search.
tamarillo,
Feb 26, 4:46am
where on earth do you get that info from! Define modern first as op is looking at cars that may have only 1 star.
tamarillo,
Feb 26, 4:48am
Imo buying a second car for town use is wasted money. The cost of it plus it’s insurance etc is unlikely to be less than the extra petrol used by the Mazda. Not as if Mazda is a V8.
mack77,
Feb 27, 10:42am
All the analyses of car crashes show that your statement simply isn't correct.
mack77,
Feb 27, 10:49am
That may be your opinion, but I can assure you that many "modern" cars are definitively not safe enough for me. I will not travel in cars that have less than a 3 star used car safety rating. This rules out most light cars and small cars. Only some of the "euro.s" make the grade in these classes.
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