Hi there folks. I realise this is a bit of a "how long is a piece of string" question, but I'm looking for a small car to $4000, auto, preferably hatchback, for my daughter. It would be mainly city driving but also occasionally Taupo/Akl What would you knowledgeable people recommend? Cheers in advance.
zirconium,
Aug 2, 5:01pm
How often does she drive Taupo/Akl? - If it is every couple of weeks, safety, economy, and comfort are much more important than anything else. In fact, I'd probably put comfort before economy,having done this trip too often in an uncomfortable but economical car. You need comfortable seats, heater, aircon. A decent radio is a nice touch. I've driven this trip in all sorts of different cars over the last 40 years, btw - and much prefer comfortable medium sized car. Small female here.
msigg,
Aug 2, 5:17pm
It would have to be a Toyota corolla, maybe a 2006 for that price. Ultra reliable, good economy and good to drive. Toyota fielder if she want's a wagon, excellent vehicles, These things will all do 400k if serviced and looked after. If you want something bigger then an old Camry would be a consideration.
tamarillo,
Aug 2, 9:01pm
Imo so much better value to be had outside of incredibly boring predictable Corolla. Overpriced and often badly underpriced with safety gear.
tamarillo,
Aug 3, 8:43am
Op, is safety equipment and performance a factor? Imo it should be and is often ignored whereas overseas it is paramount. Older Corolla and many earlier imports don’t have enough safety gear and have poor ratings like the earlier swifts. If safety is important look for later model cars, often NZ new, that have plenty of airbags and decent rating. Maybe a less popular model but you’ll get lower kms for your miles too. Safety ratings are a bit tricky as 4 star in 2010 is not same as now, but comparing with others of similar vintage is Appropriate and looking for 4 airbags min is a help.
gregmran,
Aug 3, 11:53am
Hey folks. thanks very much for all the recommendations. She definitely wants a smallish hatchback style. As for the Taupo/Akl trips, only at the beginning and end of a semester. May look at getting the dollar value up to $5000 as that seems to open up a lot more options. Cheers all.
tgray,
Aug 3, 12:16pm
You say 'smallish' hatchback, so I will throw in the Mazda Axela. Fantastic cars and very popular. Would be better for those occasional long trips than many of the other smaller hatchbacks.
kazbanz,
Aug 3, 12:29pm
Based on your budget and needs I would recommend Toyota corolla /Runx / alex. Mazda Axella. My reasoning being that they are small enough for round town driving but on the open road they aren't harsh to drive.
mk3crazy,
Aug 4, 11:50am
My daughter bought a 05 Nissan March a number of years ago and she had no problems mechanically, just tyres and oil change.
richardmayes,
Aug 4, 1:37pm
I Take it your daughter is a Uni student in Auckland and will be driving home to Taupo for the holidays?
Get an older Mazda Cappella station wagon for about $2,000. You will probably spend another $1,000 straight away on getting maintenance up to date. But then she will be driving a proper full sized car that
1) Will be steady and comfortable for a young driver to drive for half a day on the open road;
2) Is a last of the old true blue Ford/Mazda 4 cylinder cars of the 80s and 90s, that are pretty mechanically good as long as you keep the oil and water clean and don't overheat them.
3) Has a decent full-sized body with plenty of steel around her and behind her. For safety you want to be driving a full sized car in Auckland.
The crash usually comes from behind you on the Auckland motorway, from somebody who wasn't looking where they were going, and those sorts of crashes can be life-changing if the ball doesn't bounce your way. The more steel you have between you and the impact, the better.
tgray,
Aug 4, 1:48pm
This morning I took a 2010 Mitsubishi Colt 1330cc on a 60k drive on the motorway and couldn't believe how nice it was. Plenty of power and felt rock solid at 100k. Was a heck of a lot nicer than the 2016 1200cc Mirage I drove yesterday.
aoc1,
Aug 4, 2:24pm
Suzuki Swift would be my choice
s_nz,
Aug 4, 3:51pm
Mazda Capella's are mid sized, rather than full sized. But still doesn't really mesh with somebody who wants a "She definitely wants a "smallish hatchback style" car.
I find the likes of corolla / mazda 3 sized cars to be planted & comfortable on the open road as long as they have decent tires. (of course a BMW 7 series would be nicer, but at least trucks don't significantly blow around corolla sized cars).
It is a bit of a stretch saying you need a full sized car for safety in Auckland. small cars are common. Motorway's & urban roads are relatively lower risk with regards to serious crashes than open road driving. Yes nose to tail crashes happen (I have been on one that wrote off both cars), but they are not as bad a as head on crashes.
I'm not sure of a 3 star ANCAP car that was tested in 1999 is the best safety pick either:
The Capella wagon 1.8L 2wd has a cerb weight of roughly 1300kg, so it is comparable to a 2nd gen Prius (1317kg).
richardmayes,
Aug 4, 5:53pm
I guess it depends on your perception and appetite for risk.
I got rear-ended on the motorway by a Honda CR-V in when I was 25 and I had a sore neck for about a year afterwards. The cop and the towie who attended the scene, both independently said it was a hard crash, and I wouldn't be standing up and walking away from it, if I had been driving a small hatchback. My car was a Triumph 2500 from the 1970s with ZERO safety stars but several metres of solid steel between me and the impact point.
The criteria for getting an NCAP star seems to change every couple of years, and now it seems to be as much about "does this car have ESP? Yes/No" as it does about objectively testing crash damage and survivability. I trust metres of solid steel, you can see it and kick it and have faith in it.
A year after my crash, a young guy in a Ford Laser had a similar crash on the southern near Manurewa, his car was blown to bits and he died, one of the 2 hitchhikers he had on board died, and the one who survived probably wished she hadn't by the sound of it. It stuffed up the motorway traffic all Easter friday and it was on the tv news. You've never heard of me because my crash wasn't bad enough to be on the tv news ;-)
lythande1,
Aug 4, 5:58pm
I had Toyotas for ages. $700, then $1000, then $1500, then $2000, then a jump $3000. The first 3 I crashed, not badly but written off by insurance. last died from overheating, the temp gauge didn't work. and there had been an issue with a frost plug. anyway. Now I have a $9000 Toyota. I see no reason to change, too my friends with other brands who had mechanical problems, and they all spent more than me too.
s_nz,
Aug 4, 11:42pm
Yeah, it does depend on risk perception & tolerance.
ANCAP says this:
"Severe rear collisions are relatively rare and usually involve being struck by a much larger vehicle. Frontal crashes and severe side impacts account for most car occupant fatalities which is one reason why ANCAP concentrates on these crash types.
Destructive rear-end crash tests are not conducted, however whiplash protection testing forms an integral part of the ANCAP test and rating process."
Regarding ncap / ancap frequent changing, yes they do, becoming stricter. Of late, crash avoidance tech (esp, automated breaking etc.) has been a requirement to get 5 stars, but the actual crash testing hasn't gone away.
Regarding "several metres of solid steel between me and the impact point" This isn't actually a big factor.
What is important is: 1. Weight of vehicle, 2. sufficient stiffness of passenger compartment to prevent intrusion. 3. amount of crumple zone to reduce peak acceleration to the occupants. 4. how the loads are transferred onto the occupants.
Only area that an older vehicle is likely to do OK relative to a more modern one is by being heavy. Even then the capella wagon at roughly 1300kg is not a heavy vehicle by modern standards.
Generally older vehicles are too stiff in the ends, relative to the passenger compartment, resulting in the passenger compartment deforming in a serious crash (not good).
Ncap introduced whiplash testing in 2008, encouraging automaker to design cars that preform well in terms of transferring loads from a rear end collision to the occupants. In short, seats & headrests are designed to support the head & spine, and to be have some flex backwards limiting peak acceleration. Here is a video of a seat rated good:
Regarding older cars and crumple zones etc: The Triumph 2000/2500 range had effective crumple zones front and rear and a strong central body section. The car concerned in the collision recorded above had its rear end squashed in as far as the spare wheel (which had quite a dent in its rim) and one rear door was difficult to open. Front seat headrest probably reduced the severity of the whiplash injury but the impact was hard enough to break the seatback reclining mechanism. The Honda CRV which failed to adjust to the slowing speeds on the AKL harbour bridge had its front end squashed in at least as far as the engine - and the rear corners of its bonnet broke through its windscreen.
dublo,
Aug 5, 7:49pm
And I am sorry I got side tracked off the original subject by writing about Triumphs. But do consider something bigger than a "small" car: registration, insurance, oil, batteries, tyres and basic maintenance will be much the same. You will just spend a little more on petrol, and have greater comfort and hopefully more protection if the worst happens. Medium size cars are often cheaper than small ones of the same age, so you can often go for a later car (with more safety features) for the same price.
tamarillo,
Aug 6, 8:11am
Splash has side and curtain bags and three stars. Plus any same car can have different specs according to market and price point so you can choose better safety. She’ll be on main highways at busy times, I’d put safety up very high on my list.
poppy62,
Aug 6, 2:18pm
Another example of not reading thoroughly and jumping to conclusions among a whole heap of hearsay.
Quote by OP: May look at getting the dollar value up to $5000 as that seems to open up a lot more options. Cheers all.
Quote
gregmran (847 847 positive feedback) 11:53 am, Mon 3 Aug
kazbanz,
Aug 6, 3:16pm
Splash actually is darn good bang for buck. I think they were made for the market that the swift got marketed into.--ie older folks
tamarillo,
Aug 7, 9:13am
Crickey still on an outside dunny with chain. Us euro car fold have gone mod cons with little buttons and heated seats.
shelleigh,
Aug 7, 12:45pm
Kazbanz I made the mistake of having one of these as a rental and it was gutless! Fine on the flat around the city but as soon as you got out on the open road and driving up a hill it was terrible. That would have been about seven years ago so I realise they may have more oomph now. They sure would need to.
serf407,
Aug 7, 9:21pm
2021 Kia Seltos with the awd, 1.6 turbo and double clutch transmission. Aus review with GT badge, the listed 2020 NZ version is labelled the LTD, but has cvt. transmission. july 2020 review of 2021 Kia Seltos GT https://youtu.be/pX85kCuwSdw
serf407,
Aug 7, 9:37pm
Also the KIa Stonic is another future model for Downunder.
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