opinions on a good car

[redGhia]

Hey all,

my GF just had a car accident and they have just written off her car , im after peoples opinions on what a good used car is .

Her previous car was a Mondeo.................Yes i know that was a bad move ( took 10 min to find the oil filter and another 15 to remove) and VERY expensive to fix

So im adfter peoples ideas on what they have owned etc . it has to be 4 door and cheap parts are a must and also light on fuel ...or be converted to lpg..


she isnt really into amy of the smaller cars so something mid size would be cool


the more i list its looking like she should just get a falcon lol

PS iv just been told it has to be "non forgein"

Thanks guys,



Ash

[Dezza]

Something non-foreign that isn't a big car? Good luck. Mitsubishi Magna / 380 and Camrys are the smallest non-foreign cars from recent years. The Mitsubishis are good cars. As for the Camry, they are reliable but I wouldn't be caught dead driving one

[Mongoose]

XA-XC falcon or mabye a HT-HZ kingswood

[R0BD0G]

go a capri..or td te corty

[Beetus]

magna, camry,

[stupa]

gq patrol on gas. big, reasonably economical and easy to find all the in there

[jdg]

How much to spend?

[XR8-260]

If your gf is not a car enthusiast then the camry is a great option. It will take her from point A to B without many hassles.

[shakes]

If you want something that goes from A to B, cheap on fuel & parts and reliable get a mid 90's C class Benz. They go for about 15k and they actually arent that exspensive to fix. Bang a set of rims on it and she might even get street cred.

[FPV70]

GQ Patrol Turbo Diesel.. Go anywhere with economy.
Parts everywhere and cheapish to buy.

[JBomb3000]

Originally Posted by 3

If your gf is not a car enthusiast then the camry is a great option. It will take her from point A to B without many hassles.

Same with the magna, dull as dishwater but a good solid car. My sister just bought a 05 magna ES with 70,000kms on it for $11,800. Admittedly the front end is about as attractive as a sack full of smashed crabs but it has a higher level of standard equipment than a commo or falcon and on a value for money basis it's hard to argue with.

[Unco]

camry's tend to hold their value a bit better than magnas and they're good, reliable, economical cars, even in V6 form.

other than that, maybe an EF/EL falcon on LPG? maybe?

[uranium_death]

Originally Posted by Unco

camry's tend to hold their value a bit better than magnas and they're good, reliable, economical cars, even in V6 form.

other than that, maybe an EF/EL falcon on LPG? maybe?

When buying a second hand car, she should consider whether she wants to keep it until it pretty much packs in or whether she is looking further down the track. If she's looking to keep it to a ripe old age, then resale will not matter anyway.

If she is on a tight budget, the Magna will be able to be purchased for less and despite its lower resale than a Camry, it won't really matter at the age she may plan to sell at anyway. The difference between the purchase price of the Magna now compared to the Camry may outweigh the drop in value compared to the Camry, so the Magna is a decent go. A TE or TF Magna is far more comfortable than the equivalent Camry.

But the Camry is reliable too. It comes down to style, personal comfort etc.

[V3RSAC3]

^^ test drive them both, see which u like better!

[Tles]

Small - Laser GLXi or SR, Forrester (GT) Rav4 Escape Xtrail CRV
bigger but not too big, Subaru Outback or Mazda 6

[Keepleft]

Originally Posted by 3

If your gf is not a car enthusiast then the camry is a great option. It will take her from point A to B without many hassles.

Yes, in the most mundane, boring fashion - as any current public servant who drives one of these daily will attest:-)

ZZZZzzzzzz

[Mechan1k]

Comes down to budget ... how long she wishes to keep the vehicle. etc.

As others have mentioned ... either Camry or Magna for fairly hassle free motoring .. although you get the odd FWD servicing issues if V6 (rear spark plugs) .... and also the dreaded CV joints that eventually pack it in.

Get her to drive either and see which one she likes better .... in the end ... she has to own and drive it.

Yes both boring vehicles .... but I'd go the Mitsu over the Camry though ... Magna feels more solid (going on TJ and onward models.)

[Ives]

Does it have to be converted to LPG?

Should check out:-

-Ford Focus CL or LX
-Mazda 3 Neo
-Corolla Ascent or Conquest

[andrewts]

If money is no problem, get the Mazda 3 (as above). My mum has one and it's a great car.

[Fairlane]

TE/TF/TH/TJ Magna

The only way to go, grunty smooth, reliable (our families one had 190k on it and has only required servicing) dirt cheap second hand and with reasonable part prices. Just make sure the valve stems are OK and the timing belt isnt due to be changed and your off. Expect nice TE, 3.0L's to start from 5K with 150k on the clock to TJ Advance 3.5's with 90k on the clock for 10k.

Otherwise i suggest a Toyota Avalon, the poor mans lexus- i owned one (an 02 VXI- Upper range) and it was one of the smoothest reliable cars i every will own. Had 110k on the clock and drove like factory, super smooth. Also super boring ,but cheaper than camry and less fuss and pretty economical 11l per 100 in town, 7 on the highway. Prices start at about 9 g

[Lord Of Ford]

would have to say imo ford laser (any model) camry or a magna like others have said

[robbo_yobbo]

Falcon, Ex Cab, EL or AU - Au's are better on fuel, ELs are cheaper, its not small, its not foreign, parts are cheap as chips as the whole car can be replaced for $1k-$2k.
It will already be on lpg so theres an extra bonus for economy.

Cant beat an ex cab on value for money if you dont mind a little bit of cosmetic wear - some you wouldnt even believe they were cabs at one stage. Ive seen an AU clock over 1million ks without openig up the engine, so a 3-400,000 km cab is nothing kilometer wise in comparison.