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  • AADD Moderators: swilow | Vagabond696

buying a used car

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psytaco

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Nov 20, 2005
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I know that i started a thread similiar to this last year but I have some differing questions.

So after dicking around for most of life when it has come to driving, I am finally going to be off my Ls (hopefully) in a month. Where I am living at the moment, it is pretty much a necessity to have a car.

So I am looking to buy a used car between the range of $5000 and $15000. My mum has very kindly said she would cover half of the cost (as she did this for my sister - and wants me to get something safe and reliable).

So who can recommend a car that would cost between $5000 and $15000 used?

here are my specifications:
1) It needs to be comfortable to drive. I am pretty tall and have long legs so a small car like a mazda 2 is no good for me.
2) I need to be able to service it cheaply. So it has to be reasonably common and not exotic.
3) Fuel efficient - this is going to be a big one.
5) Decent at handling the open road - at the moment I have to travel alot on the highways and country roads (paved). However, next year I am hoping on living in Melbourne.
6) Safe

Things like high performance etc. don't interest me at the moment.

At the moment I am strongly considering getting a commodore. Alot of people have recommended them. However, their lack of fuel efficency bothers me a bit (particularly for when I move to Melbourne). I'm also a bit worried about previous owners thrashing them out and me not knowing. I have also heard suburu's are very reliable - was thinking of getting a liberty as an impreza is a bit on the small side. I've also heard toyota's are supposed to be very reliable - maybe get a corolla or a camry.

What else would people recommend?

I do have some other questions. I was originally going to buy the car from a dealer but having looked online it seems I could get cars way cheaper by going through a private buyer. Is going through a private buyer really that much more risky? I was thinking of taking my dad along as he knows plenty about cars as well as fixing them.

Also, in terms of kms done, what is the upper limit I should be looking at. I am finding it hard to find much under 100,000. Is around 100,000km to 150,000kms still ok or am I just asking for alot of mechanical problems at this range of mileage?

Are there also any must look out for tricks to avoid buying a lemon? I'm going to pay the money for the RACV to look it over if I am really keen on one.

Any other advice would be great.
 
honda accord euro

that kind of cash should get you a 2003-2006 model. maybe newer with higer kms.

nice cars that go ok, have most modern luxuries and being a 4 cyl don't use too much fuel
 
Most cars have their timing belt due to be changed around the 100-120k mark so look at the service history to see if this has been done. This can cost around $1000 but will destroy the engine if it goes on you. Going through a dealer means you can usually pay for a short warranty which covers any risk of major repair in the first 3 months. After that it can be just bad luck sometimes as a lot of problems you can't really feel unless you have driven the car for a few hundred k's. Buying through a factory dealership often means the car has also been serviced there from new as a lot of people are loyal to a brand and continue to use the same dealership for a trade in. Also the price can often be competitive because the dealership have often taken a nice profit by trading for a brand new car with a good profit margin already so can offload the used car for less.

I would avoid a commondore if fuel efficiency is your thing. Like Muzby said anything with a six cylinder or more will see you using a lot more fuel. Honda's, toyota's and subaru's all have a reliable reputation and finding parts is never a problem. Subaru's may be a little more expensive service wise from experience but the ride and reliability is slightly better than say a toyota.
 
I'd also suggest a Subaru but perhaps an (older-model) Forester over a Liberty - particularly if you're a tall person. Good, solid, reliable cars with some extra headroom.

Whether you go private or dealer, an independent vehicle inspection (by RACV or NRMA etc) before you buy could not only save money in the long run, but give you some peace of mind at the very least.
 
Agree. Il be Subaru for life. Unbelievably reliable, and very safe ime, unfortunately.

Op take your time and have a good look, it's a massive market, and remember buy cheap buy twice.
 
If you are mostly driving on country / highway cycles the V6 or even V8 commodore isn't too bad for fuel, say 8-10l/100km in the city how ever, both suck 12+l/100km!
5-15k is a pretty big range too.

Be wary of service costs for Honda and Subaru... Toyota / Holden tend to be cheaper for regular services.
 
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