Car shopping

[Andrew R]

I know this is not quite in the general domain of this forum, however, there are plenty of sensible and experienced individuals on this forum who may be able to extend an opinion.

I am looking to purchase a good used car shortly and plan to spend within the 17 - 23K range.

I want a near-to-new, comfortable, well-powered, reliable vehicle that will retain a fair bit of its value and offer some luxuries at a good price.

I have been looking at a few options, including the Toyota Camry (3.0L, 2003 or above).

Any suggestions / comments welcome.

Andrew

 

[Rolf Latham]

Hiya

Ex govvy auctions would work well for you I feel, and you will still get a pro rata warranty fr a vehicle that is less than 3 years old.

Often, its worth doing the rounds for a demo . Our trust recently bought a Dual Cab ute, I hate depreciation with a passion and thought Id go used or at worst a long in the tooth demo.

Found that the current new car offers were 40 k drive away and 2 year used 30 to 35 k. At that level, to me a used (or abused car) car just didnt make economic sense with only a years warranty left.

I know many people love Toyos, the current Magna Offering is pretty hard to beat at 27 + on roads with a 5 year warranty.

ta

rolf

 

[The Y-man]

I know this is not quite in the general domain of this forum, however, there are plenty of sensible and experienced individuals on this forum who may be able to extend an opinion.

I am looking to purchase a good used car shortly and plan to spend within the 17 - 23K range.

I want a near-to-new, comfortable, well-powered, reliable vehicle that will retain a fair bit of its value and offer some luxuries at a good price.

I have been looking at a few options, including the Toyota Camry (3.0L, 2003 or above).

Any suggestions / comments welcome.

Andrew

Have a look at Avalons as they are the often ignored "ugly duckling" of the Toyotas, and suffer massive initial depreciation (if a car yard actually manages to sell one.....)

I drive a 2000 model Grande.

However, surprisingly for a Toyota, I have had some electrical issues in the boot area - my boot light keeps blowing, and centre mounted light occasionally refuses to work I think the front brakes must be undersized too, as it feels like I have managed to warp them....



Cheers,

The Y-man

 

[Programmer]

I'm sorta with Rolf. We've been through a few company cars and every time I search out good quality used, I find the price is not much less than buying it new. That is, considering warranty etc. We currently have a 2001 conformadore, while it was under warranty a few things went that would have cost a bomb to fix without warranty.

I believe there are some good deals to be had at the gov auctions but after the way I see my brother flogging his vehicles I'd go with someone that really understands the make/model you're after to ensure it hasn't been driven by him!

Cheers,

 

[Macca]

Hi Andrew,,

Our family have bought 2 cars from the government auctions in Sydney, both were one bid above the "red book" value

If you have a look in the "red book" at the trade-in valuations , the dealers usually use those prices as guide and stop when they hit that price.

This should give you an idea where s/hand dealers get a lot of stock from

Both still had one year warranty left on them and we got NRMA inspections before it expired and got them fixed under warranty.

Happy with both

 

[quiggles]

There's a mob in Canberra who advertise during the motor races for Commodores and Falcons still under new car warrantee (about 2 years old at a guess) for 19k. I can get the company name if you're interested.

 

[blossomoz]

I hear a 'car' guy speaking on the radio who said that cars purchased for fleet purchases do not hold their value eg Magnas, which we had at the time.

We purchased a used car at the beginning of the year. We decided what we wanted & checked the car lots & the net. I found the price of seconhand cars on the net; I'm sorry I can't tell you the site but I'm sure someone will be able to. So we knew what we wanted & basically what the going rate was.

I wanted to buy from a dealer as I have heard stories where people have done due diligence & still come unstuck. So to me the amount we may have paid extra is worth the trouble.
I found our car on the net, very low mileage, good price, slighly older than we intended but in great order, everyone thinks it's new. We have since travelled some loneg distances & we are both very happy with our purchase.

I hope you find what you want & will be as happy as we are with our purchase.
cheers
blossomoz

 

[duncan_m]

I found the price of seconhand cars on the net; I'm sorry I can't tell you the site but I'm sure someone will be able to.

Perhaps : http://www.redbook.com.au/

 

[thefirstbruce]

Andrew, I just went through a similar process in Brisbane. I ended up buying a used 4 cyl camry. Would encourage you to think very hard whether you really need a 6 cylinder car. Petrol may be 2.15 by the end of the year, and climbing...

seems toyotas and holdens are the more reliable. I firmed up on corollas, astras, and camrys.

Magnas certainly have some cheap deals going on, but you have to wonder whether they will still be in Australia in 5 years time.

I also found the auctions were a bit of a rort; the auctioneers never let the cars go for less than around a $1000 less than buying through a dealership. You have to ask yourself whether it is worth the time and risk of not being able to test drive the things.

 

[Jacque]

The nice things about Toyota (and we have two in our household) is their affordability, reliability and cheaper service than other brands (try getting regular services on Honda!)
I love my little Echo and the Kluger is a wonderful family car. I'd consider a Camry or Avalon (and Y-man is spot on with the ugly duckling tag- hence your chance to pick up a bargain!) in your top list for sure.
Happy car hunting!!

 

[The Y-man]

Andrew, I just went through a similar process in Brisbane. I ended up buying a used 4 cyl camry. Would encourage you to think very hard whether you really need a 6 cylinder car. .

Actually, that new 4cyl in the Camry is an eye opener. My brother in law drives one, and as a passenger, I thought it was the 3L V6 (which I am used to in my car). Very impressed.

Cheers,

The Y-man

 

[Oscar]

A bit off topic - but I was fortunate enough to get a tour at Toyota City in Japan to walk through their asssembly plant. It was the most impressive plant I have ever seen, there wasn't a single piece of reject inventory in site, and no queue of cars awaiting additional inspections anywhere we could see. The workers were oblivious to the tour as they see hundreds of groups walk through each year - it wasn't staged.

The Toyota Camry I bought new in 1993 did not miss a beat for the 4 years in which I owned, and after the Toyota City tour - I understand why, this is one of the few company's that understands both the science and psychology of quality IMHO.

So I guess my point is that if you are after reliability along that price range a Toyota will be a very safe bet.

Personally, I am getting to close to middle age and am after the right MLC car. Something red and fast and furious (Alfa GTA?, Porsche Boxster ?), we'll see.

 

[Simon]

My brother is moving to China for a few years and is selling a Magna - is cheap and reliable.

email me if interested

 

[RichardC]

If there is still life in your current car, why not keep it until you see where the winds of change blow in the next couple of years?

My car is a V6, near 7yrs old. In spite of being in excellent cond I would be lucky to get 20% of new price so I will keep it, in spite of the price of petrol. Whatever I would buy now, with the possible exception of a Civic Hybrid, may be worthless if petrol prices really take off anyway, so I'll stick with the comfort while I can, and drive it to the scrap heap when I can't.

BTW, This is a "green" thing to do. The large amount of energy which would otherwise be expended making and delivering a new car need not be spent.