New car time ... help!

[RumpledElf]

So, I need a new car. I've owned one car in my entire life, really only driven one car. Its white, it goes from A to B very nicely, and I can't fit all the kids in it. Other than that I have no opinion on cars per se. This is quite possibly the worst place to be in when you want to make an informed decision about cars.

We are looking for something about 15cm wider than a corolla so it actually FITS 3 kids in the back seat (and yes, we will be car shopping carrying a measuring tape), station wagon or SUV so we can go offroad without stressing, not too huge so it doesn't chew through lots of fuel and .. well that's pretty much it. That's a subaru forester or ... well, surely there's other brands of cars out there that fit that spec?

Budget is about $15k give or take so that puts us in the 3-5yo car category but that's a very loose budget, we can go a little higher. Turns out we're not actually paying for the thing, which helps.

Any suggestions on makes and models?

 

[Ausprop]

go to one of the SA government auctions and buy a ford territory for a song.

subaru are shocking on fuel - also large car and fuel economy are an oxymoron!

 

[Corey Batt]

http://www.pickles.com.au/cars/item/search/-/listing/listSaleItems/8002714

There you go RE. The auction is next Monday. There is an auto Ford Territory, will probably go for a fair amount though.

Can't be too helpful on the prices for what you're after, I'm only really interested in classics or small cars.

Alternatively Gumtree is the go. Picked up a Mazda 2 Genki, 32k on the clock, 17's with low profiles, after-market speakers for 13k.

 

[Ideo]

Mitsubishi Outlander maybe? Foresters are ok on fuel, but not as good as some of the competition. Rav 4?

If you aren't fussed about the 4wd aspect then a Ford Mondeo wagon is a good car.

 

[RumpledElf]

Seriously? A 4L car uses less fuel than a 2.5L car?

You see I know nothing about cars here

Other half is extremely reluctant to go to those auctions because they start at 9am and all the stuff they sell is very recent so we 'can't afford it'. But he is a shocking pessimist.

 

[Ideo]

Seriously? A 4L car uses less fuel than a 2.5L car?

You see I know nothing about cars here

Other half is extremely reluctant to go to those auctions because they start at 9am and all the stuff they sell is very recent so we 'can't afford it'. But he is a shocking pessimist.

It depends on your driving style.

If it is all 100km+ style expressway driving it will be similar. If it is more around town, the Forester will be much better.

That said, because of the boxer engine in the Subaru they do tend to use more fuel than the equivalent competition (Rav 4, Outlander etc). Overall fuel usage is still well below the Territory.

The Forester is also a much better built car, and won't start falling to bits at 60,000kms. Well built and Australian made do not go together unless you are talking Toyota.

 

[RumpledElf]

Should just clarify - I really don't care where/how we get the thing but if I can't go in armed with at least two different makes and models that fit the bill, there's really no point going car shopping at all. I know quite literally nothing about cars and the other half is even worse than I am.

I just want a list of a couple potential half-decent makes because I know I want a smallish station wagon/suv but you can't really enter that criteria into a car search website. I need to know some makes/models to start the research off.

 

[Corey Batt]

RE, the auctions can be attended online so you don't have to worry about the time. Just sit there and what the prices. You'll be surprised, a lot of car yards get their stock off Pickles. If no one is interested in the car, you're in for a steal.

In regards to fuel economy, just check online what its fuel per 100km rating is. Obviously it would be based on highway km's, but gives you a comparison point between vehicles.

 

[RumpledElf]

Iand won't start falling to bits at 60,000kms. Well built and Australian made do not go together unless you are talking Toyota.

*snigger* our car is at almost 250,000km. Its a Toyota. Nothing much wrong with it either. Kinda worn some holes in the driver's side carpet and the trip counter sometimes doesn't want to reset but that's it ...

 

[Ideo]

RE, the auctions can be attended online so you don't have to worry about the time. Just sit there and what the prices. You'll be surprised, a lot of car yards get their stock off Pickles. If no one is interested in the car, you're in for a steal.

In regards to fuel economy, just check online what its fuel per 100km rating is. Obviously it would be based on highway km's, but gives you a comparison point between vehicles.

I'd disagree. It is very easy for someone who doesn't know much about cars to get stung through a car auction.

Ex-government ones tend to be ok but even so you are largely buying site unseen, no chance to check over the car/get it checked out.

It's great if you know what you are doing. Not so good if you don't.

Rumpled elf.

1) Ford Mondeo
2) Subaru Forester
3) Mistubishi Outlander
4) Toyota Rav 4
5) Mazda 6 wagon
6) Subaru Liberty wagon

Should give you enough to get started on. A mix of mid size wagons and small SUVs.

 

[Corey Batt]

I'd disagree. It is very easy for someone who doesn't know much about cars to get stung through a car auction.

Ex-government ones tend to be ok but even so you are largely buying site unseen, no chance to check over the car/get it checked out.

It's great if you know what you are doing. Not so good if you don't.

Rumpled elf.

1) Ford Mondeo
2) Subaru Forester
3) Mistubishi Outlander
4) Toyota Rav 4
5) Mazda 6 wagon
6) Subaru Liberty wagon

Should give you enough to get started on. A mix of mid size wagons and small SUVs.

Doesn't have to be site unseen. They have Opens on Sunday so you can still get up at a respectable hour and see the stock. RE lives a fair drive from Adelaide so its understandable why 9am would be a not so fun time to rock up.

 

[RumpledElf]

1) Ford Mondeo
2) Subaru Forester
3) Mistubishi Outlander
4) Toyota Rav 4
5) Mazda 6 wagon
6) Subaru Liberty wagon

Should give you enough to get started on. A mix of mid size wagons and small SUVs.

Boodiful - thanks! Next step of course is to find those cars somewhere we can touch and measure them. I can't see us actually *buying* a new car for some months (too close to xmas, parents haven't actually got sale proceeds from the property yet cos the public trustee still has the money etc) but we're now not quite starting blind from just driving a hatchback for the last 9 years ...

 

[goonandtell]

few things, dont worry about engine size its not the only determining factor for fuel consumption, engine tech, gearbox, driven wheels and weight of the vehicle all play a nice big part. Check the official stats of the car then do a bit of google search to see if real world figures are stacking up.

Unless you actually need the offroad thing i would look at station wagons over the softroaders, evne the 2wd versions of the Rav and Terroritory are far from light cars and have compromises on handling and other factors to make them into the type of vehicle they are.

Are your kids in baby seats or not? If so remember to check for where the actual baby seat points are, some cars have cables flying all over the place which cna reduce the seating or storage space.

We have a falcon egas wagon and its very cheap to run (between 14 and 18l per 100 @ 52c/l) but its not the flashiest of cars, if you want a nicer wagon take a look at the liberty or holden commodore wagons.

 

[Ideo]

Sorry, Mondeo is a bit over what you asked
Mondeo

Hyundai?

Rav4

Forester

Mazda 6

Subaru Liberty

Subaru Outback

Should get you started.

 

[VYBerlinaV8]

So what exactly do you mean by 'off-road'? There are SUVs and then there are off road vehicles. Most SUVs won't go much further than a sensibly drive car, in my experience, although 4WD brings with it extra traction.

Subaru Forester has a good reputation for reliability, and HYundais tend to be pretty reliable these days too.

Consider also a commodore wagon, which can be bought for a good price, and is reasonable on fuel (the 6 cyl models, that is). They typically have long warranties and any mechanic can work on them, and they shouldn't be too expensive to maintain.

 

[DEC]

With kids and all the associated gear I would look for a commodore or falcon wagon on LPG

 

[locko24]

Hi RE

My suggestion would to definately get your car from Pickles. I have bought my previous 5-6 cars from those guys.
Pros: 1. Way, way, way cheaper than from a dealer (some dealers get their cars from Pickles, then wack their margin on top), and even private.
2. Fairly detailed list of faults that you can peruse at your leisure before the auction. (mostly aesthetic). The list of faults is very in depth.
3. Transport available to your door. I bought a car in Vic, and it cost roughly a grand to get it delivered to me (NSW). I still saved over 10k on a car worth around 25k.

Cons: 1. No warranty. This is not a huge biggie to me, as i would fix most problems myself, but with cars 3-5 yrs old, you would have to be fairly unlucky for anything major to go wrong anyway. Some may still be covered by the manufacturer. Pickles may have an extended warranty - might be worth asking the Q!
2. It's always nice to see the actual car you are bidding on, but if you can get over that (there are pics), it's the same as any auction. Ever bought a house interstate without seeing it?

Feel free to pm to ask anything.

As for the actual car, the suggestions made previously are pretty good, though my picks would be:
Ford Territory on LPG (a new diesel model would be stretching the budget)
Holden Captiva Diesel
Hyundai Santa Fe Diesel
There would be more, but they would be my pick. A late model turbo diesel would be the pick for fuel economy/ power, but LPG would be nearly as good.
Petrol powered SUV and fuel econony do not go together well!

If 4wd is not a requirement, i'd go with one of the big 4. ie; Falcon, Commodore, Camry, (mitsubishi) 380. These cars are fairly good on fuel, though the LPG versions are roughly twice as good.

For 15k, the above suggestions would be a massive stretch from a dealer, but from Pickles, i'd say you would save roughly one third the price.

Good luck

 

[Property Photo]

Are you really going to go off road?

I just ask this as I see so many 4 wheel drives driven by stay at home mums, guys working at office jobs or whatever that have this big dream of one day going on this big adventure that never happens. Instead they just block traffic, slow down other cars, are terrible at parking and waste money on petrol that a tiny Suzuki would do the job much better and keep the air less polluted too. I'm not saying you are like that Rump but I know many live this silly dream of this adventure that never happens... if you are going to be driving around the city 95% of the time then buy a city car and rent out the 4 wheel drive for the once a year/lifetime adventure, if you ever have time for it....

 

[RumpledElf]

So what exactly do you mean by 'off-road'?

Very poor condition dirt back roads with large potholes, mostly. The corolla doesn't handle them all that well and we drive down roads like that maybe 10-15 times a year. Not all that often, but enough to be a consideration. The low clearance on the corolla means we have all sorts of interesting dings under the car from hitting the ground on dirt roads. It would also open up some shortcuts to places we usually go but take the long way round to stay on sealed roads.

Just wandered into the local Toyota dealership for a stickybeak, they didn't have any rav4's but now we're paying attention we passed about 20 rav4's on the way home (we're talking a 2km drive here) and they seem a nice size.

Saw one territory and about a billion hiluxes in the same distance but not any of the other ones that were mentioned. The overwhelming majority of cars in this town are toyotas. I'd go a twin cab hilux but the ones they had for sale cost more than our last house

 

[locko24]

Saw one territory and about a billion hiluxes in the same distance but not any of the other ones that were mentioned. The overwhelming majority of cars in this town are toyotas. I'd go a twin cab hilux but the ones they had for sale cost more than our last house

Yeah, hiluxes / Landcruisers are overvalued imo. They have a great reputaion though...