Que Sera Sera Posted September 23, 2014 Share Posted September 23, 2014 I've decided to get a new car. I need a car for work that's really ecomical fuel wise and it will be just me in it. So I've decided on a really small one. Does anyone have a Suzuki Alto, Barina Spark , Hyundai i20 etc? Or similar and are you happy with it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jacaranda Posted September 23, 2014 Share Posted September 23, 2014 My twin drives a new Suzuki Swift and loves it!Its got the sports pack thingy on it too which looks nice.Its dark grey and looks pretty good! http://www.suzuki.com.au/vehicles/models/swift/model-variant/swift-gl/overview Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fifi69 Posted September 23, 2014 Share Posted September 23, 2014 QSS, daughter just bought a brand new Kia rio...she loves it, saving loads on the Camry she used to have. Kia have v good deals on at the moment, new cars, at good prices five years warranty, fuel card, roadside assist. Def worth a look. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmjg Posted September 23, 2014 Share Posted September 23, 2014 we have a diesel i30 1.6 which is fantastic on the fuel, easy to park and tows our 1.1 ton caravan happily. eta - the i30 uses less in fuel and $$ and has way more go than my old Mazda 121 with its 1.3 petrol engine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted September 23, 2014 Share Posted September 23, 2014 Mazda 2 all the way for me in that small car type. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skani Posted September 23, 2014 Share Posted September 23, 2014 Mazda 2 all the way for me in that small car type. I second this.:wubclub: Bought my Mazda 2 new in 2007 and haven't had one iota of trouble with it. If I considered anything else it would be a Hyundai i20 or Honda Jazz. (A friend has one of these and really loves it). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akiralx Posted September 23, 2014 Share Posted September 23, 2014 I have two Hyundais (i30 diesel and iX35) and really rate them. 5 year warranty and servicing/insurance seems cheaper than I was expecting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boganbear Posted September 23, 2014 Share Posted September 23, 2014 got a 4 year old suzuki swift.its very fuel efficient and cheap to run but the suspension could be a bit better. nothing has ever gone wrong with it. New ones might be better Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Petals Posted September 23, 2014 Share Posted September 23, 2014 I do not have a small car at present but my friend has a Mazda 2 which I go out in 2 or 3 times a week and its a great small car. The finish in all Mazdas makes them a stand out against others Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArrowsEng Posted September 24, 2014 Share Posted September 24, 2014 Go for the Hyundai I30 or Mazda 2 or the Honda Jazz. All very good in their own way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seppo Posted September 24, 2014 Share Posted September 24, 2014 Mazda 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Savitar Posted October 10, 2014 Share Posted October 10, 2014 I would vote for a VW Polo. You can pick them up for $15k second hand and they are a far better car than a Suzuki / Kia etc. If you MUST have a new car then the Suzuki / Kai can be good options if you want to only spend $15K ish but if you don't mind someone else paying the initial depeciation for you, then a 1-3 year old Polo is excellent value.... 2013 manual with 2000KMs for only $12,500: http://www.carsales.com.au/private/details/Volkswagen-Polo-2013/SSE-AD-3010067/?Cr=1&sdmvc=1 2013 auto with 20,000KM for $15,990 http://www.carsales.com.au/dealer/details/Volkswagen-Polo-2013/AGC-AD-16492354/?Cr=6&sdmvc=1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Diane Posted October 11, 2014 Share Posted October 11, 2014 When we were looking for a small car for our daughter (well, for me really but I don't get a look in) we ended up with a Mazda 2: a lot of the small cars don't have the safety features you need on Australian roads - abs etc -and the Mazda 2 seemed to be the best option in terms of size, economy, safety, price of spare parts and quality of build. Also with the big road trains you get on the roads here you don't want to go too small (I used to have a Ka in the UK but imagine they would barely even be visible to the driver of a road train!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skani Posted October 11, 2014 Share Posted October 11, 2014 I would vote for a VW Polo. You can pick them up for $15k second hand and they are a far better car than a Suzuki / Kia etc. When I was in the market for a new car several years ago I started looking at a Polo but was advised against it by a friend who was a Volkswagen mechanic....he said they were too unreliable. He actually said that the Skoda equivalent was more reliable (Skoda is owned by VW). In view of the later worldwide recall of VW vehicles for multiple faults - and the bad press they received in Australia because of their poor handling of the issue - I'm glad I took notice of his advice. I finally opted for a Mazda 2 and am very happy with it - with not a single problem - 7 years down the track. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brit Girl Posted October 11, 2014 Share Posted October 11, 2014 Go for a ford feista, mine has never given me any trouble in almost 5 years. It's cheap to run and service. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
srg73 Posted October 11, 2014 Share Posted October 11, 2014 When I was in the market for a new car several years ago I started looking at a Polo but was advised against it by a friend who was a Volkswagen mechanic....he said they were too unreliable. He actually said that the Skoda equivalent was more reliable (Skoda is owned by VW).In view of the later worldwide recall of VW vehicles for multiple faults - and the bad press they received in Australia because of their poor handling of the issue - I'm glad I took notice of his advice. I finally opted for a Mazda 2 and am very happy with it - with not a single problem - 7 years down the track. Mmmmm, was the VW Passat Tdi Comfortline not voted best car in Australia this year? I have a 3 year old Golf Tdi which is a great car, much better than the Brand new Audi I had in UK and far better than the Mitsibushi SUV we initially hired here. VW are generally great cars especially the Tdi or Tsi versions. The polo is also a great car again especially the Tdi versions, my wife had one in UK and never missed a beat. Mazda is from the Ford factory of cars as is Volvo etc and do seem to have a good reputation in Aus and fair reputation in UK. Do remember distances can be long here but speed limits are lower, if driving around town you are generally limited to 60kph so most cars if we'll maintained will chug along for years. Rust is also not a major issue which means you should be looking at service costs, general age issues (electrics etc) and ensure it has a/c and an engine which copes with a/c well. I simply feel German cars are screwed together a little better than most. S Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gee13 Posted October 11, 2014 Share Posted October 11, 2014 Heres a couple of old gfs of mine... with the cosiest small car ever for erm...three ... did I mention they drive ok on Australian roads? :wubclub: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
srg73 Posted October 11, 2014 Share Posted October 11, 2014 My wife desperately wants a real mini again and when she needs a car it maybe a consideration. Again the old tin worm is less of an issue here so there are far more genuine minis about. She had one years ago and refuses even to this day to sit in a BMW version.....much better to have a 1970's British Leyland, built during strike action on a Friday afternoon car instead? A little off off topic but I have found a car I would love to buy for sale in Adelaide, two problems, one I'm in Brisbane and second I have nowhere to store it at the moment otherwise I think it would be mine. Car is Renault 16 which I grew up with, my mum absolutely loved hers for years and years until it got written off by 2 dogs driving a car down hill (yes you did read that right). I could not think of a car filled with more memories for me and I would love to have it so my mum and dad could have a run around when over here. I did look at buying one in UK, could not stretch to £15k! car in Adelaide $2k! S Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Savitar Posted October 11, 2014 Share Posted October 11, 2014 When I was in the market for a new car several years ago I started looking at a Polo but was advised against it by a friend who was a Volkswagen mechanic....he said they were too unreliable. He actually said that the Skoda equivalent was more reliable (Skoda is owned by VW).In view of the later worldwide recall of VW vehicles for multiple faults - and the bad press they received in Australia because of their poor handling of the issue - I'm glad I took notice of his advice. I finally opted for a Mazda 2 and am very happy with it - with not a single problem - 7 years down the track. Gotta love people with an agenda. I did not do it so you should not.....Almost every car manufacturer has recalls....The fact that you say "Go with a Skoda"...hmm...What car.co.uk gives the Polo 4/5 and the Skoda 3/5. As the are in the same company they are basically the same car, in a different dress....so saying one is far different that the other is like saying that a Tim Tam double coat is a completely different option to a normal Tim tam.... And, in fact, there have been more recent recalls on Skoda's than Polos : https://www.recalls.gov.au/content/index.phtml/itemId/997596 In the last 4 years, there have been a total of 2 recalls for Polo's, and two for various Skoda's so no real difference there. There was one recall for Mazda 2 in 2008 and none since but FIVE recalls for Mazda 6's....The Fiesta, one in 2012. At the end of the day, cars not not going to be perfect, some (Mazda 6 for example) have more issues than others but if you treat your cars right, actually know how to drive them properly and keep them in good condition you will get YEARs of trouble free motoring from almost any car..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sir Les Patterson Posted October 11, 2014 Share Posted October 11, 2014 I've decided to get a new car. I need a car for work that's really ecomical fuel wise and it will be just me in it. So I've decided on a really small one. Does anyone have a Suzuki Alto, Barina Spark , Hyundai i20 etc? Or similar and are you happy with it? Whatever you buy.....buy Japanese......they will in the long run give you far cheaper servicing costs, better reliability and better resale value than anything Europe produces (especially from the VW group).......I own a Japanese car (Lexus) as my everyday drive (it is just an upmarket Toyota) absolutely bullet proof. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lindor Posted October 11, 2014 Share Posted October 11, 2014 I had a Mazda 2 sport back home, light and quick as, I loved it. Regularly drove up and down the country in it and never had a problem. Got it new, had it 5 years. Before that I had a VW Polo, from new, same usage, up and down the country, never let me down until 7 years later when the clutch went. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seppo Posted October 11, 2014 Share Posted October 11, 2014 @srg73.....Mazda is totally divested from Ford as of 2012, when the last US delivered Mazda 6's were made in the Ford plant in Flint, Michigan....also, Ford Premier Automotive Group sold Volvo to Geely Auto Holdings, a Chinese company, in 2010.....just to set the record straight....... Mmmmm, was the VW Passat Tdi Comfortline not voted best car in Australia this year? I have a 3 year old Golf Tdi which is a great car, much better than the Brand new Audi I had in UK and far better than the Mitsibushi SUV we initially hired here. VW are generally great cars especially the Tdi or Tsi versions. The polo is also a great car again especially the Tdi versions, my wife had one in UK and never missed a beat. Mazda is from the Ford factory of cars as is Volvo etc and do seem to have a good reputation in Aus and fair reputation in UK. Do remember distances can be long here but speed limits are lower, if driving around town you are generally limited to 60kph so most cars if we'll maintained will chug along for years. Rust is also not a major issue which means you should be looking at service costs, general age issues (electrics etc) and ensure it has a/c and an engine which copes with a/c well. I simply feel German cars are screwed together a little better than most. S Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chubbs75 Posted October 11, 2014 Share Posted October 11, 2014 @srg73.....Mazda is totally divested from Ford as of 2012, when the last US delivered Mazda 6's were made in the Ford plant in Flint, Michigan....also, Ford Premier Automotive Group sold Volvo to Geely Auto Holdings, a Chinese company, in 2010.....just to set the record straight....... You just saved me typing that Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
srg73 Posted October 11, 2014 Share Posted October 11, 2014 Hands up, I stand to be corrected...cars are tools to be used although I do like Motorsport...booked for Melbourne GP already with prime seats! All I can recall about Mazda is when my old company offered them as an extension of the Ford stable they used to have. Japanese cars are great, had top of the range Honda Civic 2008 Type S GT with every extra, amazing car, great engine and chewed up the miles. The MK6 golf has the simular well built feel and pleasure to drive, much better than the Audi I had last.I'm sure a Mazda will give great service and as I mentioned previously most cars in Aus seem to get a very easy life.S Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MARYROSE02 Posted October 11, 2014 Share Posted October 11, 2014 My 1993 Toyota Corolla has just passed 327,000 kilometres, and I've always rented Corollas from 'No Birds' - did 6,000k in one road trip through NSW, Victoria, SA, NSW, QLD, including outback travel, though no unmetalled roads. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.