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I'm looking for a recommendation for a used car. I live in Australia, and my budget is very low. Proposed Budget: Up to $5,000 Body Style: Station wagon, hatchback, or van. How will you be using the car?: Mostly short trips, sometimes with lots of lightish stuff inside (homebrew vats, computer parts, stuff like that). A Holden sedan is big enbough for that part, or a Camry or something. Once a week, it will travel roughly 100km in a single day going across the city via freeways. It must seat 4 adults on that trip. Comfort isn't a huge issue, but most of my friends are tall, so tiny cars are right out. A Corolla is fine for that part. Edit: Once or twice a year, it will go 500kms or so on a short roadtrip. If it turns out not reliable for roadtrips, no big deal, we'll use someone else's car. Do you prefer a luxury vehicle with all the gizmos?: No. Power steering is a must. Aircon is a bonus. Everything else being manual would be fine. CD player nice but not necessary, I can build my own stereo/ipod/whatever setup. Edit: gently caress, my girlfriend informs me she can't drive a manual, so auto transmission is a must too. What aspects are most important to you? (e.g. reliability, cost of ownership/maintenance, import/domestic, MPG, size, style): Reliability, cost of maintenance, running costs. I can do basic maintenance myself, and while I'd be happy to say I know jack poo poo about cars, I did once change a head gasket, mostly because I'm a loving master at following instruction manuals. If you do not live in the U.S. you should probably say so because what's available can vary a lot: Melbourne, Australia. Cars I've looked at: Early 2000s Corolla wagon. Late 90s / Early 2000s Mitsubishi Magna wagon (best choice, I think). Mitsubishi 380 (too pricey, but I really like it). Early 2000s Camry. Various vans (I kind of like vans, but if I got a van it would need to have a comfortable rear seat). I don't want another holden, all my cars have been shitbox holdens, and they're awful. I don't expect to get much for the price, but stuff like scratches and dents bothers me not at all. Elector_Nerdlingen fucked around with this message at 16:19 on Jun 14, 2012 |
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Jun 14, 2012 14:49
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Don Lapre posted:Did you get the Honda accord wagon over there? We do yes. There are currently 4 or so I can find for sale in the whole country, none in my state, and they're 1995ish models for $4k-$5k. A bit old for the high end of my price range. What can you guys tell me about the Mitsubishi Magna Wagon, 1999-2003 or so. That seems to be the right size, efficiency, and price for us. I can get a mate who's a pretty good backyard mechanic (and marine diesel engineer) to look at any car before I buy it. I'd just like to hear opinions on it. I'm by no means set on the car. I like the Accord wagons too, but there just aren't any around. Elector_Nerdlingen fucked around with this message at 02:05 on Jun 19, 2012 |
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Jun 17, 2012 13:17
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Bobby_Wokkerfella posted:I hate Magnas with a passion, dreadful styling, horrendous to work on, handles like a boat and the v6 is thirsty. That being said, they're pretty reliable, my grandparents have had a 2000 Verada wagon since new, and my rents had a 99 Verada sedan for years and nothing catastrophic went wrong on either, but definitely not my cup of tea. Hey thanks man! I'm looking at the Magna because as far as a cheap car goes, I like the styling. Also, my marine diesel engineer / backyard mechanic mate knows them really well because his parents and his wife's parents own them. Reliability is a big deal too, and I hear no complaints about that. I'll check out the Camry too, my girlfriend drives a 1992 model and it's ok... for an old shitbox. I think it's just that when I think Carmy, I think "oh god, no" because a mate had an awful one. I'll have to not let that affect me too much. Volvos are something I looked at, and while I love them, I couldn't afford the servicing and I can't do much myself. But it's definitely worth considering. Is the mid 90s 840 in that pridce range worth even looking at, or are they all hosed for that money? Elector_Nerdlingen fucked around with this message at 02:17 on Jun 25, 2012 |
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Jun 25, 2012 02:14
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Bobby_Wokkerfella posted:Fair enough, like I said, Magna's aren't my cup of tea, but if you like them, by all means, it's your cash. One thing to look out for is if they've had their spark plugs replaced, being a transverse (mounted side to side) v6, 3 of the plugs are right up against the car's body, and it's a big job to change them. They only need doing once every few years though, but there's tons of magnas out there, you may as well pick one that's had it done recently to save you/your friend the money/hassle. Awesome, thanks again. I'm 6'3" and the Camry is starting to be a tiny bit small at that point, while the magna is fine. Like I said, my girlfriend drives a 92 model, and it's fine, and I could deal with the very slight crampedness, but if I can get a non-cramped car, I'd prefer it. I'll definitely add the Camry to the list of cars worth looking at though, there's nothing wrong with them but the size. I really don't give a poo poo about power. If it gets to 110 on the freeway, I'm good. I've never owned a nice new car, so I'm far from worried. I am willing to learn a bit of wrench work, but my talents sadly lie in other directions. I can check/change fluids and light globes and fuses and stuff, and perform very minor repairs, but I'm simply not skilled enough to do that on a regular basis. I once changed the rocker cover gasket in an EFI VK Commodore, and it took me all afternoon. I also have no idea what I did, I'm just a loving master at following instructions.
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Jun 25, 2012 09:38
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