New small budget car for my mom

Suspect99

Suspect99

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Hi everyone,

I’m looking at getting my mom a new car to replace her old Honda Jazz, which is getting a bit long in the tooth. She only uses it to drive to the shops and back, and never goes on the highway. She filled up last month and has only used about a quarter tank so far.

Her requirements are fairly simple:

  • Small
  • Cheap
  • Automatic
  • Hatchback or small SUV
  • 2024 or newer, preferably new
  • Low maintenance
  • Easy to drive
So far, I’ve test driven the Suzuki Swift, Hyundai Grand i10 Executive, and Mahindra XUV 3XO MX3.

Suzuki Swift​

I liked the looks, price, and interior. The 3-cylinder engine sounds a bit rough, although it is nippy for what it is. The CVT was, well, a CVT unfortunately.

The steering was nice and light, which is good for my mom. Ride quality over the roadworks on Racecourse Road wasn’t great, but to be fair, that road is especially bad.

Hyundai Grand i10​

I also drove the Grand i10, the 6-airbag Executive version. I wasn’t impressed. The car looks and feels a bit cheap. The engine sounds much better than the Swift’s, and the ride was more comfortable, although it felt more sluggish.

Mahindra XUV 3XO MX3​

I drove the Mahindra XUV 3XO MX3 today.

It’s basically the same price as the Grand i10, around R288k all-in, including a rear-view camera.

It feels like much, much more car for the money. At this price point it feels more premium, the engine feels far more powerful, and the ride is more comfortable. The boot is a bit small and has a weird lip, but otherwise it seems like a very strong option.

It also comes with a 3-year service plan, compared to 1 year on the Hyundai. My mom also seemed much happier with this one.

I see Mahindra Milnerton also offers a 10-year / 1-billion km warranty, which sounds a bit ridiculous, but obviously good if it is honoured properly.

I also looked at the Geely E2 and BYD Dolphin Surf, but my mom says she doesn’t want an electric car.

Other options I’m considering are a second-hand Mazda 2, although they seem hard to find in Cape Town, or maybe something like a Kia Sonet.

At the moment, she is very much leaning towards the Mahindra.

Are there any glaring flaws with the XUV 3XO that I should know about, or are there any other options I should be looking at?

Any opinions would be welcome.
 
Last edited:
handyman007 said:
Honda Amaze or Honda Fit?
Click to expand...
So I looked at that as its basically the upgrade to the Jazz. but the cheapest version looks to be R100k more than any of these options. And she will baulk at the price and refuse even if I am the one paying . But there are some demos and used ones that I will have a look at thanks.

New price is R383 for the base model and there are demos with 50kms on them going for R328k
 
We got a honda amaze elegance CVT to replace my wife's jazz(write off),
It was a 3 year old, single owner with 50000km on it for 205000. No complaints.
We use it as a family car now because it's a little bigger than my etios.
 
Suspect99 said:
So I looked at that as its basically the upgrade to the Jazz. but the cheapest version looks to be R100k more than any of these options. And she will baulk at the price and refuse even if I am the one paying . But there are some demos and used ones that I will have a look at thanks.

New price is R383 for the base model and there are demos with 50kms on them going for R328k
Click to expand...
Does it really have to be that new though?

You can get get low mileage Executive models for under 300k.

1780482623700.png
 
Suspect99 said:
Hi everyone,

I’m looking at getting my mom a new car to replace her old Honda Jazz, which is getting a bit long in the tooth. She only uses it to drive to the shops and back, and never goes on the highway. She filled up last month and has only used about a quarter tank so far.
Click to expand...

In what way? Keeping up with the Joneses crossovers and SUVs? They're one of the most reliable cars around, no point in wasting money.

But you've already taken her shopping so you've dug the hole for yourself, you have to buy something now.
Luckily the 3XO is a good car, thank God you didn't go show her a Magnite or Kwid.
 
NR7 said:
In what way? Keeping up with the Joneses crossovers and SUVs? They're one of the most reliable cars around, no point in wasting money.

But you've already taken her shopping so you've dug the hole for yourself, you have to buy something now.
Luckily the 3XO is a good car, thank God you didn't go show her a Magnite or Kwid.
Click to expand...
Its over 15 years old. Had problems with the transmission recently ( CVT), which were fixed. and a truck knocked off her mirror and scraped the side when it was parked. It was flawless for the last 15 years though so I'll give it that

And Yeah the magnite and Kwids are pieces of crap
 
Suspect99 said:
True. Thats an option.
Click to expand...
I got the 2021 Executive model, it's an excellent little car.

The CVT gearbox in it is also much nicer than some of the other options in this bracket that use AMTs.

It's also has some better safety options than some of the others.
 
DrJohnZoidberg said:
I got the 2021 Executive model, it's an excellent little car.

The CVT gearbox in it is also much nicer than some of the other options in this bracket that use AMTs.

It's also has some better safety options than some of the others.
Click to expand...
Think Ill go show her one of those
She is currently using a CVT and shes fine with it
The Swift and Hyundai have a kind of bad CVT.
and the XUV has a normal torque converter which felt very nice

I see the exter has an AMT. think this is why I kicked it off my list initially
 
The Mahindra has a turbo, keep it simple with a naturally aspirated engine.

I would go Honda before Suzuki and Hyundai.

Only thing is, how long will Honda still be in South Africa.
 
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