Another seeking car thread.

[ScottulusMaximus]

So I'm looking for a car with a budget of 60k. Requirements:

NOT a tiny city/hairdressers car
Reliable
Economical
4 doors
Well built
Lowish mileage

And that's it.

Preferably:
VW, Toyota, Subaru, Volvo, Honda, maybe a Kia?
Petrol 1.4l

Will obviously be getting secondhand and I've never done this before in SA so any advice/hints would also be appreciated.

 

[ahoudet]

Max age and mileage?

I'd say take a serious look at both the Honda Jazz and Civic.

Regarding buying in SA:
Look around and don't buy the first car that pops up.
Do homework on the car and the dealer you're looking at buying from.
If private, make sure you can trust the guy... Otherwise, walk away.
Get the car checked out by someone that knows cars.
Check the service history.
Test drive the car.

 

[ScottulusMaximus]

This was the first step, I've no idea what's even available yet. Didn't want to go looking blind so max age and mileage is basically "best I can get" for now.

Thnx for the info I'll keep everything in mind. It's for a simple daily runner(including freeways) that's big and reliable enough for infrequent longer journeys as well. Brands pointed out are just a preference and feel like a sturdier product than some of the other cars I've been in.

 

[silver6933]

Volvos are great car, but expensive to maintain out of warranty. And at that price you be looking at the older models that were more troublesome.

 

[Segg]

Volvos are great car, but expensive to maintain out of warranty. And at that price you be looking at the older models that were more troublesome.

+1

They depreciate like a boulder thrown into water, and their parts are hectically expensive! Avoid them (especially pre-2010's) like a plague

 

[ScottulusMaximus]

Ok Volvo is out then(I presumed they were a bit of a stretch).

I'm good with a Ford too. I'm seeing a bunch of Fiesta's around this price range, any particular reason they seem quite cheap?

 

[FiestaST]

Another vote for the 1st gen Jazz; great all rounder.

 

[ScottulusMaximus]

Another vote for the 1st gen Jazz; great all rounder.

Jazz is a bit too "old lady" for me. Now if I could find a tidy Civic that hasn't been ****ed up with idotic rims etc then we'd be in business.

 

[Jet-Fighter7700]

Budget a bit low, similar to what I had as well

yaris?
Picanto?
Older Rio
Older accent
Or if your not too afraid of risk,
Citi Golf,polo,

 

[Segg]

As decent as Hondas are, their agents are a nightmare to deal with, personal experience regarding bike parts, and friends experiences regarding cars, the latest story I heard about is 2 months to repair a right hand review mirror and front wing

Edit: Toyota's are very good second hand vehicles, believe it or not most of their engines are designed to operate below their true power potential, because that usually means they will last longer because they're not often brought close to their physical limits (source from a friend in Toyota SA)

 

[arr0w]

I suggest that you save R10000 and move your budget to R70 000.
You can buy a 2010 or 2011 model from the R7000 price bracket

 

[ahoudet]

Forgot to mention... Opel Astra. Excellent car to drive. Nearly bought a 2007 1.4 for R80k but the dealer screwed me over by lowering his trade in offer on the day of delivery. You could get a decent one in your budget

 

[ahoudet]

DO NOT BUY FROM RIGHT CARS! Had a mate that worked there tell me about what they do to those cars... They pass roadworthy while it's parked there and mileage is turned back on some of them. Plus it's like a prison when you go there to check a car out

 

[chickenbeef]

Get a Corolla

 

[Pitbull]

DO NOT BUY FROM RIGHT CARS! Had a mate that worked there tell me about what they do to those cars... They pass roadworthy while it's parked there and mileage is turned back on some of them. Plus it's like a prison when you go there to check a car out

I was about to post the very same thing. That horrible BMW X5 I went to look at a couple of months ago was from the very dealership. Good gawd no. Avoid that place like the plague.

 

[arr0w]

Not a fan of the vivo but that seems to be a decent deal from nissan helderberg

 

[arr0w]

Forgot to mention... Opel Astra. Excellent car to drive. Nearly bought a 2007 1.4 for R80k but the dealer screwed me over by lowering his trade in offer on the day of delivery. You could get a decent one in your budget

I wont recommend Opel. My bud bought a 2008 astra from a cmh dealership and had gearbox issues about a year later. It set him back about R30000.Opels arent known to be reliable cars, they seem to have electrical issues aswell.

I find that : vw, toyota, ford, kia, honda, mazda and hyundai are reliable.

 

[ScottulusMaximus]

The vivo I'm really worried about the theft risk, how bad is it really? Figo looks nice but that Aygo is too small.
Ok right-cars is out.
I've had an Opel, good little car but not as "solid" as I would like, so Opel is out too.
Mazda's I'm not a fan of their styling, what sort of a Hyundai would I be looking at in the price range(at work so can't serach right now).

Thnx for all the suggestions folks, keep em coming! Still in the planning stages of this but will keep everyone updated.

One quick question, I'm seeing that a few places have AA and Dekra certificates for their cars, are these a good enough indicator that there's nothing majorly wrong with it or who would you recommend to check the car out?

 

[Old_Liver]

The vivo I'm really worried about the theft risk, how bad is it really? Figo looks nice but that Aygo is too small.
Ok right-cars is out.
I've had an Opel, good little car but not as "solid" as I would like, so Opel is out too.
Mazda's I'm not a fan of their styling, what sort of a Hyundai would I be looking at in the price range(at work so can't serach right now).

Thnx for all the suggestions folks, keep em coming! Still in the planning stages of this but will keep everyone updated.

One quick question, I'm seeing that a few places have AA and Dekra certificates for their cars, are these a good enough indicator that there's nothing majorly wrong with it or who would you recommend to check the car out?

My Guess would probably be a Getz or a first gen i10. I personally would go for the Getz over the i10.

EDIT:
These look good:
Link 1
Link 2

 

[Brenden_E]

So I'm looking for a car with a budget of 60k. Requirements:

NOT a tiny city/hairdressers car
Reliable
Economical
4 doors
Well built
Lowish mileage

And that's it.

Preferably:
VW, Toyota, Subaru, Volvo, Honda, maybe a Kia?
Petrol 1.4l

Will obviously be getting secondhand and I've never done this before in SA so any advice/hints would also be appreciated.

From the requirements, it sounds like you don't want a R60K car