Downgrading to a very cheap car

Aqua_lung said:
Get a citi golf, cheap to maintain, cheap to run, get one in good condition to really save.
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Not cheap to insure and also a target car for thieves and hijackers. The rest is true but not very accident safe due to no airbags.
 
vicv said:
What are you on about?
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my post was for the person I quoted.

he states that he, his wife, MIL, and 3 children go in 1 vehicle.That vehicle is, by law only certified for 5 people. Hench only 3 seatbelts in the back. By having 6 people in said vehicle he breaks at least 2 laws. 1 the number of people, the other regarding seatbelts.....
 
SauRoNZA said:
Cheap to die in as well.
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You're not going to get piece of mind at 30k. I had a buddy survive a major accident in his citi though, both cars totaled, he only suffered fractured ribs, he swore that his car saved him.
 
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Aqua_lung said:
You're not going to get piece of mind at 30k. I had a buddy survive a major accident in his citi though, both cars totaled, he only suffered fractured ribs, he swore that his car saved him.
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Yeah look everything is circumstantial.

But I agree you'll have a hard time finding something safe at 30k.

I would rather risk my life in an Opel Corsa than a Citi though.
 
My last choice would be a citi golf. I had one about 10 years ago and had endless problems, especially with something as simple as the door handles that couldn't open the doors and doors that couldn't close properly.
 
Although the Balade is a good choice, I also see 1st Gen CRV's going in that price range. And they're actually not bad on fuel economy for a SUV. And the engine is reliable. And not to mention the space for a family of 5.
 
marco79 said:
My last choice would be a citi golf. I had one about 10 years ago and had endless problems, especially with something as simple as the door handles that couldn't open the doors and doors that couldn't close properly.
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There's a good reason Golf owners always tell you how cheap they are to run and how cheap the parts are...becuase they break all the damn time.
 
krycor said:
My Honda is doing ok.. But given the option I would change it as the petrol price makes it expensive.. Keep in mind that most fuel economical vehicles get at least 2x mileage of the vehicles which are a decade and a half old.
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The cost of servicing older vehicles often outweighs the extra fuel consumed IMO.
The 1964 VW Beetle I used to drive averaged between 7.5 to 8.0L per 100km.
That's not much more than a lot of modern petrol powered vehicles.
If I replaced it with a modern 1400/1600 hatchback that consumes 5.5L/100km (very frugal) and drive 2000 km per month it would be a savings of about R700 per month.
Now factor in costs of comprehensive insurance, the higher parts price of modern vehicles and all the electronic gadgets that can break and you're probably losing at the end of the day.
With an old vehicle I can afford to only have third party insurance. Another replacement is only R20K to R30K.

The only up side to modern vehicles is that they're safer, greener, a bit more fuel efficient and more comfortable to drive.
 
Third party insurance doesn't really make sense though on an older vehicle.

My old Corsa is so cheap to insure I can't imagine why I would do third party instead.
 
last year i sold the type R and got a 97 ballade 150i.
i worked in pta for most of the year so it was mostly used highway. gave me +/-730kms per tank.. and thats like 48 litres a pop.
made HUGE financial sense. did a service with a honda machy and is cost me under 1k... labour included, and we did the belts andol.
didnt cost me a cent on extra maintenance, not even a drop of oil during that time.

but i got a job 3kms from house, and i sold the honda.
there is nothing more reliable, and makes more sense financially. the 150i had air con, power steering, central locking etc.. just didnt have an airbag or electic windows.
if u buy a VTEC (hens teeth..) or even a 180i auto ( ive seen a few for sale) then u get the airbag, leather and electric windows.

i sold the honda only because i had some extra money as i wasn't spending as much on fuel anymore.
wud never have sold it otherwise!

i've come full circle with the buy-a-car-for-cash and save bit..
i'm now making payments on a car. and I dont have an issue there. the itch to drive something newer ... most chaps know too well about it!

at the end of the day, i'm not paying much more though..
just save the petrol money and put towards a better car repayment.

if your kung-fu is strong and u are "itch-resistant" hehehe! then u will do very well in a 150i ballade!
word!
 
marco79 said:
I have been considering selling my Fortuner 4x4 and downgrading to a cheap R30000 runaround. Something like a '97 150i Honda Ballade or '94 Jetta.

The reasons for getting the Fortuner were mainly for gravel road driving and for regular shopping days and outings with in-laws. My needs have changed as we now don't need/use the Fortuner for what it was intended initially.

Another reason is to accelerate our savings. I will sell and settle my HP agreement and buy the el-cheapo car cash.

I could save in excess of R8000 per month.

The SO has an i10 that we as a family of 5 fits into comfortably. The el-cheapo will be mainly for my travel to work.

Any thoughts or suggestions.
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Suzuki Alto GS. 900cc engine. I drove to Jbay and back on one tank (about 750km). Tank is R400 to fill up.
 
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My dad had a ford telstar and it lasted 600 000kms before being sold for parts.Why dont you do a search on autotrader/carfind for 35-40k on all cars.You mite get a newish aka 2000s car in a 'unique' colour.I have realised the yellow,bright green and poo brown cars are sometimes a lot cheaper because it isn't the norm
 
I traded in my golf 3 last month, was reliable, 260K on the clock, saw it being sold on gumtree with clock turned back to 190k lol. I won't trust any car without a FSH anymore.
 
I took the plunge, sold the Fortuner. Bought a 2006 Nissan Almera 1.8 Elegance for R50k with 238 000km on the clock. Car drives good, was well looked after and serviced regularly. Because I bought the car voetstoets, I decided to buy an aftermarket 2 year warrentee for R9k for a piece of mind.

The car started overheating on my way home. I took it to a radiator specialist and replaced the whole cooling system. This is a new radiator, thermostat, water pump and radiator cap. This cost me R1800 but the warrentee is going to refund me.

As soon as I get my refund from the warrentee, I'm having the aircon fixed. It probably just needs a regas.

Insurance is R700 cheaper a month than the Fortuner, plus having no installment on a R450k vehicle. So far I feel this was the correct decision to make.

I'll really see how the car performs on Tuesday as i'm taking it on a 1200km drive up the N1.
 
Is a warrentee like something between a guarantee and a warranty?
 
Did the same with my fortuner. Sold it. Used the extra money to decrease monthly rate for focus. Save about 3k a month.
 
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