First car

PhireSide said:
Suzuki Swift gets my vote.

They seem like solid, reliable and cheap to run cars and everyone I have spoken to with one has sang its praises.
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Also rising on the hijackers radar
 
I did not get a first car, there just wasn't any money for luxuries like that. I had to buy my own car, which I did with my "Danger Pay" money I got after finishing a 3-month border duty during my 2 years National Service. I bought myself a metallic blue 1978 VW Beetle 1600 SP in June of 1982. Bought in Worcester during a 7-day pass, then drove it from Sutherland to Phalaborwa to start my 2nd year of National Service.

My eldest son also was not given a first car, but he had free to use access to my late mother's car, which she gave to my wife after she could not drive it anymore. it's a 1998 Hyundai Accent, which we still have. He bought himself a secondhand Golf 5 GTI a few years later.
 
Also starting to think of getting something for my daughter. With uni/college on the horizon and living a couple of hundred kms away it makes sense. Definitively looking at a demo or 2nd hand with extendable guarantee.

Also don't want to give my daughter a safety / hijack risk or something unreliable. SA is dangerous enough for young females alone on the road. Most of the smaller cars seem to be getting hammered by the latest NCAP safety ratings and that makes it really difficult to decide.

Was thinking Swift or Baleno/Starlet before the latest safety tests on the Starlet caused 2nd thoughts. Also considering older Mazda2 or Sonet. Maybe even Polo Vivo for use in Western Cape.
 
handyman007 said:
Cars are just so expensive these days. I'm 45 years old and in my 3rd car. I think my dad had about 12 cars by 45.
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Rookie numbers LOL, just kidding.

42 and on my 20th car, since the beginning of lockdown ive had 12 different cars. Mainly due to cheap scraps with too many issues and some due to boredom and my wife writing her car off and taking over mine and then the other one was just not economical to repair so sold it and again she took over mine. And currently on another scrap that keeps breaking. CV's done last week and now welsh plug leaking behind flywheel so gearbox had to come out to repair.

Then bikes ive lost count, i can recall 31 of them but im sure there are a few i dont remember.
 
TerenceBez said:
Rookie numbers LOL, just kidding.

42 and on my 20th car, since the beginning of lockdown ive had 12 different cars. Mainly due to cheap scraps with too many issues and some due to boredom and my wife writing her car off and taking over mine and then the other one was just not economical to repair so sold it and again she took over mine. And currently on another scrap that keeps breaking. CV's done last week and now welsh plug leaking behind flywheel so gearbox had to come out to repair.

Then bikes ive lost count, i can recall 31 of them but im sure there are a few i dont remember.
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I guess good on you for all the recycling...
 
Where is that forum member who got his daughter an Audi A3 A1 or something

tRoN

Post in thread 'Car for my daughter (new driver) '

Tremayne said:
What did you get him?
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It’s “her”

Due to the fact that life is short with this covid thingy, I decided to upgrade my options and got her this for her 19th birthday.


f115d1fb208995012d5314f362b6d006.jpg
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WAslayer said:
I guess good on you for all the recycling...
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LOL never ending cycle of lemons, had a few good ones but mainly they last a 6-12 months and then start needing major repairs. Currently have a 2001 Fiat seicento, a car ive been after for years, thought i was getting a decent deal but didnt it make it home and engine mounting came loose due to a damaged CV joint causing vibration, that was sorted and on the test drive, the welsh plug went so currently stripped. already looking at options to get rid of it but im going to have to take a loss. Not really wanting to finance but it may be my only option to get something reliable. Riding bike in winter is no joke.
 
Jean Claude Vaaldamme said:
So a question. When you get your kid a first car. Do you go for the excitement of giving them their first car as a surprise and you choose it. Or do you rather get their input and buy something they would like?

Reason I ask. a year ago a was looking for a town runabout, but found that for the same price(used) as these small cars like Swift, Picanto, Brio etc(used) you can get a much bigger and comfortable, Jetta, Honda CRV, Tiguan etc. Now when I was young I would have like one of these bigger cars where you could load your friends and stuff in comfortably rather than a small little thing. But Then that's me. Don't want a kid to feel he got an old mans car.
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Suzuki or Mazda
 
Jean Claude Vaaldamme said:
My question was actually if it should be surprise or kid involved in what car
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You can do both. I had many chats with eldest about cars. He's not a car person so wasn't really interested. But every time I brought up a car the feedback would come a day or two later via his mates. After a lot of backwards and forwards we (his mother, not him) decided on a Swift. 10 years guarantee and 6 year service plan.

I got a long list of old skedonks together for him to go and test drive at various dealers. He wasn't very impressed with my list 😂. On the way to the 1st test driveI made sure to drive past the Suzuki dealer. Then I said to him that I'd forgotten about them, let's stop and see whether they have anything worthwhile. It took him a bit of time to spot the Swift with the bow and his name on the board next to it.

So in short, you can do both. But the oke with the money ultimately decides, he can whatever he wants for his 2nd car.
 
So what is the thoughts on a Renault Kwid and Mahindra KUV100 nxt?
Dont know if I ever seen them or looked at them, but I see many available for relatively cheap and more important low km's.
So before I even go looking, are the the same as these Suzuki S Presso things? Little tin boxes that you don't want to go onto the highway with.
 
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