Good second hand car for +-R80k?

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TeRRoRByteZ2007

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Jan 10, 2008
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Hi everyone,

I really need some advice on which car to get for the R80k I have. The past 5 days I've been sitting up till late in the morning trying to figure out which car I should get, but I'm non the wiser since I started. When I look at cars I refer to these forums to see what people's opinions are on cars they own, at least that has been helping a bit.

In a nutshell, I'm looking for a reliable car that wont depreciate in value too much and is pretty light on fuel usage. Mileage preferably not too much more than 100 000km. The reason why I'm worried about depreciation is because my wife and I are looking to start working abroad end next year, however this isn't a set thing and would also like to buy as if we are not going. Another thing is, I'd like it to be a small family car if possible, since we are planning to start a family in next 2 years.

I can maybe push too R85k, but I really don't want to. Thing is I'm from East London as well, so I'll probably end up buying outside of the Eastern Cape because for some reason people are following the same trend as our house prices and think their cars are worth much more here.

Having a look on Auto Trader, I pretty much have an option for the following:
Hyundai i10 (it's really too small for me I think)
Suzuki Alto (also too small)
Renault Sandero (not sure about reliability and depreciation. Weren't they produced here in SA at some stage?)
Ford Figo (I had similar shaped Fiesta before which I loved, but my wife doesn't like the Figo because we heard they not built all that well and fall apart)
Chev Spark (too small)
Chev Aveo (I owned a Chev before as well, and the reliability was crap)
Toyota Yaris (too small, unless maybe the sedan)
Nissan Micra (not sure on this one, my wife hates it. Diesel is pretty light though)
VW Polo (difficult to find one with low KM and I'm not to sure on the Vivo. The inside is a bit bland to me)
Kia Picanto (too small)
Mazda 2 (my wife has this one)
Honda Jazz (It's ok, wife thinks it's more of a woman's car though)
Hyundai Getz (very bland inside and don't like it that much)
Hyundai Accent (looks ok on the outside, but again the inside is really bland)
Opel Corsa (had horrible experience with 2 Opel's I had and would prefer to stay away before I have to fork out money again)
Honda Civic sedan (looks nice)
Dodge Caliber (nice but I think reliability and resale not great)
Fiat Punto (reliability and resale a concern)
Fiat Bravo (awesome car, but concern same as above)
Suzuki Swift (nice, but the boot is too small)
Suzuki SX4 (also nice, but I don't think it is very fuel efficient)
Nissan Tiida (not sure on reliability and resale)


I think that is pretty much a list of cars I can get. I'll edit if I do come across some that I missed. I'd really appreciate your input. I don't want to waste my money and time.

Thanks :D
 
ScottulusMaximus

ScottulusMaximus

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Just been through this myself:

Ford Fiesta, not the Figo, looks roughly the same but built quite badly
Honda Civic
Fiat Punto

Ignore the rest
 
T

TeRRoRByteZ2007

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Messages
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ScottulusMaximus said:
Just been through this myself:

Ford Fiesta, not the Figo, looks roughly the same but built quite badly
Honda Civic
Fiat Punto

Ignore the rest
Click to expand...

Thanks for the quick reply. I like the Civic and the Punto isn't bad either. How is Fiat though because my father-in-law seems to think they not very reliable and they don't keep value.

If you been through this yourself, did you just buy a car? If you did, which did you go for?
 
ScottulusMaximus

ScottulusMaximus

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TeRRoRByteZ2007 said:
Thanks for the quick reply. I like the Civic and the Punto isn't bad either. How is Fiat though because my father-in-law seems to think they not very reliable and they don't keep value.

If you been through this yourself, did you just buy a car? If you did, which did you go for?
Click to expand...

Fiat reliability is fine, resale value a bit crap though which is why you can get such a good one for cheap. NEVER buy a car for resale value, it's not an investment.

I got a 2005 1.6 3door Fiesta with 125k for 60k, you could get a mint condition Fiesta for 80k... Oh and from a Ford Dealership manager, if there's an oil leak at the front of the engine(where the belts are) walk away
 
T

TeRRoRByteZ2007

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Joined
Jan 10, 2008
Messages
339
ScottulusMaximus said:
Fiat reliability is fine, resale value a bit crap though which is why you can get such a good one for cheap. NEVER buy a car for resale value, it's not an investment.

I got a 2005 1.6 3door Fiesta with 125k for 60k, you could get a mint condition Fiesta for 80k... Oh and from a Ford Dealership manager, if there's an oil leak at the front of the engine(where the belts are) walk away
Click to expand...

Thanks for that advice! I'll look out for that one. I just hope the people I ask to look at cars for me, looks at them properly.
 
N

Nether

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Jan 15, 2007
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Look around for a POLO TDi 1.9

You're going to have a problem, since one of your requirements is clashing with another, size, cost.

You're not going to find a big car with low mileage and cheap.

That being said, the non vivo polo's are spacious. and quite stable on the road too.
 
T

TeRRoRByteZ2007

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Messages
339
Nether said:
Look around for a POLO TDi 1.9

You're going to have a problem, since one of your requirements is clashing with another, size, cost.

You're not going to find a big car with low mileage and cheap.

That being said, the non vivo polo's are spacious. and quite stable on the road too.
Click to expand...

I'd love to get the 1.9 TDi. I've been looking all over and can't find one with low mileage. I found a few that is available privately, but most of them look very sketchy.
 
T

TeRRoRByteZ2007

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Messages
339
YingYang said:
Do you want me to be honest with you? :D

On a serious note, you can definitely feel that its not a 1.6 or higher.
Click to expand...

Haha :D Well maybe I'll see if I can find one around here that I can test drive, maybe I'll be happy with the way it drives.
 
V

vaultedskies

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Oct 2, 2009
Messages
256
ScottulusMaximus said:
Fiat reliability is fine, resale value a bit crap though which is why you can get such a good one for cheap. NEVER buy a car for resale value, it's not an investment.

I got a 2005 1.6 3door Fiesta with 125k for 60k, you could get a mint condition Fiesta for 80k... Oh and from a Ford Dealership manager, if there's an oil leak at the front of the engine(where the belts are) walk away
Click to expand...

What problem does this indicate? I drive a 2006 Fiesta (no oil leaks), but would be good to know if I did spot it...! Thx
 
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