Help me pick a car

[K213N]

Sweet. Didn't even think of the Jazz. Looks like a good option though.

As someone who owned a Jazz for many years and spent many hours doing long highway drives in it...I would pass on it for your type of commute. They’re terrific cars for doing what they’re designed to do - but highway hauling ain’t it. Noise insulation just isn’t very good. The tyre roar was probably the biggest issue I had and from the forums I read, that really didn’t improve much with the Gen2 and Gen3 cars. Switching to expensive Conti’s made a slight difference, but it was still incredibly irritating once you got up to speed.

For your type of driving, I’d suggest sticking with something from a category higher (Corolla, Civic, Jetta etc). The Accord is yet another category higher and would be an excellent buy IMO. For highway commuting, compact and mid-size cars just have so many inherent advantages over sub-compacts. More settled ride. Better cross wind stability. Superior soundproofing. Generally more torquey, powerful engines. Better gearing for cruising. And so on.

 

[Y'all Qaeda]

Everyone keeps recommending cheap cars like Jazz or Accord..

OP is like, here is a bucket of sadness and maintenance and I think I'm in love.

 

[handyman007]

Everyone keeps recommending cheap cars like Jazz or Accord..

OP is like, here is a bucket of sadness and maintenance and I think I'm in love.

Tough to criticise people when you neglected to make a recommendation...

 

[Y'all Qaeda]

Tough to criticise people when you neglected to make a recommendation...

Mercedes-Benz S-Class S500 for sale in Centurion - ID: 25710624

Used 2007 Mercedes-Benz S-Class S500 For Sale - R 188 900 - ID: 25710624

www.autotrader.co.za

Plenty of sadness and maintenance to be found in that, sure OP will love it.

 

[Readsalot]

Browsed through AutoTrader and you're in the sweet spot for a 2014 BMW 320 with a 100K on the clock. Quite a few, so you can pick and choose. I've never driven a Beemer but I hear they're good cars .

 

[Gtx Gaming]

Browsed through AutoTrader and you're in the sweet spot for a 2014 BMW 320 with a 100K on the clock. Quite a few, so you can pick and choose. I've never driven a Beemer but I hear they're good cars .

Yes 320D, the 320i not as good.

 

[Ibanez4020]

On a serious note, I've narrowed it down to these. Current frontrunner is the corolla Prestige.

Hyundai Elantra 1.6 Executive Auto for sale in Pretoria - ID: 25693741

Used 2018 Hyundai Elantra 1.6 Executive Auto For Sale - R 229 000 - ID: 25693741

www.autotrader.co.za

Toyota Corolla 1.6 Prestige Auto for sale in Pretoria - ID: 25696594

Used 2019 Toyota Corolla 1.6 Prestige Auto For Sale - R 244 900 - ID: 25696594

www.autotrader.co.za

Toyota Corolla Hatch 1.2T XS Auto for sale in Sandton - ID: 25625954

Used 2019 Toyota Corolla Hatch 1.2T XS Auto For Sale - R 299 995 - ID: 25625954

www.autotrader.co.za

Kia Cerato Sedan 2.0 SX Auto for sale in Pretoria - ID: 25630879

Used 2015 Kia Cerato Sedan 2.0 SX Auto For Sale - R 189 900 - ID: 25630879

www.autotrader.co.za

Honda Civic Tourer 1.8 Executive Auto for sale in Pretoria - ID: 25706955

Used 2016 Honda Civic Tourer 1.8 Executive Auto For Sale - R 239 900 - ID: 25706955

www.autotrader.co.za

Bonus question. Is an Elantra a bad idea (future service wise), seeing as they have been discontinued?

p.s I was joking about that 7 series. I reckon it's a cracking car, but my wallet is gonna cry. Regarding the Volvo....I was only semi-joking. I miss my v40 immensely and every other car is gonna be second prize compared to it. Unfortunately I'm not keen on the maintenance on it.

 

[handyman007]

Maybe it's just me, but I would feel safer by buying say a Toyota from a Toyota dealer. You might pay a bit more, but then you know you didn't buy the car from a fly by night operation.

 

[I.am.Sam]

look at cars that are cheaper to maintain

a toyota can break and be fixed for next to nothing

BMW honda mercs and VWs are expensive to maintain compared to a toyota

a buddy was telling me about a touraeg ..one shock is like 30k or something

so a car will be nice to have and have all the bells and whistles but if something breaks thats where you feel it

regular services though is good for a car

 

[Splinter]

I'd love to see how badly you abuse a car to **** up a vw. With the sheer number of them, especially polo's, on the road, I don't think I've ever seen one stuck on the side of the road.

You really havent been looking then...

 

[Readsalot]

I see some nice Mazda CX-3s available as well, low kilos and newish models. Have never driven one, but it seems quite a popular car on our roads.

 

[Frikkie5000]

Thank you everyone for your input. Just signed for the new car. You're looking at the proud new owner of a 2018 Mazda 3 Individual Auto

 

[Meister-Man]

Thank you everyone for your input. Just signed for the new car. You're looking at the proud new owner of a 2018 Mazda 3 Individual Auto

I wish you many happy miles.
Update us in a few weeks on how it is, likes, dislikes etc.

 

[Gtx Gaming]

Thank you everyone for your input. Just signed for the new car. You're looking at the proud new owner of a 2018 Mazda 3 Individual Auto

Good car, hopefully they upgraded the system to AA and ACP free of charge.

 

[grok]

I'm late but I just wanted to say I usually research the **** out of a new car buy, and then I research some more but you know what farkit its 2020 just pick the color you like..

I mean what else could go wrong?

 

[handyman007]

Thank you everyone for your input. Just signed for the new car. You're looking at the proud new owner of a 2018 Mazda 3 Individual Auto

Sedan or hatch? 1.6 or 2.0?

Congratulations.

 

[Frikkie5000]

Sedan or hatch? 1.6 or 2.0?

Congratulations.

White sedan. 2.0 auto. 50 000 km. Paid R232 000 for it from a Mazda dealership.

Still has 1 year on its unlimited warranty and service plan.

Initial reaction (from test drive):

- Looks lank sexy on the outside.

- Seats aren't quite as comfortable as the Volvo V40 (then again, what is?). They are far from uncomfortable though on the Mazda

- Interior is well put together and feels solid enough

- Everything inside is intuitive to use and works well

- Driving experience was pretty good. Car is smooth and quiet. There was a bit of wind noise on the highway, but nothing too intrusive

- Engine power is more than enough for me. I drive like an ouma anyway. I'm a cruiser not a racer. It also has cruise control, albeit not the adaptive kind.

- Keyless entry and start

- 16 inch tyres (tyres are expensive) and a soft cloud-like suspension. Handles bumps like a champ.

Things I didn't like:

- The car is in great condition except for the leather steering wheel. The thing looks like a freakin mirror. No doubt owned by someone who Nivea'd their hands like 6 times a day. Currently looking at ways to restore it.

- No rear camera or even park distance control. A bit stupid for a 2018 car if you ask me (especially since the cx series does have them). It's not a train smash though since I only reverse into things on average once every 4 years.

- Checked the fuel economy history in the settings and the person who owned it before me averaged 6.8L/100km. So my highway chilled driving should yield adequate fuel economy.

I'll do a proper update once I've had it for a while, but my first impression is that this is a lot of car for the money and it's definitely a step up from a demo Fiesta for example. I also test drove the fiesta (priced at 249k with 12k on the odo) and it's great, but for 20k less I got way more car with only 35 000k more on the odo.

 

[Rhein]

White sedan. 2.0 auto. 50 000 km. Paid R232 000 for it from a Mazda dealership.

Still has 1 year on its unlimited warranty and service plan.

Initial reaction (from test drive):

- Looks lank sexy on the outside.

- Seats aren't quite as comfortable as the Volvo V40 (then again, what is?). They are far from uncomfortable though on the Mazda

- Interior is well put together and feels solid enough

- Everything inside is intuitive to use and works well

- Driving experience was pretty good. Car is smooth and quiet. There was a bit of wind noise on the highway, but nothing too intrusive

- Engine power is more than enough for me. I drive like an ouma anyway. I'm a cruiser not a racer. It also has cruise control, albeit not the adaptive kind.

- Keyless entry and start

- 16 inch tyres (tyres are expensive) and a soft cloud-like suspension. Handles bumps like a champ.

Things I didn't like:

- The car is in great condition except for the leather steering wheel. The thing looks like a freakin mirror. No doubt owned by someone who Nivea'd their hands like 6 times a day. Currently looking at ways to restore it.

- No rear camera or even park distance control. A bit stupid for a 2018 car if you ask me (especially since the cx series does have them). It's not a train smash though since I only reverse into things on average once every 4 years.

- Checked the fuel economy history in the settings and the person who owned it before me averaged 6.8L/100km. So my highway chilled driving should yield adequate fuel economy.

I'll do a proper update once I've had it for a while, but my first impression is that this is a lot of car for the money and it's definitely a step up from a demo Fiesta for example. I also test drove the fiesta (priced at 249k with 12k on the odo) and it's great, but for 20k less I got way more car with only 35 000k more on the odo.

Now this is what a motoring forum should be all about.
Thank you sir!
I'd like to read about the personal and real live opinion of someone's impression of a car instead of all the copy and paste of the hackneyed publicity of so called motor journos.