Yet another what car should I look at thread ... your input needed

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Jase

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Greetings forum family!

I am on the verge of giving in to my sons desires for an upgrade. He currently drives a '73 mini cooper but it hasn't been a hassle free drive and besides the money I have put into the car, it is also the hassle and stress of keeping the car ticking over (always something to sort out here and there). So as he completes his degree I want to provide him with something reliable as he makes his way into the job market.

Input from you older as well as you youngsters would be greatly appreciated.

Onto some data:

22 yo male, pretty level headed, very finicky about his stuff (he really looks after what he has), sporty, social, bla bla bla.

The plan is to purchase the car for him and when he enters the job market he can pay me back according to what he earns (I'll decide on the %). Nothing for mahala!

Things to consider:
He will be travelling mostly around PTA and Joeys with the occasional long distance drive on holiday / long weekends.
Fuel consumption will be a factor
New or used (low mileage a must)
Reasonable parts / service costs (whatever reasonable is now days as I don't drive much anymore)
Some boot space to pile his big @rsed sports bag into.
ABS / Airbags / Central Locking etc.
Now price: R130k tops

I have only looked at the Ford Figo so far but am open to other brands as well.

Thoughts / suggestions / questions?
 
You mention she is a sporty fellow - perhaps look at a Bantam or Corsa bakkie.
 
The new Kias and the Yarris are fantastic cars. Hot hatches are awesome. Meh yarris is almost as fun to drive as the Audi TT my dad and I redid.
 
From my experience with 1.4 Chev Corsa utility, stay away if you're looking for fuel consumption. That thing was insane. No matter how slow I drove it would never give more than 550km on a tank. 9-10L/100km when you try and get good consumption pissed me off. And that was long distance driving. Driving around Stellenbosch & Paarl regularly gave less than 450km.

The Tdi's could do well, but they have no power over 50km/h...my brother has one, gave the same consumption at 130 as at 110km/h last time he came over. He managed to go from CT to PTA in little over two tanks.
 
Thanks for the inputs so far... keep them coming, I'm taking he / she ( :D ) out for a drive along voortrekker road and other cars dealers.
 
For a 22YO levelheaded adventurous student there is only ONE car.Try a Toyota FT-1.the 130K might be problematic
 
I would definitely buy second hand, not new. Youngsters can't be stressed with denting or scratching their cars when they are entering the job market or studying (and partying!). Plus you will get a lot more bang for your buck on a second hand vehicle.

I would check out Zeda cars, since they are usually ex rental cars with low mileage and some extra's for a decent price. Polo is a safe bet, although maybe a bit expensive to insure. Do not get a Polo Vivo - they are horrid. Rather buy a "real" previous generation Polo second hand - it has a much better feel and drive and isn't so tinny. Parts etc. are reasonable and the car is reliable (except for the water pump, which everyone seems to replace at some point! Don't worry, it isn't expensive to fix)

I would also check out one of the larger Hyundai's like an Accent or i20.

Safety is so important on the roads these days, so I would avoid any small or micro hatchbacks like the Kia Picanto, Hyundai i10, Toyota Yaris or Chev Spark.

My final advice when choosing a car is always: Make a list of 5 you like the sounds of, drive all 5. You will just "know" which is right.

If it was my money: VW Polo 1.4 or a Golf 5 1.6

Don't even touch anything premium like an older Audi, BMW, Merc etc. Repairs are very expensive.
 
i would stay away from all rental car resale companies like Zeda etc.. I see how the drivers drive these cars from the washbay and back to the parking lot at the airport whenever i am at work.. and man... if i was the CEO of avis/budget etc and saw how my assets were treated, then i would have a hearty on the spot...

the drivers wheel spin the cars reversing into the parking bays, race it to 60km/h+ in 1st/2nd gear (the small cars like polo's etc you can hear are well into the very high end of the rev range..) and race around corners like they are at silverstone...
 
So after a quick drive around PTA this afternoon we saw quite a number of cars.

Tons of Polo vivo ex-rentals. Sitting in a Polo and then a vivo one can see the difference.
A lot of Ford Figo (After sitting in them, I am not too keen on one anymore. Really basic inside. Like a stripped down old school fiesta).
i20's. Not bad for all the features and extras.
Accent. Sat in a one or two of these and really not bad at all.
Chevy Sonic. My son likes them. They seem okay.
Suzy Swift. Both old and new. Not too bad either.
Oddly, I only saw one KIA Cerato and no Rio's. The Cerato was nice but the mileage was a bit high.
Corsa. I liked them but son not too keen on them.
So the search continues. I'll do the web browsing thing tonight and will carry on car hunting tomorrow.
 
Corsa Essentia is pretty nice and cheap to maintain, had mine for almost 4 years now and no complaints. The ride quality is better than the i20 and you get a lot more for your money than in a Polo.
 
Gaz{M} said:
I would definitely buy second hand, not new. Youngsters can't be stressed with denting or scratching their cars when they are entering the job market or studying (and partying!). Plus you will get a lot more bang for your buck on a second hand vehicle.

I would check out Zeda cars, since they are usually ex rental cars with low mileage and some extra's for a decent price. Polo is a safe bet, although maybe a bit expensive to insure. Do not get a Polo Vivo - they are horrid. Rather buy a "real" previous generation Polo second hand - it has a much better feel and drive and isn't so tinny. Parts etc. are reasonable and the car is reliable (except for the water pump, which everyone seems to replace at some point! Don't worry, it isn't expensive to fix)

I would also check out one of the larger Hyundai's like an Accent or i20.

Safety is so important on the roads these days, so I would avoid any small or micro hatchbacks like the Kia Picanto, Hyundai i10, Toyota Yaris or Chev Spark.

My final advice when choosing a car is always: Make a list of 5 you like the sounds of, drive all 5. You will just "know" which is right.

If it was my money: VW Polo 1.4 or a Golf 5 1.6

Don't even touch anything premium like an older Audi, BMW, Merc etc. Repairs are very expensive.
Click to expand...

+1 for the polo, that is the new polo
 
So after 2 days of hunting it down, we've narrowed a selection of potentials vehicles in our price range to:

i20, Sonic, Fiesta, Rio (perhaps). All second hand cars in 2010 - 2012 models.

I like the i20 whereas he likes the Sonic.
 
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