Recommend me a reliable Juice Box

[.:4:.]

Originally Posted by malazn mafia

Japanese built Corolla. 2013 and older. No confidence in Thai manufacturing, so won't recommend the current generation. Those are near indestructible and do everything for A to B transport with no fuss. Survived being rear ended by a dump truck, no injuries and car got repaired and still going strong today.

My in laws 07 Carolla had the ignition re wired due to vermin eating the wiring... considering the 76 kingswood has been sitting in the same garage for the past 25 years and has never had an issue, I'm thinking excuses were made

[Crazy Dazz]

Originally Posted by Top_Ghia

Anything from Honda. They are just perfect. Nothing ever goes wrong.
Well almost nothing. I have replaced a cruise control switch on an Accord Euro and 2 sway bar bushes on an old CRV. Those poor owners were devastated.
Genuine sway bar bushes were about $6 each. Crazy.

That was certainly so at one time, but is it still the case with the move to Thailand?
Other daughter (yes, that one) has a Thai built Tiida. It's a nice enough little car, but the build quality is just rubbish. I have seen better paint on hot-wheels cars.
Part of the reason I'm now considering Korean cars, is becuase they are probably better built than "Japanese" cars coming from Thailand.

[Ben73]

Originally Posted by nt0351

nothing wrong with Euro's mate,. Daughters 08 Golf , over 260,000klms now ,..hasn't missed a beat ,.still drives nicely , gets over 1000klms per tank , solid as a little tank,.. cant compare it to the Korean stuff on any level .... id also buy a Toyota before any Hyundai any day of the week.

some of you have been brainwashed by all the marketing

I didn't know South Africa was in Europe.

I have driven a Golf as far as I have driven the i30 and they are both pretty good.
As long as you don't actually get your car serviced by VW, or have to buy any parts from them.
My mum owns one and it has been reasonably reliable.

Originally Posted by nt0351

don't be hung up on warranties ,..get her a quality built safe car and you don't have to worry about needing a long warranty,...they all want iPhone connectors because their friends have one. the Korean stuff may drive nice and have all the fluff , just appliances imo , get her a real car that's had years of engineering behind it , Mazda 3 , Golf , Corolla ,cant go wrong

Firstly long warranties are a good thing. The most common warranty is still 3 years, so why would any company offer a longer warranty if they think it will come back to bite them.

Secondly please re-read the second part of your post. You stated that Korean cars are appliances, unlike the Corolla. Lol really?
Almost every hatchback is an appliance. The majority of hatchback owners see their car in the same way they see their washing machine.


Mazda 3's are good appliances, but the stop start is a joke. If you could permanently disable it we may have bought one, but the fact you have to switch off the feature every time you start the car means it was culled from our short list.

[kazawaki]

Honda Civic great cars with all the tech,auto folding mirrors,cameras,tyre inflation warning and a heap of other stuff, bought one for my wife and they are reliable and hold value plus plenty of room.They just work .

[jstanovic]

My missus 07 Honda Jazz, owned since new, currently ~73,000km. Full service history, kept under the carport 90% of the time. Good little car but not a good example of Hondas as people on here say. I know its the cheapest model they sell but it's had a few issues, some small, some not so small. Headlight lens went cloudy a few years ago, little bit of rust bubbling on drivers door, interior pieces wearing excessively (gear knob, door skins, carpets etc). Had a gearbox bearing get progressively louder (dealer/mechanic said no problems, just the tappets!!!!!!), almost $2k rebuild later the noise is gone. Warranty denied on all, gearbox bearing happened 18months out of warranty even though noise was mentioned at 40,000km while still under warranty.

Don't get me wrong, it has never left us stranded, missus loves it, handles like a go kart, costs $35 to fill up for ~600km. But my experience with Honda is not the best...

[pmacc]

After helping my mate and his missus look for the same sort of thing around a max 15k budget we all came to the conclusion that Mazda 3 was their best bet and they couldn't be happier with it.

Problem in my mind with euros is once you add up parts and servicing costs and Insurance its going to add up compared to the Mazda 3 or a Kia etc.

[BradEL]

Something like an 05 Mazda 3, toyota Yaris or toyota corolla would be reliable, nothing with a turbo and nothing with a CVT

[JTFG]

Highly recommend the i30 from after driving one for 2 weeks.
It got a stage when it was hard to fault it.

[malazn mafia]

Originally Posted by Crazy Dazz

That was certainly so at one time, but is it still the case with the move to Thailand?
Other daughter (yes, that one) has a Thai built Tiida. It's a nice enough little car, but the build quality is just rubbish. I have seen better paint on hot-wheels cars.
Part of the reason I'm now considering Korean cars, is becuase they are probably better built than "Japanese" cars coming from Thailand.

Surprisingly some HighUndies are actually being made in Eastern Europe (Czech Republic) or India. They actually seem screwed together better finished than the fake 'Jap' cars made in Thighland, with women's nail polish and varnish used for the paint jobs, as pointed out about the Honda vehicles.

[mechanic]

I know the OP is about small cars but what about a low mileage Falcon, cheap and just as safe or safer than a rice rocket?
My daughter drove Falcons [ the boyfriends ] as soon as she was old enough to get her licence [ despite all my protestations she never actually got a licence for about 5 years ].
Has never had an accident and can park full sized cars as good as anyone else.

[smoo]

Originally Posted by j0nni

Highly recommend the i30 from after driving one for 2 weeks.
It got a stage when it was hard to fault it.

You need to drive more cars.
I was browsing an article about the latest Hyundai Lantra. With a n/a 2.0 pushing out 120kw and not even 200nm. Seems like Hyundai have gone retro 1990s with their **** poor power outputs and fuel economy. Not only is it bad enough that general car buying muppets still lap them as the greatest thing since sliced bread, they are actually raved about by some on a car enthusiast forum I scratch my head sometimes.

[ozpacman]

Originally Posted by smoo

You need to drive more cars.
I was browsing an article about the latest Hyundai Lantra. With a n/a 2.0 pushing out 120kw and not even 200nm. Seems like Hyundai have gone retro 1990s with their **** poor power outputs and fuel economy. Not only is it bad enough that general car buying muppets still lap them as the greatest thing since sliced bread, they are actually raved about by some on a car enthusiast forum I scratch my head sometimes.

I don't know smoo, those figures look alright given that the current model Mazda 3 only wrings 114 kW and 200nm out of its 2.0 litre donk according to the Mazda website.

If you check out the specs for Corolla v i30 (both 1.8 petrol) you'll see that the i30 just edges the Corolla out in the power and torque figures as well. The i30 also gives you a 2.0 litre option if you want a bit more mumbo.

As the OP states though, his daughter just needs a reliable little car with a bit of gadgetry that all the young ones need these days. I reckon pretty much any of the current crop of small cars will give her exactly what she wants.

We have an i30 that's been 100% reliable and suits our needs perfectly. Not everyone's cup of tea I know, but we're very happy with it.

[Ben73]

Originally Posted by smoo

You need to drive more cars.
I was browsing an article about the latest Hyundai Lantra. With a n/a 2.0 pushing out 120kw and not even 200nm. Seems like Hyundai have gone retro 1990s with their **** poor power outputs and fuel economy. Not only is it bad enough that general car buying muppets still lap them as the greatest thing since sliced bread, they are actually raved about by some on a car enthusiast forum I scratch my head sometimes.

What sort of power do you expect in a 4 cylinder grocery getter? All these hatchbacks no matter what brand, are in the low 100's KW wise. What sort of power or what car would you suggest for a cheap hatchback.?

I guess broswing an article about a car gives you more of an insight than driving it for 2 weeks straight.

When people ask car enthusiasts about a cheap grocery getter what do you expect? Do you want this thread with suggestions like a supercharged xr8. Merc C63 AMG. Ranger Rover SVR autobiography.

[CyberWasp]

To be different, I am going chuck the Swift into the equation.
One of my kids has a current shape and has had no reliability problems.
Fun to drive, corners like a go kart, uses around 5l/100 in manual and can be easily parked on a postage stamp.
Easily get a new one in the price range, with change to customise it a bit.

[JTFG]

Originally Posted by smoo

You need to drive more cars.
I was browsing an article about the latest Hyundai Lantra. With a n/a 2.0 pushing out 120kw and not even 200nm. Seems like Hyundai have gone retro 1990s with their **** poor power outputs and fuel economy. Not only is it bad enough that general car buying muppets still lap them as the greatest thing since sliced bread, they are actually raved about by some on a car enthusiast forum I scratch my head sometimes.

I much prefer my FG2 XR6. But for someone who isn't concerned about "performance" and just wants a car with all the latest tech, has decent enough comfort and is well priced then it's hard to ignore it.
Seems to be very well put together as well...

[nt0351]

Originally Posted by Ben73

I didn't know South Africa was in Europe.

I have driven a Golf as far as I have driven the i30 and they are both pretty good.
As long as you don't actually get your car serviced by VW, or have to buy any parts from them.
My mum owns one and it has been reasonably reliable.




Firstly long warranties are a good thing. The most common warranty is still 3 years, so why would any company offer a longer warranty if they think it will come back to bite them.

Secondly please re-read the second part of your post. You stated that Korean cars are appliances, unlike the Corolla. Lol really?
Almost every hatchback is an appliance. The majority of hatchback owners see their car in the same way they see their washing machine.


Mazda 3's are good appliances, but the stop start is a joke. If you could permanently disable it we may have bought one, but the fact you have to switch off the feature every time you start the car means it was culled from our short list.

build quality far superior in South Africa Bud, and if youre telling me an i30 drives as well as a Golf you have rocks in your head,..btw Mazda 3 is a well built car,would be top of my list ( you can have skyactive permantely disabled ) the fact you culled it tells me you not that smart

with 30 years in the industry I reckon I know what I'm on about ,owned a Ranger too by the way ,..ripper engine, the rest is Thai built crap !!

[jaydee]

I believe the Mazda2 is built in Thailand, but the 3 is still made in Japan.

[Ben73]

Originally Posted by nt0351

build quality far superior in South Africa Bud, and if youre telling me an i30 drives as well as a Golf you have rocks in your head,..btw Mazda 3 is a well built car,would be top of my list ( you can have skyactive permantely disabled ) the fact you culled it tells me you not that smart

with 30 years in the industry I reckon I know what I'm on about ,owned a Ranger too by the way ,..ripper engine, the rest is Thai built crap !!

The dealer said there is no way to permanently disable it without voiding the warranty. Which sort of makes sense, they look for any reason to avoid warranty payouts. Plus it's not my car so it's not up to me. To be honest I wouldn't ever go into a car yard and consider buying a hatch for myself.
I30 might not drive as well as a Golf, but it goes well for a cheap hatch. Much better than some of it's competitors.

Good luck buying a ute that is not Thai built in Australia. Unless you are willing to fork out 6 figures for an American one.

By the way it's "you're not that smart" not "you not that smart"

[smoo]

Originally Posted by Ben73

What sort of power do you expect in a 4 cylinder grocery getter? All these hatchbacks no matter what brand, are in the low 100's KW wise. What sort of power or what car would you suggest for a cheap hatchback.?

I guess broswing an article about a car gives you more of an insight than driving it for 2 weeks straight.

When people ask car enthusiasts about a cheap grocery getter what do you expect? Do you want this thread with suggestions like a supercharged xr8. Merc C63 AMG. Ranger Rover SVR autobiography.

no where did I say I expect huge power figures. I did have in mind the Euro stuff which produces similar power, more torque and superior fuel economy with a lot less cc in their low capacity turbo petrols. Game changers that are seeing a swing from diesel to petrol passenger cars. I see what you're saying when it comes to an appliance on wheels but personally I don't think mediocrity should be rewarded and if everyone had the same thoughts there would be less hyundais on the road.

[aussiblue]

Yes; Mazda 3 are Japanese made and the quality difference is evident.

[Ben73]

Originally Posted by smoo

no where did I say I expect huge power figures. I did have in mind the Euro stuff which produces similar power, more torque and superior fuel economy with a lot less cc in their low capacity turbo petrols. Game changers that are seeing a swing from diesel to petrol passenger cars. I see what you're saying when it comes to an appliance on wheels but personally I don't think mediocrity should be rewarded and if everyone had the same thoughts there would be less hyundais on the road.

When someone wants a cheap grocery getter I think of base model Asian cars.
Sure you can get turbo Euros but they tend to cost $28,000 or more. The power in these turbos is nothing spectacular. They are pretty much on par with the Asian N/A cars.
Audi A1 is 70kws and 150nm from the turbo. Golf turbo is 92kws and 200nm Gutless, but they usually have better fuel economy than base Asian cars. Asian base models only cost around $20,000 so you can buy several years worth of fuel with the $8-10k you save on purchase price.

[kinksta]

Yea at the moment my girlfriend is tossing up between something like a 2010 Polo GTi which is fun and unique(ish) or a 2014+ Cerato/i30 with the warranty/newer car..

It's a tricky decision this car buying game we play.

[Sprintey]

Reliable juice box? 15-20K? Warranty?
For new: Yaris 1.3, 1.5 or Corolla Ascent Sport. Japanese built (Yaris is I think, Corolla hatch is, while Corolla sedan is Thai).
Best resale, nicer ride than Mazda, less road noise. Doesn't handle as well, but just goes and goes and nothing goes wrong. Had Echo in 2006 with 1.3 manual setup and it was a great little buzz box, that could be driven quickly and fairly comfortably around town (you hear the engine rev at high revs though), current Yaris is basically identical mechanically. When I ask my mechanic what to buy new, he replies "Japanese built."

[Spammy]

New Swift, built in Japan, drive well, 5 yr warranty for $15200 on road with Auto.

[Brazen]

My favourite small car is the Jazz. Incredibly roomy, excellent seating position and visibility and is an absolute tardis with what you can fit in with its magic seats.

Brilliant small cars.

[blueoval]

Im surprised nobody here has mentioned Subaru yet.

You'll get a Liberty premium for that sort of money with leather etc. Or how about an impreza hatch?

As for reliability these are pretty good as long as the history and books have been done to schedule.

[Sprintey]

Yes, a 2nd handy XV would meet this price bracket. Great little (feels on biggish side of little) hatch. Top safety. Surprisingly torquey around town. Full time AWD and decent clearance means it would enjoy snow trips (not so much in WA, OP, but there's the Stirlings once a decade!) for the kids and their friends. Reasonably economical too.

The impreza hatch doesn't have the XV's extra bits and "look at me", so it depreciates quicker, but contains all the important Subaru traits: boxer, full time 50/50 AWD. (check to see if true on CVT, I know manual is)

[SSVPom]

Originally Posted by kinksta

Yea at the moment my girlfriend is tossing up between something like a 2010 Polo GTi which is fun and unique(ish) or a 2014+ Cerato/i30 with the warranty/newer car..

It's a tricky decision this car buying game we play.

Avoid the 2010 Polo Gti if you can - without VW warranty cover, you'll pay for new DSG clutch packs, split radiators and melted pistons out of your own pocket.

[Crazy Dazz]

Originally Posted by blueoval

Im surprised nobody here has mentioned Subaru yet.

You'll get a Liberty premium for that sort of money with leather etc. Or how about an impreza hatch?

As for reliability these are pretty good as long as the history and books have been done to schedule.

Yeah lovely cars, but a little pricey.

[zilo]

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