A good 1st reliable car ?

[Mz Revvv Head]

Hey all, I'm trying to talk some sence into my nearly 18 yo daughter at buying a good reliable 1st car ...
She had her heart set on buying this mocked up brock commodore :|
I was so against her buying it, due to the fact I knew nothing about it ...
Last night her friend who said he would sell her this car, he has now sold to a mate, Ah what a releif
She told him, she's just shattered ! He said the car was a mess !
I was like, hmm, please tell me more ?
He said it had been cut on the roof & had so many things wrong with it ...
I knew it was not right & that it would have huge problems for only $2500 :|

Sadly my daughter is like her dad in that they both follow the dark side :|
as he has a brock that is no mock up, an ss & a vl ...

My daughter doesn't know the 1st thing about a car, which alot of young girls don't, but wanting that mocked up was so not worth it ...
And with buying some thing so old, if the car breaks down, which I have no doubt at all it will because of the cars she likes is a drama just waiting to happen ! And if she forgets to take her mobile there's a yet another problem !
she likes the old corolla hatch, I keep telling her they are to old now & would no doubt have many k's on the clock ... Unless she can find one from an older person, where it has been looked after, serviced on a regular basis & maybe even garaged ...
She also likes the camry, which may be a better choice, but comes down to the same deal with finding it like the corolla ...

I would like her to get an AU
1. reliable IMO
2. nice to drive
3. at a good price now
Yep I may be biased here, I had 1, it was a great car ... XR, but nothing wrong with knowing rather than the unknown, that she keeps wanting to do ...

She has driven my BA XR & luv's it ...
When I have taken her for a few driving lessons she always says
Mum, I feel so relaxed when you take me out to drive & feels safe ...
She has picked up other people's bad habbits, so I then have to explain it all that to her ...

It's just a shame, she doesn't take my advice when it comes to buying a car ...

Now it's back to looking for another car for her, I don't know where to start,
because she wants 1 of the 3 cars I mentioned :| ... OMG help ! lol ...

[sly_ba]

my advice.....no falcons for a young female driver. If I were in your shoes I would put her in a 2000 - 2005 corolla

[auxr]

Hmm, you may have a battle on your hands. The price range will be the major factor in the choice of vehicle that can be considered.

Unfortunately, it seems that her fathers choice of a vehicle may be swaying her to consider something from the other side, nothing wrong with that, but most of this vintage will have either been modified or flogged to death.

If your daughter is not car minded, just needs a good reliable safe car to put petrol in and get from A to B, an early Corolla or a Hyundai Getz may be an option.

AU's are great reliable cars, but depending on her budget, a six cylinder will have higher running costs.

In the end, you can only give suggestions, but your daughter, being a teenager, will have the last say.

Good luck though on your quest.

[Nate_Dog]

Originally Posted by sly_ba

my advice.....no falcons for a young female driver. If I were in your shoes I would put her in a 2000 - 2005 corolla

i 2nd the motion

young + rwd = unpleasant news reports.

Young + Corolla = longevity (hopefully)

[sgt_doofey]

A Brock Falcon?

Does it really matter what type of car they get? All of them are capable of ploughing in to a stationary object at speed.

[Mz Revvv Head]

Thanks for the advice, all taken on board ...
She wants my BA XR & it's just not going to happen ...

When I said I would like her to get an AU I should have stated also, I don't want her getting the XR, just along that range ... ( I didn't find it a fuel sucker tho, but point taken there ty )
I do have a real battle :| I myself don't mind at all what car badge it has, it has to be reliable tho, for the reason of she has no idea, that's where as a parent, I'm trying to put some type of safety & my 1st thoughts come down to the car must be reliable ...
If we can find cars that are mentioned & even tho I have a fair bit of knowledge when it comes to cars, nothing will be better than getting an RACV test done, or some one who knows these cars as I don't ... for it being road worthy, I know all that, but mechanics on these I don't know ... I do know the higher the k's it will be alot more likely to have issues ... And my daughter is more than happy to do that, but no way, not going there ...

[JimNiki]

I didn't think a stock BA was reliable from all I've been reading.
The first thing I did when I bought the wife's BA was:

install a separate transmission cooler
change the transmission oil
change the diff oil

things you're not really meant to change, but there are literally thousands of reports of these specific failures on complaints corner (google it).

The person who made these suggestions was a third year Ford mechanic.
Then again this is the aussie ford forum, I'm sure it's covered here also.

[XRFutura]

If she has been learning in rwd drive car, i don't see the problem in her having a large rwd car.

Yes people will cry that falcons/commodores have to much power for a young P plated driver to have, but I believe if you have learnt in powerful car to begin with, when they do get there licence most of the time they'll have more respect for the car they are driving. I now i did.

I think the pros of buying her a large car out weigh the cons.

Being a bit biased you get her a nice E-series XR6, or anything up to a BA for a good price.

[XRO6]

So long as you insist on the car having at least twin airbags, ABS, traction control you should be safe in the knowledge that she at least has a SAFE car.

[global88]

I gave my son a BA XR6 to drive now after 2 years on his P plates in a EA Ford wagon on LPG.
Even he says its was the best thing having a bomb for the beginning.
Now he knows how to look after the better car and respects it.

If you kid is not inclined to hoon and will look after the car, id go with the Corrolla, one of the worlds most reliable cars.

[Jimmyd]

If you want an AU but not an XR version, you would be hard pressed to beat a Fairmont or Fairmont Ghia with factory optioned Tickford suspension/wheels package. look good, have all the mod cons, generally previous owners have looked after them better and not flogged them, much nicer looking dash and can be picked up for between 4 - 10k depending on ks, history and factory options...


Ok so I'm biased




Probably best to avoid one with the factory body kit tho - insurance jumps and you will carry a ridiculously high excess....

Cheers

[Polyal]

jimmyd would are one proud AU owner, not an opportunity missed to post your ride

Ok if she has grown up driving falcons/commys then I see no problem in her getting one for herself. I know when my son gets the chance I will have taught him well enough to respect the car.

Any car can get you in trouble, sometimes under powered drivers try harder to impress and that ends up ugly aswell.

Dont know about AU1's, but AU2's have traction control, its actually a pretty bad system but it can help (although has hindered me at times).

People we live in a pretty relaxed country weather wise, no snow or anything like that to worry about so I cant see RWD being an issue.

My only other thought would be make sure its a manual if she is physically able to drive one, it should almost be mandatory unless you have some condition.

So in saying that, an AU2 XR6 manual is a perfect first car if you want something that looks good, is semi economical and is cheap to fix. If you really want you could put it on LPG.

[Jimmyd]

Originally Posted by Polyal

jimmyd would are one proud AU owner, not an opportunity missed to post your ride

But the AU is so sexy, I just can't help my self.....

[T3man]

Well you haven't told us how much you want to spend ....

My daughter learnt in an EF Fairmont wagon and her first car was an AUII XR6 ute.

I encourage (as a driving instructor going back over 35 years) young people to buy a full size family car with rear wheel drive as their first car - believe me they are safer than any small front wheel drive TOYCAR.

[Auslandau]

Originally Posted by JimNiki

I didn't think a stock BA was reliable from all I've been reading.

The first thing I did in 2003 was put petrol in my Mrs's 2003 BA ....... I think I did an oil change last year 150,000's later. Not reliable?



| [/url] |

[prasac]

Hyundai Excel reliable n cheap. tell her the money she saves on that she can put towards something better in a few years.

[JimNiki]

Originally Posted by Auslandau

The first thing I did in 2003 was put petrol in my Mrs's 2003 BA ....... I think I did an oil change last year 150,000's later. Not reliable?

You know what it's like ...50 people jump up and down on a forum with the same issues and somehow I (like many) start believing that it's an epidemic!...
Where in fact, they may be the only 50 people in Australia with that problem...

But there were taxi drivers on complaints corner in the same thread saying that "they" all change their tranny oil every 70k?

I did the diff oil due to all the reports on diffs breaking... I'm glad I did actually cause the oil looked like mud!
For the couple of bucks it takes to do it yourself, I didn't want to risk it...

cheers...

[brendan88]

My first car was a KOMBI!!! Best car ever... never broke down once or had any problems... did get done speeding believe it or not. Awesome car though.

[TheZHLANE]

el falcon less than 200,000 kms 2000$ what more can i say

[samftr]

Just dont get her a car with LSD rear, they are a handful with too much right foot and not enough "Experience" or even on greasy roads/slightly wet roads (crappy tyres wouldn't help either)

[xy500]

Originally Posted by brendan88

My first car was a KOMBI!!! Best car ever... never broke down once or had any problems... did get done speeding believe it or not. Awesome car though.

how long did you own it for? and in what climate did you drive it? i know another kombi driver that had to have the engine rebuilt 4 times in 2 years. A grossly underpowered sloppy sled is not what i would call a reliable first car for someone. The fact you had to mention that it was actually possible to get done for speeding in it just shows how poorly they perform.
Please take your folks wagon loving elsewhere!

[SSD-85]

I have to agree with my AU friends on this one. Insanely reliable, cheap to fix (when you actually have to do it) and a far better (safer) factory suspension setup than an E-series. Plus an AU in base form will fetch roughly the same price as an EL (private buying), and you get a much better car.

[samftr]

au - better headlights (the light that comes out of them!) + better brakes, and cheaper upgrades for even better brakes.

[buickman]

Originally Posted by STANI

el falcon less than 200,000 kms 2000$ what more can i say

I purchased a 1 owner low mileage 88,000Kms 2000 model Camry Touring with sunroof as my young blokes 1st car for a very good price he is not really interested in cars. We had the car a month before the Melb hail storm belted the hell out of it. Lucky the insurance was an agreed value with over $5,000 over what I paid.

The next car was an EL Fairmont with RWC for under $4,000 out of the 2 cars the Camry would be the pick for reliability and quieter ride. But the Ford is cheaper for repairs as the fuel pump blew within 3 weeks of owning it and the inhibitor switch had to be replaced 2 weeks later.
But for more comfort and better parking and driver feel the Ford wins.

So an EL or AU Fords are a good choice to buy for a 1st car for costs of repairs

But a Corolla would give less minor issues and cheaper to insure and run as a daily.

[Mrs Boss]

Originally Posted by sly_ba

my advice.....no falcons for a young female driver. If I were in your shoes I would put her in a 2000 - 2005 corolla

I agree totally.Hint to her the money she will save and the amount of shoes and trendy clothes not mention the make up she can buy with that money that she has saved on petrol and insurance.That should help you win the WAR...(mum of 2 teenagers here)

Good Luck

[naddis01]

Given that you haven't mentioned a budget, how about a Mazda 3? They are just as reliable as a Corolla and look a thousand times better and are a better drive to boot.

By the way I just happen to know where there is one for sale where the price is negotiable and delivery can be arranged.
See signiture for details.

[buickman]

Originally Posted by naddis01

Given that you haven't mentioned a budget, how about a Mazda 3? They are just as reliable as a Corolla and look a thousand times better and are a better drive to boot.

Agree on the Mazda plus build quality is above the Toyota Corolla a good choice if the budget allows.

[Franco Cozzo]

Camry Sportivo, AU Fairlane or Honda Accord Euro. If you can get the latter in luxury guise, you get HIDs, kick-*** stock sound system and a good and bloody reliable 4 cylinder engine, their I4 is like the Ford I6.

[last fairlane]

I went through the same thing back in the nineties
I taught my daughter to drive in an XD manual
no one has manuals any more but at least she can drive one if she needs to
any way she had her heart set on a Commodore all her mates had Commies
I told her she wont like it its not like a Falcon to drive no way as good
well she found a VB for $600 and off we went to check it out
She fell in love with it mags body kit and hot note
I took it for a drive it went OK but they are bloody horrible to drive
She kept it for 3 months and said Dad this is awful and I said I know
so we got her an XF Fairmont and she was rapt
comfort enough power for an eighteen year old and a hot note
since then shes had kids and had an EF XR6 and now has a BA GT mock up with the hot note just like her old mans car AU Fairmont with a hot note
so let her get what she wants (brand wise) and then point out the benefits of your Ford and she will all come back to the Ford camp
I know mine did
thanks John

[tick6vct]

Originally Posted by Big Damo

their I4 is like the Ford I6.

nice car they are......but dont say that!

a really reliable car (more of an appliance then a car) is the camry 1993 - 1997 models. A few of my mates got them in school for bout the 3 - 5 k bracket and still have them now cause they just wont die

BA xt's are getting pretty cheap now if she was after something newer but as they bear such a striking resembalance to taxis she may not find that so appealing. AU is such good value for money as far as safety and bang for buck atm cant go past it!

my opinion on first cars though is: know the sour to appreciate the sweet

so when she has enough money later on to buy something she really likes it will be much better appreciated (unlike my next door neighbours poor valiant)