A good 1st reliable car ?

[Franco Cozzo]

Originally Posted by tick6vct

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)

I mean reliability wise, not bad though at 147Kw.

[bigdude1011]

A DC2/DC4 Integra? It looks like half a Falcon XR8 (in my twisted opinion), has a low centre of gravity, an airbag (or 2 if you look for the VTiR), ABS brakes (for the post-1997 models), and actually has a surprisingly large boot. Unfortunately, insurance is a little bit more expensive than a buzz box (or even a Falcon), but it is easy to shop around. I'm a bit biased though...



Uploaded with ImageShack.us

[Mz Revvv Head]

I'm not to sure to be honest, how much she is willing to spend ...
I would be only guessing, it be around $3 - $4.5 k ...

Thanks heaps for taking the time to reply, great help & advice with them all ...

[Riksta]

Originally Posted by Polyal

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).

Possibly in upspec models of AU2, my Forte doesn't have it. In fact, the ONLY safety feature mine has is the airbags.... I believe TC & ABS were options, mine's all done by the foot!

[samftr]

My girlfriend had for her first car a DN Taurus ghia, well that was a mistake and a half. anyways they spent a lot on fixing things that *will * break on it.
I said get rid of that thing asap!! anyways

she now has a mazda 626 1990 model 4 banger with lowish kays one owner books etc. air steer auto power mirrors/windows velour interior and that costed 2800 bucks.
Think that it should prove pretty reliable. I would have gone camry route, but its all up to her really, if she don't like the car she wont look after it.

[mik]

no disrespect to the b series guys onwards but they all have electronic throttle , one more thing to go wrong, the pinnacle of reliability and least maintenance would be an au of some description , s2 xr6 is a nice happy medium imo, a bit sporty, dual airbag option , good handling brakes, probably not the cheapest on fuel but unlikely to ever get that call in the middle of the night .... dad i`m broken down in a dark alley , as long as it has minimum maintenance..

[BPXR6T]

Biggest mistake I made when young was getting into big boxy family cars like falcons and commodores when I should have been driving sports cars. If she can stretch her budget an MX5 would be good. A friend has had one for years without a big problem and has plenty of fun in it.