New car for under $18k driveaway

[roddy1960]

Noticing some great deals lately on smaller cars . It's a buyers market now in that regard by several companies . Kia were once the el cheapo rubbish cars back in the day but they've picked up their game big time . Hyundai also .

A teacher at the school I work at just bought a new I30 and loves it to bits .

If I was in the market though and could go a bit north of 20 K I'd look at Subaru Impreza with the 2.0 litre engine ..Depending on options 21K to 25 K .

My boss has one , about 2 years old and it's a really nice car

[Sprintey]

Good to hear of your purchase Bent8, hope you enjoy it & sounds like a great product you can't go wrong with.

If I'd been on yesterday I would suggest looking at the Yaris - our Jap built Echo was superbly built, solid, nothing went wrong, and they are surprisingly fun to drive around the city/urban areas. Resale, well, people want to buy them secondhand, and they just keep keeping on. That they haven't changed the drivetrain in 20 years is a plus for me, same reliable mill, and an increasingly rare torque converter in a world of CVT. Yaris hybrid inbound 2019/20? I thought bigger than recently superceded model Corolla in back seat/boot, certainly more airy there with more window glass. The Japaneseness of the styling inside & out grows on you, for one I love the chromed stick auto shifter!

[Big_Daz]

Congrats on the purchase, my neighbour has a Black GT Line and its a nice looking little thing. He purchased it for similar reasons to you... He has a nice VF Clubby that's his baby but as he does a decent commute and the car sits in a carpark in the sun all day he wanted something new, cheap that he didn't mind driving to do his commute and sit in carparks/etc all day. He tells me its a great little thing, that its built well and runs on the smell of an oily rag....

[BENT_8]

Thanks for the replies guys.

So i called back into the dealership this morning to show the father inlaw what we bought and let them know which colour we decided on, salesman said, "Well, black or white?", i said we'll split the difference ang go Titanium Silver..lol
Its more grey than silver.

As luck would have it they have an August built example in the holding yard so it'll be ready for delivery by Wednesday.

[roddy1960]

Congratulations ..Smart move too . You can't possibly go wrong on several levels and hopefully you'll have a great run out of the brand new chariot .

Only once have I been in a position to buy brand new (Ford Escort Mk2) and even now I remember the day of delivery with a smile on my face .

Pictures please when she's home. That'd be fun to check out ..Cheers ..

[XR Martin]

Yaris still has a 4 speed auto

[XR Martin]

I personally would of gone a Skoda Fabia

[lra]

Originally Posted by XR Martin

Yaris still has a 4 speed auto

And ………….. ?

[Sprintey]

...and it works. It doesn't burn out dry clutches or toast mechatronics units. It's not jerky at initial throttle. It will still work 10 years, 20 years from now.

[jpd80]

Great choice Bent 8, the Picanto is great value,
the 1.25 and 4-speed auto work well together.

[XR Martin]

Originally Posted by Sprintey

...and it works. It doesn't burn out dry clutches or toast mechatronics units. It's not jerky at initial throttle. It will still work 10 years, 20 years from now.

Have you driven one? It doesnt work.
There is massive power drop between gears, unless its changing at near redline. If it had a CVT at least it could stay within its powerband. (Toyota's CVTs are pretty good)
I havnt driven the 1.5, but the 1.3 has a very ordinary drivetrain.

[BENT_8]

Originally Posted by XR Martin

There is massive power drop between gears, unless its changing at near redline.

Lol, it has a whole 63kw to draw on, it doesnt have massive power to begin with so how could it possible drop it between gears.
These aren't meant to be powerful cars, they are simply a substitute for walking between city blocks.
If i wanted a car which gave impressive power figures i wouldn't be looking in the 1 to 1.5l range to begin with.

I didnt strike the Yaris off the list due to lack of power or only having a 4sp auto, infact having a conventional auto is a draw card for mine.
I struck it off the list because it is too low in spec for the asking price, who wants to pay 18.5k for a car with 15" steel wheels never mind any of the other shortfalls.
That doesnt make them a bad car, just over priced by the people selling them from my perspective.

You mentioned the Skoda Fabia above, old mate across the road sells them too, i asked about them on Friday and he said he doesn't make a point of steering customers in that direction, make of that what you will.

He brought me home a Swift and whilst they are a nice looking vehicle, the CVT auto was a turn off straight away never mind the lack of extra's standard on the Picanto like 16" alloys, Faux Leather, LED lighting and AEB, then theres the 7 year warranty and extended service intervals.

[lra]

The Toyota Yaris also does not have a Turbo6 or a V8 available, leather interior, 20 inch wheels and aero controls on the roof.

Bent8, I fully get your criteria for a small car. I was a bit late recommending it in the thread, as you had already decided. But I just wanted to chuck it in the mix.
My daughter is not a kid, she is 6 foot, her husband and her two sons the same. They all fit into the Yaris comfortably for its purpose, which is the second car for work and shopping transport. She was after a replacement for her 2002 Barina which had over 240Km on it and had reached uneconomical repair stage. She had her list of priorities for a replacement.
She looked at a Picanto, liked it, but rejected it because the servicing dealer was inconveniently located for her. The Toyota dealer was in her work vicinity.

Back in early 2014, her and I looked at larger cars for her main car, one of which was an ‘auto’ Focus. We rejected that because it had the double clutch, well before the well documented failures became known. Good decision ?
Again, she/we had a list of practical priorities. Being the fastest Mum at the soccer and swimming with the biggest 4WD SUV with extreme connectivity was not part of the list. The final choice was an Aussie built Camry. Dull as dishwater, you scoff. But in nearly 5 years, nothing has fallen off or broken. And that matters.

Sometimes, car choice is not always about lowest profile tyres, TV screens in the dash, 0-100kmh times, and ‘look at me, look at me.’

[ute83]

Did you consider the Astra Bent 8? 1.4litre turbo petrol, 6 speed auto. 5 year warranty. One size bigger than the kia. Similar economy. And they are giving them away at less than 18 grand.

[Hawkeye84]

You can get a Kia Cerato hatch (the model in run out) for less than $18K.
Some dealers are b@st@rdising the price ive seen it down to $16K

or you can get the all new model Cerato Sedan for just a little over $18K.
My pick would be the new Sedan model, its alot better than the old hatch

[hayseed]

The Koreans are Today doing to the Car industry today. What the Jappers did back in the '70s & '80s..

[BENT_8]

Originally Posted by ute83

Did you consider the Astra Bent 8? 1.4litre turbo petrol, 6 speed auto. 5 year warranty. One size bigger than the kia. Similar economy. And they are giving them away at less than 18 grand.

Yes looked at them and Barina's last Thursday night at the local dealers Acadia reveal, nothing further though.

[BENT_8]

Originally Posted by lra

The Toyota Yaris also does not have a Turbo6 or a V8 available, leather interior, 20 inch wheels and aero controls on the roof.

Bent8, I fully get your criteria for a small car. I was a bit late recommending it in the thread, as you had already decided. But I just wanted to chuck it in the mix.
My daughter is not a kid, she is 6 foot, her husband and her two sons the same. They all fit into the Yaris comfortably for its purpose, which is the second car for work and shopping transport. She was after a replacement for her 2002 Barina which had over 240Km on it and had reached uneconomical repair stage. She had her list of priorities for a replacement.
She looked at a Picanto, liked it, but rejected it because the servicing dealer was inconveniently located for her. The Toyota dealer was in her work vicinity.

Back in early 2014, her and I looked at larger cars for her main car, one of which was an ‘auto’ Focus. We rejected that because it had the double clutch, well before the well documented failures became known. Good decision ?
Again, she/we had a list of practical priorities. Being the fastest Mum at the soccer and swimming with the biggest 4WD SUV with extreme connectivity was not part of the list. The final choice was an Aussie built Camry. Dull as dishwater, you scoff. But in nearly 5 years, nothing has fallen off or broken. And that matters.

Sometimes, car choice is not always about lowest profile tyres, TV screens in the dash, 0-100kmh times, and ‘look at me, look at me.’

Dont get me wrong, i have nothing against the Yaris, i worked for Toyota when the Paseo was the baby car, was there when Starlet was released and then Echo, so im very familiar with the entry level Toyota offerings, i just figured if i was spending $18k i might aswell get as much for my $$'s as i could in a small car.
When you look around they all have their differences, one has this, another that, i dont think any one really ticks every box, but what do you want for $18k drive away, its not really that much money anymore, i looked at motorbikes whilst down having my scooter serviced on Saturday that were north of $23k.

What you say has a lot of merit though, dealer locality was important to us and considering we live right on the very fringe of Metropolitan Adelaide, our options were limited.
Locally we have Ford, who we went to in the first place and couldnt supply us a car, Mitsubishi who had the Mirage which i just couldnt look twice at and the demo Lancer which in the end didnt make the cut because its so outdated now and in need of a refresh if going forward, and Holden, whic after looking at the Barina and how they could barely give them away, left us with little confidence about how long they'll be around now that the factory down the road is gone.
The next closest dealer was a multi brand franchise selling Suzuki, Jeep/Dodge/Chrysler and Kia.
The Jeep/Dodge/Chrysler was not on the radar, the Suzuki was on the short list and in the end the Kia got the nod.
Had the Swift been available in GL Nav with safety pack and a conventional auto or even manual it would have been over the line but the only non CVT versions were the bare bones GL for the same money as the Kia or the GLX Turbo which has the 6sp torque convertor box but was out of our price range at $23k.
We drove the Rio with 6sp auto and it was terribly slow and indecisive on the gear selection and enquired about the Cerato sedan which started at $20k for the base model S manual in white which is still well equipped for the money but by the time you add in colour and the auto to give it any sort of resale value, its $22k and over budget.

Anyhow, were happy with the decision, as i said earlier in the thread, its only really to replace the scooter which i've been riding the short 7km to work and would have continued to do if not for the absolute ****ers on the road who think its a game to intimidate a person on a bike they know has no way of evading them due to lack of pace.
I cant understand it, wether you sit up someones **** doing 60 or 50m behind them doing 60, your still doing 60 and wont get where you're going any quicker if the posted limit for that piece of road is 60.
As my Wife said, if i get cleaned up in a little car atleast i gave myself a chance with modern safety features, if some arrogant ***** knocks me off the scooter for ****s and giggles im either out of work for a while or dead, either way it would cost more than the weekly payments on the car.

[blueoval]

My mum and Grandma just bought new KIA's. A Sportage GT-line and a base model Picanto and they both love them. I have to admit, not being a fan of Korean cars in the past, I am slowly coming to terms with how good the build quality and Warranty actually is for the coin. Both cars have more good points than bad now.

I reckon you've done pretty well for BFYB cars in your budget. Hard to beat the little KIA's now with that list of requirements and warranty.

[Hawkeye84]

Congrats on the purchase Bent 8.

The Picanto GT-Line is a cracker of a car.
I cant wait till the 1.0 Turbo Picanto GT comes out, itll be more fun.

Nothing wrong with going from Blue Oval to Black Oval. The Koreans have picked up their game in recent years.

With regards the sibling rivalry - Hyundai vs Kia.
In majority of cases. Same chassis, same engines & same parts, just different designs (subjective) and Kia has the longer warranty.

[BENT_8]

Originally Posted by Hawkeye84

I cant wait till the 1.0 Turbo Picanto GT comes out, itll be more fun.

Yeah, i was thinking the same when i read about it but just like the Swift Sport or GLX Turbo, will be well north of $20k unfortunately.

I like what they've done with this GT Line stuff, giving you some sporty looks without making you pay overs for the performance of the real deal, much like the B series XR6's were to the Turbo's and 8's.

[Sprintey]

& also what they did with the GS pack back in the day, joy of joys you got a factory tachometer!

[Smoke Pursuit]

Plenty of ex focus loan cars in your budget coming and going. 5 year warranty etc.

[Smoke Pursuit]

https://www.carsales.com.au/dealer/d...AG-AD-16484339

[BENT_8]

Nice, but we wanted new this time around.

[prydey]

Originally Posted by blueoval

My mum and Grandma just bought new KIA's. A Sportage GT-line and a base model Picanto and they both love them. I have to admit, not being a fan of Korean cars in the past, I am slowly coming to terms with how good the build quality and Warranty actually is for the coin. Both cars have more good points than bad now.

I reckon you've done pretty well for BFYB cars in your budget. Hard to beat the little KIA's now with that list of requirements and warranty.

My folks just bought a Hyundai Tucson last Xmas. Korean cars are nothing to be ashamed of now. They are very good cars. Sitting in the Tucson it was a very nice place to be. Good ambiance if you like.

Hard to go past with their long warranties as well.

[roddy1960]

Apologies to Bent 8 but via his great new car thread topic , how much is the new Fiesta model range these days ? I suppose they'd be low 20K's these days.

Does anyone recall this other Ford badged small car from years gone by

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OBng1_SYAd8

Anybody ever bought a Ka by chance in years gone by ? ..

[BENT_8]

Originally Posted by roddy1960

Apologies to Bent 8 but via his great new car thread topic , how much is the new Fiesta model range these days ? I suppose they'd be low 20K's these days.

Does anyone recall this other Ford badged small car from years gone by

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OBng1_SYAd8

Anybody ever bought a Ka by chance in years gone by ? ..

I believe, and you'll have to excuse me if im slightly off as i've looked at so many cars with so many prices this past week, that the Fiesta Ambiente manual was around $17k driveaway but there are none left, only a Sport at around $21k with some extra's pack.

[roddy1960]

Originally Posted by BENT_8

I believe, and you'll have to excuse me if im slightly off as i've looked at so many cars with so many prices this past week, that the Fiesta Ambiente manual was around $17k driveaway but there are none left, only a Sport at around $21k with some extra's pack.

Thanks for that ..Since my query I read that in 2019 we'll only get the ST , nothing else and they'll come in at around $28,000 if the info is accurate ..I wonder if they'll sell a few .

Looking forward to your impressions on your new little beast in the next few days or so . Somehow I don't think you'll be disappointed .

Something to look forward to ..

[falcon_bandit]

Hold on.... you paid 18k for this????!!


Im flabbergasted theres even a market for these. Who are they marketed to? I showed my wife & daughter and they both cracked up laughing.