Buying First Car, Any Suggestions

[Glen 5150]

Looking at buying my niece her first car and its my shout and i'm looking at spending around $5-6k on something reliable as she's in an isolated area. Is this to much? Been looking at Toyota Echo's and AE 112r Corollas. Anybody got any other suggestions on makes and models or thoughts or have been through this as a parent/relative/friend? Its very difficult, as i'd rather see her in something around $2-3k that is bound to get damaged, scratched and mechanically abused etc... as she learns and has more respect for cars, but for that money it would have questionable reliability, and maybe cost her more money in the long run?

Any thoughts would be appreciated?

[TheZHLANE]

e series falcon, cheap as chips

[BIG_BOSS]

i used to have an old 2wd hilux with the 3Y motor in it, could not kill the motor, and advantages of having ute = cant take to man passengers. allways good for people learning to drive

[SSD-85]

$5-6k: AU Falcon. You will find a decent one easily in this price range, from forte to fairmont. And cars dont come more reliable than these.

$2-3k: EF-EL Falcon. If you look hard enough, you also will find a decent one in this category. Avoid car yards.

My 2c.

[BFZF8]

I'll put in another vote for EF-EL as well. Great value especially if you look for a Fairmont. Cheap, safe and moderately luxurious by today's standards.

[ThaFlash]

sounds like a job for mitsubishi magna mid 90's model, 4cyl, you will find some with 150k or less, great for women, not to big, reasonably cheap to run and prob only cost 3-4 thou

[Auturbo6]

The BEST vehicle to purchase, for not only reliability and fuel economy but also for value for money, is the Mitsubishi mirage or lancer. Would personally consider nothing else.

[XRFutura]

A bit biased but i'll vote e-series. had mine since I was on L's 5 years ago, only problem I have had with it was the gearbox, but that only happened a 2 years ago. The old girl has never missed a beat.

My mum has had a AU forte S1 since 2001, havn't had one single problem with it, You might even be able to look at BA's as well, you could pick up a good XT or Futura for that budget.

I'm a big believer in that if the person is taught in a large car, they become a better driver due to the fact they know how such a car would behave and can translate that knowledge into other cars.

[smoo]

Originally Posted by Scotty85

$5-6k: AU Falcon. You will find a decent one easily in this price range, from forte to fairmont. And cars dont come more reliable than these.

$2-3k: EF-EL Falcon. If you look hard enough, you also will find a decent one in this category. Avoid car yards.

My 2c.

Top choice and generally speaking they wont cave in like a small jappa when the SHTF. Cannot believe how some people have an Echo etc as a family car, If I had kids I wouldn't let em drive one.

[FrogInASock]

TE and onwards V6 Magna, or equivalent Verada for a bit of luxury. The newer 24v engine, not the older 12v.

[Ford_The_Win]

You've gotta look at it from a woman's perspective. Most young girls I know don't want a big Falcon for their first car. She'll probably be intimidated by the size, find it difficult to park, lament it's thirst and won't appreciate the grunt. If I was in the OP's position, I would be definitely looking at late 90s/early 2000s model Lancers, Corollas or Pulsars, even some decent Lasers from that era. They can handle a bit of neglect, are reasonably priced, are the right size, and are much better than their Hyundai Excel/Daewoo/Kia rivals.

[fordomatic]

corolla for sure

[SSD-85]

Originally Posted by XRFutura

I'm a big believer in that if the person is taught in a large car, they become a better driver due to the fact they know how such a car would behave and can translate that knowledge into other cars.

Excellent post. Many may see it as opinionated, but in my experience (whilst not as much as many out there) that ideology has worked well. And is something I also firmly believe in.

[galaxy xr8]

I'd be looking at a nice little Laser, I have had many of them and still own one, great little vehicle's, I have never had any drama's with any of them, great to drive, great on fuel, what more could you ask for,
There's this one on here for sale right now aswell,
http://www.fordforums.com.au/showthread.php?t=11313308

[pottery beige]

Originally Posted by mick_1010

You've gotta look at it from a woman's perspective. Most young girls I know don't want a big Falcon for their first car. She'll probably be intimidated by the size, find it difficult to park, lament it's thirst and won't appreciate the grunt. If I was in the OP's position, I would be definitely looking at late 90s/early 2000s model Lancers, Corollas or Pulsars, even some decent Lasers from that era. They can handle a bit of neglect, are reasonably priced, are the right size, and are much better than their Hyundai Excel/Daewoo/Kia rivals.

spot on.... my younger sisters are very happy with their little girly Lasers...... easy to drive, cheap rego, cheap to run and maintain what else could you want....

[Zedjay]

RAV4 would be my pick

[casabonka]

another vote for a early 00 lancer. so cheap to run. my gf learnt do drive in it and had no issues. very reliable too. plenty of syd to melb trips during summer and never missed a beat!!

[388cube_edxr8]

Fiesta/Festiva, depending on budget.

[Yellow_Festiva]

Originally Posted by 5150gk

Looking at buying my niece her first car and its my shout and i'm looking at spending around $5-6k on something reliable as she's in an isolated area. Is this to much? Been looking at Toyota Echo's and AE 112r Corollas. Anybody got any other suggestions on makes and models or thoughts or have been through this as a parent/relative/friend? Its very difficult, as i'd rather see her in something around $2-3k that is bound to get damaged, scratched and mechanically abused etc... as she learns and has more respect for cars, but for that money it would have questionable reliability, and maybe cost her more money in the long run?

Any thoughts would be appreciated?

Have you asked what your niece needs / prefers??

Small / medium / large?

Auto / manual?

Sedan / hatch / ute / wagon?

How many doors??

Any towing / carrying multiple people a lot of the time?

Ground clearance issues / dirt roads / 4x4 / AWD (referring to isolated area)

Petrol / Diesel / LPG?

If I knew a person was buying a car for me they would have all the answers to the above first.

[AndrewR_AUII]

The other issue to consider is insurance on the vehicle.

Being a first car, comprehensive is going to be really expensive to the point it may not be worth having. In that case, you need a car that is either easily fixable (i.e. common) or 'disposable'. If you don't get comp. insurance though, the car MUST have at least Third party property.

[Glen 5150]

Originally Posted by Yellow_Festiva

Have you asked what your niece needs / prefers??

Small / medium / large?

Auto / manual?

Sedan / hatch / ute / wagon?

How many doors??

Any towing / carrying multiple people a lot of the time?

Ground clearance issues / dirt roads / 4x4 / AWD (referring to isolated area)

Petrol / Diesel / LPG?

If I knew a person was buying a car for me they would have all the answers to the above first.

Her parents have no money so thats why i'm paying, so at the end of the day i'll be making the final decision for her. Definately 4cyl and she would prefer auto. 3 or 5 door hatch or sedan, really doesnt matter. Really looking for something ultra reliable and probably boring to her? Something that will hold its value when she wants to update. I'm a Ford man through and through but the Corolla seems to be the pick of the bunch and ticks most of the boxes. Its actually amazing what you can find if your prepared to hunt around. The depreciation of modern cars and this throw away society when something becomes out of fashion or not flash enough is quite frightening.