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What car?


Mikej

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It is interesting to note that Nissan has not been mentioned, any thing wrong with the Nissan stable that we should know, i had my eye on either the Pathfinder or Patrol.

Now i am a bit worried. :PB)

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Hi Dax

I read that only 20.9% of new cars sold in Australia last year were actually manufactured in Australia!

Source : http://www.autoindustries.com.au/sales.php.../12/origin.html

The stats that you gave are a bit of a surprise to me. Still, I burnt my fingers with an imported car, so I hope for the sake of a lot of aussies they would be OK!

Cheers,

Dax

Edited by Dax
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It is interesting to note that Nissan has not been mentioned, any thing wrong with the Nissan stable that we should know, i had my eye on either the Pathfinder or Patrol.

Now i am a bit worried.

Camper,

There is not a big price difference between the top of the range Pathfinder and the GXL Prado Toyota. And I think that it is the same as in Aus as in SA.. Toyota is a bit more popular.

Sw

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Nissan is quite prevalent here in oz. I siomply forgot to mention it in my first post :blush:

Dax

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Hey Camper -

I never really liked Nissan mainly because of their styling, they have always been great in the more mechanical Dept's. But I think with the help of the French via their Renault alliance they have started to hit the mark in my opinion. E.g. the new Tiida (check out its lines, and you'll se the Megane influence) and the Murano - might be a bit controversial styling but can't be accused of being bland. Typical French bold styling!

I think the Pathy is great and you get good value for your money - probably the most affordable and still decent real 4X4 (depending on what your criteria on this is)in Australia. One think I like about them is that there is no price difference between the petrol and the diesel versions, a real point of difference. I seriously considered one a couple of months ago, but opted for a sedan in stead.

Patrol's are a bit on the ugly, bulky and brawny side but they do the job they were designed to do with brilliantly.

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Wow, thanks everyone.

Looks I will probably go for a second-hand wagon, either a Holden, Ford or Toyota.

In SA buying a second hand car can be a bit of a lottery. Is it the same in Australia or do people look after their cars a bit better?

Thanks again

Michael

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Hi Mike

I've been in Sydney now for 2 months, and bought a car about 6 weeks ago. Second hand cars here can also be a lottery, so don't ditch the new ones. COMPARE. Second hand to new. If you're a guy who can get under the car and fix stuff, go for your life on second hand. My hubby isn't that, so new was the one for me. I bought a Honda Jazz new, and very happy with it. I compared that to others second hand, and buying new was worth it for us.

Holden is very good and a very good price, and yes, Aussie made. My father in law drives in, really nice car. But why hasn't anyone mentioned the Honda Accord?? REALLY nice family car in my opinion.

I agree with the rest of the forum, don't go for the imports - I burnt my fingers SO bad!

Go for the nig names, they are mainly made in Aus, and cars are affordable here. Toyota is more expenive than Holden, Ford and Mazda - comparing what you're getting for the one and for another one. I compared Toyota and Honda (after eliminating the others - just due to other personal preferences), and found that for the Honda I got more value for money, with quality.

Good luck! :whome: Only advice I can give you, is TEST drive the cars! NEGOTIATE on price! Go to different dealerships! Don't forget the tinted windows - they come in handy in summer (so I hear)

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Good advice on the tinted windows - the sun is a whole new level of hot in Australia.

Edited by HansaPlease
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Don't forget the tinted windows

Thanks Leizel.

That is so funny because we also need tinted windows in SA, just for different reasons (avoiding hijackings and smash and grabs).

Michael

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Hey Duane - Ford's are seen as gr8 over here and very popular, and they are Aussie built!

I know that but there are 2 kinds of people in this world Ford or Chevrolet and I am on Chevs side in that debate. I dont include the rebadged Daewoos as Chevs anymore than I regard a Slopel as a Chev.

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I'm a Chevy girl myself. My husband drives a Ford Focus and I have a Chevrolet HHR and there is just no comparison. Unfortunately Australia doesn't sell my car.

Here are pictures of Sunny:

He has a 2.4l engine, manual transmission, leather seats - front 2 heated, fog lights, ABS brakes, front and side airbags, side steps (have added it afterwards, because of the snow that clings to the rear bumper) , remote keyless entry, tinted windows and drives like a dream. The back seats fold flat to give me a large cargo space to allow me to haul plants and some building materials. The back of the seats as well as the cargo area is of a hard plastic which allows for easy cleaning after hauling plants. I drive mostly highway on my way to work but there are parts where I have to drive slower with traffic lights and such and my car gives me in summertime 7.9l/100km and in winter 8.2l/100km. I assume it is because the heating system is working overtime, I hardly ever use the air conditioner in the car. If this car is sold in Australia by the time we get there, I will be the first to buy one again.

Regarding Ford, in Canada their trucks are some of the best, but the same cannot be said for their sedans. We were very happy to see that the Ford Ranger in Australia has a crew cab model. In Canada they refuse to build it like that. They just say that is why they have the next model which is called Sport Trac, which is a bigger truck, thus heavier on gas and in this day and time we want to go for more fuel efficiency. How is Ford Australia on fuel efficiency? In Canada they are very bad.

Regards,

Retha

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I love the Doge caliber, I hope they are available in Oz!

No one has spoken about VW's, are they readily available? price wise?

thanks

Aramat

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Apologies for not specifying, the reason was I dont know what cars cost over there, I hear they are a bit cheaper than in SA.

I am going to pay cash (only because I have no idea about getting finance in Australia on the day we arrive) but I want to spend as little as possible. The type of vehicle I have in mind is an Opel Zaphira or the Toyota Verso or the Renault (cant remember the model but its the 5 door family car) or any similar model.

Springbok and HansaPlease if I had plenty of cash it would be the Audi Q7.

Thanks guys

Michael

HI Mike

My wife has the Renault scenic - we bought it new (manual petrol=$33K or Diesel Auto = $37K) - they are also about to release the 7seater diesel version - $39K, which we will most probably upgrade to .

Had the car for 6yrs now and still going strong - no problems - for safety features it cannot be beat - voted best family car for safety in Europe. Not just the car, but the Renault range got the award. Looked at the Holden Zafira - would not touch it - came across to plasticky

Rgds

Matman

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I love the Doge caliber, I hope they are available in Oz!

No one has spoken about VW's, are they readily available? price wise?

thanks

Aramat

Yes to both.

The Dodge Caliber is available in Oz.

VW's are also readily available, and you do see the usual suspects here - Polo, Golf (R32 and GTI are popular) Jetta, Passat, Toureg...

The problem with Vee-Dubs is that they're expensive over here (as are most European cars) Diehard VW fans are happy to pay the premium, but people who are not brand specific can usually find something better for the same price in a Ford, Holden or Toyota...

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Check out www.manheimfowles.com.au they run the goverment auctions in all major centres. i have been following the auctions and they have good vechiles on auctions. I believe it is well worth it for your first car.

Cheers

Camper

Hey I would probably go the Santa Fe as well, you can pick them up pretty cheap - I currently drive a Hyundai and have had the best service ever and not expensive. (far cry from my 5 seriers BMW back in SA - but small economical and just what I need) My car has gone well and given no trouble at all over the last 3 years. My hubbie bought a Zafira when we first arrived - brand new - at 35 000kms the whole engine blew (apparently was a factory fault) but still not expected in a new car - service was great but took a few days to repair. You can get finance on the car by the way...I wouldnt be spending all my money on the best car straight away. Those government auctions are pretty good deals..they also have cars for sale...do a google search and type in public trustee of queensland and that will bring all the upcoming auctions and sales - they often just have government cars for sale.

thanks

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  • 4 months later...

If you are looking for a new car around the $37000 - $45000 mark, for a family, consider:

1. Toyota Camry - go for the Grande at $37990 driveaway - has all the luxury features - huge boot.

2. Toyota Aurion Prodigy - same as the Camry with same fuel efficiency (9.9l/100km), but has a 3.4L V6 engine - again it has a huge boot.

3. Have a look at the new widebody Honda Accord - available end of Jan 08.

The best value for money 4X4 at the $45000 mark is the new 08 Mitsubishi Outlander XLS Luxury. I am personally going to be buying this after test driving and comparing it to the Honda CRV luxury and the Toyota Rav4 Cruiser-L.

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Mara's advice, after living in Australia a number of years now, makes good sense . . . . . at least from the point of view of lifestyle here in Australia.

Get yourselves an "Australian" car.

Why?

. . . . .Because they're cheap to buy, compared to European ones.

. . . . .They're cheap to run, because the spare parts are made here and are sold by the truckload thereby keeping manufacturing costs to a low level per item.

. . . . . .You can get it serviced anywhere in Australia.

. . . . .Their engines are big enough to handle a country seven times bigger than South Africa.

My son is in the mechanical game, working on cars all week, talking to other mechanics about the good or bad of different models.

He drives a common ol' garden variety Ford Falcon that he picked up for $2 000

My daughter just picked up a 2003 Ford Falcon for $5 500.

My wife has a 2004 Ford Futura . . . . a Falcon with all the box and dice on it like cruise control, etc. Price $10 000 + an extra $2 000 (after getting back the Federal gov't rebate of $2 000) of converting the car to run on 'AutoGas" (L.P.G.) She now runs around doing 12l per 100 kms (or 8 kms per litre / 23 MPG) on fuel that costs 65c / litre (R3.90 / l) at the bowser.

We just ran over to the West Coast of South Australia at a leisurely 110 k/hr at a steady 2 000 revs on the tacho. The engine in her Ford was just "ticking over", so to say, and my son anticipates her getting 500 000 kms before any serious overhaul is needed.

Now that is cheap motoring, when you consider the long term costs!

General Motors vehicles, such as Holdens, have a similar reputation and are cheap to buy second hand in good nick.

These sort of cars will last years, won't cost too much to run if you put them on AutoGas, are cheap to get serviced, have reasonably sized engines to chew up the miles needed for an Australian holiday each year, and don't work too hard in the meantime so they'll last longer than your little whizz bang that spins at hyper speed to get you the same place at the same speed.

As far as 4WDs are concerned, I did a trip across a desert with a few mates back in June for ten days.

Around the campfire one night came the inevitable question of what is a "good" 4WD for handling the Outback of Australia.

One bloke was a surgeon from Tasmania who owned a BMW 4WD. It was great driving from his 5 acre block out of town to hospital, but it was only built to handle the European "deserts". . . . . if there are any?

The suspension was too soft, it was slung too low and just wouldn't have handled the stuff we were tackling on that particular trip. It would have died the death of a thousand cuts doing any serious Outback work.

It was great for what it built for . . . . . 99.9% of the time for bitumen roads driving to and from Das Buro in Germany back to Das Haus and the 0.1% of the time when you drive over half a kilometre of sand to get to the beach in summertime in Greece or Portugal.

Just don't try driving over the Simpson Desert for 10 days, fully laden with 4 blokes in soft sand 2 feet deep at times.

The Nissan Patrols that went for the ride, chewed up the trip like they were built to do it.

Same with the Toyota Land Cruisers.

The Land Rovers that came for the ride were cramped for space in comparison and had to work a bit harder with their smaller engines getting up the same slopes and carting the same gear.

If you want to pose in a European 4WD driving to and from the shopping centre then get one . . . . but dont think of scratching the paintwork by taking it off the bitumen road on to Outback roads. You'll have to get another 4WD for that sort of trip, or you'll end up ruining it.

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Bob - it seems like good advise! I will definitely look into the installation of a LPG system, or purchasing a vehicle with one already installed.

I've had a look at the Ford Falcon BA series, and it seems like a nice car for a relatively good price, a fairly late model can be had for less than $15000.

If I buy one without a LPG system, do you know of any reputable LPG installers in Adelaide? I'll come chat to you a bit about cars once in Adelaide, as I'll need to buy one soon after arrival. At this stage I plan to rent for a week or two.

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Renier,

there are a nymber of L.P.G. converters in and around Adelaide installing a variety of L.P.G. systems for that particular model of car.

A Holden or Ford would be no problem for them. You'll need to shop around cos installation costs can vary up to $1 000 from place to place, so don't just fo to the first conversion shop you come across.

With the Australian gov't having recently signed the Kyoto Protocol, the burden is now on the Australian gov't to deliver the goods, since the "average" Australian has a bigger carbon footprint than anyone else in the world!

That will mean making fuel dearer, in economic terms.

L.P.G. is an alternative fuel to petrol and diesel, so will rise in price over the next few months and years to come as well.

It is produced right here in South Australia, however, by an Australian company, and the money stays in Australia boosting our economy and not lining the coffers of the multi-national oil companies.

L.P.G. is easier on your engine, since it burns hotter, cleaner and has less carbon soot that scratches the bores and insides of your engine.

Come round for a beer or cup of tea and see what we can get up to.

My young bloke will give you the "good oil" on L.P.G. and where to go and what it does. ;)

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...and what about the Kia Sportage?

I've read some great reviews on it and also heard that its quit popular in Aus. Very good value for your money (especially if you are on a tight budget and cant afford Audis, BMWs, Porches or even Toyotas)

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.. er .. L.P.G. ..? :blush: (blond moment)

Please explain a little bit more. Do you now have to choose between a LPG, petrol or diesel vehicle? And how does the conversion to LPG works? What is the availability of LPG / petrol / diesel and what is fuel prices and does the fuel make a difference to the consumption l/100km for the same size car?

So .. spares and services of local cars should then be cheeper.

Sorry if I am off-topic.

PS Mazda isn't "dodgy", mine is great (no offence)

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Most service stations in Australia (around 80% or 90%) sell L.P.G. (liquid petroleum gas) at bowsers alongside bowsers for petrol or diesel.

Filling your car up with L.P.G. in Australia isn't a drama, nor is it a hassle to "convert" your car that normally runs on petrol to be running on L.P.G. instead.

The Australian gov't gives you back $2 000 (R12 000) tax free for switching over!

It just involves putting a big gas tank in or under your car to take the gas and fitting a couple of other bits and pieces to let the gas flow through to your engine thro your fuel injectors instead of petrol.

No big deal.

You engine will thank you for it. (less wear and tear on engine)

Your wallet or purse will thank you for it. (save $$$$$)

Your environment will thank you for it. (cleaner fuel, less nasty emissions)

http://www.lpgautogas.com.au

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Need some advice please.....

I am looking at the Golf 1.9TDI when we arrive in Oz. It sells new for +-30000.00 AUD. The main reason I want to buy this car is for its diesel consumption - 5l/100km.

How does the "other" cars do on gas????

Any suggestions please.

Bob - whats your opinion?

Thanks for the help

Regards

Henry

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With gas they usually use slightly more, like one extra litre per hundred klm's but the gas is less than half the price of petrol.

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