what new car to buy

[buickman]

Originally Posted by mrghia

dont buy a Holden Cruze its just a daewoo with a opel motor my mate is a EX holdend mechanic and said that they are the worst car they have released. Volkswagen are good cars very reliable. Have a look at demos they are like buying a new car but without the price still and all the warranty's a new car has.

They are very well equipped and have a high safety rating even higher than FG Ford. Holden are selling the Cruze at a very good price for the options the car has so they will sell well
I tested the Cruze CDX auto petrol while looking for a new car for my wife and they drive well with low noise for a small car and bit under powered but they feel cheap. The Kia Cereto Coup has a better motor and looks good for under $25,000 but Kia's problem is it's badge so resell drops but I thought it was a good car for the money and drove better than what I would have thought a budget Korean car would of but they have VW's chief designer on board so things are happing for Kia's brand name.

We ended up buying a Mazda 6 Touring wagon and having owned several Mazda's they are well built and reliable plus resale values hold up well.
But the Mondeo Zetec wagon was her next choice a good car but some interior issues was what my wife was not keen on.

[phillyc]

Go the near new FG XR6. 25k will get you a beautiful car to drive and look at. That sort of coin will get you a 2008/9 with about 50k on it from a dealer. It will have the 5spd auto, but that is still a very good gearbox. Was looking at two examples on Thursday. Priced at 24,990 & 25,990 respectively. Seriously good value. Servicing is reasonable too. You wont have trouble for many years yet.

[Franco Cozzo]

Originally Posted by buickman

They are very well equipped and have a high safety rating even higher than FG Ford. Holden are selling the Cruze at a very good price for the options the car has so they will sell well
I tested the Cruze CDX auto petrol while looking for a new car for my wife and they drive well with low noise for a small car and bit under powered but they feel cheap. The Kia Cereto Coup has a better motor and looks good for under $25,000 but Kia's problem is it's badge so resell drops but I thought it was a good car for the money and drove better than what I would have thought a budget Korean car would of but they have VW's chief designer on board so things are happing for Kia's brand name.

We ended up buying a Mazda 6 Touring wagon and having owned several Mazda's they are well built and reliable plus resale values hold up well.
But the Mondeo Zetec wagon was her next choice a good car but some interior issues was what my wife was not keen on.

I dunno, one of the 4th year apprentices at TAFE who works at a Holden dealership has a lot of horror stories for the Cruze and the SIDI Commodore.

[Franco Cozzo]

Originally Posted by Big Damo

Auto is so damn slow and isn't responsive at all I reckon, I had the displeasure of having to drive a new Civic Sport Auto, traditional auto and 4 cylinder = big no no in my experiences.

Plus it looks like ***.

Sorry if this came across as offensive, I didn't mean it in that way, I just want to show my opinion

Also can you merge this post with my above one please? Thanks.

[buickman]

Originally Posted by Big Damo

I dunno, one of the 4th year apprentices at TAFE who works at a Holden dealership has a lot of horror stories for the Cruze and the SIDI Commodore.

Only time will tell if these are lemons. I can only judge the car as a new car that ticks the right boxes and drives well but there are better driving small cars to choose from with a known and trusted brand history.

Some match its 5 star safety but with a 35.04 out 37 that is a fairly safe car for the money when a FG Ford which is a safe car as well rates a 34.61 out of 37. A lot of RWD car enthusiasts despise them but a person who wants a car that’s safe and cheap to do daily shopping runs it's a good deal and a comes with neat dash lay out.

[Franco Cozzo]

Originally Posted by buickman

Only time will tell if these are lemons. I can only judge the car as a new car that ticks the right boxes and drives well but there are better driving small cars to choose from with a known and trusted brand history.

Some match its 5 star safety but with a 35.04 out 37 that is a fairly safe car for the money when a FG Ford which is a safe car as well rates a 34.61 out of 37. A lot of RWD car enthusiasts despise them but a person who wants a car that’s safe and cheap to do daily shopping runs it's a good deal and a comes with neat dash lay out.

Good value for money with them, but another thing I find hard to accept is the fact the turbo diesel has a lot of turbo lag and the petrol engine is a measily 1.8L, a bit too small to push 1400kg comfortably I reckon.

[Yellow_Festiva]

Originally Posted by Big Damo

Good value for money with them, but another thing I find hard to accept is the fact the turbo diesel has a lot of turbo lag and the petrol engine is a measily 1.8L, a bit too small to push 1400kg comfortably I reckon.

The 1.8 does push it comfortably. Don't expect to bent with whiplash when you bury the right pedal as it isn't that sort of car.

Having said that, the engine has been chosen for low consumption over outright performance, and the 6 speed auto keeps the car up to pace and above when needed.

Although it's almost 1.4t it also does show it in it's dimensions. At 4.5 metres long and able to seat 5 adults while keeping under 7l/100km when driven calmly it is a good car for the money.

[mrghia]

my holden mate said that aswell about the size of the motor and body weight.
He is a ford and volkswagen mechanic and he thinks the build quality of them 2 and the honda and mazda are brilliant. My other mate is a KIA mechanic and they are buying a cerato themselves he loves them he thinks they are best value for money. Kia and Hyundai are pritty much the same car.

[mrghia]

Those ford Econetic engine is able to to achieve to 2.7/100km with 2 people in the car on the highway.

[THE EB!]

Well thats alot of replies since ive been away on the weekend, definately alot for me to think about, thanks everyone. I might start having a look at some near new cars and see what deals are out there at the moment

[Jimmyd]

Originally Posted by THE EB!

Well thats alot of replies since ive been away on the weekend, definately alot for me to think about, thanks everyone. I might start having a look at some near new cars and see what deals are out there at the moment

Don't know where you are located, but in Qld Ford are doing Demo 2010 FG XR6 autos at 29,990 drive away.....

Cheers

James

[Franco Cozzo]

Update on the Civic situation, drove a Civic Hybrid today (not sure if this is in your price range) but the throttle response on that thing is like its reading your mind its that good.

[buickman]

Originally Posted by Big Damo

Update on the Civic situation, drove a Civic Hybrid today (not sure if this is in your price range) but the throttle response on that thing is like its reading your mind its that good.

I tested a petrol Civic demo sports with sunroof when we testing cars. Nice car with quality leather compared to Cruze but I found looking at the dash weird with the tacho below the digital Speedo but still nice small car but pricey.

[THE EB!]

OK so a bit of an update, ive thought about what to do about the money situation and have actually talked to a bank about getting a $25,000 loan instead of saving up. The only problem with that is that the car may have to come from a dealer. I have had a look (not drive, just look) at a few cars and think i have narrowed my choices to:

Fiesta (my choices are either a zetec, econetic or wait for the new WT)
Focus (zetec)
Focus XR5 turbo (08 model with <40,000kms)
Accord Euro (older model with <50,000kms)
Liberty (2008 model with <50,000kms)

I looked inside a xr5 turbo and must say i was impressed, this is probably at the top of my list (even thought i wanted a new car and one not so thirsty) but the problem with this is getting one from a dealer - there aren't too many around. I also want one with warranty so this could be an issue.

I would love an econetic for the simple fact that it would save me heaps on fuel, however i havent had a test drive yet and dont know if the lack of performance will make me not want one. The new WT fiestas are out soon, but im not sure if too much has changed, so dont know if its worth holding out for one. I like the exterior look of the fiestas more than the focus, but probably prefer the interior of the focus, so im not sure what to do here.

I have also thought about a second hand liberty or accord euro. Again they may have to be from a dealer, but they seem to be good, comfortable and have a lot of options.

Any more thoughts on this anyone?

[DJM83]

Originally Posted by THE EB!

Focus XR5 turbo (08 model with <40,000kms)


I looked inside a xr5 turbo and must say i was impressed, this is probably at the top of my list (even thought i wanted a new car and one not so thirsty) but the problem with this is getting one from a dealer - there aren't too many around. I also want one with warranty so this could be an issue.


Any more thoughts on this anyone?

PM sent. Here is some info on the XR5 models
LS XR5 Turbo
Released January 2006
Green Sony head unit
7 row intercooler up to September 2006 – 11 row intercooler after
Silver headlight surround up to March 2007 – Black headlight surround after



LT XR5 Turbo

Released July 2007
Red Sony head unit with MP3 compatibility
11 row intercooler
Black headlight surround
Clear rear spoiler brake light
Red Dash lights
Rear Passanger Festoon Lights


LV XR5 Turbo
Released June 2008
New exterior styling including:
Crease in doors replacing the bump strip on LS & LT models
Headlights
Tail lights
Colour coded fog light surrounds
Alloy wheels
Rubber rails to each side of the rear window from March 2008 onwards.
Frozen White added to the colour range
Stripes available as a factory option

New interior styling including:
Keyless start and engine start button
Faux carbon fibre console
Upgraded Dash cluster
Upgraded triple guage on dash cluster
Sliding arm rest on centre console
Bluetooth and voice activation standard
White stitching on seats and doors (when equipped with leather)