Recommendations for a new small car

[Oversize]

I'll be helping a family friend to look for a new car soon and I was wondering what you all would recommend? She's 24YO and does quite a bit of city driving. The budget's around $25-$30K.... It's gotta look trendy with all the mods cons for a young girl, plus be safe and reliable with a good warranty.

And no I won't ride shotgun in a Yaris or Prius!!!

 

[Michel]

I'll be helping a family friend to look for a new car soon and I was wondering what you all would recommend? She's 24YO and does quite a bit of city driving. The budget's around $25-$30K.... It's gotta look trendy with all the mods cons for a young girl, plus be safe and reliable with a good warranty.

And no I won't ride shotgun in a Yaris or Prius!!!

If she wants something hot and modern, I'd go for a Hyundai Veloster around mid 20s. They come with 5 years warranty and they are bullet-proof.
or
a Mitsubishi Lancer also around the mid-20s also.They offer 10 Year Powertrain Warranty and a 5 Year New Car Warranty

 

[WiSeGuYY]

UHH THOSE ..... than don't exclude NISSA JUKE too , the compitition is high here , the Veloster in the begining i was reluctant for the 3 doors idea , but when i saw it driving in the streets i got used to it.

REGARDS

TAREK

 

[WiSeGuYY]

GRRRR i mean NISSAN but i lost the N

BTW i just bought a HYNDAI for the house but the ELANTRA i love the shape and price , i recommend the SONATA for you guys in AUSTRALIA.

REGARDS

TAREK

 

[Michel]

GRRRR i mean NISSAN but i lost the N
BTW i just bought a HYNDAI for the house but the ELANTRA i love the shape and price , i recommend the SONATA for you guys in AUSTRALIA.
REGARDS
TAREK

The Juke is not available in Australia yet (not sure it will ever be as they have been talking about it since 2010)
The Elantra is an excellent model and so is the i45 (which replaces the Sonata here).
However, I thought for a young woman who wants to be 'seen and chic', these were four door family cars

 

[260ebenz]

How about a black 2006 Toyota Yaris how could I sell the car without the owner noticing?

I am in trouble now for saying that!

 

[WiSeGuYY]

LOL@TIM , nothing wrong with the YARIS it is very populer here too , and YES MICHEL i agree with you the ELANTRA is a 4 door sedan not for the younger generation ( though it sell like hell here) and the VELOSETER is the choice i agree , nevermind my remark of the 3 door thingy ( i'm an engineer who like classic symetric inventions) not modern innovations like that. didn't know about the JUKE exept when they start advertising few month back looks like the movie CARS but VELOSTER sells more still.
Didn't know either about the I45 i drove once in the SONATA and ohh boy was very impressive , it sells here with same price as MERCEDES C180 204 would you beleive it?? it starts here though i saw it in FLORIDA 2 years back , it might be introduced under another name in the downunder.
2 weeks back i was in ISTANBUL TURKEY - no accent RB yet nor ELANTRA and they do have a HYUNDAI assembly factory there.

Thanks for letting me visualize the AUSTRALIA MARKET for me.

REGARDS

TAREK

 

[motec 6.9]

Hi Mark here are the stylist options starting at the top end Audi http://ninemsn.carpoint.com.au/all-...ring|0||pCar_Model_String|0&keywords=&__N=834 1216 1246 1252 903 395 414 243 4294967194&SearchAction=N&PriceFrom=395&PriceTo=414&seot=1&__Nne=15&trecs=5&silo=1011 Then a Citroen DS3 http://ninemsn.carpoint.com.au/all-...ring|0||pCar_Model_String|0&keywords=&__N=834 1216 1246 1252 903 395 414 243 4294966818&SearchAction=N&PriceFrom=395&PriceTo=414&seot=1&__Nne=15&trecs=16&silo=1011 Then as Michel stated a Hyundia Veloster http://ninemsn.carpoint.com.au/all-...ring|0||pCar_Model_String|0&keywords=&__N=834 1216 1246 1252 903 395 414 243 4294965579 4294673571&SearchAction=N&PriceFrom=395&PriceTo=414&seot=1&__Nne=15&trecs=20&silo=1011 Then take your pick of VW low end polo http://ninemsn.carpoint.com.au/all-...ring|0||pCar_Model_String|0&keywords=&__N=834 1216 1246 1252 903 395 414 243 4294962746&SearchAction=N&PriceFrom=395&PriceTo=414&seot=1&__Nne=15&trecs=320&silo=1011 To the Golf and if you hunt around a Polo GTI is under 30 http://ninemsn.carpoint.com.au/all-...ring|0||pCar_Model_String|0&keywords=&__N=834 1216 1246 1252 903 395 414 243 4294962746 4294962677&SearchAction=N&PriceFrom=395&PriceTo=414&seot=1&__Nne=15&trecs=183&silo=1011 Then any one of the Jap cars but not as stylis as the cars listed i would go the VW as both are wheels car off the year PS Audi is just a DUB

 

[BenzBoy]

What about a Suzuki Kizashi?
Regards,
Brian

 

[Tony66_au]

Suzi's are a great car, fit n finish with style and reliability and they seem to really "POP" in traffic.

But if you want a safe choice?

You cant go wrong with Hyundai.

Toyota is still the old farts car of choice but based on equipment levels and bang for buck they are lacking.

And don't forget to check country of origin as A LOT of Toyota stuff is assembled/made in South Afrika and the quality is noticeably different to the Oz or Jap made stuff.

The Suzuki's are also a very nice, well made car. Good engineering and the 18 yo 25 year old girls love the colour schemes and styling, their interiors are also far more comfortable for an hours grind in peak hour and although not as comfy as Hyundai's they are far far better than both Corolla and Yaris which are in my humble opinion built very cheaply and lack comfort.

As someone who hires small cars a bit I usually end up in either a Toyota or Hyundai and the Hyundai's (Even the pov pack's) are far superior.

My only criticism of Hyundai was their service costs and mainly their 90'000 km timing belt/major service but I dont know what Toyota's service schedule is like.

Peugeot is also worth a look and has lifted their game immensely and the Ford Focus aint half a bad thing either with some interesting options and spec levels.

 

[BenzBoy]

Based on rental experience in the last 12 months I would have to advise against a Ford Fiesta - handling is woeful and potentially dangerous on the freeway; and against the Yaris - it's as unlike a motor car as is possible. A Yaris doesn't provide for confident handling in any situation and would be useful only for running down to the end of the driveway to collect the paper. Most disappointing and interior space in the update is limited.
I would be happy with an Hyundai.
Regards,
Brian

 

[260ebenz]

Our 2006 Yaris was made in Japan we waited 3 months to get the car delivered to Australia.

Mum has been very happy with the Yaris.

My Aunty has recently bought a 2012 Demo model Yaris hatch white colour, she drove it to and from Qld from Newcastle she is very happy with the car.

In my opinion the 1.5ltr VVTI- Variable Valve Timing Injection 4cyl engine is 'slow', well to slow for my liking.

Have no future plans to buy a 4cyl car whether it's a Mercedes or any other car maker.

Yaris does have good fuel consumption and it's Mum's car I just occasionally drive the Yaris and I wash & vacuum the car.

The Yaris is a black colour let me say difficult to keep clean and is warmer inside the car in Summer that is for sure!

Did I say I miss driving a Mercedes because I do!

Cheers.

 

[SEL_69L]

Go with the flow!
The most popular car just now is the Mazda 3.
From the requirements you have alluded to, a Mazda 3 would probably be best suited to the need, anyway.

 

[E200K]

24 year old female? Yep, Mazda.

 

[Michel]

One must never forget warranties (five years general and 10 years power train from Mitsubishi) as well as five years from Hyundai.

Also look out for servicing costs.
Many companies are now offering fixed (resonnably priced) servicing for the period of the warranty.

 

[E200K]

Actually, if I was a 24 year old female I'd probably go for a Volkswagon Polo ....... or a W126

 

[Tony66_au]

Just remember that Japanese industry got a huge shake up not too long ago that washed out a lot of production and brought the whole shebang to a gurgling halt.

Most of these factories have since restructured and are well and truly back online but still scrambling to catch up with production.

Just watch car sales people, the Yaris is built in a few places and they would rather you didnt know this and continued to assume that your Toyota came from Japan where as it may have come from France, Thailand or even Ghana.

 

[WiSeGuYY]

AGAIN , i have no clue wht french cars available but i find the best will bve the MEGANE - a RENAULT hatchback very popular in EUROPE specially for this age group, exceed the CITROEN and i saw the FORD FOCUS the new one is rather nice one , the GERMAN AUDI A1 & A3 are very appealing too so as BMW 116 .

REGARDS

TAREK

 

[Tony66_au]

The Renault Megane is a nice bit of kit and as far as Euro hot hatches go Tarek its a great package.

the issue here is lack of factory representation as they are imported by a private company which brings its own set of issues such as spare parts and crash repair parts pricing and availability which Peugeot and Renault both suffer badly from.

Shame because they are a nice car, the other issue is retail pricing which will probably be close to 30k once all fee's and charges are added if not slightly over.

 

[WiSeGuYY]

Hey TONY , My son had a MEGANE 2006 just sold it few month back for half price for almost same reasons as you mention it, i am in favor of HYUNDAI since it is very advancing steady in the world market with new designs and technologies vs rather low prices.

for theage group of 24 + i guess AUDI and BMW are the best period but never the cheapest.

REGARDS

TAREK