Cheap runaround
Discussion
Hasbeen said:
Don't be a pom in Oz Gingerbread Man, you have to think like an Ozzie now. 
Forget all that European stuff, most of it is overpriced & expensive to maintain here.
My experience with cheap cars for the kids first cars was that Honda is the best, but only if you have a Honda dealer in Coffs. You don't need an orphan. The ones we got the kids went forever, with ham fisted new drivers.
After that older Toyotas were great, & Mazda's were bulletproof. A Corolla or a 323/3 is a better bet than a European Ford in Oz. My wife was silly enough to accept a company Fiesta, & it is the very worst car I have driven in decades.
Hyundai are winning car of the year these days, but from what I see of today's motoring journalists, that is probably due to great cup holders.
Serious? Forget all that European stuff, most of it is overpriced & expensive to maintain here.My experience with cheap cars for the kids first cars was that Honda is the best, but only if you have a Honda dealer in Coffs. You don't need an orphan. The ones we got the kids went forever, with ham fisted new drivers.
After that older Toyotas were great, & Mazda's were bulletproof. A Corolla or a 323/3 is a better bet than a European Ford in Oz. My wife was silly enough to accept a company Fiesta, & it is the very worst car I have driven in decades.
Hyundai are winning car of the year these days, but from what I see of today's motoring journalists, that is probably due to great cup holders.
Something like a mid 90s BMW 318i is about as basic mechanically as a Ford Laser of a similar vintage. Any mechanic who has read an instructional book post WW2 would be able to work on them.
And you don't need a dealer. Why the hell would you need a dealer for a cheap runaround? Take it to a good local garage and jobs done. Cheaper, better service, less hassle. Something like a mid 90s Honda Accord will be fine to take to Bobs Riverside Mechanical Repairs or the Woolgoolga service station for a service.
Errrr...
I ran a 95 318is for 140,000kms (sold it with 265,000 on the clock) and got my sister a 94 318i for a runaround. That was sold with 290,000 on the clock.
These are some prices.
Radiator (inc. expansion tank etc) - $130 odd
Oil filters - $7.50
Front struts (got 2 rather than 1 for obvious reasons) $220 - but had cheaper options.
Oil. 15W 30.
The only thing that was significantly more expensive was the power window regulator and that was around the $185 mark as I couldn't find a decent secondhand one.
These were all sourced through Bursons/Supercheap/similar. Cheaper options are available online. Few more dollars than prices on a Mazda, but cheaper than Subaru.
Incidentally, the 318i is up in Port Mac now. It is up to 420,000kms (sold to a family friend) and has just had it's first clutch change ever. Gone through more windscreens than clutches.
They are dead easy to work on and pretty solid. Hell, I managed to do a radiator change myself in just a couple of hours despite it being my first real mechanical thing.
Things like more modern Audis with a lot of electrics are a bit more complicated - but the 2.0t engine in a S3 is a hell of a lot simpler than a high revving NA Honda engine in a basic mechanical sense.
I ran a 95 318is for 140,000kms (sold it with 265,000 on the clock) and got my sister a 94 318i for a runaround. That was sold with 290,000 on the clock.
These are some prices.
Radiator (inc. expansion tank etc) - $130 odd
Oil filters - $7.50
Front struts (got 2 rather than 1 for obvious reasons) $220 - but had cheaper options.
Oil. 15W 30.
The only thing that was significantly more expensive was the power window regulator and that was around the $185 mark as I couldn't find a decent secondhand one.
These were all sourced through Bursons/Supercheap/similar. Cheaper options are available online. Few more dollars than prices on a Mazda, but cheaper than Subaru.
Incidentally, the 318i is up in Port Mac now. It is up to 420,000kms (sold to a family friend) and has just had it's first clutch change ever. Gone through more windscreens than clutches.
They are dead easy to work on and pretty solid. Hell, I managed to do a radiator change myself in just a couple of hours despite it being my first real mechanical thing.
Things like more modern Audis with a lot of electrics are a bit more complicated - but the 2.0t engine in a S3 is a hell of a lot simpler than a high revving NA Honda engine in a basic mechanical sense.
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