Looking to buy my first RV/SUV (first 4 wheeled vehicle)

[neels]

I didn't know that the Toyota Corolla came in 4wd, I thought they were 2wd vehicles.
Are there any particular models I should look for?

Find a toyota you like, then find the equivalent nissan or mazda and buy that instead. You'll get the same amount of car for a lot less money, without the bullshit toyota 'reliability' premium.

[unstuck]

Mazda Familiar(323) 4wd diesle would be ok. Nissan Avenir 4wd wagon look ok, but I have not heard many nice things about them.

[SMOKEU]

If you want a diesel then forget anything with a Japanese engine in it and buy something European. There's a reason why some Japanese vehicle manufacturers are starting to use European diesels in then.

[SMOKEU]

Hmm... I was thinking about the Vitara, but then it hit me that I need to get a vehicle sooner than anticipated. My budget at the moment is $3000, providing I sell the TS (no, I won't be selling the TS at $3000) which I plan to do over the holidays. I was thinking about getting a Toyota Corolla. Any opinions on those?

You need to be more realistic with your price. $3k will get you an unreliable pile of shit that's 10 years overdue to be scrapped. Keep saving until you can afford to get a decent vehicle, otherwise you'll spend more money on the vehicle than its worth and still be left without a decent ride.

Corollas are horribly outdated for what they are, and sell for far more than they should.

[Matariki]

You need to be more realistic with your price. $3k will get you an unreliable pile of shit that's 10 years overdue to be scrapped. Keep saving until you can afford to get a decent vehicle, otherwise you'll spend more money on the vehicle than its worth and still be left without a decent ride.

Corollas are horribly outdated for what they are, and sell for far more than they should.

What would be your recommendation SMOKEU?

[unstuck]

What would be your recommendation SMOKEU?

Dont worry about him, he,s still on pushbikes.

[SMOKEU]

What would be your recommendation SMOKEU?

Buy a push bike or take a bus until you have a more reasonable amount of money. An SUV will generally cost at least double that of a comparable year and mileage car, so think carefully. You may be better off buying a car and hiring an SUV when you need it.

[unstuck]

Buy a push bike or take a bus until you have a more reasonable amount of money. An SUV will generally cost at least double that of a comparable year and mileage car, so think carefully. You may be better off buying a car and hiring an SUV when you need it.

So you have not been reading the thread then smokey, she is looking at getting a car now. Plenty of good cars out there for that money. I just got me a 94 bluebird today, wof reg and good runner for $200. Should be able to get $1400-$1600 for it after a couple of wee jobs.

[Matariki]

So you have not been reading the thread then smokey, she is looking at getting a car now. Plenty of good cars out there for that money. I just got me a 94 bluebird today, wof reg and good runner for $200. Should be able to get $1400-$1600 for it after a couple of wee jobs.

Thats good news then, as thats definitely within my budget. I'm thinking about going with a hatchback as its smaller and might work out cheaper to run.

[ducatilover]

Buy a push bike or take a bus until you have a more reasonable amount of money. An SUV will generally cost at least double that of a comparable year and mileage car, so think carefully. You may be better off buying a car and hiring an SUV when you need it.

I think you'll need to see the planned commute she mentioned earlier.
AFAIK there are no busses going there daily.
And push biking on the Rimutaka hill is suicide

There are trains, however.

[Drew]

And push biking on the Rimutaka hill is suicide

That's completely relative. From my perspective, cyclists on the hill is murder!

[ducatilover]

That's completely relative. From my perspective, cyclists on the hill is murder!

You have to be fucked to ride a push bike up there.

I did it once.

[Matariki]

So I did some browsing on Trademe and I came up with a list of 5 cars to consider (based on my current budget of $2000 - $3000);

Toyota Corolla
Suzuki Alto
Nissan March
Honda Civic
Toyota Starlet

Now I've got to figure out which of them based on my budget is the best value for money. Does anyone here have any experience driving any of these models?

[unstuck]

So I did some browsing on Trademe and I came up with a list of 5 cars to consider (based on my current budget of $2000 - $3000);

Toyota Corolla
Suzuki Alto
Nissan March
Honda Civic
Toyota Starlet

Now I've got to figure out which of them based on my budget is the best value for money. Does anyone here have any experience driving any of these models?

I have driven all apart from the nissan march, personally I would go for the corolla or starlet. I will never buy another Honda car, because even though they were not bad cars, I found them hard to source parts for, because there are so many variations within the model group. The suzuki Alto is just ugly, IMO. Nissan do make some good cars, but I know next to nothing about the march, except that it is similar to the nissan micra. I bought a 1994 toyota corona 12yrs ago for 2 grand and it is still going strong, and I have done bugger all to it except routine maintainence, altho I did have to buy a battery for it this morning. Good luck, and make sure you get someone to have a look over it before you buy.

[leathel]

European cars are often cheap.... some because of bad stories... or controls back to front (lights wiper indicators on opposite sides) but you can get pretty late low K cars for a good price.

http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/used...-602711684.htm

http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/used...-602085886.htm

http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/used...-602323887.htm