New hatch around 20k

BA Baracus · 14-03-2009, 04:27 PM

Not sure if this is the right section to ask but am looking for opinions for my mum. She's looking at buying a new car and hoping to spend around the 20k mark. It will likely be the last car she buys so wants to make sure she decides wisely. She needs it to be an Auto, 4 cyl and needs it to be as reliable as possible.

She is considering a focus at this point, I know opinions may be a bit bias being a Ford forum but what are peoples opinion on them vs. what else is available in the price range? Is there any other suggestions of other makes that would be good to consider?

Also if focus is the way to go does anyone know what deals are to be had at the moment in terms of best drive away price in Bris? Or any special deals on extended warranties, extras etc etc.

Nickxb · 14-03-2009, 05:11 PM

pick up a TD Hyundai i30. They are fantastic hatches with a 5 year warranty.

barbarian · 14-03-2009, 05:28 PM

Hyundai i30 ugly as sin

VioletGT · 14-03-2009, 05:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by barbarian

Hyundai i30 ugly as sin

I will find it very hard to find a mother picky and choosy about the car she wants... If she saw the Hyundai she would be head over heals....I would drive a shoe box if it was good value.. Then big engine for the weekends..

The i30 is a good option.. I my self have a 2008 Kia rio.. Doing well so far has everything i need and very very good on petrol..Car came with standard electric from windows, mp3/cd player a/c and a host of litle storage compartments.... Have done a sydney to melb trip and it went great... I have family members with older model kias and havnt had to much trouble with them at all.

Dont think you can go wrong with either 1

mustang70 · 14-03-2009, 06:45 PM

she'd probably be happy with an i30, I also thin they're ugly but lots of people obviously dont. good value and seem to be reliable so far...

They've released a wagon by the way,saw one the other day. not much bigger but the rear window is more verticle,giving you more room.

bob^ · 14-03-2009, 07:22 PM

Can't go past Hyundai's warranty also.

satria · 14-03-2009, 07:27 PM

yeah you can... mitsubishi 5 year/ 10 year warranty...

can get a lancer es with 5 star safety for 19,990 driveaway too... better than a hatchback!

Daymoe · 14-03-2009, 08:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by satria

yeah you can... mitsubishi 5 year/ 10 year warranty...

can get a lancer es with 5 star safety for 19,990 driveaway too... better than a hatchback!

Or Hyundai's unlimited 5 year warranty.

the 10 year on power train only goes up to 160,000kms.

boss-290 · 14-03-2009, 08:56 PM

The new Hyundai i30 wagon thing is ugly, (most probably haven't seen it) But the Hyundai i30 5Dr is a dream. Diesel 5 speed awesome.

500SEC · 14-03-2009, 08:59 PM

Please can we stop going on about I30s or whatever the latest Korean offering happens to be. Every second post on this forum makes reference to an I30. It's a Ford forum. Buy a ford. Fiesta, Ka, Focus or Festiva.

Nickxb · 14-03-2009, 09:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 500SEC

Please can we stop going on about I30s or whatever the latest Korean offering happens to be. Every second post on this forum makes reference to an I30. It's a Ford forum. Buy a ford. Fiesta, Ka, Focus or Festiva.

He asked for a response about a hatch, not ford specific. IMO we looked at both the festiva and focus and the base models were rubbish. the focus had a lot of road noise in the cabin and the seats were awful.

Dont get me wrong, i love my fords but they are not the only manufacturer.

At least i didnt suggest a holden

boss-290 · 14-03-2009, 09:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 500SEC

Please can we stop going on about I30s or whatever the latest Korean offering happens to be. Every second post on this forum makes reference to an I30. It's a Ford forum. Buy a ford. Fiesta, Ka, Focus or Festiva.

Obviously you havnt driven a Hyudai latley.

BrisVegas · 14-03-2009, 09:48 PM

in the sub-$20k bracket, the Fiesta is the standout car for enthusiasts. The i30 is probably a better pick for lower total cost of ownership however.

XR6_190 · 14-03-2009, 10:04 PM

I'd go for the new Fiesta, best in the class and should get a middle of the range LX for that price, only down side really is the waiting list, i hear that it is out to 6 months, otherwise I would probably say a Honda Jazz.

greenfoam · 14-03-2009, 10:22 PM

The 09 Zetec Fiesta is the best car you can get for around 20k, You'll come close to getting the 3 door for that (about 21 maybe) I hear the I30 is pretty good too but really the Fiesta is brilliant. But like they say, get in line because they are seilling much faster than they are being built. It's a very long wait to get one. Doubt you would see a Zetec before July at this stage

waggaclint · 14-03-2009, 10:37 PM

In my opinion if its going to be your mums last car you want something that will last so buy a jap car- TOYOTA MAZDA HONDA SUBARU- they will all out last any hyundia or kia or euro car also FOCUS and FIESTA are worth a look as they are basically mazdas anyway....

As for everybody raving on about I30s i dont see what all the fuss is about ive driven and worked on a few of these both diesel & petrol nothing flash hey very over ratted car i reakon....

Also stay very clear of anything made buy HOLDEN/DAEWOO as they are all crap very unreliable....

There good deals to had at the moment alot of 08 models still around for good money also FORD is giving good deals on FOCUS as there is a new model coming soon...

Daymoe · 14-03-2009, 10:41 PM

The new Kia Cerato maybe?

XR6_190 · 14-03-2009, 10:57 PM

Seriously, if you (well your mum) have got a budget of over 19k, do not get anything Korean (Hyundai, Kia or Holden), It's not so much that they are bad cars, more along the lines of 'you can do better than that' I can't understand why somebody that can afford a Honda or a Ford or a Mazda would purposely buy a Kia or Hyundai.

DoreSlamR · 14-03-2009, 11:04 PM

At a stretch she could pick up a second hand Holden Commodore Sportswagon

looks ok-ish with the convenience of a 5 door hatch!

BA Baracus · 14-03-2009, 11:09 PM

I'm/she is a bit skeptical on the i30 as it's a fairly new thing, agree it seems very good but are cautious buying a early make of any car. She is coming from a '99 corolla and has had no real issues with it at all, but it seems new corollas will push her over the price bracket for an auto and build quality seems to of diminished a fair bit since her model. We are leaning toward focus due to the model being around a fair while, are there any specific faults that are apparent with a new focus we should be aware of? ...Is this a completely new car in comparison to previous focus models? ..also not real keen for diesel or a turbo, just a run about petrol 4 cyl that's reliable.

edit to add festiva is too small for what she's after (grandchildren child seats etc) so in ford would need to be focus.

XR6_190 · 14-03-2009, 11:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DoreSlamR

At a stretch she could pick up a second hand Holden Commodore Sportswagon

looks ok-ish with the convenience of a 5 door hatch!

Nah that would probably be too small

waggaclint · 14-03-2009, 11:18 PM

The new focus is just a upgrade new bumper grill etc a few most thing standard etc...You say she couldnt afford a corolla youd be suprised how good of deal you can get in the current climate the are bargins to be had Mazda also have a new 3 coming out so you should be able to get a good deal on them as well...
Ideally id get her to test drive a few she likes and go from there...

bigdude1011 · 14-03-2009, 11:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by waggaclint

Mazda also have a new 3 coming out so you should be able to get a good deal on them as well...
Ideally id get her to test drive a few she likes and go from there...

I fully agree, I would look for a Mazda3, if she's not fussed about poor NVH.

phillyc · 15-03-2009, 12:10 AM

Even Paul Gover, noted Ford hater from Drive reckons the Fiesta is the best light/small car on the market.

Every reviewer is raving about them. Just do it. Do it.

BA Baracus · 15-03-2009, 12:34 AM

Fiesta too small.

barbarian · 15-03-2009, 01:14 AM

Hyundai I30 is a poor mans BMW 1 series.

Korean guys at Hyundai tried to copy a German BMW design.. but sorry to say, MASSIVE PHAIL.

Hyundai is renowned for being a el cheapo brand so i wouldn't expect its resale value to hold as strong as a Jap or Euro Ford brands.

barbarian · 15-03-2009, 01:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BA Baracus

Fiesta too small.

If you are willing to wait, Focus update is just around the corner. June i believe

If not, current Focus is still a beauty. It has a greater reputation than a Korean Hyundai that's for sure.

If looking for a bit more room at the boot, go for a sedan

Yellow_Festiva · 15-03-2009, 02:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 500SEC

Please can we stop going on about I30s or whatever the latest Korean offering happens to be. Every second post on this forum makes reference to an I30. It's a Ford forum. Buy a ford. Fiesta, Ka, Focus or Festiva.

Didn't know they were making a new Festiva.

If the new one was as good as the original I'll buy one tomorrow....

Well for a 20 grand new hatch, I would be looking at the I30, the Tiida, the Lancer, Focus or the Cerato.

Would prob put the Koreans first, but thats just me.

The new Cerato is actually a very well specced car and built very well. (To me they look like a small Honda accord). I had the pleasure of driving one in Korea this Jan and thinking that this car should be sold in OZ... the week I arrived back in OZ I started seeing ads for the Cerato. No Hatch I think.

The Lancer has a nice look about it, and also comes in hatch.

Tiida, not everyones cup of tea in the looks department, but it has been for sale for a few years and you should bargain a fair few grand off due to the high class of competition.

If she is after boot space, Honda have just released a small 1.5 or 1.6L car that claims to have a larger boot than a Commodore...

Focus... well lots of info here about them already. Also due for a model update, so like the Tiida, you should get a few grand off when the 'runout' sales are on.

Cheers,

Windsor220 · 15-03-2009, 02:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Yellow_Festiva

Well for a 20 grand new hatch, I would be looking at the I30, the Tiida, the Lancer, Focus or the Cerato.

I just went through this situation for my mum coz she was in a similar position.

Came down to between the Lancer and Tiida. Ended up with the Tiida because of the price. The Lancer was the better car but it is quite big for a small car and was too big for her. The deal on Tiida was better.

Only other cars I would of considered for her were Mazda 3 and Focus but she didnt want European. Corolla is pretty much a fridge on wheels so steered clear of that and Korean stuff too.

greenfoam · 15-03-2009, 04:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BA Baracus

Fiesta too small.

How big is your mum? have you been inside one? males over 6 foot fit in them easily. You would be suprised how big they are inside, very TARDIS like

. I'm just recommending you at least try one, it's one of Fords all time great cars and no Ford (Falcon) fans seem to know anything about them and you really should because it's the car that's going to save Fords (and Falcons) ***

imho