What car/s do you drive? Help me choose something

[Cupcake]

Amaki- Dp is a mechanic and hates havign to order parts for European cars. They are so hard to get and cost a fortune and then the customers get upset at the expense. Its all those hidden costs that you forget about whenbuying a car.

Are you on the Gold Coast by any chance? LOL. Trying to find a decent mechanic is driving me insane!! I didnt know Astra's were European when i bought it. Ive pretty much replaced the entire motor in my car in the past 2 years.

Sorry to hijack

[Bathsheba]

how!!?? we have one too and i couldnt get butt between the seats let alone another seat!! what seats do you have?? what year is yours?

We are just about to trade in our Mitsubishi wagon... not an outlander... a Magna... and it would have fitted 3 child seats across the back... just!

We've traded it in for a 7 seater Kluger Grande... I haven't driven it yet though... we pick it up tomorrow!!!!

[BrightSparkles]

I"d LOVE a kluger but we can't afford one of them. I don't mind the Rav 4 either. I like the ford territory too.

[Bathsheba]

We got $10K off because of hail damage!!! Some great bargains out there ATM. The damage is mainly on the bonnet... a new bonnet will cost $800... well worth the discount!!! Oh and I guess i should add that DH is a master bargainer...

[Mak]

The new Commodore wagon here - I LOVE it but I was driving a 97 Mazda Bubble before this so a BIG difference. Can get 3 seats in the rear (squeezy sideways) but heaps of leg room and storage etc. I wanted a Territory but got this for a better price - with heaps of options, leather seats, rear camera/sensors.

[indie24]

I recently upgraded from a '99 Laser to a Ford Futura. It has heaps of room front and back. Boot space is pretty good too. Have only been driving 2 weeks so don't have any cons at the moment

[Bathsheba]

Oh and the reason we got a Toyota is because my BIL is a mechanic and he always buys Toyotas and highly recommended them. Plus I wanted:

Lots of interior space... I have to fit two car seats and a teenager in the back... plus a friend or two.

A reversal camera. My niece was run over by my SIL who reversed over her in a 4WD

Leather interior... want to be able to wipe the seats clean... no more smelly fabric.

Fixed DVD player for my kids who aren't used to long car trips (we are about to move to the country and to date my kids only go in the car a few times a week).

Lots of safety features and side impact air bags.

The Kluger has all of the above plus more.

[Miss.September]

DP says if you want something reliable that isnt going to cost you the earth to service or get parts for you want to stick with the Japanese cars - they know how to make cars - toyotas, mitsubishis and hondas. Do not buy a european car as second hand as parts will be very expensive and a hard to get.
HTH

Be careful of newer Toyotas though at the moment. There seems to be a lot of recalling going on in the states on Camrys, Rav's and Corollas and the Aus market says there is no problem. But even saying that, I had a 96 Camry and loved it. Only got rid of it because a sedan didn't suit our lifestyle pre-baby with two dogs!

Corelly x

[Mummy2Lilly]

We have 2 car's. So it depends on what car df needs for the day.

We have a new holden commodore wagon.

Pros everything

Con's the price

I just love it.

Also we have a 4wd we brought 2 years back..

I havent got any cons for both cars part from the price.

[SammyRo]

Holden Astra Wagon (which I love, sorry to hear you're having issues Ammaki)

pro's:
economical on fuel
big boot (although won't fit a side by side double like a mountain buggy or the like)
it was in our price bracket! (always a plus)
comfy for long distances

con's
absolutely no space to sit in the middle of the back row with 2 car seats in, so def have to trade up when we go for #3

[allycat06]

I drive a Holden berlina s/wagon, we only have one kiddy
Pros:
handles really well for such a beast, I went from a zippy little Mazda 3 to this and the transition hasn't been as hard as I thought...very easy to drive
massive boot, just chuck in all the junk
lots of leg room
electric seats which is handy as DH is 6'6 and I'm 5'2 so I can make the seat nice and high to see out
cheap to repair (you can get generic parts rather than genuine)
very safe...Berlina has all the little extras like stability control, traction control etc
the quintessential aussie family car

Cons:
chews through the petrol...cost $100 to fill sometimes
can't get into those tight carspaces


we've also got a Mazda 3 which DH drives now.....I highly recommend them if you're after a 4 cyl
pros:
VERY efficient.....DH works in the city so 80km round trip, 5 days a week and a full tank lasts the week
big boot (the sedan one anyway)
hold their value well

not much to complain about with them really.

[starangelk]

Hi Sunshine! We have a Nissan X-Trail - we have 2 labradors and a baby on the way.

PROS
Economical to purchase for the size/benefits of the vehicle
Can switch from 2WD to 4WD (makes running costs cheaper)
Awesome fuel economy (we used to have a Mazda Tribute and this is so much better)
Drives like a car
Massive cargo/boot area with drawers for wet stuff/storage
Quite good servicing costs through Nissan

CONS
It drives like a car - not ideal if you want a 4WD feeling car

I don't LOVE my car but I do think it is an excellent car for the criteria we needed which was basically: BIG. We needed big boot/cargo space for our 2 labradors as we often travel with them. This was the biggest cargo/boot area we found and the price was the best too - in the $30k's brand new depending on the model that you get. They hold their value really well too, this is actually our second X-trail. I would like a nicer looking car but in all reality it's about A - B and this is a great vehicle all round.

[Dansta]

i just saw this thead!

i Drive an AU II wagon ('00 model) , DH drives and AU II as well (but his is an '01) have one toddler and another on the way

Pro's:
- Common.
- they're used as taxi's so they're fairly hard wearing
- parts are easy enough to find, plus very easy to maintain (as oil changes can be done at home)
- cheap. mine was $8k on road + 12 months rego (2nd hand car dealer)
- they're simple mechanical wise - not all the bells and whistles. but practical.
- most mechanics know them really well
- proven i guess "stammerer" when it comes to wear and tare
- go really well if on duel fuel.
- good leg room in the back
- the boot has heaps of space
- the back seats can be folded down 60/40 if needed they also fold almost flat
- has a FULL SIZED spear wheel


Cons-
- Can be Exxy to fill up on petrol, but gas is about the same amount of $$ (give or take a little) as a smaller car
- tyers can be exxy - dispite how common they are
- they dont have a transmission fluid checker thing (the oil dose though!)
- being a little older they may need to have a closer eye/ear kept on them.
- some have been used and abused as company cars - so the transmission may need a flush (mine did, but runs like a gem now!)
- the stero's in them can be evil - and if you like CD's will need to be replaced- which is easy enough done. just need a dubble din stero or the little "ciggie holder" pocket part from a ford dealer to cover up the hole in the bottom.
- some of the hub caps can jiggle around and make the most annoying noise. but that's fixed with dubble sided tape!

the only other thing i can think of is that it takes a little getting used to driving one. i went from a little Ignus to this - but i can reverse park it better then i could my little car. i do love my car, it works really well for us and its also good for camping (as its a little higher off the ground) as well as bigger loads in the back. i've also fond for me that the engine is really easyly laid out - so checking the oil levels is really easy and the air filter as well. i also find that it drives really well and its a 'softer' ride over the bumps, so helps with putting little ones to sleep in the back and car seat covers are easy to put on too!