Recommending a car for your folks...

[Drizt]

Hi Guys,

Having a fairly irrational love for all things Holden, it was hard to recommend a fo....rd to my parents. But given their criteria, I feel it is hard not to recommend a fo..rd... a can't even say it.

They don't want a V8 or a Turbo.
They want an auto.
They want a second hand car with below or around 20,000kms on the clock.
They want a regular sized family car.

Given the above criteria I have suggested a second hand FG G6 or XR6. What price should they be aiming for when looking second hand? And what are the going rates (street price) for a new version of those units?

I know this is a Holden forum and as such, im willing to be persuaded to recommend to them a holden. But to be honest, the V6 commodores (VE) haven't really inspired me. Now the V8's thats another matter all together. :P

Thanks for any help / suggestions guys.

Hope this is received ok ??

[Marco]

Are they in any way car people, or is it merely transport? Because if it's merely transport, then that criteria screams Aurion or Accord...

[motomk]

Subaru Forester or Liberty maybe?
My parents have a Forester and love it. AWD and they sit higher in traffic so can see around them better, plus it has loads of cubbie holes and storage. It cost them around $30k new but it was a special edition thing with Leather and other bits and pieces.
They are fairly outdoor sort of people so use it for travelling and being away from home a lot.

[RIDE:42]

a 380 mitsu are cheap and well apointed and also make a good pub car

[redvxr8clubby]

The FG XR6 and G6 are about $37,000 new, one year old are about $30,000 from dealers, so if you can find one private or auction, would expect to get one for less. Many that I've seen advertised have about 30 - 40 thousand Km on them, You would have too look around for a 20,000 Km example, and no doubt pay a bit more. If they want something a little smaller, but still a good size, the Mazda 6 is a pretty good thing.

[Drizt]

Thanks very much for the advice so far guys.

The subaru liberty might be a good option, forester not so much.

I think Ill take them out one weekend to visit a few car yards to see what floats their boat so to speak.

[NickS]

What's the budget ?

[Hi Octane]

Go a japper for reliability, Subie as suggested. Some of the accord euro's suffered pinging which i belive the dealers are having a hard time fixing.

[andrewslr]

Don't think you can look past a Mitsu 380, not the prettiest but much underrated. Excellent value on used car market, solid, reliable and the GT in particualr is well spec'd.

Otherwise I'd suggest Corolla, Camry, Aurion, like I did for my folks. They bought the Corolla and love it

[max350]

I agree that the Mitsu 380 was a very underated car and is great value for money, but trying to find one with under 20000km's may prove difficult as they are now a few years old, so as also said the Subi Liberty are also a good thing. If it is just transport and your parents dont car about looks or exitment when driving then there is always the worlds most boring car the Camry or Aurion, they are always a reliable bit of gear.

[Marco]

PS: Recommending a car for your parents - or anyone - is fraught with danger. My parents bought a ZC Vectra which I had a lot to do with the purchase of...and they hate it.

[Number55]

PS: Recommending a car for your parents - or anyone - is fraught with danger. My parents bought a ZC Vectra which I had a lot to do with the purchase of...and they hate it.

Old People who dont care about cars suck to reccomend a car for.
My old man reckons he loves cars... but the fact his last two cars have been a toyota celica and a upmarket model camry scream otherwise..
plus his love for VW beetles seals the deal.

When he was replacing the 'Sky Blue Celica' he was tossing up between the camry and and Accord (both the Euro and the US Model).

There is no point telling this man to buy local coz he thinks he is above them, and his mates own the Toyota and Honda Dealerships......

I pushed for the accord Euro, the model had just been released and looked very nice and promising. But to my disgust he chose the Camry.

Dont get me wrong, its a nice car, drives ok apart from the torque steer and the interior in leather is nice.... but it has zero personality... Toyotas are transport, and never a statement which he says he likes to make (again refer 'Sky Blue Celica').

After all that crap I would prefer to see him ( and suggest for your oldies) in a Liberty, Accord or a upmarket FG(whatever the fairmont is called these days). Mayb a SIDI Calais too, but i havent driven one yet.

[Swordie]

I've hired an FG XR6. Really nice car. Plenty of power and quite comfortable. For my tastes thought the suspension could have been a bit firmer (sporter).

[iloveholden]

Try an SIDI Calais or if thats too $$ an SV6....keep em local :)

[oranpark_addict]

But to my disgust he chose the Camry.



I just cant believe the sound its the worst thing i've ever heard!

[Number55]

If they need the car in the next couple of months they will find it hard going to get a second hand Calais or SV6 with the SIDI. Personally I wouldnt recomend the old Holden V6 over the Ford. The old holden in rough IMO. the SV6 is quite bare and boring feature wise. I reckon the G6 is the go.
No point in pointing them in the direction of a sports model as you know they will whinge about the ride. And with a 6cylinder 'Sports Version' with will be pretty much the same driveline paackage as a Calais or G6.

[Number55]

I just cant believe the sound its the worst thing i've ever heard!

They are simply transport.
Thats all Toyota are. They are great and reliable. They are built to do a job and thats all. their 4x4's are an exaple

[M&Ms]

Try find them a G6E rather than the normal G6. Comes fully specced with leather, electric everything, reverse camera, bluetooth, colour screen and uprated stereo, and the 6-speed auto standard. I know of someone who bought one for $33k with 30,000 km on it a few months back, shop around and I bet you could find one within $30k. Although the XR6 looks/is sportier, it's quite bare bones inside in comparison to a G6E, so your parents should appreciate that more. Having said that, I've seen FG XR6's selling for about $27k.

[johnmekLS1]

very much cant go wrong with a toyota aurion. the prodigy is a good middle ground. plenty of luxury and at a very decent price. the presara is an awesome car but costs a bit more.

[awesome _vzss]

toyota are rated the most reliable manufacture in the world ,
although their cars may seem abit simple their still bang for u buck
,but i am all for supporting local manufactures so go for a holden

[Number55]

very much cant go wrong with a toyota aurion. the prodigy is a good middle ground. plenty of luxury and at a very decent price. the presara is an awesome car but costs a bit more.

IMO the Aurion is a peice of sh1t
I drive them quite often and i hate them. Torque teering when overaking, super bland inside....
:spew:

[JulieRush]

IMO the Aurion is a peice of sh1t
I drive them quite often and i hate them. Torque teering when overaking, super bland inside....
:spew:

couldnt' agree more. I've only driven one once. It was a hire car and I only got it because the XR6 I'd ordered they didn't have (wanted the XR6 as I've not driven one before!)

Found the Aurion to be the most hateful horrid thing ever. torque-steered scarily, no handbrake for gravel road shenanigans, interior was, as mentioned, boring. ride was very soft and smushy.

BUT

a lot of people like them for the same reasons I don't. if you want a soft ride and comfortable seats, reasonable economy, don't wanna go fast and want trouble free motoring, you can't go wrong with a toyota.

personally I'd steer them at the Suby liberty option. nice cars them.