Help finding a car

[benny76]

Hi all, I'm in the process of finding a small - mid size car and I know there are a lot of car enthusiasts here so I thought I'd get some opinions.
Could I please get peoples ideas on choosing a car, I'm after something around the 20-25k mark that will go when I put my foot down and handles well too, a car with good drive/performance type stuff. I know this is an LS1 form but what I need help on choosing is the small type of car (e.g. civic, lancer, astra etc. all those little cars), also if its a discontinued car or used thats worth getting in the price range please suggest.

Cheers.

[alto]

honda accord euro would be my reco

good size and plenty of get up and go with vtec yo!

[blackbettyhsv]

my misses has a holden vectra cdxi 3.2 litre V6 147 killawasps, 03 model 7.4 litres highway use fully optioned, best part is the seat warmers (not this time of year) pick em up around 20 grand plus.
nice german leather also

[redvxr8clubby]

Renault Clio Sport get good write ups if you something small/ sports with a bit of go. If you want something a bit more mainstream you could go a new base Mazda 3 (Neo) in that price range. New Lancer could be OK perhaps. Holden's advertising Astra for $22900 drive away with alloys etc, I think the 1.8's a bit on the slow side though, at least the others are 2.0 litre.

Dave.

[iamhappy46]

1. Holden Astra 2001~2003 TS SRi 2.2L for around $13~16K with good resale value. Fantastic handling, nice and torquey motor with a great midrange for around town daily driver with good fuel economy. The newer shape Astra is also a good proposition

2. Mazda 323 Astina SP20 2001~2005(from memory) 2.0L motor for similiar money and got good reviews in Wheels COTY in 2002.

3. VW Golf MK4 also has some good 1.8 and 2L options with good resale value

Avoid buying a new car if it is only a runabout, reliable cars from A to B can be found in the secondhand market.

[CS1234]

look at a subaru liberty 96-98 model, the misses has one and it has leather, sun roof and handles well

[German Statesman]

Here we go...flame suit on

Look for a late '90s early '00 E39 BMW 528i - you'll find a good range in your price bracket and if you can get a 540i V8 or wagon, all the better.

A tad smaller than the Commodore, but with parking sensors and great build quality. A '96-on 540i will have the 4.4L V8 and steptronic auto, it should have a 'roof unless its the less powerful 523i entry model. Later models up to the finish of production of the E39 series in late 2000 will most likely have some Individual goodies like piped leather on the seats, big mofo BBS mesh rims, special limited run paint colours, lots of AV gear including voice-controlled NAV and wide screen TV.

Lots of good independent techs in private shops in all capital cities and major towns, good supplies of non-genuine service parts, what more can I say...except a Seven series is better but its a look-at-me thing and not for families :)

Everyone should treat themselves to a BMW once in their life.

Cheers

JOHN

[max350]

A little while back I considered buying a new hatch for running to work and back and looked at many many different makes and models and decided the Mazda 3 was the best followed by the Astra. These 2 stood out above the rest for both looks and appeared to have much better build quality. These 2 were then followed by the VW Golf and none of the other makes at the time would be worth touching.

[Swordie]

Second-hand my suggestions are Honda Integra and Astra Turbo. Honda's are generally built well, quite reliable and loved to be revved. The Astra won some awards when it was first released (it may of been POTY in its class).

[Carby650]

Be aware of servicing / repair costs on some of the above mentioned cars. Honda, Mazda and even Subaru can be expensive to service and repair. A 50,000km service on a Subaru can be close to $800-1000 as they change belts ect. Albeit all are very good and reliable cars. If you are buying second hand do some homework in that area.