Car totalled- what next?

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dickytim

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#1910623 29-Nov-2017 16:36

MikeAqua:

Jonski:

Thanks for all the input. After more thinking, we're probably going to go the Mazda CX-5 way, probably the 2.5 AWD version. It comes down to load space as much as anything else- after looking more into rental costs for a large vehicle I realise that would be uneconomical after more than a few days' rental.

Luckily after doing the sums my budget has gone up too, so we're confident we'll get a reasonable vehicle now.

We test drove the Mazda CX-5 for a weekend to compare to a 2.5L Mazda 3. It's a very, very nice vehicle.

The 2.5l Skyactive engine is amazing. In my 2015 Mazda 6 I regularly see 6.2 - 6.8l/100km depending on how much I get stuck in traffic.

Recently I ran for 300km and kept it at 5.8l/100km but an accident ruined that!

I believe the economy in the CX-5 isn't as good due to AWD and the size. I have my eye on the new version 2017 Limited in a couple of years when they come on the second hand market.

BTW the Soul Red is an amazing colour.

I might also add the 2.5 petrol is over all cheaper to run than the diesel, unless you start to tow regularly.

Coil

6614 posts

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#1910695 29-Nov-2017 18:47

kryptonjohn:

Maybe should be in a different thread but... we are soon going to need a car for our 17 yo to get his licence in...

Needs to be cheap to own and run and safe - airbags, ABS etc and maybe 5* ANCAP? Needs to be automatic trans too. Don't care about size but something that manages to be small and collision safe, if that's possible, would be the ideal.

Any suggestions?

TIA

JohnO

325I E46 BMW.
Not sure of anything safer under 5K that looks good with the full kit. Something like this: https://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/used-cars/bmw/auction-1479339049.htm
A 330 (3l Straight 6) is a bit hefty for a kid. I learnt in a BMW E30 320I manual.

Don't get anything small displacement and turbo or 4WD. just mor bits to service. Naturally aspirated and 2wd cars. Stick to your BMW's if you are getting a euro or go play around with japs but I bet you wont find much in the same league as the BMW's.

Keep an eye on the Toyota Avensis wagon, Seem to be going cheap and tick all the boxes.

alasta

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#1910716 29-Nov-2017 19:12

dickytim:

I might also add the 2.5 petrol is over all cheaper to run than the diesel, unless you start to tow regularly.

I did the maths when I bought my Mazda3 diesel and they appeared about the same.

Petrol = 6.4l per 100km = 6.4l * $2.15 = $13.76 per 100km.

Diesel = 5.2l per 100km = 5.2l * $1.50 + $6.30 RUC = $14.10 per 100km.

The difference in cost is really marginal. Buy the diesel if you want the torque, and buy the petrol if you do a lot of stop/start driving.

kryptonjohn

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#1910724 29-Nov-2017 19:26

alasta:

dickytim:

I might also add the 2.5 petrol is over all cheaper to run than the diesel, unless you start to tow regularly.

I did the maths when I bought my Mazda3 diesel and they appeared about the same.

Petrol = 6.4l per 100km = 6.4l * $2.15 = $13.76 per 100km.

Diesel = 5.2l per 100km = 5.2l * $1.50 + $6.30 RUC = $14.10 per 100km.

The difference in cost is really marginal. Buy the diesel if you want the torque, and buy the petrol if you do a lot of stop/start driving.

Given that, it's a no brainer to get petrol as if anything goes wrong with the diesel the bills are eye watering. Everything from oil to batteries to fuel pumps to starter motors costs more.

Diesel does pay off on heavier vehicles. My Touareg's stated economy is 7.3 l/100k v wifey's 4.0V6 Petrol Prado 12l/100k (ouch!)

So per 1000k its 73 * 1.5 + 62 $136 v 120 * 2.15 $258 - a difference of $122/1000k or for us about $1800 per year. As mentioned the diesel is great for towing the boat.

alasta

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#1910748 29-Nov-2017 21:06

I never tow anything but I chose the diesel because I think 420Nm is substantially more useful than 250Nm on roads like the Rimutaka, Kaikoura or Nelson ranges, particularly if you want to use an uphill passing lane. The repair costs don't worry me because Mazdas come with a five year warranty and I replace my car every five years anyway.

Each to their own.

Basil12

110 posts

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#1910755 29-Nov-2017 21:31

I'd second the Toyota Avensis as a potential replacement. According to the likes of the Dog and Lemon guide it's virtually the same car underneath and a friend who "upgraded" to the Japanese import version of the Avensis from a Caldina has been very happy. We'e had a 2004 2.0l Avensis wagon for about ten years and have been very happy with no issues. There's plenty of room and it easily cruises over the speed limit but you might it underpowered after the Caldina (especially if heading over anything like the Kaimais). Good luck.

jonathan18

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#1910880 30-Nov-2017 09:28

kryptonjohn:

Given that, it's a no brainer to get petrol as if anything goes wrong with the diesel the bills are eye watering. Everything from oil to batteries to fuel pumps to starter motors costs more.

Diesel does pay off on heavier vehicles. My Touareg's stated economy is 7.3 l/100k v wifey's 4.0V6 Petrol Prado 12l/100k (ouch!)

So per 1000k its 73 * 1.5 + 62 $136 v 120 * 2.15 $258 - a difference of $122/1000k or for us about $1800 per year. As mentioned the diesel is great for towing the boat.

While I'm sure you're right about the actual parts for repairing diesel systems, my experience of owning a diesel Mazda 6 for 3.5 years is that the actual servicing costs are absolutely fine.

I've just checked what I paid last time (given I now have to pay as the car is out of its three years of free servicing!) and it was $363.22, and that includes the WOF. And this is from the local Mazda dealer as well.

Given some of the other threads, I've seen people paying way more than this for petrol cars, and in all honesty what I pay is not that much more than for my wife's Jazz. It's possibly more down to the rip-off prices some mechanics charge for servicing (eg, I've read here of the exorbitant prices charged by Mazda/Ford in parts of Akld).

Personally, I'd avoid diesel next time more because of the hassle of the DPF burn-off sh!te, not the cost of running or maintaining it; I think I may miss that level of torque on the hills though!

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kryptonjohn

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#1910920 30-Nov-2017 10:07

Agree, but that's why I prefaced my comment with "if anything goes wrong"! My Touareg service generally cost about $500 - $800 depending on whether anything is up for replacement. Last one was high as it needed new brake rotors but in general the most expensive single item apart from labour is the oil!

surfisup1000

5288 posts

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#1910961 30-Nov-2017 10:54

Jonski:

So, an eejit in a Ford Regulus with bullbars decided to ram into the back of our stationary 2001 GT-T Caldina at an intersection. We've just been told our car is now not economical to repair. We might get $5-6k for it from insurance. So, where to from here?

We love our Caldina. It's the family wagon (two primary-age kids), it goes like the clappers. It hold a ton and just frikkin works. Until now.

SO, we only really load up the car to the gunnels for twice-yearly trips to Taupo (from Auckland) plus a camping trip or two in summer. So we're thinking that we should swap over to a smaller car, some kind of pocket rocket, and just hire a SUV or something when we need it. Possibly even get a plugin hybrid?!?

Between Toyotas, Hondas and Mazdas, what's the story? What should we be looking at? What do we need to consider when looking at batteries? Anything else?

TIA

Jon

Exactly the same happened to our caldina, really awesome vehicle and someone smashed it up in a crash. It was uneconomical to repair, until our repair shop said they'd cut their price by up to $1000 so it became economical to repair again :)))) Yippeee.

One good thing, is that with all the crashes (3rd party at fault every time) we have been having lately , our caldina is looking like new. There is now only one panel that is unpainted.

And, someone recently backed into the rear of our ford territory and shunted it into a tree, so we got a free front and rear repaint on that too.

Coil

6614 posts

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#1910969 30-Nov-2017 10:59

kryptonjohn:

Agree, but that's why I prefaced my comment with "if anything goes wrong"! My Touareg service generally cost about $500 - $800 depending on whether anything is up for replacement. Last one was high as it needed new brake rotors but in general the most expensive single item apart from labour is the oil!

Touraeg brake rotors are eye watering. A full brake service on the old Q7/Touraeg and Cayenne is now almost worth more than the vehicle itself. The economics of a large vehicle designed to go fast..

kryptonjohn

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#1910983 30-Nov-2017 11:11

In the end I got aftermarket rotors. From memory it cost me about 1k vs nearly 2k for VW parts including the pads and labour. The rear rotors are a pain because of the park brake mechanism. It has a kind of drum brake built into the inside of the rotor for the electronic park brake. You adjust it for the correct initial hold then test drive then back onto the hoist to adjust it agian. Repeat that about 3 or 4 times and it's tedious and time consuming.

This is the 2011 model. The ditched that system in subsequent model years.

Jonski

265 posts

Ultimate Geek

#1911047 30-Nov-2017 12:18

surfisup1000:

Exactly the same happened to our caldina, really awesome vehicle and someone smashed it up in a crash. It was uneconomical to repair, until our repair shop said they'd cut their price by up to $1000 so it became economical to repair again :)))) Yippeee.

One good thing, is that with all the crashes (3rd party at fault every time) we have been having lately , our caldina is looking like new. There is now only one panel that is unpainted.

And, someone recently backed into the rear of our ford territory and shunted it into a tree, so we got a free front and rear repaint on that too.

Much the same with ours- all the recent dings and scrapes have been someone else's fault and I was finally looking forward to getting a new bumper to replace the one that had lost paint on a corner due to me backing into a snow-covered rock! The only thing I won't miss about the Caldina is that we can't fit a towbar on it, due to it having some kind of special chassis- something to do with twin exhausts (although it only has one). We need that towbar for a number of reasons and have made-do without, mainly by using a roof box and not packing everything we want to bring on holiday. Plus it [the CX-5] tows 1800 kg braked, which means when I (finally) get a boat I won't need a separate tow vehicle.

We considered the Avensis as a replacement but it's a long vehicle (4820 mm). My wife wants something that is a bit smaller as she has to squeeze into smallish spaces to do the kids' school pickups. CX-5 is 4550 mm, 270 shorter than the Avensis and 56 shorter than the RAV.

The CX-5, while not being anywhere nearly as peppy as a 2.0 GT-T (191 kW), will suffice from a power:weight ratio. Power is 140 kW giving w/p 11.1 kg/kW compared to the Avensis 13.9 and RAV 12.1. The Caldina was 7.5!

I'm figuring that as it's a substantially different vehicle from the Caldina, I won't really miss the Caldina acceleration. And I'm hoping for new as opposed to an import. Test drive this weekend!

Edit: [the CX-5]

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E3xtc

773 posts

Ultimate Geek

#1911085 30-Nov-2017 13:00

fwiw we have a CX5 and its a nice car. Economy is fine (2.5 Petrol AWD), but not mindblowing. Space wise it's not large thats for sure. Its basically a 3 raised a bit. Sure you can jam some stuff in it, but just check out the actual usable space because it sounds like you might use a fair amount and comparing the boot space of a Caldina to the CX5 might leave left a little wanting.

sudo

391 posts

Ultimate Geek

#1911324 30-Nov-2017 20:18

Why not get a smaller car and invest in a Roof Box.

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