What car would you buy?

Forums › Transport (cars, bikes and boats) › What car would you buy?

NonprayingMantis

6434 posts

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#214050 25-Apr-2017 23:51

If you had a $20k budget to buy a car, what would you buy?

(I'm looking for ideas - it doesn't need to be family friendly, and not too worried about running costs - so a V8 is temping)

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3885 posts

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#1770389 26-Apr-2017 00:27

I would seriously consider an electric car such as a Nissan Leaf. I would like to buy one myself, But I will need to buy a new work van soon. (Im self employed) And my budget definitely doesn't stretch to buying 2 new or near vehicles at the same time.

Would help to know more about what you want / need. Will it be your primary car or "weekend" car? Do you need to Tow things, go offroad ect?

NonprayingMantis

6434 posts

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#1770390 26-Apr-2017 00:54

Aredwood:

I would seriously consider an electric car such as a Nissan Leaf. I would like to buy one myself, But I will need to buy a new work van soon. (Im self employed) And my budget definitely doesn't stretch to buying 2 new or near vehicles at the same time.

Would help to know more about what you want / need. Will it be your primary car or "weekend" car? Do you need to Tow things, go offroad ect?

don't really 'need' anything.

It will be used for driving to and from work (30 mins each way) and on weekends for some road trips.

Doesn't need to tow anything. No off-road.

Not too keen on an electric car (mainly because I know I'll forget to charge it up and get really annoyed in the morning when battery has no charge)

Batman

Mad Scientist
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#1770392 26-Apr-2017 01:23

i Would get the latest shape Honda Civic. It has a space age look that WOWs me. Really should go see it in person. Tell me if it has that effect on you.

clevedon

1059 posts

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#1770405 26-Apr-2017 08:10

ANglEAUT

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#1770432 26-Apr-2017 08:41

Does it need to be a car?

With a motorbike, you can shorten that commute time. You can feel some freedom (and pay higher rego fees). Somebody here on GZ has a signature that states "Four wheels move the body, two wheels move the soul". In my experience, that is very true.

Please keep this GZ community vibrant by contributing in a constructive & respectful manner.

Coil

6614 posts

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#1770441 26-Apr-2017 08:47

E36 M3, Wont find a car more fun. You could also snap up an E46 M3. Thats the best bang for buck you can get in a performance car over here and still look flash and not cost yourself a huge expense in maintenance as long as you get one with good history and NZ New.

E90 (Staywag, Coupe, 330I goes very well and is a great engine/drivetrain. Minimal issues with these cars.

370Z Nissan, see where your budget falls in that market place. Cool little quick cars! Use a heap more gas the the BMWs tho and they would be equally as fast and corner better and have less cabin noise and more comfortable.

Nissan Leaf if you can be bothered with the recharging and draw backs around that. maybe a good car if you cruise around the city all day.

Dont buy a turbo Audi/VW/Skoda. They are junk that has endless leaks and problems that require the engine to be removed to fixed.

nakedmolerat

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#1770442 26-Apr-2017 08:48

cherokee srt

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trig42

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#1770454 26-Apr-2017 08:51

Mazda 3 MPS, or Ford Focus ST (or RS, but I think out of your budget). They'll put a smile on your dial.

M3 Beemer as above as well - nice idea.

Inphinity

2780 posts

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#1770462 26-Apr-2017 08:58

You could probably get an ex-Demo Mazda2 for $20k. Balance of warranty, service, etc typically.

MackinNZ

450 posts

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#1770465 26-Apr-2017 09:03

Off-lease Ford Mondeo is a great car and can be had for $20k from the likes of Orix.

Wade

2225 posts

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#1770503 26-Apr-2017 09:51

For 20k i would be looking for something 2012+ with less than 80k on the clock and ideally NZ new... start the search there and see what pops up

From a resale perspective features like GPS, reverse camera, bluetooth, Android auto/apple carplay, blind spot monitoring, radar cruise control, automatic braking etc are going to be on all but the most basic of cars in the next 3 or 4 years so not having at least a few of these could negatively affect resale value

VW Polo GTi, Ford Focus Titanium, Ford XR6, Holden SV6 could all be worth a look

mclean

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#1770520 26-Apr-2017 10:15

For 20k you are just in the range of a Nissan 370Z, or if you can stretch it a bit then a higher km Toyota 86. The Nissan drive train is bomb-proof. If you're more of an enthusiast then a Porsche 968, but they are getting rare now. Of course you won't be able to haul kids around - which is a big plus if you enjoy driving, especially if it's a 2nd family car.