Car purchase thoughts

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#735003 19-Dec-2012 15:46

joker97: any newish car that goes wrong is costly?

Not really, it's more that complicated cars are costly when they go wrong.

Turbos, 4wd, boxer (or v for that matter, to a lesser degree) engines... have more to go wrong AND make a car more difficult/costly to repair.

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#735006 19-Dec-2012 15:52

what about the new super torquey super efficient turbo diesels?

alasta

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#735017 19-Dec-2012 16:04

joker97: what about the new super torquey super efficient turbo diesels?

Think about it this way; if you're concerned about fuel economy then you'll probably be choosing between a diesel and a hybrid, and a diesel has far less to go wrong with it as well as being cheaper to purchase.

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#735028 19-Dec-2012 16:26

alasta:
joker97: what about the new super torquey super efficient turbo diesels?

Think about it this way; if you're concerned about fuel economy then you'll probably be choosing between a diesel and a hybrid, and a diesel has far less to go wrong with it as well as being cheaper to purchase.

Fuel economy, a diesel is good. But the other costs for running a diesel car, make it very expensive to run unless you are doing huge milages. Road user charges, and license/registration fees are huge costs now on diesels, plus they are more expensive to service than petrol vehicles. A real pity really as it is good technology, but not well supported in NZ.

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#735182 19-Dec-2012 21:21

mattwnz:
alasta:
joker97: what about the new super torquey super efficient turbo diesels?

Think about it this way; if you're concerned about fuel economy then you'll probably be choosing between a diesel and a hybrid, and a diesel has far less to go wrong with it as well as being cheaper to purchase.

Fuel economy, a diesel is good. But the other costs for running a diesel car, make it very expensive to run unless you are doing huge milages. Road user charges, and license/registration fees are huge costs now on diesels, plus they are more expensive to service than petrol vehicles. A real pity really as it is good technology, but not well supported in NZ.

Yes, levies on light diesel vehicles in this country are far too high IMO. I have a small petrol car and only do 8,000km a year so the cost of petrol isn't a problem for me at the moment but over time as the cost of fuel increases relative to the RUC levies we'll probably see light diesels becoming increasingly worthwhile.

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#735186 19-Dec-2012 21:35

what is the historical reason for higher diesel "taxes"?

can these be debunked by lawmakers to serve justice to the awesome diesel technology which is different from the archaic black smokers of the past?

whatever is currently is i still believe there is very little separation of new gen diesel vs petrol running costs as the efficiency and normal running performance is much superior (the low end torque is awesome for dunedin's hills!!!)

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#735192 19-Dec-2012 21:44

after bragging about the non yet existent mazda six the AU mazda is now selling them ... and i got the specs WRONG *blush*

not as spectacular as i thought i read in the pre-release write ups ... go get your MPS :) if you want fun primarily don't buy a tow vehicle ... you're not towing a boat right?

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#735360 20-Dec-2012 10:56

rossmnz:
Disrespective: Yeah, as I said. The swift is just too small. We want enough space for car seats, groceries, wetsuits, bike parts e.t.c. And enough grunt to be able to tow a trailer, carry boards/bikes on the roof. The Swift just doesn't fit the bill, even if it's a nice small car.

Sounds like a Mazda 3 doesnt either?

Have you thought about the 3.0 litre subaru outback 6 speed manual?

Very reliable and a good car when looked after!

We want a small car. Well, smaller than a sedan/station wagon in any case.

Our towing will be incredibly minor, maybe once a year or two and never a boat or anything more than a trailer. The tow bar will be used mostly to carry bikes on.

We've packed some gear into a mazda 3 and it has enough for our needs. It's by no means capacious but will serve our needs for the next few years no problems.

I went and test drove a gen 2 2012 MPS the other day... it's a step up from the sp25 which is a step up from the entry level 3. That turbo... oh yeah.

It's been funny, anything is an upgrade from the starlet, but an MPS feels like its from the future.

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#735365 20-Dec-2012 11:04

Disrespective:
rossmnz:
Disrespective: Yeah, as I said. The swift is just too small. We want enough space for car seats, groceries, wetsuits, bike parts e.t.c. And enough grunt to be able to tow a trailer, carry boards/bikes on the roof. The Swift just doesn't fit the bill, even if it's a nice small car.

Sounds like a Mazda 3 doesnt either?

Have you thought about the 3.0 litre subaru outback 6 speed manual?

Very reliable and a good car when looked after!
We want a small car. Well, smaller than a sedan/station wagon in any case.

Our towing will be incredibly minor, maybe once a year or two and never a boat or anything more than a trailer. The tow bar will be used mostly to carry bikes on.

We've packed some gear into a mazda 3 and it has enough for our needs. It's by no means capacious but will serve our needs for the next few years no problems.

I went and test drove a gen 2 2012 MPS the other day... it's a step up from the sp25 which is a step up from the entry level 3. That turbo... oh yeah.

It's been funny, anything is an upgrade from the starlet, but an MPS feels like its from the future.

Sounds like you have a winner ;)

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#735380 20-Dec-2012 11:33

2012 mps for 20grand? can i have one?

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#735442 20-Dec-2012 12:28

joker97: 2012 mps for 20grand? can i have one?

Haha, yeah, I had a mate set it up with the dealer knowing we weren't going to buy it. We just needed to drive one to see what it was like compared with the SP25.

We've upped the budget a bit and have found a decent looking 2010 MPS Gen 2 (so has updated electrics to deal with torque steer, and updated interior like the 2012) that we are going to get a better look at. 60ks but full service history which is squeaky clean. Fingers crossed.

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#735484 20-Dec-2012 13:29

How does the MPS compare with a Subaru wrx??

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#735600 20-Dec-2012 16:06

The WRX is 4WD and the MPS is FWD but for day to day driving I don't think I'd notice much. The MPS felt like it had more taught suspension and sterring.

The MPS is also much more plush inside with a bunch of extras the WRX (I drove) didn't have. Such as keyless entry, leather seats e.t.c.

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#735636 20-Dec-2012 16:56

When you say facelift Gen 2, do you mean it has the silver bit on the passenger side dash rather than the red/black one/BT audio/blue dash rather than red? I actually thought that was added later than 2010. Who cares either way, they hardly make or break features.

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#735653 20-Dec-2012 17:18

Disrespective: The WRX is 4WD and the MPS is FWD but for day to day driving I don't think I'd notice much. The MPS felt like it had more taught suspension and sterring.

The MPS is also much more plush inside with a bunch of extras the WRX (I drove) didn't have. Such as keyless entry, leather seats e.t.c.

It is quite hungry on fuel. Nearly 10l / 100km. Quite nice, but good luck finding one for around the 20-25k mark. Personally I am not a fan of the look of the newer models mazdas, they look like they have a huge smaily face. The new mazda 6/ cx5, which is their new look, I think looks far better. If you do find a cheap one, I would make sure you get it inspected, as there could be a reason why it is so cheap.

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