Need your help, Aussies!

[Homer_Bart]

Hello!

 

So my best friend is going to Australia, Sydney next year to study, and is now looking for cars at around US$15,000, or A$17,283.

His only request is that it should be a manual, and that it is reliable.

 

 

What are some suggestions? A 1999 BMW 318? Or a 2002 Volvo S60? Dealer with warranty but more expensive, or private but cheaper?

 

And also, is there anyone here good at telling the conditions of cars/reliability of seller/et al from online car ads?

 

 

EDIT: I was testing if I could make a new thread, because I've been having error messages coming out whenever I submit new thread :(

[Sponge]

If you put what you need help with, perhaps someone could help you...

[Shy Guy]

I heard that RWD Cars(Falcon, Commodore, 300C, etc.) are popular in Australia, so(I think) getting RWD might help.

[TDU 505]

Well honestly, for any country without COE, cars will be cheap.

 

 

O/T: Do you get the error that says "The message you've entered is too short, 5 characters blablabla" thing? Chatbox doesn't work, Quicklinks tab doesn't work, can't edit this, can't quote that?

[Car Freak]

I've had a lot of problems with the forum recently. Same things that Mark just mentioned.

 

iirc, I think Shadow got his Falcon for not a lot of money. 7-8k, i think? Anyway, if your friend wants something cheap and reliable (and my God he's lucky to get that much cash for a car), a Falcon or Commodore is definitely the way to go

[Homer_Bart]

^ Yep, that's the problem. I retyped a long post THREE times, and all failed!

 

I've been looking at Commodore SS, but all of them are at around 150k kms or more. Volvo S60s seem to sound like a good deal, often with around 100k kms and more recent in model year than the Aussie built cars.

 

S60: http://www.drive.com.au/used-cars/VOLVO/S60/Sydney/detail.aspx?id=12091575&lid=12091575&pg=1&pp=1&d=0&nv=1&SG=1084861384&pt=1

 

Commodore?

http://www.drive.com.au/used-cars/HOLDEN/COMMODORE/Sydney/detail.aspx?id=13186763&lid=13186763&pg=6&pp=4&d=0&nv=1&SG=-705513143&pt=1

 

Mini? http://www.drive.com.au/used-cars/MINI/COOPER/Sydney/detail.aspx?id=13034455&lid=13034455&pg=12&pp=13&d=0&nv=1&SG=-705513143&pt=1

 

Falcon? http://www.drive.com.au/used-cars/FORD/FALCON/Sydney/detail.aspx?id=13179508&lid=13179508&pg=165&pp=4&d=0&nv=1&SG=-705513143&pt=1

 

EDIT: My friend's a Mongolian, and a rich one at that ;)

[Gunned_Down666]

Either a Falcon or commodore they are cheap as chips to get parts for in its own country and well they are great cars. And most of the time they last a long time. Dad has a 94 falcon that gets used everyday and doesnt break down.Im not sure about the commo as im not into holden(FORD FTW). But this is my 2 cents

 

p.s i dont know if you knw of this place but here is another aussie car sales site : http://www.carpoint.com.au/all-cars/search.aspx

[Car Freak]

You need to cast your net further my friend.... Many more bargains to be had with the older cars. Here's a couple of slightly older Commodore SSs I found:

 

http://www.drive.com.au/used-cars/HOLDEN/COMMODORE/Regional%2fOther/detail.aspx?id=12782750&lid=12782750&pg=1&pp=9&d=0&nv=1&SG=-168683326&pt=1

 

http://cars2.ebay.com.au/_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQitemZ260478765327

 

But my God the prices for cars there are unbelievable. TEN GRAND for a V8 Commodore SS!!

 

edit: Found a couple more as well:

 

E46 BMW 323i (probably a bit optimistic)

http://www.drive.com.au/used-cars/BMW/3/Sydney/detail.aspx?id=13028500&lid=13028500&pg=1&pp=1&d=0&nv=1&SG=1110785230&pt=1

 

E34 BMW 535is ( :drool: )

http://www.drive.com.au/used-cars/BMW/5/North+Coast/detail.aspx?id=13235943&lid=13235943&pg=1&pp=0&d=0&nv=1&SG=-40813883&pt=1

[T0M722]

lol ok..If it was me i would definitely not go for an Australian car (but that's just my taste).

 

But in all honesty, you should probably go with a Holden because Australian made Fords stand for "Fix Or Repair Daily". :D

[StrickenHAWK?]

I agree with Tom. You can get a good commodore for a good price and they last a long time. He should just remember, if he got a Holden or Ford they tend to lose their value faster than other cars.

[Jacob]

Im Not an Aussie But Looking at those cars and that im a ford guy i would go with a Falcon. They Just look Awesome and if you get a good one very powerful.

 

WOOT 700th Post Finally!

[Homer_Bart]

Is the fuel consumption of all those Aussie cars as decent as that of the Volvo S60? He seems really keen on the S60, because it's still a current-looking car and not out of date yet.

 

Thanks for the responses by the way :D

[Kohan]

My dad worked for volvo so he brought them home. And i find it disgusting volvo can charge so much for such a crap car (volvo have gone way downhill since the 1980's), the commodores and falcons are so much better in every way, and the fuel economy isnt too bad in them, especially the new ones are very good on fuel. also falcons go on gas very easily making them cheaper to run than a corolla. But the only thing is that its hard to find a manual, unless its a performance car.

My girlfriend has a 318bmw and while its a good car, it is incredibly expensive to maintain and repair. So she is now looking for a commodore as she is jealous of my cheap mechanical bills and performance and other things.

 

Tell your friend Aussie cars in australia is the way to go. They are very good cars for the money.

 

The cars below are the best his money can buy which are very good cars:

 

2006 commodore ve omega, 2006 BF Falcon,

 

or if he wants a fast car 2004 vy SS with the 5.7L V8. Check this link if you want to see the top gear video of the performance of the monaro with the 5.7L V8

[ShadowGT]

I've had a lot of problems with the forum recently. Same things that Mark just mentioned.

 

iirc, I think Shadow got his Falcon for not a lot of money. 7-8k, i think? Anyway, if your friend wants something cheap and reliable (and my God he's lucky to get that much cash for a car), a Falcon or Commodore is definitely the way to go

 

HAHAHAHAHAHA!!! Your kidding right? I payed 1 grand for my Falcon Fairmont lol

 

$15 grand can get you get you a used BA Falcon XR6 or possibly XR8 (XR6 turbo's demand a premium because they are so popular)

 

the BA Falcon comes with either a 5 speed Auto (with sequential Sports shift) or a 6 speed Manual if my memory serves me right.

 

BA XR8

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You could also try the earlier mode,l the AU (look for a AUII or AUIII, Stay away from the First AU's)

 

$15 grand will easily net you a AUII or AUIII XR8 (possibly modified)

 

As far as i can remember AU's come in a 4 speed Auto (No sport shift) or 5 speed Manual.

 

AU XR8

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Let me just say that due to the fact these are large sedans, Manual gearboxes are rare (alot of people pick Auto).

[ScaR]

Wouldn't get an AU Shadow - they can be notoriously unpredictable as my cousin has discovered.

 

Aussie cars are generally a large amount cheaper here then anything else. While they may lose value quickly, they will last above and beyond 400,000 Km if treated right. Both can go on gas, however its not recommended with the performance models. Getting a manual can be tricky, however not impossible - especially in the XR6/XR8 Falcon and SV6/SV8/SS Commodores of a few models back. Personally, for that money I would either go a BA XR6 Falcon (performance with slightly better fuel economy) or if possible a VY SS Commodore (much higher performance, slightly worse fuel economy). Both are guaranteed to last some time :) (I'm a holden man myself as most of you would know, and I haven't had any problems with my car). Wouldn't buy a volvo, as they get destroyed by the bad roads over here (my nan's 10 year old volvo is in dire condition), and they are extremely annoying/expensive to get repaired.

 

E:

SV8: http://carsales.mobi/cars/details/?R=6461920

[ShadowGT]

Wouldn't get an AU Shadow - they can be notoriously unpredictable as my cousin has discovered.

 

Thats why i recommended a AUII or AUIII by then they started to work some of the bugs & kinks out.

[ScaR]

Thats why i recommended a AUII or AUIII by then they started to work some of the bugs & kinks out.

 

Still had most of the first series bugs however - my cousin's was an AUII and she went and bought a magna.. thats how bad it was.. lol..

 

@ Homer_Bart: If you're lucky your friend might be able to pick up a cheap BA XR8 or VY SS if he looks around :)