Jump to content
SAU Community

Recommended Posts

Hi all,

I've been pondering this for some time and thought I'd voice it aloud.

My gf and I are after another car soon. She's on her L's but ready for her P's, and I only have an r34 gtt. So we're looking for something reliable and cheap for 3-5k.

And before anyone suggests them, I'm not keen on holdens or fords or some european cars, haven't been in one ive liked in a long time but have watched friends having them repaired regularly (specifically commodore, falcon, barina, astra, vectra, audi 80, peugeot, alfas lol).

I'm hoping for abs and airbags, and been looking at camrys, celicas, lancers, imprezas, liberties, and civics. any other ideas?

Cheers for the help

Edited by Galois
Link to comment
https://www.sau.com.au/forums/topic/323354-decent-reliable-cheap-daily/
Share on other sites

  • Replies 81
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

generally these cars are reliable

toyota camry's just to reiterate

nissan bluebird U13

mazda 626's

toyota corollas

was exactly on the same boat as you just last week (ie wanted something reliable and in that price range) and ended up getting a mint mazda 626 as I'm saving for an R34 GTR and at the same time didn't want to spend too much on the temporary car.

also what about honda legends? don't know too much about them though,

hyundai excels were also touted in another similar thread for reliability due to its simplicity

my2c

im already glad i posted that lol, have suggestions i wouldn't have thought of. does the r31 have abs and airbags? my gf will be driving it a mostly so i'm a bit keen on safety.

how does the 626 go mate? feel and drive alright?

i used to have a 94 camry and thought it was not too bad for what it was, had the shoes replaced in the rear drums one day and the brake balance has been really rear-heavy since lol

Kia rio, it survived the first 4 years of my driving life and it used to get airborn back in the p'plate days...... tut tut tut i hang my head in shame now, but nevertheless the car copped the punishment

N14 or N15 SSS pulsar. natro sr20 goodness. will be at the upper limit of your price range

I didnt see the sugestion of the SSS Pulsar coming from you at all Marc :D

R31 is always a good cheap option if it blows up just throw it away and buy a new one. EA-EL Falcons on gas can be found on LPG for 2-2.5k which reduces running costs massively and in a year or less (depending on how much you drive) it would of paid for itself. Also you can sell on a car on LPG for the same if not more than bought if for even 4-5 years down the road.

I didnt see the sugestion of the SSS Pulsar coming from you at all Marc :D

R31 is always a good cheap option if it blows up just throw it away and buy a new one. EA-EL Falcons on gas can be found on LPG for 2-2.5k which reduces running costs massively and in a year or less (depending on how much you drive) it would of paid for itself. Also you can sell on a car on LPG for the same if not more than bought if for even 4-5 years down the road.

yeah it was pretty random wasn't it, LOL

http://www.carsales.com.au/all-cars/privat...id=12882FBFA166

$4999, but there were a few others. that was just searching SSS up to $5000 in qld (so i know that doesn't help you, but it prooves my point). if you look at n14 Q's or Ti's some of them also had the sr20, just not quite as well spec'd

im already glad i posted that lol, have suggestions i wouldn't have thought of. does the r31 have abs and airbags? my gf will be driving it a mostly so i'm a bit keen on safety.

how does the 626 go mate? feel and drive alright?

i used to have a 94 camry and thought it was not too bad for what it was, had the shoes replaced in the rear drums one day and the brake balance has been really rear-heavy since lol

yeh it goes all right (i had a vq35de maxima and a 32gtr before this...so bear with me if I don't sound passionate enuf) I was really surprised especially for an auto not as nimble as a bluebird in comparison though but for the purposes of lugging me 70-80 kms a day it's effortless. also as marc/mad said have a go at an SSS pulsating-car they're pretty fun too.

I also seriously considered an A32 maxima, very comfortable and has all the features you want....but couldn't get to inspect the many examples on carsales as I just didn't have the patience and time to travel and look around too far from where I lived.

BTW a broker/wholesaler I know has a whole heap of cars within your requirements in his yard if it helps but with the tyranny of distance so to speak you may be just offsetting costs. you never know though as he may have contacts to help you.

Edited by jaxt

hey mad, never doubted you went and looked it up as soon as i read your post, there's a fair few around the place between 4 and 5k.

cheers jaxt, i'll have to have a good look at whats around. i live in newcastle and sydney (complicated year) so hopefully can find enough test drives. will have a look at maximas now...

Corolla and Camry will be easier to offload later on too; without much depreciation.

Maximas are good value but hard to resell.

I'm with Terry on this, Camry is the one to get, resale, reliable, roomy, economical, safe ish, adequate power [for its type], low insurance etc etc etc.

Boring as hell, but sometimes even that is a plus. At least you are never disappointed.

My first car was a '93 Lexus ES300. Toyota/Lexus/Camry build quality, leather, sunroof, climate control, ABS, air bags, big boot. No doubt you could find one for less then $5k these days.

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now



  • Similar Content

  • Latest Posts

    • I wasn’t able to replicate the sound anymore. It was a one time sound so maybe it was just coincidence but it was like small pebbles being dropped in a coke can.   should I try cleaning the MAF? It could be it’s functioning but dirty? I don’t know.
    • Update 4: Hi all. The car drives again! Haven't driven for long, only to store it in the garage again, but the test drive was successful. The coolant and oil leaks seem to be fixed for now. Temps on the engine were also very good, while moving I never even saw 80C water during the approx. 30 minute drive. Ate up all the coolant in the reservoir though so will have to fill that even more when I go to the car next time. One thing that pisses me off is that the RPM gauge is still f**ked, I even resoldered the board twice and used copper paste on the silly screws that are used as connections. Next time I take it out I'll take apart the board and fit new components, I'll see if I can get a replacement IC for it.  I have an appointment set for 22nd of September for the engine tune to 370hp. Alignment also still needs to be done. My hope is that I can get all the legal stuff over with by the end of this season. Anyone of you have advice regarding intercoolers? Currently there is an APEXI core fitted, one of those weird hybrid ones, 600x270x76. I don't think it's bad but it's not new and now I still have the chance to change it now to legally include it in the paperwork. Only issue is that the only options that would arrive in time are a HKS Type R intercooler or generic Ebay spec intercoolers comparable to a JustJap one. Ideally I'd order a Plazmaman but it takes over a month to receive which would mean making the car legal has to wait until next season. Would love to hear some input on this. Same story for my injectors, the previous owner was a nunce and put ID 1050x on the engine. They work but are obviously not ideal at "normal" power levels. But I don't see a reason to change them unless the tuner says it's necessary. I read online before buying a different exhaust that the top secret style rear diffusers won't fit due to the size of the rear resonators. My buddy and I made it work by slightly "adjusting the shape" of the mounting bracket and making some spacers out of 3d print for the mounting bolts. Fits like a charm. Just putting this here in case someone has this problem. Even the hefty HKS Silent Hi Power rear can fits without hitting anything.
    • Well they got my money but they are not getting my gearbox ! 
    • It's needed for rolling idle up, and I think it is a decider on VCT also.
    • I mean, not really. Link ECU's can absolutely still have errors from the ECU thinking it's getting a sensor it's not expecting. I would imagine the speed at the ECU level in Nistune does absolutely nothing anyway? I assume the ECU does not do any fancy TC stuff with regards to front+rear wheel speed or anything of that like anyway. Someone who uses Nistune may be more fluent in it. 
×
×
  • Create New...