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[spin spin sugar]

hi guys!

i'm buying a car soon and i need some advice from people who are in the know! i don't really know anything about cars so it would be good to get some advice here.

basically i'm looking to buy a 2nd hand small automatic car, about 1993 models and up. my budget is $4000 - $7000 (7 being pretty much the absolute maximum, 6 is more likely.)

i'm looking at the following cars:

-daihatsu charade
-holden barina
-suzuki swift/cino
-toyota starlet
-mazda 121
-ford festiva trio
(NO HYUNDAI EXCELS PLEASE)


so that gives you an idea of the kind of thing i'm after.

can you guys give me some tips on what i should look out for? charades are easily the cheapest on that list, barinas and swifts and starlets are a bit more expensive. is that cos they have better engines, or is it all the same crappy smallness? for some reason daihatsu sounds like such a dodgy brand hahaha, holden sounds so much more trustworthy. are they all exactly the same?

also how much do you guys reckon it would cost to get a car like a barina or whatever sprayed pink? ive got a friend who's a panel beater who'll prolly do it for me for just the price of the paint, but im just wondering how much it would cost normally cos i dont like asking favours.

also how much would it set me back for an ok sound system? i dont want anything totally ridiculous, like subs and shit, i just want something i can listen to at a decent volume inside the car and stuff. im not looking to show it off to anyone outside the car, so it doesnt need to be heaps good or anything. so i guess just like, 4 speakers or so plus a deck -- i prolly dont need an amp - and i could get my friend to install it all for me -- how much would that be?

whoever can help me outwith this stuff i'd be sooo grateful
thanks guys <333

 

[redslert]

Originally posted by spin spin sugar
i'm looking at the following cars:

-daihatsu charade
-holden barina
-suzuki swift/cino
-toyota starlet
-mazda 121

daihatsu: stay away at all costs! not worth it!!

barina: an alright car, i don't know much about it...sorry

suzuki: swift is very good! i would recomend swift, cino...no idea

toyota starlet: very nice too! toyota maens reliablity

mazda 121: also nice....but mazda would not be as reliable as toyota

out of the list you provided i would pick swift first, starlet next and 121

sorry i don't know prices of second hand car

but with 4-7000 you should be able to find yourself a very nice car

also look into a corrolla late 80s, early 90s is very good too
for 2nd hand cars, a well looked after toyota would be the best choice

 

[redslert]

hmmmm

i think i will just ignore all the pinkness....bling bling......doof doof which you want....and which i hate.....any comments on that from me will be against it

 

[spin spin sugar]

hahah you dont know what music im going to play!!!

the pinkness is just me being a retarded girl

thanks HEAPS for your suggestions.. everyone has said that about charades but my brother has one and has never had any probs... i trust the majority tho cos it really does seem like a shitbox.. how come swifts are so good??

 

[redslert]

swift yeh, maybe it's more of a personal like

i like the swift gti that's why
because it's a very fast small car

but overall it's still nice....even if you get the cheaper non-sporti version

honestly do look into a corolla!

 

[Ziff]

-suzuki swift:
VERY VERY fuel efficient

-toyota starlet:
very fuel efficient, the engines are very reliable and will just run and run, spare parts should also be cheap and easily found

 

[Cape]

FORD ... nothing else to add

 

[Ziff]

The Ford Festiva is a Kia with a Ford badge...

 

[steve_ell]

my choice would be the starlet, but u are proberly looking at the highend of your budget. at the lower end charades are alright... il ike your style aswell excels are shit and falll to bits. toyotas are reliable

 

[redslert]

Originally posted by natstar
i beg to differ. I used to drive my parents charade. Itsa 1993 model and its to most reliable lil car.

no don't get mistaken, charade is a great little car at it's price.....but with the same price you can find something so much better....reliable? of course it's half a toyota...

i still say corolla...or starlet..or swift

excel?! did you hear about a massive recall of the car? yeh hyundai engineering...
ever wonder why excel was voted best car back when it was released....it sold so many of them...but suddenly massive amounts of the car disappeared off the roads? well that's the reason...feel free to drive in a car that has a tendency of collapsing, literally pieces collapsing..
hyundai is like another word for tin can

i would feel safer in your charade then an excel, back in 98 over the christmas holiday there were so many hyundai excels on the news...wrapped around poles and trees...if you had seen them you wouldn't buy one either

 

[VX1-08U]

Personally, I would be leaning towards something slightly large, ie corolla, lancer ... something with a 1.8ltr engine. Makes a large difference when you have passengers - having more space and power. Otherwise the swift or the starlet as mentioned above.

As for Swift Gti's, they will most likely have been thrashed ...

 

[RUB!X]

lols ...
ums ...

try buying a car at an auction, its alot cheaper ...
but i would suggest toyota starlet an d suzuki swift ... stay away from the others ...

 

[VX1-08U]

Looks like starlet is the car of choice ...

 

[Malazn Pleasure]

get an 1998 echo

 

[yenta]

starlets are quite expensive aren't they, in consideration with your budget? They only came out a few years ago (like the mistubishi mirage) so they're all pretty new...average price i have seen starlets for is about $8000