Source
r/whatcarshouldIbuy•
rainlovr_

New Car in Australia for Busy Mum

Hi everyone,

I'm trying to find a new auto car, budget up to 25K. I can possibly go up a little more if need be but not by much. I've never had a new car before and I don't really know what to look for. Previously, I've driven a very old Mazda sedan that would run on the smell of an oily rag, a second-hand Ford Falcon Sport (which I loved and was very quite inside), and a second-hand SR Ford Falcon.

An absolute need is that it has good suspension and doesn't bounce around a lot. It must have a smooth ride. After 3 children, a bouncy ride actually hurts my body and leaves me in a lot of pain. I have two teenagers still at home, aged 13 and 15, that are quite tall. Almost as tall as me 5 foot 7. I test drove the Hyundai i30 and it bounced far too much. I think tyre pressure showed 35 - 36. I felt every jolt on our crappy Aussie roads.

I test drove the Hyundai Kona, that was alright, a tiny bit bouncy, but spacious enough for the kids. I test drove the Hyundai Elantra 2018 build, 2019 compliance plate with 300kms on it, and that was the best in regards to smoothness but the headrest was so uncomfortable, when I took it for an overnight test drive, I actually didn't get in the car at all. I didn't want to drive it. Just driving home had thrust my head so far forward I had a migraine after driving it.

Salesperson wasn't happy when I said no upon taking it back. But a comfortable ride is what I need. I also test drove a Mitsubishi ASX and the seat has high ridges on each side that gave me sciatica down the back of my left thigh.

I have sent enquiries to test drive a new Honda Civic and Kia Cerato. I think a Toyota Yaris would be too small for me and my children. A new Corolla is out of my price range. I can afford a base model Mazda CX-3, but I don't think the boot is big enough. I was thinking though, that I could just fold the seats down when I needed to. I'd have shopping in the boot or my son's cricket bag.

I really like the SUV body type as, again, after 3 kids, it hurts to bend down to far and reach deep into a boot. A hatch type boot would mean I don't have to do that.

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Budget:

25k - 26k

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Needs:

Comfortable, enjoyable ride

Comfortable seat (all aspects of the seat, including head rest)

Enough room for two teenagers

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Highly desirable:

A good infotainment system

Added safety features.

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Thanks in advance for any help.

Posted Jan 28, 2020, 1:19 AM UTC

114
abit-of-howyoudoin•

X-Trail, Kluger, Forester, Tiguan. ASX has a half assed gearbox that has to be constantly babied. Outlander is a bit boring inside.

Forester and Tiguan has the best seats out of the lot.

1
rainlovr_OP•

Unfortunately, these are all way out of my price range in Australia.

1
imothers•

I think you get French cars in Aus, maybe try a Peugeot or Citroen. I hear the modern ones are not as soft & comfy as they used to be, but they still have less of the "over stiffness" and bounciness so many other brands have.

Be prepared for a potentially more complex ownership experience however.

1
rainlovr_OP•

Thank you!

1
abit-of-howyoudoin•

Yea nah, You can always get a 2017-2018 Subaru XV for 23-24 Not brand new but generally under 50000kms Or Even the Suzuki Vitara is nice. My misuse got one and it can fit 5 people in. Might be a bit of a squeeze but it’s reliable and brand new in NSW is somewhere in the 23k worth checkin out

1
rainlovr_OP•

Thanks! I have been looking at the Vitara and wondering whether it's worth a test drive.

I'm test driving the Kia Cerato and Seltos tomorrow.

2
Human_Biscuit•

Hey there. Just wondering how your test drives went, and your progress in general. I’m in the middle of car decisions myself.

1
rainlovr_OP•

No, I haven't found a car yet.

I've had a few more test drives and there were alright, but nothing that really stood out for the right price.

A problem is that it's a bit of a rigmarole to get to the car dealerships and to have a look around.

I have a manual car at home, but I hurt my left knee so shifting gears is too painful. I'm after an auto. Holden just announced it will no longer be selling cars in Australia, but will still cover its warranty obligations, however will be phased out after 10 years.

The Mazda CX-3 has a huge blind spot going around roundabouts, like so bad I couldn't see the roundabout. The Hyundai Tucson was a nice car, but the seat hurt my back, it too large and the dash's cheap plastics rattled. It was easy to drive though.

1
rainlovr_OP•

The Kia Cerato I never got around to test driving, and also the Seltos. I went to the dealership and the salesman had double booked me with another family and basically I had to wait outside in the hot sun. Couldn't be bothered hanging around and called an Uber to take me back home. I did sit in the cars and have a look at them, but the dealership is just crappy with how it handles customers.

1
mgobla•

SUVs / crossovers have a harsher ride by default. The higher a vehicle is, the higher is its center of gravity, the stiffer the suspension has to be to compensate for that.

Very important: Completely regardless of the model you get, if you want a smooth ride always get the smallest wheels available on each model, that's very important, makes a huge difference. Bigger wheels reduce the tire sidewall, that results in much worse comfort, much harsher ride and more wheel / tire damage.

Cars with a longer wheelbase offer better ride comfort.

Honda Civic is one of the most comfortable models in this price range. But there aren't any really comfortable brand new cars in this price range. Better get a used car, much better value and you can get something much more comfortable. A 1-2 year old Toyota Camry will be more reliable than most new cars and the base model with the base wheels will be comfortable.

1
rainlovr_OP•

Thank you! I have heard that Honda makes good motors. I have never even sat in one. I've sent them off an email from their website, but the dealership where I live is a bit sad looking. Not many cars, mostly second-hand from other brands.

I also didn't know that about the size of the tyres, thanks for the heads up! I'll research what 'cars with a longer wheelbase' means as I have no idea.

I was thinking of a second-hand car again, but I really wanted something with a warranty. I'm tired of having to spend a lot of money for something wrong with my car. Toyota only has a five year warranty for cars built after 2019. So for a two year old Toyota, which isn't really available for my price, I'd have one year warranty left, and for a three year one, well they're all out of warranty.

I sat in the front seat of an Uber Camry Hybrid and it was sublime. Really low, but surprisingly quiet and so smooth.

My friend drives SUVs and all my trips with her have been sooo comfortable. She used to drive a Nissan Dualis, but told me it was a piece of crap, always needed repairing. She now drives a Mazda CX7 and it's like a sofa on wheels. Very comfortable.

I test drove a Hyundai Tucson, though, and it was a too big, felt a bit awkward and floaty, especially at the back of the car and bumped more along the road than the Kona. The Kona has more comfortable seats than the i30 that's for sure.

1
mgobla•

I'll research what 'cars with a longer wheelbase' means as I have no idea

Wheelbase is the distance between front wheels and rear wheels.

Toyota is the most durbale brand, you don't have to worry about spending a lot of money on a used Camry.

Also a warranty NEVER pays for any wearing parts. So on a car with a warranty you still have to pay for all wearing parts 100% yourself. A warranty only covers non-wearing parts that shouldn't break.

1
rainlovr_OP•

Thank you! Yes, I discovered that. I used to work for a car mechanic as admin, and he refused to buy anything but Toyota. I've never owned or driven a Toyota, but I'd like to test drive a Camry. Where I live I've found some second-hand Camry Hybrids and regular Camrys within my price range. Their years are 2015-2016.

I have definitely read through all of what the warranty covers for each brand, and been both horrified and happy with what it covers. I read all the fine print and I'm actually now looking into owner manuals to understand comfortable seat configurations. I wonder if the seat headrest is adjustable as in forward and back etc, does it have lumbar support? That kind of thing. So when I test drive I can start adjusting straight away to see if the car is a good fit.

I wasn't thrilled with the Kia Cerato. I never got to test drive the Seltos. The salesman had double booked me with another family. But the Cerato had a lot of cheap plastics and under my feet felt like a $2 flimsy plastic bread board. There wasn't as much room as there is in the Elantra.

I'm now researching what models of what cars have forward and back adjustment to the headrest.

1
rainlovr_OP•

What are the thoughts on a Holden Equinox? I can pick one up with under 15k on the odometer and around $20k.

1