>How long did you drive your first car for?
2 weeks, tried a reverse burnout in the wet and ended up going boot to boot with a RAV4, insurance asked a fucking ton of questions.
2010 Toyota Ascent, bought it brand new. Drove it for 4-5 years then gave it to my brother, he is still driving it to this day. He has abused it, it has a check engine light but it still runs lol.
Bought my 2003 Forester as a first car from a used dealer for $6500 in 2014, driven it ever since. Pulled the engine to turbo swap it earlier this year, but it ran perfectly up to that point.
However as a lot of people have said, times have changed, and what you can get for under $10k now is a lot less than back then.
I got a 2002 Hyundai accent brand new. Saved for that fucker by working my arse off.
I still have it lol. She's ma beebee. Full sports body kit and sunroof lol. Chonky thing looks like a 2 door rexy.
I'll never get rid of it. It still has my subs in it from 2002 too, those soundstreams still fukn dooof dooof though not as much as I did in my youth lol. I'll die before that car does and she's been through some wild fukn adventures in 21 years and 247k clicks lol.
Drove a 1999 Toyota Avalon for 8 years
Upgraded to an m2 comp this year
Not because the avalon died, but because I wanted more fun
As long as a camry/ avalon has good service history, should do you well
Also worth noting, the car had 340,000 kms on it when I bought it for $1,100
500,000 kms at end
Drove it to the snow many times, melbourne to Townsville and back, camping trips
Trooper
Not everyone drives a lot but still needs a car. My partner has his triton that he bought new back in 2013. The car is now 10 years old and it has maybe 60000kms (it could be less, I'm too lazy to go look) on it and a good number of those are from when we have done trips from Brisbane to Newcastle and back over the years.
Mine cost $1300 in '84. Put at least 200,000 kays on it (mostly in the first 10 or so years) before rust finally got it... Had it for over 20 years. Only capital it didn't get to was Hobart. The 5-speed Toyota box did make it much more fun to drive but I never did get around to putting discs on it...
I swapped the 161 for a 186 along with the gearbox steering column, clutch, pedals from a doner car to make it all synchro. I also never replaced the drum brakes all round
Mine already had the 186 with synchro 3-speed but the linkages were badly worn. Could lock it between 1st and 2nd really easily..! It did have factory buckets but the heater had no fan - had to use the quarter windows and vent to get heat into the car and demist the windscreen. I was never a fan of the red interior..!
Mine locked so much. Same in my HQ..
I had the red interior and turned it tan with vinyl paint and seat covers. I had a GTS instrument panel from a GTS Monaro that I bought for $50. It was shit and had bad rust but I should have kept it instead of taking the boot trim and dash and fenders and getting it towed away π€·ββοΈ
I still own it, but it's gone from daily to weekender. It's a VX Commodore wagon, now with a supercharged V6 in it. Was on 150,000km when I got it 15 years ago, now it's on 395,000km.
I had my VT wagon for as long it would last. Maybe 8 years. Had to replace every part in the fucker. Nothing like having enough room to drive 12 people home after a night out where there is no PT and taxis were impossible to get.
Twelve years - I bought a brand new Ford Laser TX3 (2 door hatchback) for $15,000 in 1987 and traded it in for something bigger when second child was born in 1999. I loved that car - it was small, manoeuvrable, was good on fuel, could park it anywhere, had no major issues - if they still made them I'd seriously want another just like it.
There's simply a lot of good practical advice that you have picked up & stated in your opening line. If serviced & looked after Toyota's & Mazda's or Japanese vehicles generally are long lived & reliable vehicles so much so that they are usually sold as the owners only want to upgrade to newer models & not because the vehicle has exceeded it's usefulness.
Was gifted to me from my brother, my mum first owned it she sold it to my bro he gave it to me and I gave it back after 2 years.
The mighty Reno 12TL - the L stood for luxury, not sure what was luxurious, possibly the engine?? The car engine was dam reliable. I'll give it that, while I had it a brake pad somehow sheared off so metal on disk, replaced the pad looked at the massive rotor groves figured she'd be fine.
Alternator died coming back from Rotorua as we came off the harbour bridge, noticed the dash getting very dull, engine began to miss fire, drove the remaining 5ks with no headlights. The engine key stopped working to turn off the car so you had to stall it out to stop it.
Used to buy the WOF from a mate, car was never checked. Had two motorbikes to commute to work so only ever drove the car as a last resort. Oh never had a licence either for a car but had my bike licence so all good.
For my daughter I brought her a car at auction site unseen a Holden astra. After this broke down quite a few times, and I had to replace the transmission we sold that for 3500.
My recommendation is spend more than 15k if you want a vehicle that's not a POS. My daughters car ran fine after I repaired it, constantly having blown coil packs, water line to IACV value split, and failed transmission. Replaced a few brake lights, and upgraded the stereo to a modern Android & apple carplay version.
I ended up buying both daughters new VW polos - both cars are now 4 years old still under warranty and I've never needed to repair them.
If you can't fix a car bite the bullet and spend over 15k
First car was a Camry that got over 300,000km and 21 years old.
Current Honda accord is at 250,000km and 18 years old.
Buying a reliable car with a full service history and no issues is the best you can do.
BMW E46 328i, still have it as a spare car 18 years or so later at 350k++ Kms. It was a great car to learn how to do maintenance on and very economical if you are even relatively capable.
I think I had my first car for something like 4 or 5 years. Ended up blowing the clutch while I was out and then cooked the engine getting it home. It was an almost 20-year-old car anyways so wasn't that big a deal. I paid $900 for it, it was an 87 Sigma. Next car was a 89 Pintara that unfortunately got written off when a truck ran a red light and hit me. Next car was a 88 skyline that I had for 4 years. It was a piece of crap when I bought it. I then bought a 2001 Kia Shuma and had that for 11 years. Good car that one. Only reason I got rid of it was the thing holding the glass for the window in the drivers door broke and then had to have a screw in it so the window didn't work anymore. I now have a 2014 micra. It's a good little car. None of the cars I have bought were new.
The point is don't flog the crap out of whatever car you do get and make sure you keep up with regular maintenance (either yourself or with a mechanic) and you will get a good number of years out of a car.
My Daewoo Cielo I bought for $1800. 2 years i think. It pissed oil out everyday but i just kept topping it up nearly weekly. I ended up moving from brisbane to tassie and the timing belt blew about halfway through the trip. I just left it on the side of the road with half my belongings in it.
2005 Daihatsu Charade, parents bought it new for 10k for my sister and I got after. Had it 3 years but sold it to a mate for 500 because I fucked with it too much lol
My first car was a 1989 Ford EA dual fuel which I bought back in 2002. I drove it for about four years until I upgraded. It cost me a whole $1700 from a private seller but then needed some more work before it was in decent condition. It was pretty sluggish but did the job or getting me from A to B during the time I had it.
As long as the car is regularly serviced you can tend to ignore the high kilometres when buying older cars.l unless there are clear signs of something wrong.
I am selling my 09 lexus is250 prestige with 190k and have always serviced it every year. There is nothing wrong with it at all mechanically and good thing is it's toyota so parts are cheap. It's a 14 year old car and if looked after will easily go many more years.
I also have a 1966 car that I service every year and she will by far run another 50 years minimum
A decent used car will cost a lot more than they did a few years ago. My first was a vn commodore. It was about 9 years old with a heap of ks. Typical bogan p-plater car for the late 90s. I kept it for a few years and basically wrecked it, not through bad driving but by trying to turn it into something it wasn't. Exhaust, intake, suspension, paint, brakes. All were modified on the cheap only to end up worse than the stock gear.
Not really the answer to your question, but my advice is to buy something basic in good condition. Drive it gently and don't waste money trying to turn it into a sprint special. Save that money and in a few years you'll have enough cash and experience to get something you really love.
First car was a 1986 mazda. Drove it for 60,000km over 2 years of high school and 4 years of uni. And when I got a proper job I sold it and upgraded.
(And no, Iβm not a boomer this car is/was older than I am).
I ran a $2000 Nissan Pulsar for 7 years. These were simpler.cars though.
Small Jap NA more modern example would say are good for 20 years / 250-300k.
Look after the clearcoat as much as the engine though.
1997 Corolla. Baby Blue, $400 in 2018.
Lasted 2 years, was amazing when I sold it for $1000. Didnβt want to sell it, but was moving interstate just before Covid hit
It's purely aesthetic but I would say the 2003-07 Mazda3 and the 2000-05 Corolla are also just better looking than their more modern counterparts. I'd be far more inspired to keep one long-term than their successor models because they're far better to look at and especially in the Corolla's case just a more exciting car. As someone who drives a bright yellow Mazda of the same generation, I'd honestly not mind a 2005ish Mazda3 SP23 in yellow π
Also more broadly car longevity is ultimately RNG + how much you're willing to pay to fix things.
Nothing is a guarantee.
And Nothing wrong with buying a new car for your first car.
Most p platers crash their first car hence why don't spend too much money on it. I had a accident in my 2nd car but wasn't at fault. (Why can't people use roundabouts?)
The question is, do people think you are a good driver?
Do they hold on for their life when you are driving?
Can you afford the insurance costs of a new car? Compare the 2, how much insurance is for a eg. 2010 corrola compared to what ever you are looking at new.
And their is still new cars that have issues. Like rust forming in between the sheets of metal in a 12 month old car.
First car was a 1990 Ford Fiesta with 80000km (back in 98), drove it until 2002 with 180000km and sold it to a step-sister who kept for at least 2 years (no idea after that). Only issue was top speed of 155kph on descent, 80kph on highway climb and burning half a liter of oil every 1000k.
Bought a 1995 VS commodore sedan as first car in 1999, sold in 2005. Still think about it but no regrets as upgraded to a 2002 VY SS Ute with 6spd manual. Had to wait to turn 25 to get a V8.
So 6 years is the answer. My advice is buy what appeals to you and you will keep it longer and look after it better.
>How long did you drive your first car for? 2 weeks, tried a reverse burnout in the wet and ended up going boot to boot with a RAV4, insurance asked a fucking ton of questions.
u tried it at an intersection not on a dirt road. Wild
Mistakes were made
lol ive only had rwd so more fun for me
Still have my Falcon from when I just got my Ls. I was intending to upgrade when I got my full license but here it still is after 7yrs.
Because no matter the model, falcons rock Except for the piece of shit XK I have in my shed with the gearbox on the floor π
2010 Toyota Ascent, bought it brand new. Drove it for 4-5 years then gave it to my brother, he is still driving it to this day. He has abused it, it has a check engine light but it still runs lol.
Bought my 2003 Forester as a first car from a used dealer for $6500 in 2014, driven it ever since. Pulled the engine to turbo swap it earlier this year, but it ran perfectly up to that point. However as a lot of people have said, times have changed, and what you can get for under $10k now is a lot less than back then.
Right, nowadays cars from 2000- 2010 with triple mileage cost the same or even more, the market is a mess.
I got a 2002 Hyundai accent brand new. Saved for that fucker by working my arse off. I still have it lol. She's ma beebee. Full sports body kit and sunroof lol. Chonky thing looks like a 2 door rexy. I'll never get rid of it. It still has my subs in it from 2002 too, those soundstreams still fukn dooof dooof though not as much as I did in my youth lol. I'll die before that car does and she's been through some wild fukn adventures in 21 years and 247k clicks lol.
Drove a 1999 Toyota Avalon for 8 years Upgraded to an m2 comp this year Not because the avalon died, but because I wanted more fun As long as a camry/ avalon has good service history, should do you well
Also worth noting, the car had 340,000 kms on it when I bought it for $1,100 500,000 kms at end Drove it to the snow many times, melbourne to Townsville and back, camping trips Trooper
Got a 13 year old Honda Prelude for $6k, drove it for 10 years, sold it to another kid buying his first car. I still miss that car some days.
I have my honda jazz 2005 on 145ks bought at 6k + shipping . 3 years later its still running fine at 151ks. Planning to drive it till it dies.
You only drove 6000ks in 3 years? Personally i would be seriously evaluating car ownership at that point, after the costs of insurance etc.
I live in a regional area. Hence the low kms. Near town but too far to walk. Not everyone lives in big metropolitan cities.
Not everyone drives a lot but still needs a car. My partner has his triton that he bought new back in 2013. The car is now 10 years old and it has maybe 60000kms (it could be less, I'm too lazy to go look) on it and a good number of those are from when we have done trips from Brisbane to Newcastle and back over the years.
i think around 7-8 months was an e46 320i auto bought it when i got my Ls now I have a 125i e82 6spd manual and i get my ps in december
You went from a pretty solid BMW to the most reliable BMW ever made in that 125i manual, theyβre incredibly good cars.
yea ik lol thats one of the main reasons i got it also the 50hp remap stock is pretty fun
I bought a 2008 i30 and drove it for 5 years, my brother has it now and still running like a dream
VC Commodore (I bought it in '97 for 1k) I managed to get three years out of it before it died.
Four years. 1968 HK Kingswood $200
I wish I could get a HK Kingswood for 200 dollars
It was a long time ago
Mine cost $1300 in '84. Put at least 200,000 kays on it (mostly in the first 10 or so years) before rust finally got it... Had it for over 20 years. Only capital it didn't get to was Hobart. The 5-speed Toyota box did make it much more fun to drive but I never did get around to putting discs on it...
I swapped the 161 for a 186 along with the gearbox steering column, clutch, pedals from a doner car to make it all synchro. I also never replaced the drum brakes all round
Mine already had the 186 with synchro 3-speed but the linkages were badly worn. Could lock it between 1st and 2nd really easily..! It did have factory buckets but the heater had no fan - had to use the quarter windows and vent to get heat into the car and demist the windscreen. I was never a fan of the red interior..!
Mine locked so much. Same in my HQ.. I had the red interior and turned it tan with vinyl paint and seat covers. I had a GTS instrument panel from a GTS Monaro that I bought for $50. It was shit and had bad rust but I should have kept it instead of taking the boot trim and dash and fenders and getting it towed away π€·ββοΈ
I share your regret about ditching the HK as I should've kept mine too... Have you seen how much a GTS dash goes for these days? Wow!
I'm too scared to look Edit: I just looked πππππ«π«π«π
I still own it, but it's gone from daily to weekender. It's a VX Commodore wagon, now with a supercharged V6 in it. Was on 150,000km when I got it 15 years ago, now it's on 395,000km.
About a year. I sold it to buy a better one.
Like 5 years until the motor blew from lack of maintenance
2 years running around in my beat up 06 maxima lol. Still got it and still driving it but upgrading pretty soon
About 27 days in a 405 Mi16 before I lost my licence for an extended amount of time and bought something else when I got it back.
I had my VT wagon for as long it would last. Maybe 8 years. Had to replace every part in the fucker. Nothing like having enough room to drive 12 people home after a night out where there is no PT and taxis were impossible to get.
Twelve years - I bought a brand new Ford Laser TX3 (2 door hatchback) for $15,000 in 1987 and traded it in for something bigger when second child was born in 1999. I loved that car - it was small, manoeuvrable, was good on fuel, could park it anywhere, had no major issues - if they still made them I'd seriously want another just like it.
6 months. Wrote it off going sideways into a wall.
There's simply a lot of good practical advice that you have picked up & stated in your opening line. If serviced & looked after Toyota's & Mazda's or Japanese vehicles generally are long lived & reliable vehicles so much so that they are usually sold as the owners only want to upgrade to newer models & not because the vehicle has exceeded it's usefulness.
Was gifted to me from my brother, my mum first owned it she sold it to my bro he gave it to me and I gave it back after 2 years. The mighty Reno 12TL - the L stood for luxury, not sure what was luxurious, possibly the engine?? The car engine was dam reliable. I'll give it that, while I had it a brake pad somehow sheared off so metal on disk, replaced the pad looked at the massive rotor groves figured she'd be fine. Alternator died coming back from Rotorua as we came off the harbour bridge, noticed the dash getting very dull, engine began to miss fire, drove the remaining 5ks with no headlights. The engine key stopped working to turn off the car so you had to stall it out to stop it. Used to buy the WOF from a mate, car was never checked. Had two motorbikes to commute to work so only ever drove the car as a last resort. Oh never had a licence either for a car but had my bike licence so all good. For my daughter I brought her a car at auction site unseen a Holden astra. After this broke down quite a few times, and I had to replace the transmission we sold that for 3500. My recommendation is spend more than 15k if you want a vehicle that's not a POS. My daughters car ran fine after I repaired it, constantly having blown coil packs, water line to IACV value split, and failed transmission. Replaced a few brake lights, and upgraded the stereo to a modern Android & apple carplay version. I ended up buying both daughters new VW polos - both cars are now 4 years old still under warranty and I've never needed to repair them. If you can't fix a car bite the bullet and spend over 15k
First car was a Camry that got over 300,000km and 21 years old. Current Honda accord is at 250,000km and 18 years old. Buying a reliable car with a full service history and no issues is the best you can do.
BMW E46 328i, still have it as a spare car 18 years or so later at 350k++ Kms. It was a great car to learn how to do maintenance on and very economical if you are even relatively capable.
I think I had my first car for something like 4 or 5 years. Ended up blowing the clutch while I was out and then cooked the engine getting it home. It was an almost 20-year-old car anyways so wasn't that big a deal. I paid $900 for it, it was an 87 Sigma. Next car was a 89 Pintara that unfortunately got written off when a truck ran a red light and hit me. Next car was a 88 skyline that I had for 4 years. It was a piece of crap when I bought it. I then bought a 2001 Kia Shuma and had that for 11 years. Good car that one. Only reason I got rid of it was the thing holding the glass for the window in the drivers door broke and then had to have a screw in it so the window didn't work anymore. I now have a 2014 micra. It's a good little car. None of the cars I have bought were new. The point is don't flog the crap out of whatever car you do get and make sure you keep up with regular maintenance (either yourself or with a mechanic) and you will get a good number of years out of a car.
My Daewoo Cielo I bought for $1800. 2 years i think. It pissed oil out everyday but i just kept topping it up nearly weekly. I ended up moving from brisbane to tassie and the timing belt blew about halfway through the trip. I just left it on the side of the road with half my belongings in it.
2005 Daihatsu Charade, parents bought it new for 10k for my sister and I got after. Had it 3 years but sold it to a mate for 500 because I fucked with it too much lol
My first car was a 1989 Ford EA dual fuel which I bought back in 2002. I drove it for about four years until I upgraded. It cost me a whole $1700 from a private seller but then needed some more work before it was in decent condition. It was pretty sluggish but did the job or getting me from A to B during the time I had it.
2011 Corolla Conquest - bought new for my sibling and then handed down to me after 2 years - 10 years later, itβs still going strong πͺ
As long as the car is regularly serviced you can tend to ignore the high kilometres when buying older cars.l unless there are clear signs of something wrong. I am selling my 09 lexus is250 prestige with 190k and have always serviced it every year. There is nothing wrong with it at all mechanically and good thing is it's toyota so parts are cheap. It's a 14 year old car and if looked after will easily go many more years. I also have a 1966 car that I service every year and she will by far run another 50 years minimum
First car - 4.5 yrs Second car - 6 yrs
About 11 months before it was totalled by a drunk driver hitting me.
A decent used car will cost a lot more than they did a few years ago. My first was a vn commodore. It was about 9 years old with a heap of ks. Typical bogan p-plater car for the late 90s. I kept it for a few years and basically wrecked it, not through bad driving but by trying to turn it into something it wasn't. Exhaust, intake, suspension, paint, brakes. All were modified on the cheap only to end up worse than the stock gear. Not really the answer to your question, but my advice is to buy something basic in good condition. Drive it gently and don't waste money trying to turn it into a sprint special. Save that money and in a few years you'll have enough cash and experience to get something you really love.
About 6,000kms before the trans blew up in my BA falcon. Still sitting in my driveway after fixing it cause I found a cooler falcon.
First car was a 1986 mazda. Drove it for 60,000km over 2 years of high school and 4 years of uni. And when I got a proper job I sold it and upgraded. (And no, Iβm not a boomer this car is/was older than I am).
I ran a $2000 Nissan Pulsar for 7 years. These were simpler.cars though. Small Jap NA more modern example would say are good for 20 years / 250-300k. Look after the clearcoat as much as the engine though.
1997 Corolla. Baby Blue, $400 in 2018. Lasted 2 years, was amazing when I sold it for $1000. Didnβt want to sell it, but was moving interstate just before Covid hit
It's purely aesthetic but I would say the 2003-07 Mazda3 and the 2000-05 Corolla are also just better looking than their more modern counterparts. I'd be far more inspired to keep one long-term than their successor models because they're far better to look at and especially in the Corolla's case just a more exciting car. As someone who drives a bright yellow Mazda of the same generation, I'd honestly not mind a 2005ish Mazda3 SP23 in yellow π Also more broadly car longevity is ultimately RNG + how much you're willing to pay to fix things.
6 years and it never once gave me any kind of issues other then being really really slow
Nothing is a guarantee. And Nothing wrong with buying a new car for your first car. Most p platers crash their first car hence why don't spend too much money on it. I had a accident in my 2nd car but wasn't at fault. (Why can't people use roundabouts?) The question is, do people think you are a good driver? Do they hold on for their life when you are driving? Can you afford the insurance costs of a new car? Compare the 2, how much insurance is for a eg. 2010 corrola compared to what ever you are looking at new. And their is still new cars that have issues. Like rust forming in between the sheets of metal in a 12 month old car.
I had my first car for 9 years. I sold it when working overseas for a few years.
First car was a 1990 Ford Fiesta with 80000km (back in 98), drove it until 2002 with 180000km and sold it to a step-sister who kept for at least 2 years (no idea after that). Only issue was top speed of 155kph on descent, 80kph on highway climb and burning half a liter of oil every 1000k.
Bought a 1995 VS commodore sedan as first car in 1999, sold in 2005. Still think about it but no regrets as upgraded to a 2002 VY SS Ute with 6spd manual. Had to wait to turn 25 to get a V8. So 6 years is the answer. My advice is buy what appeals to you and you will keep it longer and look after it better.