Whats a good cheap first car? (1 Viewer)

[Gavvvvvin]

Okay so I need a car. I know absolutely nothing about cars. What would I be able to get for about $3000? Also how much does stuff like insurance and rego cost?

 

[SlipStream]

Running costs:

Use this as a ballpark reference to annual running costs for a 17yo:

Annual CTP Green Slip ($465.30 inc. GST – NRMA)
Pink Slip ($28)
Annual Third Party Car and Property Damage ($397.56 inc. GST – NRMA)
Registration (Depends on weight: starts from approx $200)
Fuel (Depends: anywhere up to $600 a year)
Repairs (Depends: make a $500 annual allowance)

And what car you want depends on what you expect from a car. I wrote an article on determining the perfect first car, I can't find it but... if you care not for straightline performance and want the best fuel efficient car your money can buy, I recommend a G100R/1990 Daihatsu Charade TS (5-speed manual, CB23: 1.0L 3-cyl carby). I'm a car enthusiast, a driver not a commuter and I don't mind driving it (I own one, by the way . $3000 should get you a nice one, fairly reliable costs $10 to run around town in (school, work, social life).

They're also available in auto I think. If you need anymore advice, I'm right here for ya. I don't mind. There's a handful of other people on here who will also help you out. Be aware, there are a lot of things to look at when buying. Buying is just as difficult as deciding, and more important as well.

You don't want to be left soured after buying a lemon.

 

[7th Sign]

im looking for a car aswell but i have around 7000 to get one all my own money aswell

for 2000 hmmm i saw a really go bargin lately

 

[Straight Ridah]

another thing u gotta think about is things like petrol. petrol prices are increasing and dont seem to be going down any time soon, and it sounds like u might be on bit of a tight budget working with 3grand, so just keep that in mind aye

 

[Gavvvvvin]

Hmmm anyone care to explain what a green/pink slip is? Ill be needing an auto too

 

[NICK__]

you should learn to drive a manual, it is much more fun....it's not too hard to learn if you already know how to drive, and it saves a significant amount of petrol. Also, if you are thinking about getting a small car, DONT get an auto. Trust me, autos + small engined cars = sux0r....i have one

 

[SlipStream]

Hmmm anyone care to explain what a green/pink slip is? Ill be needing an auto too

Green slip is CTP - Compulsory Third Party Insurance. You need this to register your car.

Pink Slip is for roadworthiness basically. If your car is over 5 years old or something, you need a pink slip to get it registered. Basically it entails taking it to an RTA-endorsed Pink Slip Inspector to get the inspection report, for $28 or more. They inspect the car for roadworthiness and safety and if it needs repairs or not (i.e. seatbelts, brakes, tyres) you need to get it fixed before reapplying for a Pink Slip.

Others...

White Slip is required when registering cars that have been classified as written off (crashed) and repaired back to their former, roadworthy condition.

Blue Slip is mainly for changing rego interstate. i.e. if you bought a car in QLD and you lived in NSW, you'd need a blue slip to change it to a NSW car. Or you can just not bother telling them...

There may be more but I can't remember them off the top of my head right now.

you should learn to drive a manual, it is much more fun....it's not too hard to learn if you already know how to drive, and it saves a significant amount of petrol. Also, if you are thinking about getting a small car, DONT get an auto. Trust me, autos + small engined cars = sux0r....i have one

It's very rare that men ever learn to drive manual past their younger years, due to cars and driving being very much a male domain and through this, men feel ashamed to be not performing their manly duties and are thus embarrassed to get tuition on driving a manual and end up driving autos their whole lives.

 

[SlipStream]

Keep an eye out for 1.6L auto AE92-ish Corollas.

Good car.

 

[yenta]

Annual CTP Green Slip ($465.30 inc. GST – NRMA)

Wtf are u serious? How did u get it for 465? Mine cost $566 and it was the same price everywhere...boooo

 

[Gavvvvvin]

Is there any good car websites?

 

[NICK__]

www.carsales.com.au

www.carpoint.com.au

www.drive.com.au

those are good to find cars...also trading post is alright i think...

 

[SashatheMan]

so basicaly before u can drive the u have to pay for pink, green slip and registration. ?? while the other costs come in later in the year? am i right

 

[SlipStream]

Wtf are u serious? How did u get it for 465? Mine cost $566 and it was the same price everywhere...boooo

My car is registered in my mum's name, and insurance is in her name as well. I'm an additional driver, not listed as the main driver. I THINK that's why it's cheaper, and I'm with the NRMA as well. Also, remember there are 3 main types of insurance cover: Third Party Car and Property Damage, Third Party Fire and Theft, and of course Comprehensive Insurance. They all vary in price, cheapest to most expensive respectively.

_DeathlessOne_

www.autotrader.com.au (HEAPS of cars - little pictures and info, but)
www.carsales.com.au (heaps of pics, but not as many cars as Autotrader)
www.carpoint.com.au (lots of cars and pics)
www.drive.com.au (plenty of cars and information and pics)
www.carsguide.com.au (a few cars but hardly any pics, and low on info)

SashatheMan

When renewing registration annually, that is when you need to pay for Pink Slip, CTP Green Slip and rego costs. Fuel costs, repair costs, etc are spread over the year. Your insurance is either paid in a lump sum annually, or can be paid by the month (monthly sometimes attracts a premium with some insurers, like the NRMA I pay an extra $80 a year to pay my premium by the month, for Third Party Car and Property Cover). Also, when you BUY a used car, you need to pay Stamp Duty (fancy name for a tax) as well as a transfer fee of $32 I think it is. Stamp duty "is calculated at 3% of the market value up to $45,000 and 5% on the value over $45,000".

The bottomline is the government and relevent authorities have made owning a private vehicle a very unpleasent financial experience to promote use of public transport, lower greenhouse gas emmissions bla bla bla and to - but they never admit it - raise state revenue to spend on detention centres, give to other countries, etc. The story is never ending, but cars are an expensive asset - only making it harder to be a young driver.

 

[7th Sign]

when i get a car i am probly just going to get it under my dads name and get me as a driver, every one seems to be doing that now days, or people even get their cars totally under their parents names.....for liek 50% of the show car community that is

 

[shortygb]

dont go buying a "bargain: you dont get something for nothing, you might spend more money trying to get the car reapaired

 

[DaddyK]

so what do you suggest doing if you only have 3000 to work iwth then smartarse

You can get a heaps good car for 3 grand, and he's also spot on, theres no point to buying a dud 1500 odd dollar car when you end up spending all your money on reparing it, thus eliminating the point of buying a cheap car in the first place. Even though you can still get good cars for 1500, you just have to know what your doing.

 

[7th Sign]

check out n13 nissans, rollas, maby some old 91ish comos their liek 3 k, just probly get a common car that has cheap parts/ good on fuel

their are always threads like this on car forums, maby check some of them out...

you will talk to the real professionals

 

[hipsta_jess]

Fuel (Depends: anywhere up to $600 a year)

HA! Mine is about ~1500 a year!!!

 

[SlipStream]

their are always threads like this on car forums, maby check some of them out...

you will talk to the real professionals

A handful of the people on this forum meet the prerequisites of a "professional". i.e. I'm a 5000+ post member of a car forum, and I write the articles giving the advice. I come here to help out because the questions don't require me to think as hard or write as much. But yeh, there's also the few people who say things that aren't really on the ball...

hipsta_jess, $1500 a year? Do you drive a Falcon or something and live in the bush?? I'm a country kid with a suburban accent, and I tell ya the country internet chick is a rare specimen. I think I budgeted $1200 a year for my E30 323i BMW when I lived out of town, and that's heaps. $1500 is even crazier - do you just drive heaps with a lead foot in a thirsty car? I dunno, I'm shootin blanks.

 

[braad]

check out n13 nissans, rollas, maby some old 91ish comos their liek 3 k, just probly get a common car that has cheap parts/ good on fuel

their are always threads like this on car forums, maby check some of them out...

you will talk to the real professionals

comos? did you mean cosmos?


hehehe i wish