Cars - advice for Parents for teenager's first car
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As a mechanical ignoramus I'm wondering what issues we should consider when contemplating a car for Ms Nearly 18yo.
I appreciate there's a balance between age of vehicle, cost of vehicle, running costs, ease of maintenance etc etc.
Am wondering if the hive mind if TSF can offer any insights, recommendations etc.
Thanks in anticipation.
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@booboo said in Cars - advice for Parents for teenager's first car:
As a mechanical ignoramus I'm wondering what issues we should consider when contemplating a car for Ms Nearly 18yo.
I appreciate there's a balance between age of vehicle, cost of vehicle, running costs, ease of maintenance etc etc.
Am wondering if the hive mind if TSF can offer any insights, recommendations etc.
Thanks in anticipation.
Where are you? Lots of the kids love european cars like VW's etc. But they are expensive to maintain and are more likely to have issues than a small Japanese car
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@canefan said in Cars - advice for Parents for teenager's first car:
@booboo said in Cars - advice for Parents for teenager's first car:
As a mechanical ignoramus I'm wondering what issues we should consider when contemplating a car for Ms Nearly 18yo.
I appreciate there's a balance between age of vehicle, cost of vehicle, running costs, ease of maintenance etc etc.
Am wondering if the hive mind if TSF can offer any insights, recommendations etc.
Thanks in anticipation.
Where are you? Lots of the kids love european cars like VW's etc. But they are expensive to maintain and are more likely to have issues than a small Japanese car
Thanks CF.
In QLD, so not thinking the NZ type Jap import. Expect that we'll be looking at Aus new, Japanese or Korean hatch.
Ms B Jr will be contributing, so if she wants something instagrammable she can fork out. I have a vague idea of our budget, she can front with the rest.
I suppose am after opinion about the balance between cost, age and maintenance. And at what age does the maintenance costs start outweighing the capital cost.
Any thoughts as to the size of car would be appreciated. Am expecting her to be running around in Brissy, and initially frequent, then slowly diminishing trips Brissy to Hervey Bay ... (4hours approx.)
Relative merits of a Honda Jazz, Suzuki Swift, Mazda 2, Toyota Yaris type ... or do peeps think something bigger?
Any thoughts appreciated.
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@booboo said in Cars - advice for Parents for teenager's first car:
@canefan said in Cars - advice for Parents for teenager's first car:
@booboo said in Cars - advice for Parents for teenager's first car:
As a mechanical ignoramus I'm wondering what issues we should consider when contemplating a car for Ms Nearly 18yo.
I appreciate there's a balance between age of vehicle, cost of vehicle, running costs, ease of maintenance etc etc.
Am wondering if the hive mind if TSF can offer any insights, recommendations etc.
Thanks in anticipation.
Where are you? Lots of the kids love european cars like VW's etc. But they are expensive to maintain and are more likely to have issues than a small Japanese car
Thanks CF.
In QLD, so not thinking the NZ type Jap import. Expert that we'll be looking at Aus new, Japanese or Korean hatch.
Ms B Jr will be contributing, so if she wants something instagrammable she can fork out. I have a vague idea of our budget, she can front with the rest.
I suppose am after opinion about the balance between cost, age and maintenance. And at what age does the maintenance costs start outweighing the capital cost.
Any thoughts as to the size of car would be appreciated. Am expecting her to be running around in Brissy, and initially frequent, then slowly diminishing trips Brissy to Hervey Bay ... (4hours approx.)
Relative merits of a Honda Jazz, Suzuki Swift, Mazda 2, Toyota Yaris type ... or do peeps think something bigger?
Any thoughts appreciated.
I was thinking new or near new Jap. The Swift is a cute motor, Mazda and Yaris pretty smart too
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@booboo said in Cars - advice for Parents for teenager's first car:
@canefan said in Cars - advice for Parents for teenager's first car:
@booboo said in Cars - advice for Parents for teenager's first car:
As a mechanical ignoramus I'm wondering what issues we should consider when contemplating a car for Ms Nearly 18yo.
I appreciate there's a balance between age of vehicle, cost of vehicle, running costs, ease of maintenance etc etc.
Am wondering if the hive mind if TSF can offer any insights, recommendations etc.
Thanks in anticipation.
Where are you? Lots of the kids love european cars like VW's etc. But they are expensive to maintain and are more likely to have issues than a small Japanese car
Thanks CF.
In QLD, so not thinking the NZ type Jap import. Expert that we'll be looking at Aus new, Japanese or Korean hatch.
Ms B Jr will be contributing, so if she wants something instagrammable she can fork out. I have a vague idea of our budget, she can front with the rest.
I suppose am after opinion about the balance between cost, age and maintenance. And at what age does the maintenance costs start outweighing the capital cost.
Any thoughts as to the size of car would be appreciated. Am expecting her to be running around in Brissy, and initially frequent, then slowly diminishing trips Brissy to Hervey Bay ... (4hours approx.)
Relative merits of a Honda Jazz, Suzuki Swift, Mazda 2, Toyota Yaris type ... or do peeps think something bigger?
Any thoughts appreciated.
Safety first mate. Something used but solid enough in case of an accident (touch wood never a thing).
Don't spare a thought for running costs or anything similar. It's not worth the mental energy.
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@taniwharugby said in Cars - advice for Parents for teenager's first car:
@booboo start with safety and go from there.
A guy who delivers to our work was involved in a car accident last week.
He and his mrs own a 2018 Suzuki Swift. It was rear ended by a driver in a big SUV.
The shocking thing is he found out his car has only a 1 Star safety rating, 1 out of 5.How the fuck does a modern car these days get away with a 1 star rating. Its like you have a better chance at survival if a car hit you while you were walking on the road.
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@virgil said in Cars - advice for Parents for teenager's first car:
@taniwharugby said in Cars - advice for Parents for teenager's first car:
@booboo start with safety and go from there.
A guy who delivers to our work was involved in a car accident last week.
He and his mrs own a 2018 Suzuki Swift. It was rear ended by a driver in a big SUV.
The shocking thing is he found out his car has only a 1 Star safety rating, 1 out of 5.How the fuck does a modern car these days get away with a 1 star rating. Its like you have a better chance at survival if a car hit you while you were walking on the road.
To be fair, any car vs a SUV will come off second best. They are a menace
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@canefan said in Cars - advice for Parents for teenager's first car:
@virgil said in Cars - advice for Parents for teenager's first car:
@taniwharugby said in Cars - advice for Parents for teenager's first car:
@booboo start with safety and go from there.
A guy who delivers to our work was involved in a car accident last week.
He and his mrs own a 2018 Suzuki Swift. It was rear ended by a driver in a big SUV.
The shocking thing is he found out his car has only a 1 Star safety rating, 1 out of 5.How the fuck does a modern car these days get away with a 1 star rating. Its like you have a better chance at survival if a car hit you while you were walking on the road.
To be fair, any car vs a SUV will come off second best. They are a menace
He said the only good thing was that the driver was a hot blonde.
Guess you wouldnt complain too much about having one of them rear end you...with a car i mean.But still 1 star is shockingly low.
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@virgil said in Cars - advice for Parents for teenager's first car:
Guess you wouldnt complain too much about having one of them rear end you...
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@r-l said in Cars - advice for Parents for teenager's first car:
@virgil said in Cars - advice for Parents for teenager's first car:
Guess you wouldnt complain too much about having one of them rear end you...
she looks more ginger to me, though tbf if it was me that got the rear ending dont think id complain.
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A few tips from one of the biggest petrol heads on the fern ….
- Euro ncap 5 stars. Nothing less.
- Japanese prob best, something with high volumes best so parts are cheap
- Power. Is it hilly where you are? If there are hills, then get more power - they are safer than low power cars. You don’t need to go nuts but slower isn’t necessarily safer.
- Insurance costs. Factor this into running costs extremely important.
- Tyres. Whatever you buy make sure the 4 tyres match the manufactures spec. Tyres are THE most important thing on a car and also what people like to scrimp on. It’s retarded.
Happy to give further advice if want.
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Thanks MR
I'll probably explore more as I get my head around things.
Also see comments below.
@majorrage said in Cars - advice for Parents for teenager's first car:
A few tips from one of the biggest petrol heads on the fern ….
- Euro ncap 5 stars. Nothing less.
Will look out for.
- Japanese prob best, something with high volumes best so parts are cheap
Aus doesn't do 2nd hand imports like NZ. Japan and Korea (Hyundai, Kia) common. Not sure where Ford comes from nowadays.
- Power. Is it hilly where you are? If there are hills, then get more power - they are safer than low power cars. You don’t need to go nuts but slower isn’t necessarily safer.
No hills to speak of. Pretty much throughout QLD unless you head to the hinterlands of the Sunny or Gold Coasts, or some of the burbs in Brissy.
Bruce Highway is rolling at best.
- Insurance costs. Factor this into running costs extremely important.
Noted.
- Tyres. Whatever you buy make sure the 4 tyres match the manufactures spec. Tyres are THE most important thing on a car and also what people like to scrimp on. It’s retarded.
Good advice.
Happy to give further advice if want.
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@virgil said in Cars - advice for Parents for teenager's first car:
@taniwharugby said in Cars - advice for Parents for teenager's first car:
@booboo start with safety and go from there.
A guy who delivers to our work was involved in a car accident last week.
He and his mrs own a 2018 Suzuki Swift. It was rear ended by a driver in a big SUV.
The shocking thing is he found out his car has only a 1 Star safety rating, 1 out of 5.How the fuck does a modern car these days get away with a 1 star rating. Its like you have a better chance at survival if a car hit you while you were walking on the road.
Do check the individual model variant's safety rating though. I don't know the Oz situation that much but it pisses me off that the ACC premium on our Swift is judged on the Oz safety rating which is generic for all Swifts and dragged down by the really cheap models made as little shopping carts. One of the buying decisions for us was that the model we choose has the full intrusion bars and multiple airbags throughout.
Yep, being small it will come off worse against a bigger vehicle but it also isn't the tin can that the cheaper ones are. -
@crucial said in Cars - advice for Parents for teenager's first car:
@virgil said in Cars - advice for Parents for teenager's first car:
@taniwharugby said in Cars - advice for Parents for teenager's first car:
@booboo start with safety and go from there.
A guy who delivers to our work was involved in a car accident last week.
He and his mrs own a 2018 Suzuki Swift. It was rear ended by a driver in a big SUV.
The shocking thing is he found out his car has only a 1 Star safety rating, 1 out of 5.How the fuck does a modern car these days get away with a 1 star rating. Its like you have a better chance at survival if a car hit you while you were walking on the road.
Do check the individual model variant's safety rating though. I don't know the Oz situation that much but it pisses me off that the ACC premium on our Swift is judged on the Oz safety rating which is generic for all Swifts and dragged down by the really cheap models made as little shopping carts. One of the buying decisions for us was that the model we choose has the full intrusion bars and multiple airbags throughout.
Yep, being small it will come off worse against a bigger vehicle but it also isn't the tin can that the cheaper ones are.Can understand how it came off 2nd best with a larger car, it gave his car an almighty shove too. He was saying how luck he was not to be pushed into on coming traffic.
Im just amazed how a late model car, a popular one too, has such a low star rating,The govt here are wanking on about EV's and pushing petrol cars out of the market. I would have thought safe cars would be more of a priority.
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@virgil said in Cars - advice for Parents for teenager's first car:
@crucial said in Cars - advice for Parents for teenager's first car:
@virgil said in Cars - advice for Parents for teenager's first car:
@taniwharugby said in Cars - advice for Parents for teenager's first car:
@booboo start with safety and go from there.
A guy who delivers to our work was involved in a car accident last week.
He and his mrs own a 2018 Suzuki Swift. It was rear ended by a driver in a big SUV.
The shocking thing is he found out his car has only a 1 Star safety rating, 1 out of 5.How the fuck does a modern car these days get away with a 1 star rating. Its like you have a better chance at survival if a car hit you while you were walking on the road.
Do check the individual model variant's safety rating though. I don't know the Oz situation that much but it pisses me off that the ACC premium on our Swift is judged on the Oz safety rating which is generic for all Swifts and dragged down by the really cheap models made as little shopping carts. One of the buying decisions for us was that the model we choose has the full intrusion bars and multiple airbags throughout.
Yep, being small it will come off worse against a bigger vehicle but it also isn't the tin can that the cheaper ones are.Can understand how it came off 2nd best with a larger car, it gave his car an almighty shove too. He was saying how luck he was not to be pushed into on coming traffic.
Im just amazed how a late model car, a popular one too, has such a low star rating,The govt here are wanking on about EV's and pushing petrol cars out of the market. I would have thought safe cars would be more of a priority.
For the AA (NZ) explanation see here https://www.aa.co.nz/cars/ask-an-expert/buying-selling/show/12233/
My guess is that while Oz doesn't do used Jap imports they may be importing and selling the base models.
Pretty sure that we have new rules around bringing low safety cars in now.
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@virgil said in Cars - advice for Parents for teenager's first car:
@crucial said in Cars - advice for Parents for teenager's first car:
@virgil said in Cars - advice for Parents for teenager's first car:
@taniwharugby said in Cars - advice for Parents for teenager's first car:
@booboo start with safety and go from there.
A guy who delivers to our work was involved in a car accident last week.
He and his mrs own a 2018 Suzuki Swift. It was rear ended by a driver in a big SUV.
The shocking thing is he found out his car has only a 1 Star safety rating, 1 out of 5.How the fuck does a modern car these days get away with a 1 star rating. Its like you have a better chance at survival if a car hit you while you were walking on the road.
Do check the individual model variant's safety rating though. I don't know the Oz situation that much but it pisses me off that the ACC premium on our Swift is judged on the Oz safety rating which is generic for all Swifts and dragged down by the really cheap models made as little shopping carts. One of the buying decisions for us was that the model we choose has the full intrusion bars and multiple airbags throughout.
Yep, being small it will come off worse against a bigger vehicle but it also isn't the tin can that the cheaper ones are.Can understand how it came off 2nd best with a larger car, it gave his car an almighty shove too. He was saying how luck he was not to be pushed into on coming traffic.
Im just amazed how a late model car, a popular one too, has such a low star rating,The govt here are wanking on about EV's and pushing petrol cars out of the market. I would have thought safe cars would be more of a priority.
I'm not surprised. I got t-boned by a Swift driven by a nice lady last year. She was turning out of her driveway and I was driving past so she wouldn't have been going any more than 30km/h I imagine. She hit me right on my front wheel so I needed a new fender panel and bumper, and a new steering rack. Her car was completely arseholed.
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came in to recommend the Swift as i always hear good things...have read the thread and realise its more complicated than that...so i'll see myself out
only other thing i'll add, use to be a big Mazda fan, had a 2007 mazda 3 for several years, but when we went to replace it, it seems the last couple of generations are pretty overpriced. we wanted to move up to an SUV (Ski Road so AWD) and the mid size AWD SUV's were the same or similar money to Subaru AWD's, which i was surprised at given Subaru's history with AWD's
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Had to borrow a Swift for a few days while my car was being serviced. Rather embarrassingly being so used to reversing cameras I backed into a rubbish bin ( soft plastic so no damage done luckily ) within half an hour of driving it.
I think the Swift is quite possibly the unmanliest car on earth, perfect for a teenage girls first car.
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