Time To Retire The Dunnydore

[robthefisherman]

The has been on my back about how much it costs to run my commodore and as its now got 150,000kms on the clock and a few things are starting to need replacing I think it's time to retire it.

She suggested a Barina but I quickly dismissed that ludicrous idea, I want something with a bit of space for the fishing gear oh and the kids as well as carrying the yak around so I was thinking of the compact 4wd/awd cars that are popping up everywhere.

I don't want to spend a lot of dough around the 20k mark and have noticed that I can pick up Hyudai sante fe's around 2003 models with about 70-80,000 on them for that sort of money as well as 2002 model subaru outbacks. the others in the price range were Rav4's and Khia sportages.

Anyone got or had any of these vehicles and what do you think about them

[mick309]

my mate sold a 2004 sante fe not long ago, he is overseas but is back on the weekend, i will ask him what it was like for you, is there anything in particular you want to know about?

[Flightmanager]

The RAV 4's are constant 4WD , and have no transfer case ( low range 4WD ) . So if you are planning to go off road , something else may be more suitable. Suby's make pretty good vehicles , but relining the brakes can be a bit on the expensive side !!

Ross

[Bashir]

I've owned a rav4 and my sister and my girlfriend (they are not the same person lol) currently own one, the older manual versions have a diff lock and are very capable off road, I took mine to places plenty of good 4wds couldn't, it didn't take the abuse well though and I had some pretty ordinary issues with struts, diff mounts and cv joints. Not sure if the newer models have a diff lock. Keep them on the road and they are a very good car.

[Martin]

Have you thought of looking at the Honda CRV? Plenty of room and economical on the fuel.

The other vehicle you may pick up is a Kia Sorento which is a 3.5 liter 6, 4WD. Heaps of room and good value for their money. Venture out along Parramatta road Five Dock/Haberfield there is a dealer their and they should have second hand models. There must be 2003 standard models on the 2nd hand market by now in the 4 speed auto

I have the current model purchased new, have plenty of grunt and tows the boat no problem. I think they are rated to 2.3t. Tons of room and new on the road top of the range with leather seats, sun roof etc etc it was $46K, (standard model I think were around $38K new) however the trade in they gave me was just so far ahead of every one else by $8k made it just to good.

It made a difference to make the trip to Parramata Rd as the North Shore dealers regardless of model were not has hungry to do a deal.

Cheers and hope you find a bargain

Martin

[troutboy]

After driving a kia for the past 18 months there is no way in the world I would recommend buying one. The kia I am driving is a work vehicle and its a piece of crap! Rattles like an old english double decker bus, sucks juice like its going out of style and gutless to boot , be warned. cheers troutboy

[mattdan]

Robthfisherman,

As a mechanic and working in the fleet leasing industry let me add my 2 cents.

If you are looking for an AWD (crossover) type vehicle stick with the respected makes. The lower end AWD vehicles are exactly that low end, in terms of build quality, ruggedness etc.

Now I am not about to bash particualr makes as many raiders may very well own some of them and this is not my intention so I am only speaking from my own first hand experience with them.

You advised the was concerned about the running costs of the Commy. I used to drive a Hilux Surf turbo diesel from Camden South the North Ryde everyday. Yes the Diesel was as economical as a small 4 cylinder car (depending on driving conditions and the ole right foot) but with the recent smashing of fuel prices I too had to look at alternatives.

Have you looked at LPG? I picked up a 2004 Falcon LPG from the auctions for around what you want to spend. I went from spending $130 per week down to $50 in the Falcon. In terms of towing the boat, it pulls my 15 foot glass no probs. There are also the Rodeo's to consider. There are a few out there running LPG aswell. My advice would be to source one no more than 3-4 years old if wanted to go that way.

LPG vehicles have started to pull a premium of late but with fuel prices coming off slightly very recently the time to buy would be now, before we have another surge and it is top of mind for everybody again.

I am in no way endorsing these LPG models but there aren't too many around that were built to take LPG from the factory so choice is limited. There are many more vehicles coming onto the market that are LPG compliant but these are brand sapnkers but that is not the market you are currently looking at.

If you want to know which auction I got my LPG from pm me and i will advise you.

At the end of the day carry out your own due diligence and I am sure you will be pleased whichever way you decide to go.

MattyB

[robthefisherman]

Thanks guys

I'm not sure which route to take yet, however I'm not in a hurry the dunnydore is still a good reliable car but it's got a leak in the rear engine seal and due to have the injectors done and the power steering is leaking so I'm waying up wether to chuck a grand at it and fix everything or just get rid of it.

Sad thing is it's only a 6 year old car and it's only worth around 8k in todays market so I'm not going to go out and spend 40 grand again to have it be worth nothing in 5 years time, I'd rather spend it on my 36 year old val thats worth more than my 6 yr old commodore. They just don't make em like they used to

[wettingaline]

I wouldnt piss on a hyundai or a kia....absoulte garbage, they are cheap for a reason.....

My girlfriend drives a new Rav4 its a pretty nice little runabout but definately no rugged 4WD, i would be heading towards a subaru if you want the quality, ruggedness, fuel efficency and also performance...

[Martin]

After driving a kia for the past 18 months there is no way in the world I would recommend buying one. The kia I am driving is a work vehicle and its a piece of crap! Rattles like an old english double decker bus, sucks juice like its going out of style and gutless to boot , be warned. cheers troutboy

What model of Kia are you driving troutboy? How well is your work vehicle treated?

I have had the Kia Sorento for 2 years and no problems, no rattles, heaps of power from the 3.5 liter engine and yes a little heavy on fuel, but so are most 4WD. As I said I thought it represented value for money and has given me no problems, has about 46,000kms now.

Holds 80 liters of fuel and on trips to Coffs Harbour on the open road it’s quite good on the fuel and very comfortable.

Every thing I looked at near it starts at $64K (Pajero Exceed) and that’s a significant cost saving when you have a family, mortgage to pay and kids at school. As a second vehicle to tow a boat it more than meets our needs.

The money we saved lets the wife drive the Mercedes CLK 200 Kompressor and I get to indulge in the Porsche Boxer

Can not comment on any other models in their range because I have not owned or driven them.

Cheers

Martin

[kane]

Mate

I am no mechanic but i have owned my liberty now for about 3 years

99 liberty rx 2.5

Could not be happier plenty of power on the road. Chance of losing traction is bordering on impossible, Reasonably economic( I have a heavy right foot) the only reason i would stray from my current car is to get a new one.

for 20k you could get a decent wagon which look the goods with the roof racks already mounted and plenty of room for the kids fishing gear and wife

Also bonus is they have climate control in the rx which sells it self

any questions mate let me know

for example my old man would rather drive my car then his old 2002 statesmen or his 05 v8 adventura

they drive like they are on rails and they are safe

Kane

I should be a subaru car salesman

[Guest rzep]

Martin,

I also own a KIA SORENTO and I have now had this vehicle for 18 months and it is going great.

For those that are going to bag me or my vehicle choice this is my 3rd Kia vehicle and I would buy one again without any hesitation.

I am have been a mechanic for 14 years so I would like to think that I know what I am talking about when it comes to cars.

Rob,

With vehicles these days most are built to a high standard and unless they are maintained to a specific level then any vehicle will deteriorate. The secret is in the maintenance.

What I would suggest Rob is to take a look at what the vehicle is going to be used for. If you have a plan to get a boat in the near futur then I would recommend that you factor this into your descision to save you having a vehicle that is no good for your needs.

Once you decide what your uses for the vehicle are then set about deciding what fits your criteria. Once you have this worked out then go out and specifically look at just the one make and model of car and this should take alot of the confusion out of the equation for you as you will only be targeting your search on the one type of vehicle.

Hope that this helps. If you want any more info Rob then just drop me a PM.