Advice on a second hand car

[Sir Lancelot]

Hey fellas! I need your input. There's a lot of cars out there, I need to narrow down the field. Here's a wishlist of things the car must have/do, in relative order of importance:

- Budget 10k would be awesome, 15k max
- Must be super reliable, i'm thinking Japanese
- Square back for large boot space
- As large as possible inside, as small as possible outside (in that order, a compromise)
- Rear seats must be removeable (preference), or at least fold well down.
- Clearance for moderate off-road, i.e. unsealed roads

Does this narrow down the field sufficiently? And if not, what other criteria should I consider?

Cheers,
Alex.

[dehne]

Hi Sir
What about a 147 or 156/159 wagon not sure about the seats thats with the alfas, but if i were looking else where would go to either a VW golf or a ford focus and with any luck any of these would have a bit of go for some fun off road experience. maybe not the wagon

[Davidm1600]

Hi Alex, given you are asking for advice and opinions and given also that I am completely biased, may I make the modest suggestion that u look at a 156. Seriously it fits all the criteria you ask for, well apart from that it is is Italian not Japanese. My 156 sport wagon is used for all sorts of purposes, from city car to tourer to workhorse, and it has been ultra reliable. Bests boring white goods on wheels. I have taken it to the snow fields, on camping/surfing trips, it carries building materials, firewood and yet is not out of place at a government house function. Oh And the seats are great. So comfortable.

[Sir Lancelot]

Hi Alex, given you are asking for advice and opinions and given also that I am completely biased, may I make the modest suggestion that u look at a 156. Seriously it fits all the criteria you ask for, well apart from that it is is Italian not Japanese. My 156 sport wagon is used for all sorts of purposes, from city car to tourer to workhorse, and it has been ultra reliable. Bests boring white goods on wheels. I have taken it to the snow fields, on camping/surfing trips, it carries building materials, firewood and yet is not out of place at a government house function. Oh And the seats are great. So comfortable.

This post, I like this post! Considering both replies mention the 156, i'll take a closer look! Are there any aspects in particular to 'watch out for' with a 156? I'm all for comfy seats - I must admit it was the first thing I liked about the interior of my GTV6!
I've added Alfa back onto the list 

[dehne]

One thing you either want a manual or full auto

[Steve S]

Hey fellas! I need your input. There's a lot of cars out there, I need to narrow down the field. Here's a wishlist of things the car must have/do, in relative order of importance:

- Budget 10k would be awesome, 15k max
- Must be super reliable, i'm thinking Japanese
- Square back for large boot space
- As large as possible inside, as small as possible outside (in that order, a compromise)
- Rear seats must be removeable (preference), or at least fold well down.
- Clearance for moderate off-road, i.e. unsealed roads

Does this narrow down the field sufficiently? And if not, what other criteria should I consider?

Cheers,
Alex.

Toyota Rav4. You'll get a early Series 2 for $10K. A manual 156 wagon would be great if you can find one. I waited a long time and didn't.

[dehne]

http://www.carsales.com.au/private/details/alfa-romeo-156-2002-13249857?base=1216&vertical=Car&cr=40&page=4&eapi=2&__N=1246+1247+1252+1282+4294967249+4294967222+1216&num=15&silo=Stock&sort=~Price

here is one

[dehne]

there is a few 156 wagons available at the moment both seles and manual, the link above seem to be in ok cond, prob worth a look

[twistybits]

What about a classic Alfa 33 4x4 Sportswagon?
Ticks most boxes and you will have much change.

[Sheldon McIntosh]

What about a classic Alfa 33 4x4 Sportswagon?
Ticks most boxes and you will have much change.

Shame they're not super reliable.

For your price-range, I would have thought your best bet for super reliable would be a Subaru Legacy wagon, or a Mazda 6 wagon, both around 5 years old.  Maybe even a Mondeo wagon a couple of years old would just scrape in. 

Clearance for unsealed roads is a little harder to find, unless you go for a soft-roader.  You could always get a 10 year old Volvo XC, but then that's a bit of a gamble with regards reliability.

A 156 wagon is bloody nice though.

[twistybits]

We have had a Mazda 6 Wagon for 6 years and can honestly say it has been perfect. Loads of space in the back with or without the seats down.
We looked at a number of cars to replace the aging 6 but walked away after test drives knowing that we were already onto a good thing. "If it ain't broke......don't fix it".
Handles unsealed roads well but would take it too far off the beaten track.

[cranberry]

Take a look at a SAAB 9-5 Aero Turbo sedan. Look for a 2002 model. For under 10K, you will get performance, luxury, safety, comfort, versatility and prestige all in one package. These cars cost 84K 10 years ago. Awesome bargain for what you get.

[Beatle]

80 or 100 series Landcruiser on LPG.

[Davidm1600]

Sorry guys and especially Alex, been away in NZ for a ski holiday, just catching up in things. Plenty of good suggestions out there. For me, in terms of a daily drive, as opposed to my classics, there too often is the vexed question between practicality, economy, safety, reliability and yet the element of enjoyment. Being a europhile re cars, I could never consider Asian or aussie cars. They simply don't cut the mustard. In choosing my 156 wagon, and I didn't have much trouble finding what I needed, it came down in the end a choice between the Alfa or an Audi A4 wagon. Both offer good value for money, the Alfa slightly cheaper but perhaps less clinical. Also hard to find a manual A4. I paid $20k for the 156 in Nov 07. It had 89k on the clock, now has a tad over 120K. What is it worth now, perhaps around $8-10k. Was $55 new. So good value now. Mine has been all I could want. If I needed a 4wd, I probably would look at a Disco. The 33 wagon was good in its day, but I can't drive them easily, pedals are too close. Another reasonable choice to consider could be say an early 2000 BMW 3 series. The other half has a 97 318is manual sedan and it's been super reliable, also nice to drive. Couldn't personally cope with an Ovlov. Oh now re problems with the 156, in my view go for a jts as is better equipped, including the AC. Good hifi, and more airbags for safety. Front suspension can cause issues, clunks, squeaks with age. Relatively easy fix and not too expensive, upper/lower control arms, swaybar bushes. Main thing to. E aware is always have timming belts etc replaced on or slightly ahead of schedule, keep An eye on oil levels and lastly there is a series of sensors re engine management, can't recall what they are called. They progressively fail with age, cost varies on which sensor. Good news is that places like EB spares in the uk are generally cheaper than here in oz, and are shipped rapidly.