Hi

I am very happy with my aircooled VW. But my wife will be getting her drivers licence soon. I am thinking of what car to buy for her.
I need something I know will be reliable. Now that I own a VW. I can
see the german quality compare to the japanese /korean stuff.

I have budget to be less than $ 18000.

So I am thinking of somethign like a Golf watercooled late model? BMW 3 series or seat. or may be even volvo?


What do u recommend.? Let me know ur thoughts.

I have read some forums on Golfs, seems like a good handling car.

I am wondering what ur thoughts are or whats ur second car.
I am looking from the view point of reliability and price of spare parts.
I should add it will be a weekend car for me to have fun driving
around.!

As I will be doing most of the general service work.

Or should I go back to japanese car and be done with it.

thanks in advance
David

dave you wouldn't punish yourself and own a jap car..try a mk4 golf well built handle stop and are safe..very reliable[currently have a mk3 with252000ks ] with service intervals at 15000ks and easy to service yourself..try a 1.6 as these are very economical and at a good price now as the mk5 is on the market cheers steve

for $18,000 you could easily get a nice Mk4 Golf or maybe even a N.Beetle if you shop around.

Go the golf, nice car and very sweet to drive for a new driver.

Ditto the Golf. I hated them when I was a kid*. Owned one as a grownup, and they are really great cars. They handle beautifully, are comfortable and have generations of engineering success built into them.

Then again, for 10 grand, you could surprise her with that great V6 Kombi over in for sales. You could buy a schmicko Type 3 with the change too. Seriously, there's some nice reliable old metal on here with ton's of character. I'd probably just buy a pristine Type 3 if it were my money, and pop the rest in the bank. Am I convincing you yet? Or do you think she'd have too many people eying her off in a nice oldtimer?

*Mostly I hated the shape! I'm a '70s build, and if it didn't look like a corvette, I just wasn't interested back then. My Aunty also had one which made them especially uncool! Now I have taste! My Aunty is alright too!

Dave

I did the same thing - bought my wife a 2000 1.6 Mk4 Golf

Come round if you want to have a real good look.

Consider as well
a late polo
a late Subaru Impreza

hmmm 18k budget. me thinks beetle with subaru conversion, and brake upgrade. money well spent and a fun neat car to boot.

Man 2G's, I cant believe you're not recommending a KG! Wassup?

There are some great late model Audis around with alloys and power everything that you could get for under $18000.
Just check that they have been serviced properly.

Hi

thanks for the reply so far.

Can u let me know what sort of Audi? model etc.. as I am not
familiar with Audi !

Like what years and which model.? Are parts readily available?
As I know a lot of private companies do imports for VW . So the
parts prices are cheaper than purchasing from the VW dealer network.
I am not sure of audi parts ? wether it will be cheap etc...

thanks to all who reply ,.also tnx for barry for offering Golf
for me to have a look. may take u up on that .

David

Go a Subaru (Liberty, Outback or Forester 1999 - 2003) for that sort of $ - there bullet proof, parts and service is very reasonable, exellent resale value, exellent fuel economy, a pleasure to drive, cheap insurance!! I could go on! They are a very well built car!!

Can you tell i love mine nn[ Edited on 5-7-2005 by VWENVY ]

second car for your wife?

sounds like a good trade... lol

I'll sell you my Mk 4 golf for 18K
2000 model, 1.6, 63000km.

subaru imprezza awd NON turbo

my wife loves hers!!!!!

Subary liberty AWD, my wife loves it as well. Keep in mind that Audi's, BMW, etc are expensive to repair, unless youa re doing it yourself, but then the parts are expensive unless you get an older one.

guys who own a subie for their wifes ,have you ever owned a late model vw/audi product...let alone have the advice that a vw/audi is more expensive to own??????another urban myth amongst us i think!!!! cheers steve

$18k. Mmm ... go get her a VSII Commodore for 8k and spend the 10 on something else. Cheap parts, common as, boring, go, stop, are big - and big beats small in crashes and have low deprecion after that point. Get the Acclaim, has more plastic bits and dials. Will go from a to b for yonks and will be safer than a ricer.

Boring, not German, but there are boxes of 'em to choose from, and always someone who'll buy it off ya. I've got a hack VR, cost $4.5 and does the job, even has a heater. Its easy to knock a grand of the asking price as there are so many of em

Will also be handy to load the kids into, after you take her on the dream holiday and nature takes it's course.......

Or if you want to buy something more exy ... try checking the Pickles auction website - they pre-sell or you can attend - they get NRMA checks, and you can pick up a 2003/4 Commodore for about that money.

Just for the record - A commodore is not a prefered ride, but the parts are cheaper than ford and just as common. They are useful as it's hard to get attached to it, being big and boring, so less stress when you ding it and they need far less washing and cleaning. Useful, like a kettle.

i would also recommend subaru as a serious contender- go test drive one and you'll be hooked.. i have a forester and mscabrio had a wrx a few years ago... build quality pretty good and excellent cars to get around in. Compared to commodores i have had in the past i cannot fault the forester, nothing has gone wrong with it in the 37000 k's i have done since new. commodore was falling apart by 50,000k's - problems with seals not put on properly since new, interior problems, paint problems etc etc even had the gearbox replaced at this point (auto) and second gearbox was on its way out by 90,000k's. The only thing i didnt have a problem with was the GenIII V8! everyone else i knew did!!! lol

I would go a golf or if size is not an issue why don't you look at getting a Polo ????? They are fun little cars, cool to drive and easy to park for new drivers. And best of all, they are a VW. You should be able to get a really good one that is almost new for around your budget. My personal choice would be to try and get as new a car as you can, you may even still get a warranty. I have never seen a late model Audi that isn't clapped out that is under $18000.

As a female driver that has driven many cars, I have loved my new beetle the best. I would NEVER drive a Commodore, its; just way to big and as for a Kombi, how on earth can you find a parking spot big enough at the shopping centre for it ??????? Although I also loved my WRX that is so NOT a car for a new driver, really neither is anything in the Subaru range.

I have also owned a Mazda 323 SP20 and that was a great car. Don't discount mazda and honda

I agree with crewcabconnection except I'm doing it the other way around. Sell the VS ll Acclaim and buy a VW. with the change pay off the wifes 2002 ASTRA CD. I'd steal it from her if I could. all the bells and whistles and ultra reliable. 3 interstate trips this week alone (900 k's) without missing a beat and cheap as to run.

Ooops, I said COMMODORE. Just fer the record, also got a 2003 Sube Forester, has had zero problems in 38,000ks. Last one was a Liberty RX - forget the 2.2 in the Liberty, had a Ski FX one, gutless, also had a 2.0 Mk 1 Forester - that rattled after 20,000ks and was even more gutless.

I could never really justify the WRX, I know it goes and goes, but when you get over that bit, they are still a bit cheap inside, compaired to the Liberty, with is definately a better built car.

I loved the Liberty, it was a great handling wagon, needed a tad more tork to get up hills in 5th when loaded, but we did over 80,000kms in that and nothing at all went wrong - and it did some hard k's in traffic most of it's days.

We nearly went for an Audi A4 Avant, but seriously, I could not justify the price tag. Why are Liberties so good an idea, case even Holden decided to make one - eventually.

My point with a COMMODORE, is just that they are dirt cheap to fix, even if they break, which VR and VS are not that bad - honestly - and I don't give a crap what the kids spill, or what fwit knocks it at Woolies. As near to disposable as they come, but will still go to Brissy effortlessly due to big phat lazy engine and box. They make a great HACK, but there's no way in hell I'd spend 18k on one. Get a Liberty RX, the quad cam and AWD is great. Even if your the worst driver, it will still propel you round corners, on the dirt, in the wet without even engaging your brain.

My point was, that to go to the shops or hack to work, a COMMODORE is ideal and you can spend your money on something you do like, a BUS, or a few buses, and still pick up the kids when you need to with no effort or care.

Just like Pot Noodle really, tastes crap (to me), but it's hot and fills you up if you only want to spend a buck.

phew.,