The Road To Freedom
Sydney Morning Herald
Saturday January 1, 2005
ROD EASDOWN picks the best used cars to get your teenagers mobile with their first set of wheels.
When their kids are around parents often get uncomfortable talking about the first car they drove. Naturally, they'd prefer not to discuss all the stupid stuff they did when they were young. Looking back on their early experiences, many parents must wonder how they managed to avoid killing themselves.Drivers, even young ones, are more responsible these days but that doesn't stop their parents having strong views on what sort of cars their offspring should be driving. These seldom match what the youngster wants.The good news for parents is that their kids are much the same as they were - so desperate to get mobile that, while they may be hanging out for a brand new Honda Jazz VTiS in milano red, they'll settle for whatever they can get. Parents can, therefore, ensure their views on safety, reliability, practicality and economy are enforced. At the same time they can give their children a valuable lesson in how the big, mean world works: my way or the highway.For any parent wrestling with the issue of a first car for a son or daughter, there are a bunch of dilemmas to work through. For example, which is the better buy, a four-year-old Hyundai Accent or a seven-year-old Commodore Executive? Both cost about $13,000 and while the Hyundai will be cheaper to run and insure, road safety experts have a saying about smashes that makes the Holden an appealing proposition: weight is great. The fact is, statistically, young drivers are far more likely to be involved in road smashes than their parents.The newer small car has the benefit of a few extra years of research and development into road safety (smart airbags, greater body integrity and better impact absorption performance) but it's more dynamic and it stops faster. This means that it's often better at avoiding a smash in the first place.Of course this also depends a great deal on the skill of the driver and P-platers are usually burdened with the task of having to learn many of these skills on the job. If you're serious about helping your child survive, here's a smart tip. Spend a few dollars less on the car itself and put them towards a car control course at one of the better driving schools.This will teach them all about braking, swerving, avoidance and how to see accidents coming and it will get them familiar with the dynamics of their car. Mostly, it will show them just how much they still have to learn. It will be the best money you ever spend. They'll also thoroughly enjoy it. Who knows, they may even convince you to do one yourself.So what are the best second-hand buys for people starting out with their first car?Light cars have two big advantages - they're highly dynamic and they're cheap. They have one big disadvantage; they're light. Quite apart from how this may make you feel about their safety, light cars tend to be noisy, less comfortable and rather more fragile than normal. They don't cruise terribly well and the ride can be quite tough. They are cheap to run though and on a young person's budget that's a significant plus.Among this category we like Holden's Barina a lot. It's a practical and well made little car that has the significant advantage of widespread parts and service backing and it has proved reliable and very economic to run. It's also good fun to drive and will teach its driver much about vehicle dynamics. But early models had small engines that made them kind of leisurely. Added to this some have not been fitted with power steering and that can make them very heavy to drive.1995 three-door Barinas with about 140,000km on the clock start from about $6000 for a manual, while five-door models are about $1000 more. Add about $500 for automatic transmission, which was optional on the five-door models. The far better equipped GSi models are significantly more expensive. A 2000 three-door model with 70,000km starts from about $10,000 in manual, while five-doors are about $11,500 in auto.If you can stretch to $15,000 you'll be able to get into a much newer Toyota Echo, a car we also like very much. And if you'll settle for a three-door manual you'll get one that's less than two years old while a five-door auto with power steering will be more likely to wear a 2002 build date.Going up a size, Toyota's Corolla is far from the sexiest car on the block but in the four prerequisites for a first car - safety, reliability, practicality and economy - it stacks up admirably. It's also safe buying second-hand because most Corollas have been treated very conservatively. If the service book is complete and the car drives well it's highly likely to return a full and satisfactory life.But used car dealers know this and prices reflect that. There are lots of similarly sized cars around that are cheaper, including Nissan's Pulsar and Ford's Laser. Both of these are a little more fun to drive but not as well made. Cars from Hyundai and Daewoo are even cheaper but both are less well made and less interesting to drive than the Toyota.Corollas do reward the extra they cost with good service and higher resale values. A 1995 Corolla Conquest sedan with automatic transmission and 140,000km on the clock costs about $10,700 while a hatch costs $500 or so more. Manuals are $400 cheaper. Go for a 2000 year model with 70,000km and the sedan will cost about $17,500, while the hatch will be $18,200. Manual models are about $1000 less.For $20,000 you'll get a 2001 model with 40,000km, which makes the current offers on new Nissan Pulsars and Ford Focuses look good until you factor in the on-road costs.If your preferences lie with large cars there are some real bargains among Commodores and Falcons. A 1995 VS Commodore auto with 170,000km is less than $10,000 and a Falcon Classic is more like $9000. Commodores from 2000, with 80,000km on the clock, are $16,000 to $17,000 while Falcons are consistently $1000 cheaper.However, while they give a lot of metal for the money these cars become quite expensive to run as they get older. And while they may be safe and offer excellent value, their power and rear-wheel-drive can make them a handful for inexperienced drivers. Both models also suffered a number of quality control problems and had a relatively high number of recalls. Better built, better value and a better drive is Mitsubishi's Magna V6, a 1995 incarnation of which will start about $7500, while the 2000 year model is $13,000. These are front-wheel-drive cars and user-friendly but resale values are absolutely dreadful. At these prices you don't have a whole lot more to lose.Bear in mind that most big Aussie six cylinders are former fleet cars and lots of fleet cars have a hard life.So what would I buy for my kids? If I could scrape together the money I'd beat a path to the nearest Subaru dealer and examine the used Imprezas. Not the turbocharged WRX model that everyone is trying to ban from young drivers - the regular version. It's a safe and dynamic car and its all-wheel-drive system makes it exceptionally stable and well behaved in rotten weather. It's also well made, highly reliable and practical. But it's expensive. An automatic 1995 GX hatch with 140,000km is about $12,200, about $1500 more than a comparable Corolla. A 2000 model with 70,000km is $20,000. Despite the financial pain, you'll reap the benefits when it comes time to sell because the Impreza's resale values are excellent.If your young driver is into surfing, consider a Subaru Forester - a great little soft-roader that's capable off the beaten track and ideal for surfers and adventurers alike. And they enjoy all the strengths of the brand in build quality, reliability and practicality.Prices start from about $16,000 for a 1997 model with manual transmission and 110,000km on the odometer, while 2000 models start at $20,500.
© 2005 Sydney Morning Herald