discussion Safe, economical and decent quality city car for under R150k

[that_guy_Ettiene]

I would look at the previous gen Swift Sport's.. The N/A 1.6i.
My brother has one and they are extremely reliable, solid, fun to drive, not slow and chrap to maintain.


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[r0ckf1re]

Fiesta 1.0L ecoboost powershift

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[MR_Y]

I would look at the previous gen Swift Sport's.. The N/A 1.6i.
My brother has one and they are extremely reliable, solid, fun to drive, not slow and chrap to maintain.


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Yes, those are the better made ones.

 

[MR_Y]

Koreans are very well made nowadays
Jazz gets my vote - very very well made car (as opposed to the city/ballade made for India). It is small but not nasty (unfortunately also means they hold their value really well so getting one in budget could be tough).
You might want to look at a Fiat 500 purely because they are doing such good deals on them recently (if you want to get a brand new car). Everyone who I know personally that has one loves them... though read up on reliability.

The 500 and the 108, given their high safety credentials, are also on my list. Having many airbags and ESC/ESP is one thing, but having a sturdy body structure to withstand an impact is something else. As long as a car got at least 4 stars on the Euro NCAP test, I would be happy. Because I may use the car occasionally with my child in it, this becomes a real consideration. If it was just me in the car all the time, I would go for a Corsa bakkie with some minor visual mods (though, that may find more favour with hijackers in town).

A Porsche Cayman is not the ideal car for daily driving to the CBD - not because of the theft risk (which is low), but rather because the chances of getting a ding or two are quite high.

 

[MR_Y]

Fiesta 1.0L ecoboost powershift

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Not a fan of used, cheap turbo cars, especially with small engines. Also, a few coolant system issues noted on that particular model, as they age - especially, with history of stop start driving

 

[that_guy_Ettiene]

A boring option would be a Mazda 3, not the current generation but the previous ones.
Very very good value for money, safe, low risk cars.. But like I said, not very exciting.
Would still go for a SSS

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[VinceM]

Anyway, I still have another 8-12 months to go before I make a final decision.
Hopefully, the current shape Mazda2 starts dipping below the R150k mark.

I’m also looking within the same time frame (for a different purpose, will need to buy a car for my son).


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[r0ckf1re]

Not a fan of used, cheap turbo cars, especially with small engines. Also, a few coolant system issues noted on that particular model, as they age - especially, with history of stop start driving

Your budget ie R150k, not sure what wont be cheap and used. Best of luck wirh your search.

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[FerdiBotha]

I would look at the previous gen Swift Sport's.. The N/A 1.6i.
My brother has one and they are extremely reliable, solid, fun to drive, not slow and chrap to maintain.


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+1 on this

They are really great cars.

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[MR_Y]

Your budget ie R150k, not sure what wont be cheap and used. Best of luck wirh your search.

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I referred to cheap/used turbo cars. More than happy for an NA car instead.

 

[Nemo]

I have a VW Move Up! with all the bells and whistles and by all means I would recommend it all day every day.

Purchased in 2016 and not a days hassle to date, its fun to drive, nimble and ample power for in and around town. Service costs are cheap as well.

 

[individj]

Oh i must add that these small engine non turbo cars feel terrible at altitude i found...maybe that swift would be the better option.

 

[VinceM]

Any thoughts on the Audi A1 or Mini Cooper


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[Nemo]

Any thoughts on the Audi A1 or Mini Cooper


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I also have an audi a1 tfsi, its a nice car, great run around. nice features but lots of little niggles like sensors etc and service costs are expensive.

With the cooper I have never owned one but they are very very fun to drive and depending on the year model they could be expensive to maintain.

With the UP! I think a turbo would have done it well and in other markets they do have a 1.0t engine but 3 cylinders + not many things to break means its cheap as chips to maintain.

 

[SanM]

Nissan Almera. Solid and reliable. Packs a nice punch too.

 

[VinceM]

Nissan Almera. Solid and reliable. Packs a nice punch too.

Just that Uber look!


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[JoziNick]

Just that Uber look!


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[SanM]

Just that Uber look!


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Just that Uber look!


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Doesn't matter, reliable vehicle.Functionality and reliability over looks in this price range.

 

[MR_Y]

Update

I am also considering a Toyota Starlet (the Suzuki Baleno clone).
For R30k more (R180k), you can get a low spec Starlet with minor mileage.
I guess prices will drop, as older and higher mileage ones hit the market by year end.
Anyway, will need to do a few test drives.

 

[msm]

Consider a slightly older Civic (9th gen) from 2012 onwards. Utterly reliable with decent consumption on the 1.8 petrol. Honda service parts seem to be reasonable nowadays compared to a few years ago. I had a 8th Gen (2008) with zero issues beyond 100k KM. I now have a 2013 9th gen - mileage is low at 80K KM, but not a single issue.

A 7-8 year old Honda will probably give you less trouble than a VW that's half as old.

The Mazda3 is also a good option.