Motoring
For those who don’t take part in the ridiculous Ford vs. Holden battle:
I have read mixed reports about TX5s like this. Feel free to judge and comment from past experiences/rumours/hearsay etc.
28 responses to “Motoring”
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owned two Mazda 626s in the days when they were newish, Ford is the same, mine were very good, well engineered, fast cars.
I’d(1) give them(>1) a(1) seven(7) out of ten(10)
I would go a Corolla. reliable, relatively easy to run, low maintenance. Did I mention reliable? (although that Ford comes with a CD player and a sunroof)
I’ve owned a corolla. Although they are reliable, cheap etc, they also look like they’ve run into the ugly tree, backed off, and run into it again several times.
I would give the corolla a nine-out-of-ten(1)
…and it would be grateful.
You are correct – my fall-back, sensible option is a corona…slightly bigger and hence more comfortable than the corolla.
The only problem with Toyotas is that, since they’re the best, they’re also the most expensive.
Nissan is a good compromise. Good strong engines, but cheaper than Toyotas. Pulsars(inc. Sentras, and Sunnys), Primeras and many other Nissan engines have a cam chain, instead of a belt, and so you don’t have to worry about changing them every 90,000kms – ie: you don’t have to change tham at all. From experience, Skylines are not very practical, and are a bit of a reverse TARDIS, with surprisingly little passenger space, and a very shallow boot. This is largely due to the fact that they are rear-wheel-drive, whereas most other Japanese cars are front-wheel-drive.
Mazdas and Japanese Fords are alike and are fairly middle-of-the-road. I’ve seen some really good Mazdas.
Hondas have good engines (performance wise), but they are harder to work on, and hence incur more labour costs for any work that may need doing. I’ve found that Hondas tend to be a little unreliable apart from the engines, ie failing switch gear, deteriorating interiors etc.
Mitusbishis tend to struggle with reliability issues across the board, and I would personally steer clear of them, but I must also consider the fact that our family owned a Mitsubishi L300 van and put over 230,000kms on it without it requiring any attention other than the usual services and maintenance – ’twas a wee gem, that van.
Subarus, from my experience, are a mixed bag. Cheaper, and while some are fairly trouble free, others can be plagued with many issues, eg: my father, who is a very sensible driver(not a hoon), has had to replace many parts on his 1994 Legacy GT wagon, including parts of the airconditioning, and the radiator(or part thereof) at least twice.
Hyundai, dare I say it, are actually pretty good cars, but they lack the pedigree of many of the Japanese brands, and are often therefore cheaper. This also goes for the other Korean brands, such as Kia and Daewoo.
Steer clear of cheaper European cars unless you have another car and are looking for a hobby. Alfas drive nicer than any other Japanese car you’ll ever drive, and the 80’s Alfas are cheap to buy and easy to find cheapish parts for, but I’m biased when it comes to Alfas.
VW, Mercedes, BMW, Audi etc. are much more expensive for parts. Peugeot and Citroen are possibly slightly cheaper to maintain than the German cars, but have very different characteristics, and you often find that people will either love or hate the French cars. Newer European cars that are not so cheap are often more expensive(duh)
Britsh cars are fairly thin on the ground in NZ, with the Fords: Escort(discontinued), Focus, Ka and the Mondeo possibly the more common, and also newer models.
Whether you buy used or new, there is no real guarantee that the car you buy is not going to be a lemon. Therefore, if you want a car that you are intending to hang on to for 5+ years, then around $10,000/
Anyway, as I was saying, whether you buy used or new, there is no real guarantee that the car you buy is not going to be a lemon. Therefore, if you want a car that you are intending to hang on to for 5+ years, then around $10,000/
I see, its the < sign… Matthew – you can tidy this up if you want… here we go again…
whether you buy used or new, there is no real guarantee that the car you buy is not going to be a lemon. Therefore, if you want a car that you are intending to hang on to for 5+ years, then around $10,000/<80,000kms is a good price/mileage to look at. Cars I would recommend in this price bracket would be the Toyota Corolla/Carib, Toyota Caldina(wagon), Nissan Pulsar, Nissan Primera, Mazda 626/Capella, Mazda 323/Familia.
If you don’t have $10,000, then cheaper ($3000-$5000) is often best, as you’ll lose less if you do inadvertantly buy a lemon. Cars I would recommend in this range would be the Mazda Familia, Ford Laser, and the Toyota Corolla.
Ex lease/fleet vehicles are also worth checking out, as, although they may have a higher mileage, they will have typically incurred their mileage on longer journeys(short journeys are harder on cars, particularly on the engines), and will have been regularly serviced.
Auctions are good places to buy cars, provided you are, or have with you, an experienced person who is able to accurately judge the overall condition of a vehicle in a relatively short time. Cars sell much cheaper at auction, but the likelihood of purchasing a lemon is much higher.
Nothing is cut-and-dried when it comes to purchasing and owning cars, and so instincts, married with common sense, are often good to go on. The advice of others is also valuable, although you’ll find that everyone will swear by(or at) a different car, and for different reasons.
I hope this information is helpful.
Very helpful. Cheers.
While I agree with you on most points, I plan (if I stay single for a while longer) to ‘do up’ whatever car I buy, so aesthetics and availibility of body kits etc is also of importance. I also have many pet hates which narrows down my options. Among them: skylines, primeras, gallants.
I reckon a corona would look pretty phat with some nice wheels, kit, etc
hehe – rice boy!
I’m more of a ‘sleeper’ man myself. I’d like something that looks factory standard, but can blow away just about anything else.
Tim, I’m with you on Mitsi Galants, but I’d be interested to know why you hate Primeras and Skylines. The Primera has rather advanced suspension, and is arguably the best handling car in its class.
Primeras I hate a)because everyone does them up, and b) because some primera owners i know are people i really dont rate highly. The rift between myself and primeras is personal. It’s unfortunate though because they are a great car.
Skylines: a) EVERYONE has them, b) they are ugly. i hate the round taillights. look like a spaceship out of a low budget 70s sci fi movie. I’d rather put a skyline engine under the bonnet of a commodore.
Now, I hear you say, “but everyone has coronas too you hypocrite”. true, but how many have you seen kitted out? if i ever get around to doing the desired modifications to a corona i think it’d be quite unique. I think if I ever got round to putting a nice engine in a corona (suggestions?), i would be something of a ‘sleeper’ too.
Have you seen the Toyota ad on the telly with the Indian family who all own Toyotas? THe red car that he has done up is a Corona.
A good engine for the corona would be the two litre twin-cam turbo (3S-GTE)from the GT4 Celica. I imagine it would use the existing engine mounts, but you may need to fabricate custom manifolds to get the turbo to fit. Installation of the intercooler, and the incorporation of the GT4 (or custom) ECU are other significant factors you’d need to consider. If you weren’t increaing the output of the engine too much, you could use a standard Corona 5-spd gearbox.
Hmmm, haven’t seen the ad i dont think. Yeh had thought about that engine. Good option i think. Well, i will keep you posted on my car progress when i actualy get round to buying one. Perhaps then I should set up a car blog.
well, dear Tim. There is the option of spending $10,000 as Dan has mentioned. And then selling that car two years later for at least half that amount. Or, you could go the classic car way (clippity-clop, clippity-clop here’s my hobby horse). I bought the the anglia for $2400 incl parts and then sold it two years later for $2600 incl parts. I bought the Humber for $1700 and I should be able to get that money back easily. I think the classic car option is very valid these days, although you do have to budget a mit more for every service compared to a newer car.
If you really want to get a car to do up, may I recommend the option of finding a late 80’s laser/mazda and then finding the 1.6 injected turbo TX3 engine to put in it. You should be able to get the car for a grand, get the engine installed for the same amount, and there you have it. A real goer for a fraction of the cost of many other ‘fast’ cars. But it always comes down to money. Always. And if you don’t have any, then your options are limited indeed.
David, I would have loved to buy the Anglia…but you sold it!
Late 80s lasers and mazdas are rather ugly, but definitely a viable option.
perfect! I’ve got a ‘real goer’ 85 Mazda 323 that’s got to cool for me, and is asking to be sold. It’s dying to get a little extra love in the form of 1.6 blah blah engine.
Dave, thinking about that again, explain to me why you would bother buying a laser and putting a tx3 engine in it? why wouldn’t you just buy a tx3?
A friend of mine had a TX3. It had a bigger-than-factory-turbo. I drove it at two hundred and forty-five(245) kilometres per hour(kph).
Tim, that’s a very good question. For the sake of our readers, I’ll answer it. Tim, your question was, “explain to me why you would bother buying a laser adn putting a tx3 engine in it? why wouldn’t you just buy a tx3?”
the reasons tim are these:
– i personally would recommend/prefer the sedan shape (like I used to have). tx3’s just come in the old 2-door hatch.
– tx3’s are now rare and far between. most have been raced to death with hoon cigarette stains everywhere and un-kempt interior) they also ask a high price (for their tx3 status). So I would say, get the sedan shape (from an old lady driver so the running gear is all sweet and interior all nice) for half the price of a tx3 and then drop in a nice recond tx3 engine. Way to go. A tx3 will also attrach unwant attention, and if you want a sleeper style motorcar, then you’ll get that with the sedan.
Excellent. Thank you. Like you, I far prefer the sedan shape. In fact, I really dislike the ford/mazda hatches. So a tx3 engine will fit in a mazda 323/familia 1989/90? I guess the other good thing about that is you can buy a car with high kms and get it much cheaper.
aaahh, you are learning. it will require a bit of work to get a tx3 engine in the sedan, but hey, this is a ‘worked’ car is it not?
True dat. Also requires a ‘work’shop to ‘work’ in which is my biggest problem.
JUST FOR THOSE INTERESTED, THE CORONA IN COMMENTS ABOVE IS ON TOYOTA HOME PAGE AT THE MOMENT. I AM ALSO A CORONA OWNER, BEST CAR EVER. 5 YEARS STILL NO PROBLEMS. GOING TO PROJECT IT JUST LIKE SAMUEL FROM MANUKAU!!!
Hay Im looking for a Primera i reckon they look wicked done up
Hay Im looking for a Primera i reckon they look wicked done up
I love Primeras they are a trust worthy car and have been collecting them for some time.The are a bigger a better version of the Sentra and Pulsar
I own a Pulsar and my Bro has a sentra.They are good little cars.But i reckon too that the engine for da primera exceeds that of its fellow mates.and it feels goo to drive.