What cheap safe efficient car for Daughter?

[Swordie]

Subaru is good suggestion. Quite reliable. Some have 5 star rating. I'd expect they will be a bit heaver on fuel.

[Carrion]

Originally Posted by asagaai

So, I taught my daughter to drive in a manual Camry V6, our 3rd car, and she refused to let me teach her car control, sliding in wet, and lock up braking etc.

Refused to even consider letting me teach her these things, saying "Dad I am not interested in your racing and hooning" and rolled her eyes and moaned to my wife that I was guilty of child abuse for trying to teach her such antisocial irresponsible behaviours..... She went and got her license first go, drove real slow and instructor said she was ok but slow. I felt like saying that she cannot drive-she is unsafe etc etc. Anyways, I had my reservations....

Anyway, 10 months later, today in Newcastle, wet, she has totalled the Camry. In a rush for work, missed a turn hit the anchors, locked up tyres, and got into a slide, another car took out her total passenger side, and immediately thereafter another car took out the rear.....

Nobody hurt thank goodness.

So, what car should I look at that is cheap, reasonably efficient, and one that has abs for a person who cannot drive. Been a very long time since I bought a second hand car and I am out of the loop as to what are good things for cheap good value. Most important thing -one that is safe for drivers who do not understand the foggiest about car control.

Cheers and thanks for any suggestions as to where I should start the search...

Give her the XR8 and buy yourself a Sprint. You know you want to.....!!

[asagaai]

Originally Posted by Carrion

Give her the XR8 and buy yourself a Sprint. You know you want to.....!!

Would be especially funny given my rear passenger tyre is almost bald at 13,759 kms. Like to see her drive it in the wet, 1st 20% throttle wheelspin, 2nd repeat....

On another note- I could not go through the drama of getting a Sprint and going through the pain of intercooler install round 2......

[blueoval]

Subaru's aren't that bad on servicing despite popular belief. As long as the service intervals are kept up via the log book, the car should give you hassle free service.

[kevino]

Buy her a fiesta 2006 and upwards under 95000kms.
These handle and brake fantastic and offset driver error as they are so well balanced.
We bought a 2007 fiesta for our 18 yr old daughter ...from a dealer.. A year later she went on an oe to Europe and we sold it at a profit.
Great safe car.

[sprintman1]

Originally Posted by blueoval

Subaru's aren't that bad on servicing despite popular belief. As long as the service intervals are kept up via the log book, the car should give you hassle free service.

This..

[1TUFFUTE]

FG falcon. Only a few years ago it was officially the safest car you could buy on the whole Aus used market. That's according to an extensive Monash uni research that involves EVERY crash or incident going back quite a few years. The results were redone last year and from memory only the BMW X5 had overtaken it as the safest in REAL WORLD crashes.(don't think 7k will stretch that far )

You can get them easily under your 7k limit, manual or auto, or even an ecolpi!
Cheap Aussie parts and Great outwards vision too!

FG falcon

[XG_Falcon]

Originally Posted by 1TUFFUTE

FG falcon.

Although I agree they're great cars, it's probably not ideal for a young driver. The I6 has a fair amount of power/torque and it's a pretty big car for an inexperienced driver to negotiate into tight car parks, etc.

Also I kinda doubt a young lady would want to drive a Falcon around, especially if she's not even into cars...

[1TUFFUTE]

Don't give her a say in the matter ;). And for me the huge safety aspect out ways ALOT of things. The size of the car just means she'll learn a bit of low speed manoeuvring......perfect ;)

Perhaps look up the Monash test results and work back down the list till you find a car you like.

[mash again]

If me or my family were in an accident, i would want them in a post AU falcon, the shell construction is second to none. ill wear the extra fuel for the safety and im not interested in stars issues for bells etc. if the structure is the safest, then add the extras. falcon probably the safest in your price range. If she cant drive a falcon, she shouldnt have a license, that goes for everyone on the planet. my daughter is learning to drive in a prado and has no issues with parking etc. also drives my falcon. We need to stop telling young girls they cant drive a medium size car.

[mechanic]

Originally Posted by mash again

If me or my family were in an accident, i would want them in a post AU falcon, the shell construction is second to none. ill wear the extra fuel for the safety and im not interested in stars issues for bells etc. if the structure is the safest, then add the extras. falcon probably the safest in your price range. If she cant drive a falcon, she shouldnt have a license, that goes for everyone on the planet. my daughter is learning to drive in a prado and has no issues with parking etc. also drives my falcon. We need to stop telling young girls they cant drive a medium size car.

I'm with you 100%
I paid for a lot of driving lessons for my daughter [ now 45 yr ].
She then started going out with her boyfriend in his XC and before long she's driving it around.
She's only about 5ft2in and driving the XC was not a problem to her as I had an XC at the time and she could handle it no trouble.
My brothers 3 daughters were taught to drive in his Land Rover Defender so can't see why a full sized sedan should be a problem to a younger driver.

[blueoval]

Larger cars do force the driver to be a bit more spatially aware I have found.You tend to take more care with things. But at the end of the day it's the OP's decision on what he wants his daughter to drive.

[Syndrome]

Mitsubishi 380 would be my recommendation.

[paule11]

Originally Posted by blueoval

Subaru's aren't that bad on servicing despite popular belief. As long as the service intervals are kept up via the log book, the car should give you hassle free service.

Know 2 people who have Subarus one whose girlfriend had anv6 commodore they got rid of the Subaru as the commodore used less fuel .Another who came and saw me after he hired an Fg and found out it got better fuel economy than his Subaru. Both had gone and asked the dealer but where told economy was normal

[flooded one]

TJ onwards Magna

[XT UTE 68]

Originally Posted by minheim

Have a look for a CJ lancer. They have ESC, ABS and TC. If you stretch the budget a little you might be able to score a later model with side airbags. They also are built with a rigid unibody with extensive use of high strength steel and are a a pretty solid vehicle. They are also one of the most reliable model cars around and have low maintenance costs and use a timing chain not a timing belt.

+1 we bought a 2010 CJ lancer ES for my red P plater daughter, she is paying back the mum dad bank, Its only the base model ES but I've been impressed with how good it is for the money. Plenty power for her and good economy. Heaps airbags and ABS. We got it from the auctions as a ex gov car, has a few marks but is mechanically sound. Worth a look.

[asagaai]

Thanks for all the suggestions everyone.

At present I am in the process of dealing with the Insurers, seems a 4wd is likely to be found responsible, causing the 3 pile up.

Also seems had my daughter had abs, accident would not have occurred to begin with- so the car she gets will need abs.

I am letting my daughter get the taste of being carless, and she is looking at bombs round $1,500 because I have indicated that's it-she wiped out my car- she's on her own.

Let her sweat for a number more days - and I will just mull over what I can and want to spend, and what machinery I will stump up for.

[The Yeti]

If you want to stump up for a mother car then just let her sweet for a week or so then offer to kick the can if she does an advanced driving course

[Matty4]

Originally Posted by 1TUFFUTE

Don't give her a say in the matter ;). And for me the huge safety aspect out ways ALOT of things. The size of the car just means she'll learn a bit of low speed manoeuvring......perfect ;)

Perhaps look up the Monash test results and work back down the list till you find a car you like.

LOL......you obviously don't have a daughter of this age then...

If I told her I'll buy the car but it has to be a Falcon, she'll tell me to get stuffed and work out a way to buy what she wants, and then see how things work out in the father/daughter relationship..

This is what we got her. She'll pay us half back after she gets her licence.

[Brazen]

If you are going to get an AU, get a ute. My niece got my brothers old FG ute when he updated -absolutely loves it. Tough as anything drives well and doesn't encourage a car full of passengers. Most girls will not like the idea, but others may think it's so unexpected for a 18 year old girl it's cool.

Probably one of the few cheap modern cars that will retain or grow in value

[1TUFFUTE]

Originally Posted by Matty4

LOL......you obviously don't have a daughter of this age then...

If I told her I'll buy the car but it has to be a Falcon, she'll tell me to get stuffed and work out a way to buy what she wants, and then see how things work out in the father/daughter relationship..

This is what we got her. She'll pay us half back after she gets her licence.

image

Nope, certainly no 18yr old daughter for me.....but the Op stated a Cheap,Safe,efficient car. FG Excels in the most important factor by a fair margin here....Safety. So many people think those Ancap safety stars mean something, but in reality they only get you so far. That little golf is only crash tested against other cars of its size. Seeing as her driving skills/experience has Already been proven as questionable, then I'd be going safety first by far. You can get cheap FG Falcons, and even ecolpis that are more efficient! And who's paying for the golf to be repaired when something fails.....eww not me!(perhaps an 18yr old)

Op seems to be running the show anyway, so like me.....if I bought my daughter a car and she went and found someway of changing or choosing her own car(highly doubtful)......Then it would sound like she's ready to be fully self sufficient on her own!. She can sort her own stuff out........

[b0son]

Originally Posted by 1TUFFUTE

FG Excels in the most important factor by a fair margin here....Safety.

There's more to safety than crash protection.

I wouldn't be buying a big RWD car with 200kW for a young inexperienced driver. I'd be questioning the parenting skills of anyone who thinks its a good choice TBH....

[Stefan]

Originally Posted by b0son

There's more to safety than crash protection.

I wouldn't be buying a big RWD car with 200kW for a young inexperienced driver. I'd be questioning the parenting skills of anyone who thinks its a good choice TBH....

Not to mention a base model Falcon handles like cr@p compared to something like that Golf above.

[Matty4]

Originally Posted by 1TUFFUTE

Nope, certainly no 18yr old daughter for me.....but the Op stated a Cheap,Safe,efficient car. FG Excels in the most important factor by a fair margin here....Safety. So many people think those Ancap safety stars mean something, but in reality they only get you so far. That little golf is only crash tested against other cars of its size. Seeing as her driving skills/experience has Already been proven as questionable, then I'd be going safety first by far. You can get cheap FG Falcons, and even ecolpis that are more efficient! And who's paying for the golf to be repaired when something fails.....eww not me!(perhaps an 18yr old)

Op seems to be running the show anyway, so like me.....if I bought my daughter a car and she went and found someway of changing or choosing her own car(highly doubtful)......Then it would sound like she's ready to be fully self sufficient on her own!. She can sort her own stuff out........

C'mon.......both the Golf and the FG are 5 star ANCAP rated. The offset frontal crash testing is done against cars of similar mass, but what you're saying is if your 1700kg FG crashed into a 1450kg Golf (both with a suite of safety systems) that the Falcon (and the driver) will come out of that far better than the Golf?

BTW, I think it'd be more encumbent on the parents (myself included) to get them to learn in a car that's going to keep them out of trouble with the limited skills they have, not get them into more trouble.

[mik]

Originally Posted by Matty4

C'mon.......both the Golf and the FG are 5 star ANCAP rated. The offset frontal crash testing is done against cars of similar mass, but what you're saying is if your 1700kg FG crashed into a 1450kg Golf (both with a suite of safety systems) that the Falcon (and the driver) will come out of that far better than the Golf?

BTW, I think it'd be more encumbent on the parents (myself included) to get them to learn in a car that's going to keep them out of trouble with the limited skills they have, not get them into more trouble.

while the star system is probably a reasonable guide in some circumstances , if i got hit up the kyber while in either a big car or a little car ........ i know which one id rather be in .

[blueoval]

Originally Posted by paule11

Know 2 people who have Subarus one whose girlfriend had anv6 commodore they got rid of the Subaru as the commodore used less fuel .Another who came and saw me after he hired an Fg and found out it got better fuel economy than his Subaru. Both had gone and asked the dealer but where told economy was normal

Well my point was about servicing not economy. The economy of the Subaru could be improved but an NA 2L pushing all 4 wheels isnt going to net you great economy no matter how you look at it. So good on your friends for choosing their direction, it still doesn't negate my point.

[paule11]

I think they had to get their Subarus serviced every 6 months they asked me about the Falcon service intervals

[XG_Falcon]

Originally Posted by Matty4

LOL......you obviously don't have a daughter of this age then...

If I told her I'll buy the car but it has to be a Falcon, she'll tell me to get stuffed and work out a way to buy what she wants, and then see how things work out in the father/daughter relationship..

That was my immediate reaction as well.

[Maka]

I reckon a advanced driving course is a must considering the circumstances & her age. It's definitely most important kids having the right attitude when behind the wheel. Good luck!

cheer's, Maka

[asagaai]

Originally Posted by Matty4
LOL......you obviously don't have a daughter of this age then...

If I told her I'll buy the car but it has to be a Falcon, she'll tell me to get stuffed and work out a way to buy what she wants, and then see how things work out in the father/daughter relationship..

Originally Posted by XG_Falcon

That was my immediate reaction as well.

Well- I showed a picture of a Lancer CJ- large rear wing, and my daughter did not like the look- boy racer. She also did not want a bar of Subaru impreza -boy hood racer.

She talked about Mazda 2 for fuel efficiency as she complained that a large chunk of her earnings from part time jobs was paying to feed the Camry V6 3 litre to and from uni etc and fuel consumption was a great concern, and I pulled up on the Mazda 2, - belt cam drive replacement every 100,000 km and nvh and small size for passive crash safety....

Surprisingly when I explained lack of size and safety she was receptive-after the crash and the way the bulbar of the 4wd crushed in the body 3/4 foot inwards over rear passenger wheel, and then raked along the passenger side, only stopped pushing in by door intrusion beams-and the way the rear boot took the impact when the 4wd pushed her Camry rear boot into a car in the opposing lane- she is now looking at the small micro cars and lack of boots with the same eyes as I have.

Ended up buying a Honda Civic 2008 manual with 6 months rego and 5,000 km from next service, surprisingly a very good drive, full stamped service records, good passive crash crumple safety design, and the engine to me felt better than the Lancer 2 litre. $6,000 - so within my $7,000 budget.

Anyways, thanks all for the suggestions, at the end of the day what swayed me was chain cam drive, a tight test drive, good passive safety crumple design, fuel efficiency not that much behind the micro Mazda 2, and Honda engineering which I have grown to respect, this will be my third Honda.

(Ps- on the quiet, also wanted a car little bigger to put on a bullbar cause as sure as taxes and death my FGX XR8 is not doing the trailer towing duties..... :0