New car for mrs thread 4 million.

[BigJonWB]

. Liberty is getting too big.

I would be surprised if a Gen IV Liberty is any bigger than a Mazda 3.

Quick google search tells me the Liberty is about 15 cm longer.

[Hansel]

Some women just can't handle an extra 15cm.

[Sketchy]

Still thinking of the Caldina. But now found this. How reliable is the DSG gearbox and what about clutch life? Wonder how much a new clutch costs? They have less power than the caldina but weigh like 400kg less!!!



http://www.carsales.com.au/private/d...ck&sort=~Price

Just like a golf.

[Grungle]

The concerns about jap imports are largely irrelevant these days. 15 years ago it might have been difficult to find a part for an imported skyline or something, but these days you can get consumables at any repco/supercheap etc because modern manufacturers mostly use similar platforms/parts bins. I know with my stagea the brake disks/pads are common to 350Zs, the oil filter is murano, gaskets etc are maxima. My delica is all outlander under the pointy brick body.

Failing that, Mitsubishi and Nissan will both supply more major stuff if you give them the right part number (in my experience anyway), and if that fails there are plenty of parts importers that will source and deliver the part too your door from Japan. One-make forums are good for this too.

Body panels are an issue, but if you've just bent your car bad enough to require panel replacement you've probably got bigger problems than waiting for a new bonnet to arrive.

Which brings me to insurance. In my experience, insurance is not massively more expensive than any other car. I'm sure in the early days of imports when every baggy-panted, backwards cap wearing faggot was importing R32s, RX7s and supras and spearing them into the undergrowth insurance went up, but the same happened with locally sold WRXs. My 200+kw stagea costs me $800 a year to insure, and my $30,000 delica (of which I think there are about 6 currently registered in australia) costs aboout $900 a year. Correct me if I'm wrong, but insurance costs are based on actual claim data, and there just isn't a massive number of people binning AWD family wagons, regardless of how many turbos it has.

To conclude my rant, my nopics loves the stagea and the Delica. She is the least car-person ever (first got her license at 23!) and gives no fucks for power, handling etc. However for the money, we couldn't find anything more practical, comfortable or more suited to our lifestyle than our imports, and in 5 years none of them have been off the road for more than 6 hours (and the big one was completely my fault).

[2JZR31]

Looked at 3 Golf GTIs and the Caldina. We could not drive the caldina but it looks much bigger than the golf and I seriously doubt its going to feel as sporty with the slushbox and extra 400kg despite the extra power. Plus it reeked of cigarettes. The GTIs seem pretty awesome and nopics loves them. We saw the one mentioned with the tyre on the wrong way (113ish k km) Its actually pretty nice and the guy is quite negotiable just a few minor scratches and dints. The 3rd one is pretty mint (105k km)but owner is not very negotiable and will cost at least 1500 more than the blue one with the tyre. We saw another with 80k km but the paint job was fucked and in general looked much shitter than the other 2. I like the gearbox. Still a bit scared about potential issues with it though.

Decisions.

As for insurance. $750 for an 18K golf. $860 for 13K caldina.

[rj_astra]

DSG services and cambelt changes are expensive. Verify when they were last done. Ask for invoices or similar.

Cambelt for the Australian market, the interval is 105,000klms or 7 years
DSG every 60/k
http://www.vwwatercooled.com.au/forums/f15/

[womblesti]

Focus xr5. Or are manuals out completely?

[tremolo]

Fiat punto sport, 1.9Td or 1.4t petrol, comes in manual, auto or the farking stupid dual-logic (manual box, completely automated, no clutch pedal, constantly tells you "illegal operation". Wouldn't own one if you held a gun to my head!)
Built on some GM platform. Under 10s 0-100 claims, mainly 3dr hatch but I think there are 5drs available with those motors, all safety stuff etc. should be able to pick one up for $12kish.

I work on fiats, have had sweet fuck all of them come in for repairs, servicing only. Only drama could be parts availability due to import rights changing hands earlier this year.

They're fucking horrific to drive tho, I wouldn't wish that shit in anyone (and this coming from an Alfa guy)

XR5 for shiz

[260BC]

Last time I checked VW DSG's were shit, fair dinkum.

[jsmith]

They're fucking horrific to drive tho, I wouldn't wish that shit in anyone (and this coming from an Alfa guy)

XR5 for shiz

only ever driven them up and down the street for test drives so cant comment on how good they are in that sense. remember driving the 1.3td, thought i was gonna die of old age before it came on boost, and even then, zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

[2JZR31]

We were set on the golf, but the lady with the Caldina was desperate to sell so we lowballed her and now own it. It cost us about 7 grand less than the golfs (after negotiating the golfs price down) with the same KM and insurance is only $100 more a year. Plus the DSG makes me nervous. It is bigger than a golf so will be better for road trips with shit in the back etc. It drives well and seems to handle as well as a golf besides tight corners (due to its ridiculous weight). Despite it weights it seems to go harder than the golf once moving. 3SGTE no shit But it has very noticeable lag off the mark. Falcon weight with a 2L auto will do that. Jury is out on economy. Common sense says it will suck fuel but all reviews I read said they can somehow achieve good economy.

Can anyone recommend someone that can remove hail dents? It has about 10 dents on the roof. Any tips to get cigarette smell out?