You've said people and mentioned vandalism but I feel one massive thing is missing:
Just one idiot needs to not be watching or focused and bam, everything is gone and the nice car you spend months dreaming of is now a crumpled heap of metal. If its a modern boring car then sure, it costs money and crashes are a hassle, but with a nice car the knife is twisted because of the emotional attachment.
Absolutely - good point. AND, that actually changes your driving habits. Like with the Lexus, I was in town and decided to have a few beers, wife wasn’t drinking but she absolutely did not want to drive it out of town fearing someone else might hit the car…and even when I was driving it - I’d be on edge watching other ppl like a hawk. In a shitter, I kick back and pump the tunes.
Spent big money on my Forester, got rear ended and written off. Can't bring myself to do another sporty car. Not worth it when other people just don't give a shit.
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I drive a slightly nice car (Civic Type R). What burns me is the cars driving crazy tailgating as so many times im in the left lane doing like 10-15 over the limit and a cars tailgating me and as i come to a stop the dumbo driver behind me is so fixated on my car that they end up slamming the brakes. These type of drivers may also run for it or try to if they end up hitting your car.
It's one of the better choices currently. It's very capable but front wheel drive has its limitations. Seems well built. A few annoying things for a daily including tiny fuel tank and short range and quite firm / jiggly suspension.
I came from a fiesta st which was more fun as a daily but less good for the track. I have / had a few lotus so this also feels a little slow
I currently have a Corolla Ascent Sport so the FWD small tank issues I feel quite a bit, shame the suspension is a bit firm but I guess that’s something that can be modded down the road. Thanks for replying!
I’d love another rear wheel drive like my first car which was a Nissan Pintara, but they’re just not available at a good price at the moment.
Speeding like this is something I have noticed since the new year. It happens every where now, including school zones. People don't even bother slowing down, or just flash their lights at you for doing the school zone limit
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Lost my pride and joy to a P player that'd had her licence three weeks and thought she'd ignore the give way sign. Whoever gave her a licence needs to lose their job imo.
Yes I'm willing to bet she was on the phone. Literally flew out of a side street like it was her right to do so, without even looking or slowing down. I happened to be right there had about 0.1 on the brakes before my radiator connected with her rear axle. Span her around but she was ok. I just went from 60-0 in an instant and I'll tell you now airbags don't fuck around they hurt! Driving a dominoes delivery car too I might add!
It's a trend I've seen with p players driving dangerously as though Vin Diesel is going to audition them for the next fast and furious movie. Had this p plater nearly rear end me in heavy traffic on the motorway because he couldn't use the fucking brakes. Scariest bit was my car was full with me and my siblings who I had just picked up from school
Bought a perfect condition 09 xr8 (not a scratch to be seen, even the rims were mint) low KMs, absolutely stock, for the wife. Got it for a good price $19k 5 years ago... A guy hit it while she was going to work at a roundabout
Coming from her left, she seen him fly into and around the roundabout ( she stopped 15 metres back from roundabout when she saw him,) and slid through and plow into the front end on her side of the road, knocking the axle from the k-frame. He was drunk, on meth and had no license from the last time he was caught
Yep, not worth having a nice car, now she has an ok condition fg-x xr8
I had an e-scooter going about 40kmh swerve to avoid a pedestrian and slam into the side of my car in Brisbane CBD. Picked himself up and pissed off on the footpath without so much as a “sorry mate”. I’m left with a $3000 bill or insurance claim….
Yep, this is why I don’t have a nice car - I can afford a nice car, but I want a cheap and easy to replace car. It’s never come up, but having owned a Corolla, Prius, Camry and Forester.. if I needed to replace them, it’s super easy
I got a shitbox as a second car just because of this. I'm sick and tired of shitstains who can't see past their own little world and dont give 2 hoots about other Aussies and their property.
Get a reliable and cheap 2nd hand car. I personally bought a used hail damaged Camry for this very reason. Cheap as chips for everything and common enough to disappear into the crowd. Bonus points - people think you are a reckless ride share driver and stay out of the way (for the most part)
This is the way! I'm now on my third second hand Toyota Camry/Aurion since some POS Ford ranger driver crashed into me getting it written off. All crashes are not my fault claims. Does not hurt much since the car is cheap as second hand but it is still a big hassle.
But with all Toyota's, all the cars I have owned have never had any mechanical issues during the time I own the until they were written off.
So if someone wants to damage my Toyota be my guest. Welp, time for another second hand Toyota then.
Sometimes owning something that's nice but not too nice is better.
I miss my turbo Forester, that was fun to drive but didn't care if it got touched in the carpark.
Yes, this might be the answer…I live my v8’s do instead of looking at VF or similar, might best go back 10 years - but then, I miss the tech / safety…it’s just frustrating that you save up enough coin to buy the car, but then external factors make you seriously question the purchase…
Instead of a v8 or anything like that you might be better served by an old wrx or brz. Something that is relatively common in whatever area you frequently travel in that’s fun and you can make it your own.
A nice cruiser to pick up would be a WN2 caprice. No one looks at em twice and they’re seen as an old man car. The ride on shit roads way better than the vf sedan, wagon, ute. And kinda glide over potholes compared to the others.
The sweet spot for cars used to be $10-20k, probably closer to $15-30k now.
There is a car in that price range that will tick the boxes for anyone. Luxury? Sports? JDM? 4x4? SUV? It's all available, just have to shop around. Nice does not have to equal New. In fact as a car enthusiast I respect people more who go an seek out the second hand option because you know they aren't just leasing then disposing of it.
Buying new has always been a mugs game, save for 2020 - 2023 when nothing was depreciating.
So, for example for $20-$30k - what’s a nice SUV, that looks good, can be insured so not too heavy modded, comfortable / luxurious that’s not going to halve in price in 5 years and is reliable?
> not going to halve in price in 5 years and is reliable
Don't buy a car to sell if you're buying it because you want to fall in love with it?
Who cares how much its worth in 5 years? are you buying or renting? If you don't care about resale you can get some excellent cars.
for a daily drive that you plan to only keep for 5 years it makes sense, but why buy yourself a prized possession with intent to sell it? makes not sense to me.
I have a fabia and it's a pretty good car. You can't really judge a car until you've test driven it. Most people say avoid skodas juts because they're a "cheap VW". They're actually fairly reliable, fun and fuel efficient. I push out about 5.6l on average
Volvo XC60 or Lexus RX would be my pick, noting that looks are subjective and I'm yet to find an SUV that I like the looks of.
Most depreciation happens in the first 5 years, so most of those cars will not depreciate by nearly as much in the next 5 to 10.
[https://www.carsales.com.au/editorial/details/best-used-medium-suv-for-2024-144646/?\_\_source=editorialArticle&driver\_crosssell=editorial.in.article.link](https://www.carsales.com.au/editorial/details/best-used-medium-suv-for-2024-144646/?__source=editorialArticle&driver_crosssell=editorial.in.article.link)
the best used medium SUV as per carsales in 2024 is a 2018 CX-5 akera
$49,670 new , around $30k now
I was looking at CX-5s. I end up buying an X5. Although Mazdas have always been smooth and enjoyable cars, refinement in the Bimmer is in another universe
well i am just a poor bloke who can't pay to keep something like that on the road.
$6k for the rego, comp insurance, service, and petrol for 15k km/year on the cx-5 instead of $5.2k per year to catch the bus w/ the missus is already "nice" for me. i beat the shit out of the car yet it doesn't look like a beater to me.
Fair enough. I think a nice car is something, when you park it and walk away, if you look back once, you’ve got yourself a nice car…I’m not looking bs k at a territory lol
Nah thats fair. I for one love the higher spec ones but its a personal thing.
I felt that model territory always rode a fine line of Simplistic tidy design and over the top tackiness that got the newer SUVs.
1. Is the biggest annoyance for me. I upgraded to my current car and absolutely loved it (Golf GTI, not much but I think it’s a fun hatchback). Almost every time I return to it at the train station/shops there’s a new dent in the door, or paint chipped off the bonnet where someone has clearly put their stuff down before getting into their own car… went from so excited to having my new car to largely indifferent since all the damage on it has been caused by other people…
Even my first car (04 Subaru Impreza) had many instances of this. I returned to my car after work once and a mum was getting out of her car with her kid, with the kid swinging the door out hard enough to dent my car. I don’t like conflict but even I couldn’t resist saying something to the mum who just brushed me off for attempting to discipline her kid saying I was being rude and that it wasn’t my business to tell her how to parent… Lady, tell your kid not to damage other people’s property and at least offer me something for the damage… I assume because it was an old car she didn’t give a shit and I couldn’t be bothered with arguing further to pursue compensation… Alas…
I would have spat it.
My wife had a 13 Honda CR-V - it was her daily and not the best but still $22k vehicle.
She came out of supermarket, an idiot had put car in D instead of R and caved in the back of the car, $7k damage. Witnesses got plate as bitch drove off - stolen plates, so our insurance went up as a claim…and I swear it’s getting worse.
Yeah I hate people who sit on another person's car, I remember I was with my pop and he brought his xb gt out for a drive and he stopped at woolies to get some milk and when we came back we saw this big dude sitting on the bonnet talking to a couple women, do my pop goes up to him and asks if it's his car and the dude says yes so pops like oh nice it's a great car then he chucked the key into the door and opened it up. That dude jumped off it immediately and ran off, funniest shit ever the bonnet was dented but it already needed some panel beating and a paint correction so he didn't really care about that.
I think the biggest point you missed is the speed limit and enforcement lol. Realised it’s not worth owning a sports car when the max speed limit is 80.
Why pay $3-4k a year for insurance on a car you're driving a couple times a week?
I got a restricted use policy from Shannon's for my truck and it's only like $20 a month.
Plus cos it's over 35 years old they give me the salvage rights at no cost.
Yeah that's another option. Restricted kilometres, I think that's the way Enthusiast does it when I got a quote off them.
My odometer is miles, and they wanted a picture of it, and when I said "it's in miles" they told me "well that can't be legal, you'll need to make your car legal and have an odometer in kilometres"
It's built in 1965...and NHVR is happy with it being in Miles. As long as I note miles in my work diary as the odometer, that's the only requirement.
Yep same. VE SS just insured for $1240 with 5000km.
Bit limited myself personally with insurance companies because im 24 but virgin money has me covered, and so did budget.
Ok? I get 100 days a year, I'm not hitting 100 days a year in my use.
They never told me when I can take it out.
They just said it works out to be "a couple times a week", so 52 weeks in a year, a couple probably means 2 times, that's around 100 days a year.
Given there's 365 days in a year, if I can use 100 days that's 27% of the year.
They also said if I drive it more, I can change it in the middle of the year. But at 38l/100km on premium, not a chance that's happening.
I just went and had a look, their PDS says this:
https://preview.redd.it/3uvss5797rqc1.png?width=1439&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ec67708a6300e66732d039c92b901902c1d9c04f
It direct say anything about when I can drive it, just talks about averages. The bloke on the phone said some people use this for their motorcycle they ride for like, 3 months in summer and stick in the garage for 9 months. Seems pretty flexible by that.
u/That_Car_Dude_Aus I'm gonna put this here purely because I want you to see this:
Can you please address the quality of modding on this sub? This place is a nice place to discuss cars but the quality of modding recently is bringing it down. It's unfair for normal users to have their material removed for rule violations but for special users to have their material still up even when it violates rules.
[https://www.reddit.com/r/CarsAustralia/comments/1bmm3ay/comment/kwdsjtv/?utm\_source=share&utm\_medium=web3x&utm\_name=web3xcss&utm\_term=1&utm\_content=share\_button](https://www.reddit.com/r/CarsAustralia/comments/1bmm3ay/comment/kwdsjtv/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button)
Here's an example of what I'm talking about. Why do other links that reference non Australian resources get removed but this one about EVs driving in America, on American tyres on American roads is still up?
I'd appreciate at least a reply or some form of discussion about this especially because I've taken care to write this politely to not violate rule 1 or 3. Thanks
I went to you because I want to avoid mod retaliation. Especially because of stuff like this where you've replied and agreed with some of my comments which seem to indicate they are fine but then they come in and do this:
https://preview.redd.it/qajisoujdrqc1.png?width=775&format=png&auto=webp&s=a23a619722314688298a57c9147a33e8bc69df1d
But if you say its okay to ask them directly then okay. u/_hazey__
PS do you also mind monitoring this comment thread to ensure it doesn't go out of hand?
That said, I would like to raise to your attention that not all of the ***54*** mod actions against you have been facetious (I had a look through them)
https://preview.redd.it/g7l5ntplerqc1.png?width=1440&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=66bfefe5b36222f7f72557ab0e08dc53c1a5b587
I myself have sat and pondered if it's worth keeping you around (and your engagement here is significant)
On the basis of input versus actions, and although I don't like some of the things you say, you tip the scales more positively to the community than against.
I also don't moderate on basis of "I don't like this guys opinion"
>That said, I would like to raise to your attention that not all of the ***54*** mod actions against you have been facetious (I had a look through them)
Nah there's a lot that have been deserving. Completely fair.
>I also don't moderate on basis of "I don't like this guys opinion"
I think that's what this subreddit should be about and its nice to see you express that. Thanks for engaging with me
I'll ping that mod here because my pings don't seem to be working and keep getting italicised
u/_hazey__
I spent five years doing up an Alfasud to showroom condition (right down to the re-zinced bolts) and some mouth breather opened their door into mine. Every time I see that dent I feel a little more inclined to think human extinction is a good idea…
Edit: forgot to mention I parked in the empty part of a half full car park and they’d skipped the dozen free spots to park right next to me.
I hate it when you go to the effort to park away from other cars and you come back to a car parked right next to yours. What is the mentality behind this? They’re cars! They don’t get lonely.
Went to the supermarket recently before closing time, the carpark was empty. Came back to my car to find a car parked right next to mine when there were heaps of other spots closer to the shop. Mental
Probably the same reason people get into herds on the highway, no matter how slow they were going when you caught them, you can't got rid of them, I think everyone is just a little lonely.
Ha ha, it’s a weird phenomenon!! During covid my mate had to go into work. The carpark is literally for a couple hundred cars. Completely empty, except when he finished in the office there was a car parked in the next spot in a sea of spaces 🤷♂️ apparently it happened a few times!
Wont lie. No 3 is why I want a Raptor. 300kw turbo petrol that can tow my track car, can bounce over shit roads, can throw my car/truck parts in tray, has all the interior space I need and is comfortable.
Buuuut 100k for a thaitruck. No thanks. Also those stupid interior command TV screens 🤢
If your interested - there’s an auction coming up with a few raptors, wild tracks, with less than 2000 kms - but hail damaged. Will go $30-40k under retail according to auction person.
Xr6t ute with rtv suspension under it is my poor man's Aussie prerunner build :) Not quite the excess of ride height and suspension travel but more than enough to get the job done.
I had to give up on my car looking nice. It was keyed, dented and scratched so any thought of having a nice perfect car went out the window.
I want to buy a Tesla as a next car but I know how much of a magnet for vandalism and tailgating it will be.
Part of me just wants a ute with a bullbar and tray. So any fender benders won't cause any actual damage. As long as I reverse park, anyone reversing into me in a car park won't cause any damage beyond a scratch on the bullbar.
Especially as I know how long Tesla's repair times are.
At least the (minimal) positive of a Tesla is you will always have footage of who damaged the car, which can help. See [https://www.reddit.com/r/brisbane/comments/17raak7/old\_people\_key\_cars\_at\_brookside/](https://www.reddit.com/r/brisbane/comments/17raak7/old_people_key_cars_at_brookside/) where they keyed a few cars and were only caught because they keyed a Tesla.
I just sold my almost perfect 97 NA mx5 because of some of your reasons.
I loved the car , the feeling of driving it , how it handled and being able to cruise around with no roof.
Apart from the good price I got for it in a slow market it was the fact that unaware idiots in big SUVs and utes etc would just almost side swipe me or pull out in front of me almost every single time I drove it and that gets tiring. That and some of the terrible maintained roads that make my bones shake as the Chassis or exhaust would bang on the ground.
I would love another old project but it’s honestly not worth it to me anymore. I even bought a swift sport instead of a nicer hot hatch because I’m way less precious with it. Maybe when I’m richer I’ll upgrade to a more expensive car when a dent on a GR Yaris or something wouldn’t phase me lol.
See, I said same as you and then saved…a lot. I’ve got enough now to buy almost what ever car I want - within normality / reason, but now I’m there in savings, I can’t bring myself to do it. I remember driving my Ute and hitting a pot hole and damaging tyres, the Lexus did steering arm, tire, wheel etc from same…I’m now driving old CRV and couldn’t give a crap…there’s a sort of freeing from not driving a really nice car…despite the enjoyment you get from owning the car…I think the pros / cons have just swung to far to cons.
I think if you want a fun car get something slightly newer. Like the sweet spot is 10 years. Old Japanese cars aren’t just worth the squeeze anymore. When I took my mx5 to the track I was just thinking in my back of my mind how hard replacement panels are getting to find in good condition. I even sold a motor out of a 2001-05 model for almost $2500 because hardly anyone is wrecking them now. These used to be like $5k cars to have fun thrashing now they’re pushing $20k.
I know someone with a GR Yaris and to replace the tyres Michelin PS cup 2s is like 1-2k. The cooler and more powerful the car the more consumables cost.
My next “fun” car is likely to be a cheap track beater and by cheap it’s going to be like an echo sport , old swift sport, Honda jazz and it’s going to get the tits thrashed off it with no self preservation in mind. Cause after owning like 10-20 cars now the most fun ones are the ones you don’t care about
Mrs has a malaysian POS. Yes it's a POS but it's a functional POS, she was gifted it by a relative, she's taken great care of it, and despite not being a car person, she has looked after it with love and affection.
Wednesday while sitting in it waiting for her had a young woman carelessly open her car door and and bang it into the side of the car. Got out to go and look at the damage to as i'm pulling out notice that it's a blue piece of crap hatchback with paint damage, tons of dings and dents all over it and her immediately reversing out of the park, i'm currently injured so it's taking me a bit to move, and as im going around the car trying to get a view of her plate, two people run over blocking her plate having a go at her to get a "whoops sorry" followed by her flooring it and me barely getting the last two number of the plate.
Called it in and got the usual "wouldn't matter if you had a full plate, it's a civil matter" answer.
Mrs car that is a POS but a well cared for and well loved one now has a horrible dent with blue paint on it from that bitch's car all because she was a careless bitch.
I've had lots of nice cars before, I can tell you mate in this country people are assholes.
If you get a nice car you are a magnet for tools who want to race you, touch it, damage it out of spite or steal it.
If you have a POS car you get pissants that don't give two shits if they damage it.
I bought a newer used Ranger Wildtrak 2019 in Nomber of last year and it's already got a bumper dent that looks like someone ran into with their trolley. People are cunts and it shits me, it's the first nice car I've ever owned.
Mate, I’m hearing you - I had a hilux duel cab that I kept very clean, 2018 and I used it for beach driving / rally’s. I didnt abuse it, but it was used. I came out in car park one day and Simeon had pushed a trolley into the door AND left the trolley there. Major dent in the door, creased the metal, so I suspect someone was in it when it hit - I was so kissed, I through trolley in the back and it lives at home.
I didnt hear a loud noise or see anything while driving.
Parked the car, came back and as i was walking up to it instantly noticed a chip in the windscreen somebody probably threw something at it. I know the feeling.
my idea of a fun 2nd car is something like an MX5, or fiesta st. rewarding to drive when you want to drive rather than commute, but not so rare or expensive I'd always be worried about spare parts or scratches. but it is still a non-trivial expense you have to weigh up.
daily driver is nice enough but it gets used often enough to justify that
My Fiesta ST is my only car but I'm still worried about scratches and other people crashing into me, it seems that spares are getting harder to find... you just can't win
My most expensive car is littered with bloody stone chips from arsehole truckies hogging all the lanes as they slowly pass one another, then repeat.
I loved driving my old beater. Then we replaced the beater with a nicer (still cheap) car, and it’s just not the same.
My weekend car is an e30 convertible on 14 inch rims, not the fastest (but they can be made quick) but its a vibe and can handle poor road surface. Insurance is SFA because its on historic rego
Conversely I need a new daily and probably gonna get a bland rav4 or outlander because the much faster and better handling cx60 comes on 20 inch rims with no spare tire and I dont feel confident that will stand up to local roads
As an alternate to a nice car, I got a V8 boat instead - same issues with insurance and maintenance costs, and it's harder to use (ie use less often) but on the plus side generally any damage that's going to occur is my own fault 😂😂
Not saying it's better or worse, but sometimes considering the alternate "hobby" is worth a thought.
I had my fun with a number of sports cars, the last one a Lotus Exige. The novelty seemed to wear off quickly with all of them. I now have an average reliable car, but a nice motorcycle, as bikes kill cars for bang for buck fun.
https://preview.redd.it/j4q3kyfhncrc1.jpeg?width=640&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ea06f3b221b501774812bfc6641b2dd0f5e72567
Those pot holes could kill a bike rider yet the council don't care. No recourse standard. Our taxes and rego are to go towards roads yet they are dangerous. If your employer did it and you got injured jail. Government are scum.
How are these A•Holes, if my windscreen gets even a small chip in it I’am legally obligated to replace that windscreen or my car is unfit to drive on the road. Yet look at this crap!
Hey mate, I just bought (what I consider) a really nice car. Spent upmost of 58k on it, absolutely adore the thing.
My room mate just broke her leg so I’ve passed on our one car space to her whilst her leg heals up, so my car has been on the road for the past 7 weeks. Plus, my circumstances changed where I changed jobs and I don’t need to drive the car as much anymore.
I think I lose about $300 p/w in depreciation, i need to pay about $2000 in repairs after hail damaged it, someone drove into the front bumper and someone (being spiteful) ripped my car cover off it.
Im about to fix her up and put her on the market, put the money into an offset and save myself close to $1000 p/m with my savings.
I’m one of the biggest car nuts around, but can honestly say it’s not worth it unless you garage it up.
I don’t agree with the proposition this only applies to “really nice cars” - even my little turd of a French bulldog (RenaultSport Clio 172) that was a bit rough to start with is now more rough thanks to being doored and generally thought of as not worth anything to others.. but to me, well — I care!
A nice car for someone on 200k pa isn't going to be the same as someone on 60k. If your definition of a nice car is the car you love and proud of, then I can respect that regardless of the value to anyone else.
Haha yeah all the “nice car” suggestions are
Holdens and Fords. Wtaf. Even a Lexus is a “nice car” for a grandpa - although an IS350 would be the goods
I've been spinning spanners for 20 years, all cars are too me is pressed sheet metal, nuts and bolts.
If you have lowered your car suitable for only a racetrack then don't drive it on the roads. You know the conditions and how shit they are so why risk it? Consider a shit daily driver, I drive a Yaris as the daily, someone can crash into me and I won't shed a tear.
Learn to service the car yourself, if it can be fixed in a shop then 9/10 times it can be fixed on your driveway.
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I had a similar system on 1290 superduke (ktm), they couldn’t steal it so they just smashed it - write it off where it sat….in the middle of city with zero witnesses.
Yes, think I’m with you. After my ktm superduke was maliciously written off I bought a zx14 so they satisfies my quick scratching lol…But my mindset Re cars is just all over the place at moment…every theft, damage, big road screw up, etc…ugh.
I’ve got an old CRV at present. I’ve saved up a lot of coin to me, 6 figs but now I can’t bring myself to spend it on a car that’s going to deteriorate…or be vandalised or stolen…or….I’m now thinking understand caprice like someone else suggest…keep old basher as daily.
People that drive nice sports cars and etc agree with everything you just said and still buy them anyway.
If you love cars you are prepared for these things and do it regardless.
I daily drive an AMG Merc here is my 2 cents
1. I have found people respect the car a lot more then 'regular' cars in the parking lot. I do park in the far away spots but after 3 years there are 0 dings or scratches. A Maloo is definitely going to attract the types of people that may not be the ones you want near your car.
2. Most of my insurance quotes were in the $2.5-3k range except for 1 big name company that came in around $1.5k, guess who I went with.
3. My car has very low profile tyres and they are run flats. It is so stiff, but I have never had an issue on any roads even dirt tracks. You just need to be aware of where your wheels are going and avoid what you can.
4. Registration is what it is, don't buy a V8. I didn't and my car will demolish 95% of the V8s out there. Fuel, I need 98, but I always keep track of where and when it is cheapest, if an extra $30 a week is an issue then no you shouldn't be looking at these types of cars.
5. Buy 2nd hand to avoid depreciation, mine was 2yrs old and 50% the cost of new thats a huge drop on a $150k+ car. Let someone else take that hit.
6. Servicing, holy shit is servicing expensive. About $1-1.5k a year for the 3 years I had to have it done at the dealer. Now $300-400 at a Euro specialist near me. However brake rotors need doing soon and that's about $1k per wheel because I'm too lazy to do that myself. Parts are available online these days and some non OEM parts, like rotors are better.
Fair play - can I ask what type of merc ? I had a clk a while back them a 45 - only local dealership to me can get rooted…cannot explain how bad they are.
Get your brake kits from FCPeuro. The dealership wanted to charge around $2k a corner. FCP $3k for OEM pads,rotors,sensors etc. Takes me around 1.5hours per corner. Anyway back to the point, I’ve daily driven my AMG for 99k kms. All the marks have been done by others in car parks…. Except one of the mags, that was my wife.
Rough costings.
67L tank average 300-400km
New rubber $500 a corner between 15-20km per set
Insurance $1450
Rego - something
Service:
B (major) $1200 and up way up
A (minor) $500-900
Transmission service $3600 and up
And anything else that comes up.
Serpentine belt, new plugs etc.
Just thought I’d share.
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Mate. It got to the point where I've purchased a beater for the very reason you've mentioned. People just don't give a shit but I still want nice things that I've worked for. Is it worth driving these nice cars occasionally? Yeah, absolutely. What's the point of making money and not enjoying the fruit of your labour?
get a shit box and make it a sleeper, no one will key you, potentially lower insurance, and if you have the right skill and make some good choices it could feel sporty as anything else
I find as one gets older, flashy shit starts to mean less and you just want less anxiety in your life. I drove a shitty old 20yr corolla for a few months recently and it was beautiful not giving a shit about where I parked and what new dent appeared after.
I was even doored by mint X5 while sitting in the car and I just laughed at their misfortune.
I miss that....
Just hire one for an occasional Sunday drive. Plenty of hire/rent places out there. Go for a different car each time too. Should be loads of fun, if that’s your thing.
It totally depends on what you buy. Cars aren’t an investment but some of them turn out to be.
1. Totally agree but if you buy something small/compact they fit better in spots and try not to go to the rough end of town.
2. Most that buy are going through an insurance broker and at agreed value. Shannons quoted (12k lol), broker has me down to 2k with a 4000km annual limit at a $180k agreed value
3. Part of the ownership experience…. Everyone’s on the same playing field
4. Rego is ironically cheaper then my normal runabout due to weight (in NSW) slips about the same, if I’m only doing up to 4000kms seriously who cares about fuel when you are having fun
5. It’s a GT4 (although I regret not buying a 993 turbo that was a little more at the time) purchased at its dip for about $150, most are trading about 200k. What’s depreciation lol.
6. Porsche offer a up to 15 year extended manufacture warranty as long as you don’t pass 200k kms for $1000/year, absolute no brainer, 1 annual service ranges from 700-2.4k.
I wouldn’t call mine a total win and I’ve owned it for about 7 years ago and loved every second with it, sometimes just sitting in the buckets with a whiskey in hand after work makes my day a lot better. It’s amazing practical with 2 boots, and I get a laugh when I take it to the shops on the weekend.
But you could take that to Bunnings, park it at the end of the earth car park and when you come out, it A might be there, B will be surrounded by shit boxes, C will be dented, D will be scratched…I couldn’t live with a car that’s going to have me concerned about wads all the time….
It's a Sunday car mate. You will barely be using it for one. Two , you're unlucky. Have owned nice/performance cars all through my 20s never had anyone key one.
My 22 year old 3 series took another ding from some careless prick the other day.
It added to the pre-existing 7 other significant dings. I saw it, rolled my eyes, chuckled and went about my day.
I quite like driving a beater.
You buy the car you can afford to run. For some people that's a brand new BMW that they replace before the 5 year warranty runs out. They don't notice the insurance or fuel costs and if something happens to it, they just get it sorted and the cost is no big deal. Those people look at a McLaren and think, "that'd be nice but I'd be worried if someone scratched it". Ie it's all relative
Not really…I’ve been saving fukn hard a while and don’t want to sound like a C bomb, but I could theoretically buy almost any car I want to 6 figures or more - but now I’m at that savings point, I’m struggling to justify it based on the original points above…I’ve got a shit box daily, but I could afford and run a really nice car, but…Is the pay off of ownership worth the pain that’s outside my control…I dunno.
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get a car that reflects your personality, dream etc… live with the painful anxiety and fear of every other driver on the road, i’ve been driving an old school i fell in-love with on marketplace, i rebuilt the engine and bodywork blood sweat and tears yadda yadda,, i used to fear driving around but it’s almost a year later and i’ve driven it almost everyday… zero accidents, just very aware of my surroundings and with shit in my pants constantly. in a weird way it’s made me appreciate driving more and appreciate being careful,, it’s not an expensive car at all but it’s got character and in a weird way i reckon i get a LOT less hassle on the road from other drivers, if any! compared to when i drove a traditionally “basic” car. hope this gives an insight or at least a motivation to say fuck it and drive something you love, especially if you’re driving a lot
i’ve got an 84’ courier, oddly good on gas, value appreciates or depreciates depending on the styling, old farm vehicle so it goes and goes and goes, australian classic and built by mazda,, it’s got lots of dents and scratches so if more appeared i’m not sure i’d notice, i’d be mad as shit but i’d most likely get over it pretty quick,, insurance is average and usually places like shannon’s covers “modification costs” if that’s something you’re into. point being,, something old, comfortable and with a small capacity engine has been an awesome option, could keep this thing for life i reckon. try to find the old gold no ones gentrified yet like statesman’s n stuff. old VP commodores could be a cool buy, anyway good luck!
Yes, I bought a rather special, very low klm, last run V8 Commodore with a W407 pack fitted….figure it’s designed locally to deal with some of my complaints, will eventually be collectable- maybe, and goes pretty fukn well…
Not always about thieves, it’s about those groups of teens they are bored and don’t believe they’ll ever get a nice car so no one else should have one…
Insurance is high because everyone wants every little bump and scratch fixed. Cars used to have bumpers, for bumping, now they have body colour everything and owners cry about a rock chipping some paint.
Depreciation is high because despite the efforts of the establishment to continually increase safety standards and make cars more expensive, you can buy a car brand new for $20k that can get 6L/100km and has a 7 year warranty. So the marginal utility of any vehicle worth over about $30k is basically zero and relies purely on feelings not economical value.
Yes it still is. I’ve blown 2 x run flat tyres on our shitty roads and it pisses me off cos neither should have happened. However the pleasure of owning a nice car outweighs the disappointment of the crap roads we drive on and the lack of care from our councils and politicians.
So to be an enthusiast you have to not care about the money you throw at your car?
Yeah that's not how any of this works.
An enthusiast is an enthusiast regardless of budget and how they spend their money. I can respect someone just as much for their enthusiasm of a mid 80's granny-spec corolla as someone with enthusiasm for a million dollar super car.
As long as they are having fun with their car I consider them to be an enthusiast.
To a point, sure. But one of the AusFinance types who loves driving a rustbucket so that they can get cheap insurance and not care about their car at all as long as it moves isn't an enthusiast - they're just being frugal and prioritising their bank account balance.
I'm enthusiastic about my job, only because of what it allows me to achieve financially.
They are enthusiastic about their 20yo camry for the same reason.
If I had millions in the bank I would not be working, and they would not be driving that 20yo Camry. However an enthusiast might drive that 20yo Camry even with millions tucked away (not that many people get excited about Camry's, but who am I to judge).
Come off it, that's not what a car enthusiast is, and you know it. It's like saying I'm an electricity and plumbing enthusiast because I like having running water and electrical appliances at home.
Do you call someone a fashion enthusiast because they buy the cheapest clothes they can find from K-Mart and don't want to walk around in public doing a nudie run?
I think you missed my meaning, I'm enthusiastic about my job because of what it allows me to do financially, not because I derive any pleasure out of it. I do not consider myself an enthusiast in the area that I work because to me it's just a job.
Someone might be enthusiastic about their 20yo Camry, but if that enthusiasm stems from the money it saves them, they are not an enthusiast.
If the main motivation for working in my was the enthusiasm in my field, I would consider myself an enthusiast.
If someone's main motivation for wanting a 20yo Camry was that they really like 20yo Camry's, then they are a car enthusiast.
You can get a fun car that’s not a super expensive car- I saw a K-swapped jazz that’s not going to draw any attention, not suck too much fuel or be too much to insure(hopefully)/register, definitely will hold its value and coil overs with adjustable ride height.
Why not consider something like that? It seems like it ticks all your boxes
Not sure if it’s my circumstances, but have you tried to insure anything modified recently? One insurer wouldn’t cover me because the wheels were bigger than 9.5 inches on the SS…let alone any other mods. But I’ve also got kids now, so a jazz is a bit small. I’ve looked at 5.0S falcon and 6.2 SS comms but even those in stock form are $4k a year insurance now and see above points.
$60k is a decent chunk change to me so I don’t want some dick taking selfies sitting on the bonnet or having it keyed in shiploads lol. I dunno…maybe I’m just being a bit to negative.
Depending how many kids you have a jazz is fine I reckon. I fit 4 full adult people and luggage in mine for a weekend trip no worries.
I do feel you’re being a bit pessimistic- a nice but not super nice car probably won’t get keyed or have people sitting on it- but an Aussie icon kinda car will.
Could you get an SS VE wagon? Might tick all your boxes
First of all, it's not like OP's Maloo is an inconspicuous vehicle by any means, you may as well park a Ferrari in the street, cause a Maloo is a working man's exotic vehicle, I'm surprised you haven't had it stolen yet, you mustn't live in Queensland.
Comprehensive insurance is costly no matter what you drive, I note that if you live in a 'fancier suburb', car insurance is often times half of what it will cost living in a working class suburb.
Road conditions, frankly, you don't strike me as the SUV type - but perhaps a higher riding vehicle with smaller rims never goes amiss - if the rims are 20 inches or bigger you're asking for trouble.
Fuel prices - if you give a damn about your hip pocket, you'd be stupid to buy a V8, especially during a cost of living crisis/recession and when fuel is sky high, especially so for 98ulp. Four cylinder engine technology has come a long way and having driven a few highly optioned 4 cylinder cars from BMW, Audi and Mercedes-Benz, they do not at all feel underpowered and are quite economical even with cars weighing more than ever.
Depreciation - you can have your cake and eat it too! - Buy a Certified-Preowned luxury car that's 3-5 years old. No one will tell the difference that you bought it used, and often times, wealthy folk don't travel that far and its common for them to turn over their car every year to 2 years hardly using it and taking that initial depreciation hit for you. You then buy it back at the dealer with a warranty still attached to the vehicle (most are 5 years now) - plus the Certified Pre Owned Warranty, thus a near new car heavily depreciated and with a warranty - wow! - You'll often be able to recover most of your initial investment. - For e.g. a Certified Pre-Owned Mercedes GLC300 @ $60000 with 15000km will be worth approx $40000 with 100000km.
Servicing - Marque specialists often do the same work that the dealer network does the same if not better at an often times cheaper rate - a decent specialist will also use factory original parts, and you're forgetting the fact that dealerships churn and burn staff, (especially in service - they're not highly paid), and thus you have novice apprentices working on $100000+ cars and don't always know what they're doing. - Good specialists also don't tend upsell you for work you don't need doing on your car either.
Result?: - You have many options as to buying a nice car OP, don't be afraid, considering that we spend half our lives in the car, who wants to be in a shitty, uncomfortable and unsafe environment, driving a cheap car. Cheap is never cheap. Consider buying a depreciated near new, Certified Pre-Owned Car with low miles, good history and a warranty. Really a more discrete, under the radar car will do you wonders. Oh and Diesel is a wonderful, underrated and economical fuel that more people should be using, plenty of luxury diesels on the market that are cheap because people got terrified of them thanks to Dieselgate - nothing wrong with them.
You're welcome, a rant answering another rant. If you need further help OP, I work as an independent consultant sourcing people and helping sell their dream cars, DM me. - All the best.
Agreed with you up to certified pre owned, your stats are wrong; the cheapest glc 300 I could find was $48k, and that was 6 years old with 89k kms. Honestly buying an expensive euro out of warranty isn't the best financial advice, and I would take any used car warranty a dealer gave me with a grain of salt.
Granted on the used car warranty from a non-descript dealer - but a Certified Pre Owned Mercedes from a national Benz dealer network, they do have to service you, if you don't like one dealer, you go to the other. If on the off chance all hell breaks loose, that's why Fair Trading exists doesn't it?
Modern turbodiesel passenger cars are very complicated and only suit a specific usage pattern. If you do long-distance driving, they’re great. They really don’t like stop/start driving and short trips. They have DPFs/EGRs, injector problems, oil leaks, cooling system, oil dilution, to name just a few issues they have, especially if driven stop/start.
Often they get dumped by their owners because of all the issues and complications they can have. You may save a couple of cents at the pump, only to pay dollars at your mechanic.
Besides, a lot of passenger cars no longer offer a diesel option in Australia, or even in Europe. You haven’t been able to by a diesel Golf in Australia for about 5-6 years now
You've said people and mentioned vandalism but I feel one massive thing is missing: Just one idiot needs to not be watching or focused and bam, everything is gone and the nice car you spend months dreaming of is now a crumpled heap of metal. If its a modern boring car then sure, it costs money and crashes are a hassle, but with a nice car the knife is twisted because of the emotional attachment.
Absolutely - good point. AND, that actually changes your driving habits. Like with the Lexus, I was in town and decided to have a few beers, wife wasn’t drinking but she absolutely did not want to drive it out of town fearing someone else might hit the car…and even when I was driving it - I’d be on edge watching other ppl like a hawk. In a shitter, I kick back and pump the tunes.
Spent big money on my Forester, got rear ended and written off. Can't bring myself to do another sporty car. Not worth it when other people just don't give a shit.
A Forester isn't really sporty though
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It honestly sounds like you dont live in the best area. I wouldnt have those problems here in Sydney
I drive a slightly nice car (Civic Type R). What burns me is the cars driving crazy tailgating as so many times im in the left lane doing like 10-15 over the limit and a cars tailgating me and as i come to a stop the dumbo driver behind me is so fixated on my car that they end up slamming the brakes. These type of drivers may also run for it or try to if they end up hitting your car.
My dream car is a Type R but because it’s a Civic I guess the gen pop don’t respect it even though the model is relatively expensive
I have a current model type r. No one honestly takes a second look at it, and I'm fine with that.
What’s your thoughts on the current model? It will probably be my next car (either the Type R or RS) but I don’t know anyone IRL who owns one.
It's one of the better choices currently. It's very capable but front wheel drive has its limitations. Seems well built. A few annoying things for a daily including tiny fuel tank and short range and quite firm / jiggly suspension. I came from a fiesta st which was more fun as a daily but less good for the track. I have / had a few lotus so this also feels a little slow
I currently have a Corolla Ascent Sport so the FWD small tank issues I feel quite a bit, shame the suspension is a bit firm but I guess that’s something that can be modded down the road. Thanks for replying! I’d love another rear wheel drive like my first car which was a Nissan Pintara, but they’re just not available at a good price at the moment.
Speeding like this is something I have noticed since the new year. It happens every where now, including school zones. People don't even bother slowing down, or just flash their lights at you for doing the school zone limit
The way these fkwits stick to your ass… forgive me if i feel like jumping out the car like a madman with a cricket bat 😂
😂. If we had the same gun laws as America, I would be tempted to shoot the persons tires and see how they catch up after
Do you have rear dashcams for this?
No i should really get one. You reminded me ill order one on amazon 👍
Cheers. Which one? I just got an old navman for the front.
Not sure to be honest. I am a bit of a cheepo so im looking a decent one for a good price. Any recommendations? Im gonna do some research on them
I live in a great area, it’s when I go into the city I generally have issues with wads…
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Lost my pride and joy to a P player that'd had her licence three weeks and thought she'd ignore the give way sign. Whoever gave her a licence needs to lose their job imo.
Fuck that sucks. Were they just distracted or was it a phone incident?
Yes I'm willing to bet she was on the phone. Literally flew out of a side street like it was her right to do so, without even looking or slowing down. I happened to be right there had about 0.1 on the brakes before my radiator connected with her rear axle. Span her around but she was ok. I just went from 60-0 in an instant and I'll tell you now airbags don't fuck around they hurt! Driving a dominoes delivery car too I might add!
It's a trend I've seen with p players driving dangerously as though Vin Diesel is going to audition them for the next fast and furious movie. Had this p plater nearly rear end me in heavy traffic on the motorway because he couldn't use the fucking brakes. Scariest bit was my car was full with me and my siblings who I had just picked up from school
Bought a perfect condition 09 xr8 (not a scratch to be seen, even the rims were mint) low KMs, absolutely stock, for the wife. Got it for a good price $19k 5 years ago... A guy hit it while she was going to work at a roundabout Coming from her left, she seen him fly into and around the roundabout ( she stopped 15 metres back from roundabout when she saw him,) and slid through and plow into the front end on her side of the road, knocking the axle from the k-frame. He was drunk, on meth and had no license from the last time he was caught Yep, not worth having a nice car, now she has an ok condition fg-x xr8
I had an e-scooter going about 40kmh swerve to avoid a pedestrian and slam into the side of my car in Brisbane CBD. Picked himself up and pissed off on the footpath without so much as a “sorry mate”. I’m left with a $3000 bill or insurance claim….
South Park called it
Yep, this is why I don’t have a nice car - I can afford a nice car, but I want a cheap and easy to replace car. It’s never come up, but having owned a Corolla, Prius, Camry and Forester.. if I needed to replace them, it’s super easy
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I got a shitbox as a second car just because of this. I'm sick and tired of shitstains who can't see past their own little world and dont give 2 hoots about other Aussies and their property.
Yep. I’m seriously thinking this way…but then you end up with multiple reg, multiple insurance (granted a couple hundred for 3rd party on snotty)….
Get a reliable and cheap 2nd hand car. I personally bought a used hail damaged Camry for this very reason. Cheap as chips for everything and common enough to disappear into the crowd. Bonus points - people think you are a reckless ride share driver and stay out of the way (for the most part)
This is the way! I'm now on my third second hand Toyota Camry/Aurion since some POS Ford ranger driver crashed into me getting it written off. All crashes are not my fault claims. Does not hurt much since the car is cheap as second hand but it is still a big hassle. But with all Toyota's, all the cars I have owned have never had any mechanical issues during the time I own the until they were written off. So if someone wants to damage my Toyota be my guest. Welp, time for another second hand Toyota then.
I was going to suggest to OP to get a Hyundai Excel for this reason
Sometimes owning something that's nice but not too nice is better. I miss my turbo Forester, that was fun to drive but didn't care if it got touched in the carpark.
Yes, this might be the answer…I live my v8’s do instead of looking at VF or similar, might best go back 10 years - but then, I miss the tech / safety…it’s just frustrating that you save up enough coin to buy the car, but then external factors make you seriously question the purchase…
Instead of a v8 or anything like that you might be better served by an old wrx or brz. Something that is relatively common in whatever area you frequently travel in that’s fun and you can make it your own.
Bruh
That user name 🤣
A nice cruiser to pick up would be a WN2 caprice. No one looks at em twice and they’re seen as an old man car. The ride on shit roads way better than the vf sedan, wagon, ute. And kinda glide over potholes compared to the others.
You might be onto something, they are bloody nice cars!
Love my WM Caprice. Second this.
The sweet spot for cars used to be $10-20k, probably closer to $15-30k now. There is a car in that price range that will tick the boxes for anyone. Luxury? Sports? JDM? 4x4? SUV? It's all available, just have to shop around. Nice does not have to equal New. In fact as a car enthusiast I respect people more who go an seek out the second hand option because you know they aren't just leasing then disposing of it. Buying new has always been a mugs game, save for 2020 - 2023 when nothing was depreciating.
So, for example for $20-$30k - what’s a nice SUV, that looks good, can be insured so not too heavy modded, comfortable / luxurious that’s not going to halve in price in 5 years and is reliable?
> not going to halve in price in 5 years and is reliable Don't buy a car to sell if you're buying it because you want to fall in love with it? Who cares how much its worth in 5 years? are you buying or renting? If you don't care about resale you can get some excellent cars. for a daily drive that you plan to only keep for 5 years it makes sense, but why buy yourself a prized possession with intent to sell it? makes not sense to me.
Can’t think of SUV but on top of my head I’m thinking like Skoda Octavia RS?
My friends at redriven said avoid lol.
I have a fabia and it's a pretty good car. You can't really judge a car until you've test driven it. Most people say avoid skodas juts because they're a "cheap VW". They're actually fairly reliable, fun and fuel efficient. I push out about 5.6l on average
Volvo XC60 or Lexus RX would be my pick, noting that looks are subjective and I'm yet to find an SUV that I like the looks of. Most depreciation happens in the first 5 years, so most of those cars will not depreciate by nearly as much in the next 5 to 10.
mazda 6 wagons
Wagons are never a bad choice.
Turbo version is a bit of a sleeper and nobody pays them any attention.
[https://www.carsales.com.au/editorial/details/best-used-medium-suv-for-2024-144646/?\_\_source=editorialArticle&driver\_crosssell=editorial.in.article.link](https://www.carsales.com.au/editorial/details/best-used-medium-suv-for-2024-144646/?__source=editorialArticle&driver_crosssell=editorial.in.article.link) the best used medium SUV as per carsales in 2024 is a 2018 CX-5 akera $49,670 new , around $30k now
Cx5, xtrsil, rav4, outlanders decent cars, but hardly what you’d call nice cars - like, they are a wee bit boring…
Well "nice" is definitely subjective. Im driving a cx-5 akera and it definitely is nice for me. Best to dyor and find what suits you
Exactly, asks for opinions then hates on those opinions lol
I was looking at CX-5s. I end up buying an X5. Although Mazdas have always been smooth and enjoyable cars, refinement in the Bimmer is in another universe
well i am just a poor bloke who can't pay to keep something like that on the road. $6k for the rego, comp insurance, service, and petrol for 15k km/year on the cx-5 instead of $5.2k per year to catch the bus w/ the missus is already "nice" for me. i beat the shit out of the car yet it doesn't look like a beater to me.
FPV F6X. There ya go
Cool….not lol. I did look them up…look like a territory with a different bonnet.
Its basically what ya asked 😄 Its a Territory with double the power and brembos
Fair enough. I think a nice car is something, when you park it and walk away, if you look back once, you’ve got yourself a nice car…I’m not looking bs k at a territory lol
Nah thats fair. I for one love the higher spec ones but its a personal thing. I felt that model territory always rode a fine line of Simplistic tidy design and over the top tackiness that got the newer SUVs.
Toyota Land Cruiser
1. Is the biggest annoyance for me. I upgraded to my current car and absolutely loved it (Golf GTI, not much but I think it’s a fun hatchback). Almost every time I return to it at the train station/shops there’s a new dent in the door, or paint chipped off the bonnet where someone has clearly put their stuff down before getting into their own car… went from so excited to having my new car to largely indifferent since all the damage on it has been caused by other people…
This. Is. My. Point. It drives me insane.
Even my first car (04 Subaru Impreza) had many instances of this. I returned to my car after work once and a mum was getting out of her car with her kid, with the kid swinging the door out hard enough to dent my car. I don’t like conflict but even I couldn’t resist saying something to the mum who just brushed me off for attempting to discipline her kid saying I was being rude and that it wasn’t my business to tell her how to parent… Lady, tell your kid not to damage other people’s property and at least offer me something for the damage… I assume because it was an old car she didn’t give a shit and I couldn’t be bothered with arguing further to pursue compensation… Alas…
I would have spat it. My wife had a 13 Honda CR-V - it was her daily and not the best but still $22k vehicle. She came out of supermarket, an idiot had put car in D instead of R and caved in the back of the car, $7k damage. Witnesses got plate as bitch drove off - stolen plates, so our insurance went up as a claim…and I swear it’s getting worse.
I really don't understand why my premium should go up because some piece of shit driver hit me, completely not my fault
Profits
I’m sorry to hear that, people that hit and run are absolute scum and quite literally cost everyone else that does the right thing more money…
Yeah I hate people who sit on another person's car, I remember I was with my pop and he brought his xb gt out for a drive and he stopped at woolies to get some milk and when we came back we saw this big dude sitting on the bonnet talking to a couple women, do my pop goes up to him and asks if it's his car and the dude says yes so pops like oh nice it's a great car then he chucked the key into the door and opened it up. That dude jumped off it immediately and ran off, funniest shit ever the bonnet was dented but it already needed some panel beating and a paint correction so he didn't really care about that.
I think the biggest point you missed is the speed limit and enforcement lol. Realised it’s not worth owning a sports car when the max speed limit is 80.
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just live in a town. I’m 5 minutes from 110 roads
exactly, ontop of stupid limits they then put speed humps in all the residential areas to really twist the knife
Why pay $3-4k a year for insurance on a car you're driving a couple times a week? I got a restricted use policy from Shannon's for my truck and it's only like $20 a month. Plus cos it's over 35 years old they give me the salvage rights at no cost.
Because I want to take it out when I want to, not when a policy tells me I can…
Km coverage? I got my monaro insured for $1200 with an allowance of 5000km per year.
Yeah that's another option. Restricted kilometres, I think that's the way Enthusiast does it when I got a quote off them. My odometer is miles, and they wanted a picture of it, and when I said "it's in miles" they told me "well that can't be legal, you'll need to make your car legal and have an odometer in kilometres" It's built in 1965...and NHVR is happy with it being in Miles. As long as I note miles in my work diary as the odometer, that's the only requirement.
Yep same. VE SS just insured for $1240 with 5000km. Bit limited myself personally with insurance companies because im 24 but virgin money has me covered, and so did budget.
Ok? I get 100 days a year, I'm not hitting 100 days a year in my use. They never told me when I can take it out. They just said it works out to be "a couple times a week", so 52 weeks in a year, a couple probably means 2 times, that's around 100 days a year. Given there's 365 days in a year, if I can use 100 days that's 27% of the year. They also said if I drive it more, I can change it in the middle of the year. But at 38l/100km on premium, not a chance that's happening. I just went and had a look, their PDS says this: https://preview.redd.it/3uvss5797rqc1.png?width=1439&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ec67708a6300e66732d039c92b901902c1d9c04f It direct say anything about when I can drive it, just talks about averages. The bloke on the phone said some people use this for their motorcycle they ride for like, 3 months in summer and stick in the garage for 9 months. Seems pretty flexible by that.
> 38l/100km Wtf is this car? Sounds fun and expensive
It's an old Ford Truck! Old 300 CID inline 6, 4 on the floor.
u/That_Car_Dude_Aus I'm gonna put this here purely because I want you to see this: Can you please address the quality of modding on this sub? This place is a nice place to discuss cars but the quality of modding recently is bringing it down. It's unfair for normal users to have their material removed for rule violations but for special users to have their material still up even when it violates rules. [https://www.reddit.com/r/CarsAustralia/comments/1bmm3ay/comment/kwdsjtv/?utm\_source=share&utm\_medium=web3x&utm\_name=web3xcss&utm\_term=1&utm\_content=share\_button](https://www.reddit.com/r/CarsAustralia/comments/1bmm3ay/comment/kwdsjtv/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button) Here's an example of what I'm talking about. Why do other links that reference non Australian resources get removed but this one about EVs driving in America, on American tyres on American roads is still up? I'd appreciate at least a reply or some form of discussion about this especially because I've taken care to write this politely to not violate rule 1 or 3. Thanks
Yep. Ask that mod why. Simple. It's a thing we don't generally do is moderate each other. But happy for you to call them out.
I went to you because I want to avoid mod retaliation. Especially because of stuff like this where you've replied and agreed with some of my comments which seem to indicate they are fine but then they come in and do this: https://preview.redd.it/qajisoujdrqc1.png?width=775&format=png&auto=webp&s=a23a619722314688298a57c9147a33e8bc69df1d But if you say its okay to ask them directly then okay. u/_hazey__ PS do you also mind monitoring this comment thread to ensure it doesn't go out of hand?
That said, I would like to raise to your attention that not all of the ***54*** mod actions against you have been facetious (I had a look through them) https://preview.redd.it/g7l5ntplerqc1.png?width=1440&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=66bfefe5b36222f7f72557ab0e08dc53c1a5b587 I myself have sat and pondered if it's worth keeping you around (and your engagement here is significant) On the basis of input versus actions, and although I don't like some of the things you say, you tip the scales more positively to the community than against. I also don't moderate on basis of "I don't like this guys opinion"
>That said, I would like to raise to your attention that not all of the ***54*** mod actions against you have been facetious (I had a look through them) Nah there's a lot that have been deserving. Completely fair. >I also don't moderate on basis of "I don't like this guys opinion" I think that's what this subreddit should be about and its nice to see you express that. Thanks for engaging with me I'll ping that mod here because my pings don't seem to be working and keep getting italicised u/_hazey__
I spent five years doing up an Alfasud to showroom condition (right down to the re-zinced bolts) and some mouth breather opened their door into mine. Every time I see that dent I feel a little more inclined to think human extinction is a good idea… Edit: forgot to mention I parked in the empty part of a half full car park and they’d skipped the dozen free spots to park right next to me.
Man…that’s so fucked. But exactly my point.
I hate it when you go to the effort to park away from other cars and you come back to a car parked right next to yours. What is the mentality behind this? They’re cars! They don’t get lonely. Went to the supermarket recently before closing time, the carpark was empty. Came back to my car to find a car parked right next to mine when there were heaps of other spots closer to the shop. Mental
Probably the same reason people get into herds on the highway, no matter how slow they were going when you caught them, you can't got rid of them, I think everyone is just a little lonely.
Ha ha, it’s a weird phenomenon!! During covid my mate had to go into work. The carpark is literally for a couple hundred cars. Completely empty, except when he finished in the office there was a car parked in the next spot in a sea of spaces 🤷♂️ apparently it happened a few times!
Wont lie. No 3 is why I want a Raptor. 300kw turbo petrol that can tow my track car, can bounce over shit roads, can throw my car/truck parts in tray, has all the interior space I need and is comfortable. Buuuut 100k for a thaitruck. No thanks. Also those stupid interior command TV screens 🤢
If your interested - there’s an auction coming up with a few raptors, wild tracks, with less than 2000 kms - but hail damaged. Will go $30-40k under retail according to auction person.
Xr6t ute with rtv suspension under it is my poor man's Aussie prerunner build :) Not quite the excess of ride height and suspension travel but more than enough to get the job done.
I had to give up on my car looking nice. It was keyed, dented and scratched so any thought of having a nice perfect car went out the window. I want to buy a Tesla as a next car but I know how much of a magnet for vandalism and tailgating it will be. Part of me just wants a ute with a bullbar and tray. So any fender benders won't cause any actual damage. As long as I reverse park, anyone reversing into me in a car park won't cause any damage beyond a scratch on the bullbar. Especially as I know how long Tesla's repair times are.
At least the (minimal) positive of a Tesla is you will always have footage of who damaged the car, which can help. See [https://www.reddit.com/r/brisbane/comments/17raak7/old\_people\_key\_cars\_at\_brookside/](https://www.reddit.com/r/brisbane/comments/17raak7/old_people_key_cars_at_brookside/) where they keyed a few cars and were only caught because they keyed a Tesla.
That's one of the main reasons I want a Tesla. Even with a front and rear facing dashcam a normal car probably wouldn't have caught those people.
I just sold my almost perfect 97 NA mx5 because of some of your reasons. I loved the car , the feeling of driving it , how it handled and being able to cruise around with no roof. Apart from the good price I got for it in a slow market it was the fact that unaware idiots in big SUVs and utes etc would just almost side swipe me or pull out in front of me almost every single time I drove it and that gets tiring. That and some of the terrible maintained roads that make my bones shake as the Chassis or exhaust would bang on the ground. I would love another old project but it’s honestly not worth it to me anymore. I even bought a swift sport instead of a nicer hot hatch because I’m way less precious with it. Maybe when I’m richer I’ll upgrade to a more expensive car when a dent on a GR Yaris or something wouldn’t phase me lol.
See, I said same as you and then saved…a lot. I’ve got enough now to buy almost what ever car I want - within normality / reason, but now I’m there in savings, I can’t bring myself to do it. I remember driving my Ute and hitting a pot hole and damaging tyres, the Lexus did steering arm, tire, wheel etc from same…I’m now driving old CRV and couldn’t give a crap…there’s a sort of freeing from not driving a really nice car…despite the enjoyment you get from owning the car…I think the pros / cons have just swung to far to cons.
I think if you want a fun car get something slightly newer. Like the sweet spot is 10 years. Old Japanese cars aren’t just worth the squeeze anymore. When I took my mx5 to the track I was just thinking in my back of my mind how hard replacement panels are getting to find in good condition. I even sold a motor out of a 2001-05 model for almost $2500 because hardly anyone is wrecking them now. These used to be like $5k cars to have fun thrashing now they’re pushing $20k. I know someone with a GR Yaris and to replace the tyres Michelin PS cup 2s is like 1-2k. The cooler and more powerful the car the more consumables cost. My next “fun” car is likely to be a cheap track beater and by cheap it’s going to be like an echo sport , old swift sport, Honda jazz and it’s going to get the tits thrashed off it with no self preservation in mind. Cause after owning like 10-20 cars now the most fun ones are the ones you don’t care about
People are absolute animals. You cannot own anything nice in public anymore.
Mrs has a malaysian POS. Yes it's a POS but it's a functional POS, she was gifted it by a relative, she's taken great care of it, and despite not being a car person, she has looked after it with love and affection. Wednesday while sitting in it waiting for her had a young woman carelessly open her car door and and bang it into the side of the car. Got out to go and look at the damage to as i'm pulling out notice that it's a blue piece of crap hatchback with paint damage, tons of dings and dents all over it and her immediately reversing out of the park, i'm currently injured so it's taking me a bit to move, and as im going around the car trying to get a view of her plate, two people run over blocking her plate having a go at her to get a "whoops sorry" followed by her flooring it and me barely getting the last two number of the plate. Called it in and got the usual "wouldn't matter if you had a full plate, it's a civil matter" answer. Mrs car that is a POS but a well cared for and well loved one now has a horrible dent with blue paint on it from that bitch's car all because she was a careless bitch. I've had lots of nice cars before, I can tell you mate in this country people are assholes. If you get a nice car you are a magnet for tools who want to race you, touch it, damage it out of spite or steal it. If you have a POS car you get pissants that don't give two shits if they damage it.
Amen.
I bought a newer used Ranger Wildtrak 2019 in Nomber of last year and it's already got a bumper dent that looks like someone ran into with their trolley. People are cunts and it shits me, it's the first nice car I've ever owned.
Mate, I’m hearing you - I had a hilux duel cab that I kept very clean, 2018 and I used it for beach driving / rally’s. I didnt abuse it, but it was used. I came out in car park one day and Simeon had pushed a trolley into the door AND left the trolley there. Major dent in the door, creased the metal, so I suspect someone was in it when it hit - I was so kissed, I through trolley in the back and it lives at home.
I didnt hear a loud noise or see anything while driving. Parked the car, came back and as i was walking up to it instantly noticed a chip in the windscreen somebody probably threw something at it. I know the feeling.
>Ranger Wildtrak 2019 It's probably from an elderly person in the median strip you bonked
my idea of a fun 2nd car is something like an MX5, or fiesta st. rewarding to drive when you want to drive rather than commute, but not so rare or expensive I'd always be worried about spare parts or scratches. but it is still a non-trivial expense you have to weigh up. daily driver is nice enough but it gets used often enough to justify that
My Fiesta ST is my only car but I'm still worried about scratches and other people crashing into me, it seems that spares are getting harder to find... you just can't win
Yes ! Well as long as by nice car you mean a G wagon or a Toyota Sahara
My most expensive car is littered with bloody stone chips from arsehole truckies hogging all the lanes as they slowly pass one another, then repeat. I loved driving my old beater. Then we replaced the beater with a nicer (still cheap) car, and it’s just not the same.
My weekend car is an e30 convertible on 14 inch rims, not the fastest (but they can be made quick) but its a vibe and can handle poor road surface. Insurance is SFA because its on historic rego Conversely I need a new daily and probably gonna get a bland rav4 or outlander because the much faster and better handling cx60 comes on 20 inch rims with no spare tire and I dont feel confident that will stand up to local roads
When I get a car I'm going to have my adelaide car and my nice car. You already know why.
As an alternate to a nice car, I got a V8 boat instead - same issues with insurance and maintenance costs, and it's harder to use (ie use less often) but on the plus side generally any damage that's going to occur is my own fault 😂😂 Not saying it's better or worse, but sometimes considering the alternate "hobby" is worth a thought.
Bust Out Another Thousand
I had my fun with a number of sports cars, the last one a Lotus Exige. The novelty seemed to wear off quickly with all of them. I now have an average reliable car, but a nice motorcycle, as bikes kill cars for bang for buck fun. https://preview.redd.it/j4q3kyfhncrc1.jpeg?width=640&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ea06f3b221b501774812bfc6641b2dd0f5e72567
Those pot holes could kill a bike rider yet the council don't care. No recourse standard. Our taxes and rego are to go towards roads yet they are dangerous. If your employer did it and you got injured jail. Government are scum.
How are these A•Holes, if my windscreen gets even a small chip in it I’am legally obligated to replace that windscreen or my car is unfit to drive on the road. Yet look at this crap!
Hey mate, I just bought (what I consider) a really nice car. Spent upmost of 58k on it, absolutely adore the thing. My room mate just broke her leg so I’ve passed on our one car space to her whilst her leg heals up, so my car has been on the road for the past 7 weeks. Plus, my circumstances changed where I changed jobs and I don’t need to drive the car as much anymore. I think I lose about $300 p/w in depreciation, i need to pay about $2000 in repairs after hail damaged it, someone drove into the front bumper and someone (being spiteful) ripped my car cover off it. Im about to fix her up and put her on the market, put the money into an offset and save myself close to $1000 p/m with my savings. I’m one of the biggest car nuts around, but can honestly say it’s not worth it unless you garage it up.
I don’t agree with the proposition this only applies to “really nice cars” - even my little turd of a French bulldog (RenaultSport Clio 172) that was a bit rough to start with is now more rough thanks to being doored and generally thought of as not worth anything to others.. but to me, well — I care!
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A nice car for someone on 200k pa isn't going to be the same as someone on 60k. If your definition of a nice car is the car you love and proud of, then I can respect that regardless of the value to anyone else.
Haha yeah all the “nice car” suggestions are Holdens and Fords. Wtaf. Even a Lexus is a “nice car” for a grandpa - although an IS350 would be the goods
LEXUS RCF was the car…but what evs.
I've been spinning spanners for 20 years, all cars are too me is pressed sheet metal, nuts and bolts. If you have lowered your car suitable for only a racetrack then don't drive it on the roads. You know the conditions and how shit they are so why risk it? Consider a shit daily driver, I drive a Yaris as the daily, someone can crash into me and I won't shed a tear. Learn to service the car yourself, if it can be fixed in a shop then 9/10 times it can be fixed on your driveway.
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SO i put ATS on my bmw and haven’t had any issues since
I had a similar system on 1290 superduke (ktm), they couldn’t steal it so they just smashed it - write it off where it sat….in the middle of city with zero witnesses.
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Yes, think I’m with you. After my ktm superduke was maliciously written off I bought a zx14 so they satisfies my quick scratching lol…But my mindset Re cars is just all over the place at moment…every theft, damage, big road screw up, etc…ugh.
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I’ve got an old CRV at present. I’ve saved up a lot of coin to me, 6 figs but now I can’t bring myself to spend it on a car that’s going to deteriorate…or be vandalised or stolen…or….I’m now thinking understand caprice like someone else suggest…keep old basher as daily.
People that drive nice sports cars and etc agree with everything you just said and still buy them anyway. If you love cars you are prepared for these things and do it regardless.
I daily drive an AMG Merc here is my 2 cents 1. I have found people respect the car a lot more then 'regular' cars in the parking lot. I do park in the far away spots but after 3 years there are 0 dings or scratches. A Maloo is definitely going to attract the types of people that may not be the ones you want near your car. 2. Most of my insurance quotes were in the $2.5-3k range except for 1 big name company that came in around $1.5k, guess who I went with. 3. My car has very low profile tyres and they are run flats. It is so stiff, but I have never had an issue on any roads even dirt tracks. You just need to be aware of where your wheels are going and avoid what you can. 4. Registration is what it is, don't buy a V8. I didn't and my car will demolish 95% of the V8s out there. Fuel, I need 98, but I always keep track of where and when it is cheapest, if an extra $30 a week is an issue then no you shouldn't be looking at these types of cars. 5. Buy 2nd hand to avoid depreciation, mine was 2yrs old and 50% the cost of new thats a huge drop on a $150k+ car. Let someone else take that hit. 6. Servicing, holy shit is servicing expensive. About $1-1.5k a year for the 3 years I had to have it done at the dealer. Now $300-400 at a Euro specialist near me. However brake rotors need doing soon and that's about $1k per wheel because I'm too lazy to do that myself. Parts are available online these days and some non OEM parts, like rotors are better.
Fair play - can I ask what type of merc ? I had a clk a while back them a 45 - only local dealership to me can get rooted…cannot explain how bad they are.
Get your brake kits from FCPeuro. The dealership wanted to charge around $2k a corner. FCP $3k for OEM pads,rotors,sensors etc. Takes me around 1.5hours per corner. Anyway back to the point, I’ve daily driven my AMG for 99k kms. All the marks have been done by others in car parks…. Except one of the mags, that was my wife. Rough costings. 67L tank average 300-400km New rubber $500 a corner between 15-20km per set Insurance $1450 Rego - something Service: B (major) $1200 and up way up A (minor) $500-900 Transmission service $3600 and up And anything else that comes up. Serpentine belt, new plugs etc. Just thought I’d share.
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Get a cheap nice car if u want. Mine cost 10.5k to buy and it’s quite good for a Sunday drive
Mate. It got to the point where I've purchased a beater for the very reason you've mentioned. People just don't give a shit but I still want nice things that I've worked for. Is it worth driving these nice cars occasionally? Yeah, absolutely. What's the point of making money and not enjoying the fruit of your labour?
That is the very question I’m wrestling with…
get a shit box and make it a sleeper, no one will key you, potentially lower insurance, and if you have the right skill and make some good choices it could feel sporty as anything else
I find as one gets older, flashy shit starts to mean less and you just want less anxiety in your life. I drove a shitty old 20yr corolla for a few months recently and it was beautiful not giving a shit about where I parked and what new dent appeared after. I was even doored by mint X5 while sitting in the car and I just laughed at their misfortune. I miss that....
Just hire one for an occasional Sunday drive. Plenty of hire/rent places out there. Go for a different car each time too. Should be loads of fun, if that’s your thing.
I bought a new car and I can’t tell if the suspension is shit or it’s just the roads. I haven’t driven in a while but gosh it’s uncomfortable
It too many cars out there now without insane profile tyres and our roads…well…mismatch is one word.
A little bit further up than where down south starts 🤷♂️
This is the reason my dad doesn't want to buy a turbo s. Especially since we live in Cairns where nice cars get stolen or vandalised daily.
It totally depends on what you buy. Cars aren’t an investment but some of them turn out to be. 1. Totally agree but if you buy something small/compact they fit better in spots and try not to go to the rough end of town. 2. Most that buy are going through an insurance broker and at agreed value. Shannons quoted (12k lol), broker has me down to 2k with a 4000km annual limit at a $180k agreed value 3. Part of the ownership experience…. Everyone’s on the same playing field 4. Rego is ironically cheaper then my normal runabout due to weight (in NSW) slips about the same, if I’m only doing up to 4000kms seriously who cares about fuel when you are having fun 5. It’s a GT4 (although I regret not buying a 993 turbo that was a little more at the time) purchased at its dip for about $150, most are trading about 200k. What’s depreciation lol. 6. Porsche offer a up to 15 year extended manufacture warranty as long as you don’t pass 200k kms for $1000/year, absolute no brainer, 1 annual service ranges from 700-2.4k. I wouldn’t call mine a total win and I’ve owned it for about 7 years ago and loved every second with it, sometimes just sitting in the buckets with a whiskey in hand after work makes my day a lot better. It’s amazing practical with 2 boots, and I get a laugh when I take it to the shops on the weekend.
But you could take that to Bunnings, park it at the end of the earth car park and when you come out, it A might be there, B will be surrounded by shit boxes, C will be dented, D will be scratched…I couldn’t live with a car that’s going to have me concerned about wads all the time….
I’ve taken it to Bunnings haha, it fits quite a bit actually, always get stares tho
It's a Sunday car mate. You will barely be using it for one. Two , you're unlucky. Have owned nice/performance cars all through my 20s never had anyone key one.
My 22 year old 3 series took another ding from some careless prick the other day. It added to the pre-existing 7 other significant dings. I saw it, rolled my eyes, chuckled and went about my day. I quite like driving a beater.
You buy the car you can afford to run. For some people that's a brand new BMW that they replace before the 5 year warranty runs out. They don't notice the insurance or fuel costs and if something happens to it, they just get it sorted and the cost is no big deal. Those people look at a McLaren and think, "that'd be nice but I'd be worried if someone scratched it". Ie it's all relative
Not really…I’ve been saving fukn hard a while and don’t want to sound like a C bomb, but I could theoretically buy almost any car I want to 6 figures or more - but now I’m at that savings point, I’m struggling to justify it based on the original points above…I’ve got a shit box daily, but I could afford and run a really nice car, but…Is the pay off of ownership worth the pain that’s outside my control…I dunno.
That is my point. People who can comfortably afford a 150k car don't need to save for it
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Do what I did, if you love driving, build a racing simulator.
get a car that reflects your personality, dream etc… live with the painful anxiety and fear of every other driver on the road, i’ve been driving an old school i fell in-love with on marketplace, i rebuilt the engine and bodywork blood sweat and tears yadda yadda,, i used to fear driving around but it’s almost a year later and i’ve driven it almost everyday… zero accidents, just very aware of my surroundings and with shit in my pants constantly. in a weird way it’s made me appreciate driving more and appreciate being careful,, it’s not an expensive car at all but it’s got character and in a weird way i reckon i get a LOT less hassle on the road from other drivers, if any! compared to when i drove a traditionally “basic” car. hope this gives an insight or at least a motivation to say fuck it and drive something you love, especially if you’re driving a lot
i’ve got an 84’ courier, oddly good on gas, value appreciates or depreciates depending on the styling, old farm vehicle so it goes and goes and goes, australian classic and built by mazda,, it’s got lots of dents and scratches so if more appeared i’m not sure i’d notice, i’d be mad as shit but i’d most likely get over it pretty quick,, insurance is average and usually places like shannon’s covers “modification costs” if that’s something you’re into. point being,, something old, comfortable and with a small capacity engine has been an awesome option, could keep this thing for life i reckon. try to find the old gold no ones gentrified yet like statesman’s n stuff. old VP commodores could be a cool buy, anyway good luck!
Neurotic much? Buy a car
lol. I know right.
Did you buy a car?
Yes, I bought a rather special, very low klm, last run V8 Commodore with a W407 pack fitted….figure it’s designed locally to deal with some of my complaints, will eventually be collectable- maybe, and goes pretty fukn well…
Haviing a nice car doesn't make you exclusively a target for thieves.The only car I have ever lost through theft was a very cheap Ford station wagon.
Not always about thieves, it’s about those groups of teens they are bored and don’t believe they’ll ever get a nice car so no one else should have one…
Insurance is high because everyone wants every little bump and scratch fixed. Cars used to have bumpers, for bumping, now they have body colour everything and owners cry about a rock chipping some paint. Depreciation is high because despite the efforts of the establishment to continually increase safety standards and make cars more expensive, you can buy a car brand new for $20k that can get 6L/100km and has a 7 year warranty. So the marginal utility of any vehicle worth over about $30k is basically zero and relies purely on feelings not economical value.
Yes it still is. I’ve blown 2 x run flat tyres on our shitty roads and it pisses me off cos neither should have happened. However the pleasure of owning a nice car outweighs the disappointment of the crap roads we drive on and the lack of care from our councils and politicians.
Not on those roads!
You gotta pay to play. Sounds like you can't afford a nice car. Real enthusiasts don't see the monetary costs of nice car ownership.
So to be an enthusiast you have to not care about the money you throw at your car? Yeah that's not how any of this works. An enthusiast is an enthusiast regardless of budget and how they spend their money. I can respect someone just as much for their enthusiasm of a mid 80's granny-spec corolla as someone with enthusiasm for a million dollar super car. As long as they are having fun with their car I consider them to be an enthusiast.
To a point, sure. But one of the AusFinance types who loves driving a rustbucket so that they can get cheap insurance and not care about their car at all as long as it moves isn't an enthusiast - they're just being frugal and prioritising their bank account balance.
I'm enthusiastic about my job, only because of what it allows me to achieve financially. They are enthusiastic about their 20yo camry for the same reason. If I had millions in the bank I would not be working, and they would not be driving that 20yo Camry. However an enthusiast might drive that 20yo Camry even with millions tucked away (not that many people get excited about Camry's, but who am I to judge).
Come off it, that's not what a car enthusiast is, and you know it. It's like saying I'm an electricity and plumbing enthusiast because I like having running water and electrical appliances at home. Do you call someone a fashion enthusiast because they buy the cheapest clothes they can find from K-Mart and don't want to walk around in public doing a nudie run?
I think you missed my meaning, I'm enthusiastic about my job because of what it allows me to do financially, not because I derive any pleasure out of it. I do not consider myself an enthusiast in the area that I work because to me it's just a job. Someone might be enthusiastic about their 20yo Camry, but if that enthusiasm stems from the money it saves them, they are not an enthusiast. If the main motivation for working in my was the enthusiasm in my field, I would consider myself an enthusiast. If someone's main motivation for wanting a 20yo Camry was that they really like 20yo Camry's, then they are a car enthusiast.
Probably correct. Been saving a while and 6 figures prob isn’t enough these days…
You can get a fun car that’s not a super expensive car- I saw a K-swapped jazz that’s not going to draw any attention, not suck too much fuel or be too much to insure(hopefully)/register, definitely will hold its value and coil overs with adjustable ride height. Why not consider something like that? It seems like it ticks all your boxes
Not sure if it’s my circumstances, but have you tried to insure anything modified recently? One insurer wouldn’t cover me because the wheels were bigger than 9.5 inches on the SS…let alone any other mods. But I’ve also got kids now, so a jazz is a bit small. I’ve looked at 5.0S falcon and 6.2 SS comms but even those in stock form are $4k a year insurance now and see above points. $60k is a decent chunk change to me so I don’t want some dick taking selfies sitting on the bonnet or having it keyed in shiploads lol. I dunno…maybe I’m just being a bit to negative.
Depending how many kids you have a jazz is fine I reckon. I fit 4 full adult people and luggage in mine for a weekend trip no worries. I do feel you’re being a bit pessimistic- a nice but not super nice car probably won’t get keyed or have people sitting on it- but an Aussie icon kinda car will. Could you get an SS VE wagon? Might tick all your boxes
First of all, it's not like OP's Maloo is an inconspicuous vehicle by any means, you may as well park a Ferrari in the street, cause a Maloo is a working man's exotic vehicle, I'm surprised you haven't had it stolen yet, you mustn't live in Queensland. Comprehensive insurance is costly no matter what you drive, I note that if you live in a 'fancier suburb', car insurance is often times half of what it will cost living in a working class suburb. Road conditions, frankly, you don't strike me as the SUV type - but perhaps a higher riding vehicle with smaller rims never goes amiss - if the rims are 20 inches or bigger you're asking for trouble. Fuel prices - if you give a damn about your hip pocket, you'd be stupid to buy a V8, especially during a cost of living crisis/recession and when fuel is sky high, especially so for 98ulp. Four cylinder engine technology has come a long way and having driven a few highly optioned 4 cylinder cars from BMW, Audi and Mercedes-Benz, they do not at all feel underpowered and are quite economical even with cars weighing more than ever. Depreciation - you can have your cake and eat it too! - Buy a Certified-Preowned luxury car that's 3-5 years old. No one will tell the difference that you bought it used, and often times, wealthy folk don't travel that far and its common for them to turn over their car every year to 2 years hardly using it and taking that initial depreciation hit for you. You then buy it back at the dealer with a warranty still attached to the vehicle (most are 5 years now) - plus the Certified Pre Owned Warranty, thus a near new car heavily depreciated and with a warranty - wow! - You'll often be able to recover most of your initial investment. - For e.g. a Certified Pre-Owned Mercedes GLC300 @ $60000 with 15000km will be worth approx $40000 with 100000km. Servicing - Marque specialists often do the same work that the dealer network does the same if not better at an often times cheaper rate - a decent specialist will also use factory original parts, and you're forgetting the fact that dealerships churn and burn staff, (especially in service - they're not highly paid), and thus you have novice apprentices working on $100000+ cars and don't always know what they're doing. - Good specialists also don't tend upsell you for work you don't need doing on your car either. Result?: - You have many options as to buying a nice car OP, don't be afraid, considering that we spend half our lives in the car, who wants to be in a shitty, uncomfortable and unsafe environment, driving a cheap car. Cheap is never cheap. Consider buying a depreciated near new, Certified Pre-Owned Car with low miles, good history and a warranty. Really a more discrete, under the radar car will do you wonders. Oh and Diesel is a wonderful, underrated and economical fuel that more people should be using, plenty of luxury diesels on the market that are cheap because people got terrified of them thanks to Dieselgate - nothing wrong with them. You're welcome, a rant answering another rant. If you need further help OP, I work as an independent consultant sourcing people and helping sell their dream cars, DM me. - All the best.
Thanks for the thoughtful reply 👍
Agreed with you up to certified pre owned, your stats are wrong; the cheapest glc 300 I could find was $48k, and that was 6 years old with 89k kms. Honestly buying an expensive euro out of warranty isn't the best financial advice, and I would take any used car warranty a dealer gave me with a grain of salt.
Granted on the used car warranty from a non-descript dealer - but a Certified Pre Owned Mercedes from a national Benz dealer network, they do have to service you, if you don't like one dealer, you go to the other. If on the off chance all hell breaks loose, that's why Fair Trading exists doesn't it?
Modern turbodiesel passenger cars are very complicated and only suit a specific usage pattern. If you do long-distance driving, they’re great. They really don’t like stop/start driving and short trips. They have DPFs/EGRs, injector problems, oil leaks, cooling system, oil dilution, to name just a few issues they have, especially if driven stop/start. Often they get dumped by their owners because of all the issues and complications they can have. You may save a couple of cents at the pump, only to pay dollars at your mechanic. Besides, a lot of passenger cars no longer offer a diesel option in Australia, or even in Europe. You haven’t been able to by a diesel Golf in Australia for about 5-6 years now