[pleccy2000]

We're looking to buy a small car. So we've test driven and short listed:

Toyota Vitz RS - 2001, $10,500 (74000km)
VW Polo - 2001, $7300 (60,000km)
Suzuki Swift - 2007, $14,500 (8500km)
Suzuki Swift - 2006, $14,000 (10,000km)

All have 1.3 automatic engines

And we can't decide! The polo is the cheapest (And what we had in London). However a couple of people has said that Euro car pats are harder to get and not all garages can service them? That leads to to believe that Japanese cars are the way to go here in NZ?

Does anybody own any of the cars above? I'm looking for a small car that won't depreciate too much over two years.

Also Any opinions on owning a european car?

[gil]

we've got a similar aged Polo and it's been very reliable.

[pleccy2000]

we've got a similar aged Polo and it's been very reliable.

They are good cars aren't they. Can i ask, have you found servicing /parts easy?
Thanks

[Syed]

I am interested in Vitz as its interior is cool. Search Trademe, 2005 model is around 15000.

[gil]

It's been serviced by the place we got it from and WOF'd by a local garage and not had any problems yet. There is a VW dealership here if we need it, touch wood we haven't.

Gil

[dilanium]

We have an Echo (Which is the same thing as the Vitz) they are amazing. I definitely recommend.

Plus toyota parts are relatively inexpensive comparatively.

[BadlyDrawnGirl]

We drove a Honda Concerto while we were there and we totally loved it - had an awesome engine, and great mileage. :nice1

[Silverwing86]

... the Honda Jazz (Fit if imported) ?

Honda and Toyota are considered to be the most reliable and best value for money for the small car category by Consumer Org. NZ and the Honda Jazz is an incredibly versatile car. With the magic seat system you can create more space in the back than in the Honda CRV ! It also has very good fuel economy and is comfortable to drive.

NZ new Honda Jazz'z also hold their value very well because of Honda NZ's policy to stick to the prices (no bargaining, which is a bit of a pity when buying, but well worth it when it comes to selling later on !).

I've been driving one for well over a year now and I'm very happy with it. So much so that I traded it in for the new model in December, an even better drive and a lot of useful extra's (a.o.; cruise control, climate control, USB connection for I-pod - which means the steering wheel controls can be used for it, etc.) !

Good luck !

Cheers,
Silver

[Big Puku]

Another vote for the Vitz - we imported our own low-mileage one from Japan last year and it's been great (saved a couple of $k over TM prices too).

Friend is having issues with Renault servicing locally (plus the local Renault dealer has just gone into liquidation which doesn't help), although usually parts availability on European models isn't a problem - it's just the price of them!

[ljrobin]

We bought a Toyota Yaris, the new version of the Vitz. It's only a 1300cc engine, but it sure does have enough power. It is our "around the town" car, so with 2 kids, me as a new left hand driver, and the "horrendous" drivers in CHCH we went for a car with airbags all over the place, it has 9! I love it. Toyota was having a promotion at the time we bought it, so we purchased at a good price.

[IanW99]

As pleccy2000 is based in Wellington, there are a lot of hills to have to drive up so I would definitely be checking out if they can get up them, especially any that you are likely to travel every day.

Certainly some of the 1300 automatic cars (and even bigger engines) will struggle to get up some of the hills.

If possible I would definitely do a test drive to be sure.

Ian

[pleccy2000]

Thanks guys! I’ve still not come to a decision, but the polo is very tempting due to being in good condition and low price..... but very worried about what would happen if something went wrong.

[willsken]

Go for the Vitz... I have one and it's a great little car :nice1

[Jon&Candy]

I agree - the Vitz / Yaris is great, but I'd be nervous about getting an RS model from as far back as 2001; chances are it will have been thrashed by a hoon at some point. One other thing to bear in mind is that the RS has very low ground clearance so you might struggle to get onto driveways.

When we arrived about 10 months ago, we bought a 2006 1.3 Yaris (NZ New) from a Toyota main dealer for $13,500. It had 18mths still left on the warranty and we paid another $500 to get a 2 year extension when that runs out. Car prices have plummeted since then so you should be able to get an even better deal.

[pleccy2000]

Thanks guys.

Ended up buying a NZ new, 1 old lady owner Swift GLX 1.5, 27,000 km for $12.500! Bargain, .love it!