[jubjub]

OK, a question for anyone in NZ with an MPV or station wagon/estate car.

We need to replace my car, its a fortune to maintain, we thought as a Jap import it would be fine, but nope :mad: , its a Daihatsu Pyzar (dont laugh!)

What I need to know is what have you got, is it reliable, have you had any probs getting parts for it, would you recommend it to your best mate?

I am not fussy, only requirements are that the dog can jump into the boot, and there are four passenger doors, oh and its preferably cheap to buy! ;)

[Moorf]

We've got a '96 Subaru Legacy Grand Wagon Auto and we're really pleased with it - so much so that we're sticking the same make/model when we upgrade - seems a common "workhorse" round here - does everything we need including shipping the dog around, the bikes, huge boot, lovely to drive, fast/nippy (2.5ltr) when needed, permanent 4x4, cheap to buy, parts and repair shops are common, some of the replacement parts can be costly, but to date no probs with ours. Can pick up a 95/96 for around $10k. Friends recently bought a newer model (2003 I think) for $18,500 having negotiated the price down from $24,000.

We used to have a Rav4 but that was nowhere near as good in terms of boot size and handling off the main roads, speed etc.

Sorry, both of the above are Jap imports.

[StevieD]

Ditto on that Sal, the Subaru is a fantastic car, and i looking to get one of those when we get there. Marie P has one too, so give her a pm to ask her advice too!!

I have driven Subaru/Isuzu within my jobs for a long time and they are very good cars, if not a tad expensive to maintain sometimes. But when they company cars you don't worry about that. But I wouldn't hesitate to get one.

Steve

[jubjub]

Ditto on that Sal, the Subaru is a fantastic car, and i looking to get one of those when we get there. Marie P has one too, so give her a pm to ask her advice too!!


Could not remember what she had, will have a nosey at it when I see her...

[clg]

Chalk me up as another happy subaru owner

[wanderingoregonian]

We're on our second Subaru Loyale - its a 91 and doing GREAT... we drove the last one into the ground, and this one should last awile but we'll be selling it to move to NZ. The perfect size, optional 4WD, and gets good gas milage. Plus I never worry when it gets hit - fender benders are very common in Boston.

How hard do you all think it would be to find a decent used subaru wagon down in NZ? I know I will have deal with the fact that I probably the days of finding a great Loyale wagon in good condition with low milesl is slim.. particularly since they stopped making them in 94...

[Moorf]

Sizz.. I'll stick my neck out here and say I think it's the most common car on the road here - at least it is round this neck of the woods. Tons for sale too.

[sizzlingbadger]

It seems we the odd ones out :D We've got a Mitsubishi Delica '95. Jap import but it's been fantastic. We've got 3 kids, 2 dogs and managed easily to get a weeks worth of luggage in as well. We've even managed to put a bath in the back with all the seats down or moved :D Easy to maintain and reasonable on diesel, although added extra with road user charges. Quite a few around, we've got the Space Gear which is 7 seats, the ones with 8 seats seem to have quite a few broken or bent 8th seat on the row behind the driver. Ours has two seats behind the driver instead and are independant of each other so you can swivel them around and move them up or down.

One thing to watch with some of the Suburau estates is the back seat clips (don't know technical word for them, where you put the seat belt to do it up :-)). We had major problems getting my youngest's car seat to fit in and buckle up as you can't move the clip up or down it was fixed. The other problem was the amount of space once he was in we could only just get a second car seat in, no room for a 3rd person to squash in.

Take your car seat with you and test it out, also your pushchair as well. We found with the Prados and other 4x4s that we couldn't get a pushchair in the boot let alone shopping once all 7 seats were in use. That's why we ended up with the Delica despite my husband wanting a Prado :D

[Park City Partner]

We bought a 2000 Subaru Legacy at the end of Jan. from a dealer with a warranty for about $18k. We went through a dealer just in case there were any problems so we probably paid a bit more. We looked at Toyotas as well but as we are both tall there was not much headroom so we went with the Subaru. We have been very happy with it. We have loaded heaps of stuff in it including a washer and dryer we bought at a yard sale. One items to note is that it came from Japan and the radio doesn't have frequencies above 90.0. So we don't get much on the raido but we use our iPod in the car for the time being.

[Moorf]

Hey Park City, did you know you can get an adaptor that sits between the radio and the aerial that shifts the frequency band so you can get all the NZ broadcasts? We had the same problem with us and I can't drive with Rock FM ;) .

[Marie P]

Hi Moorf ,

Where you get your adapter from ?

Marie x

PS Love your curtains !

[Moorf]

We got ours from TradeMe - but here's a link:-

http://www.precisioncarsound.co.nz/bandex.htm

I suspect you might get them in most car stores like SuperCheap Auto or something?


Cheers re curtains, have definitely helped keep the heat in too :nice1

[jubjub]

DELICA, *slaps her own forehead* thats what I was trying to think of! Ta..

Dont mind it being a jap import, as long as parts are plentiful and cheap! Going to have a look at the weekend, currently flicking through Autotrader..

[adamsat]

We've got a Toyota Lucida - 8 seats, loads of space, lots of them around so parts are easy to get hold of and most garages will service them.

[SteveR]

you can get the radio band expanders from super cheap auto, repco and most car parts shops, there is usually 2 types 10mhz and 12mhz. go for the 10mhz as it makes it easier to tune into a station that you know the frequency it is on. the display on the radio will still show ie: 85.5 but with a 10 mhz expander it is really picking up 95.5 i find it easier just to add on 10 to the display.

[Cardy]

We just got a brand new Kia Sportage with 5 years parts and labour gaurantee 5 years roadside assistance and full tank of petrol for $32000 miles cheaper than england . Its alovely drive. Also i know this is ad but i got a personalised number plate for $620 so you will know my car when you see me drive by..Cardy :laugh :exit

[StevieD]

Cardy - flash git!! :laugh

If you want to get an idea, try Turners.co.nz for car prices.

Steve

[Marie P]

Thanks Moorf :nice1

Dave got me a radio expander yesterday from Repco for $20 ,had a good sing along in the sunshine on the way home from work .

Marie x

PS but I still listen to Steve Wright at home :o

[Park City Partner]

Moorf, you ROCK so to speak. Thanks for the info! We will be buying one of those shortly! :raebanana :raebanana

[SteveR]

I was in the Warehouse at the weekend and they sell the radio band expanders. only saw the 12mhz ones and i think they were $10

[toby777]

unless you need 4WD don't get a 4WD wagon. they're heavier, use more fuel and as there's more to go wrong - driveshafts, differentials etc, cost more to run.

if you can afford a newer one the last point is not so important. if you want to go for a legacy see below. i've pasted the following from the 'car by car breakdown' at www.honestjohn.co.uk useful for looking at any car - note that some cars in nz will have different names.


What's Bad
Spartan interior. Frameless side windows. Propensity to score rear discs. Cheap, old shape 'Classic' models dropped from line-up in autumn 1999 and new models were £2,000 dearer. Used prices rose strongly after J.D. Power result. Subarus had second highest warranty repair costs in 2003 Warranty Direct Reliability index (index 217.72 v/s lowest 31.93) due to the high cost of individual repairs.

• EJ20 two litre Subaru engines (and some others) are rapidly
developing a bad reputation for premature big end bearing failure.
Subaru is claiming that the problem is lack of maintenance, but we
know of a number of cases where the buyer was careful and thorough
and it still occurred. The problem is worst on the twin turbo
versions: these engines are equipped with the short skirt pistons
which also wear badly. The symptom of the big end problem is a
distinct knocking when you start the car from cold and the symptom of
the piston wear is a rattle when cold. The above two problems seem
to strike at around 100,000 miles.

• EJ25 two point five litre DOHC engines are well known for blowing
head gaskets. Spate of head gasket failures on 2.5 quad cam engines and H-6 engines lead Subaru in the USA to extend the warranty to 8 years, but not in UK.

Subaru 3rd bottom of Reliability Index for 2004 combining very high average cost of repair of £993.58 with low 19.82 failures per 100 Warranty Direct policies. Link:- www.reliabilityindex.co.uk

What to Watch Out For

Have been known to sit around on dockside compounds for years before finding buyers, so registration date may be 18 months later than build date. Always check the rear discs for scoring. If it has a tow-hook, check whether it's been pulling a single or a double horsebox. Use a torch to peer underneath just in case it's been up a rough track and suffered serious damage from a rock. Mk Is from 1989-94 are getting old now. Second or third owner may have skimped maintenance and used it for hauling animals. Have a good look under load area carpeting for dents. If the car has seat covers, take them off - a dog may have eaten the seats underneath. On 2.5 quad-cam and H-6 look for mayo under oil cap, oil in coolant expansion tank and low coolant level in expansion tank as signs of head gasket failure. Cars fitted by the importer with SIGMA immobilisers are vulnerable to radio waves emitted by TETRA AIRWAVE security services communications masts and require new shielded SIGMA immobilisers.

[kiwimarkus]

Hi Moorf
With adapter you do mean a "Band Expander"! - Any Car-Spares outlet or Car Hi Fi specialist stocks them -- If there is REPCO nearby - i´m sure, they have got thousands of these things.Good luck with your reception
Regards
Kiwimarkus