[greyhoundangel]

I'm a Holden girl always have been and have always liked my 'big' cars, but in reality this may not be an option any more, due to petrol and when I am working full time I would fill up my car 3 times per week (with the tank now costing at least $70 to fill)

I've been researching small cars, trying to find out what is good and reliable, what looks nice (not keen on the way many small cars look), don't want it to be too light, good on the road in wet weather, and able to fit at least two car seats. Would also like to have a boot with enough room for a large pram and of course shopping

I've been looking at the Astra but not 100% convinced, probably because holden's have lost my love a little over the years.

TIA for suggestions

Mel xx

[binstead99-98]

Hi mel, Can't speak highly enough of the Mazda 3, I fill up every 2 or 3 weeks. I have 2 seats in the back and a pram in the boot! Cheers Mel

[Gagsmissus]

HI Mel,
Don't know if its any help to you at all but we have a 2005 Nissan Pulsar and it great! Boot big enough for pram and shopping and can fit rear facing seat and forward facing seat. They stopped making them last year but there may still be some around. Good price too.
Cheers
Nat

[greyhoundangel]

Hi mel, Can't speak highly enough of the Mazda 3, I fill up every 2 or 3 weeks. I have 2 seats in the back and a pram in the boot! Cheers Mel

How much driving do you do per day? I know mine goes through a lot of petrol anyway, but I could be doing 200-500k's per day

Thanks Gagsmissus happy to find a used car that's not too old with low k's so will check it out

Mel xx

[3littlemonkeys]

Why not a small 4WD, or All Wheel Drive - Subaru Forrester, Nissan X-trail, Toyota Rav4, Ford Escape, Landrover Freelander, BMW X3, Hyundai Sante Fe. I believe they all come in a 4 cylinder option. I had a Rav4 before my Mercedes ML350, loved it.

Plus, they are able to tow a dog trailer and fit a large dog in the boot

This post has been edited by christeenm: 05/09/2006, 01:22 PM

[greyhoundangel]

I think Subaru was listed as the most popular for small cars at the moment, can't remember where I heard about it.

We have thought about 4WD's but maybe for hubby? I don't know, are they easy to get in and our of? get children in and out of?

Mel xx

This post has been edited by greyhoundangel: 05/09/2006, 01:25 PM

[annna]

I adore my small car! I have a Peugeot 307 (5 door hatch, 2L 4 cylinder). It sits beautifully on the road (doesn't feel like a small car, which is part of the reason I bought it), handles well, looks great. The two carseats easily fit in the back and the world's hugest pram sits nicely in the boot.

It's quite fuel efficient, but if it's not good enough there is also a diesel version which does around 5L/100km I believe.

Love it, best car I've ever had the pleasure of driving

[greyhoundangel]

What about the HYUNDAI, GETZ or HYUNDAI, ELANTRA?

Mel xx

This post has been edited by greyhoundangel: 05/09/2006, 02:12 PM

[DadAgain]

We had a look at this recently since DW's old Corolla is too small to put anything in the boot (its anchor points are at the BACK of the boot so the straps perfectly BISECT the bootspace! ).

We looked at Mazda3 & 6 and were impressed but thought that the 3 was probably big enough for 2 car seats, pram and groceries so wouldnt need to spend for the '6'. Its a bit "Zoom Zoom" wannabe a sports car with the interior but nonetheless comfortable.

Next we checked out the latest Toyota Corolla and found although the space is improved and competes well with the Mazda, the level of refinement and specifications just didnt match up. The new Camry had a better offering in terms of features - but just looks like a tank and has fuel conmsuption figures to prove it.. It looks heavy and unimpressive (actually looks like its been designed by Chrysler/Pontiac for the American market) - So after that we found ourselves dismissing the idea of looking any further at Toyotas!

Holden was a brief visit (theres always a bitter taste at buying anything by GM and the whole skanky-bogan reputation doesnt do them any favours in terms of Austalian branding - but I grew up driving Vauxhall Astras and Cavaliers so we had a look).. The lastest Astra had a boot that was just WAAAAAY too small to hold anything - and the Vectra, which looked ok has just been canned - expect to wait a couple of months before its replacement (cant remember what it'll be called)!

Next stop was Honda and the Civic was great to drive and cheaper than a similarly specc'd Mazda3 - it had the space required and the only real downside was the gimicky LCD speedo up by the windscreen... We were almost convinced until we saw that the entry level Accord had the same spec level as the mid-level Civic for only a $2K more (and had loads more space)..

So for now - it looks like "Honda Accord" is on our shopping list! (Just as soon as someoone buys our old Corolla from us)

What about the HYUNDAI, GETZ?

2 car seats and shopping? You are joking!

[greyhoundangel]

I haven't seen a Getz in person, just noticed the nice price range