@margo,
Died suddenly and the expense of repairs is likely not worth it.
I have had to compromise like crazy because I have needed finance. The car has to be no more than 12 years old when you pay it off...so the sort of car I wanted, while cheap, was too old for me to get long enough finance. For instance, there was a 2001 Subaru Liberty, and a couple of great Corollas, but I couldn't get finance for long enough.
I could have got a REALLY cheap car...but to be honest I just don't have time for all the dramas that can come with them.....especially as I use the car for work, and if my car dies when I have 150 people waiting for me to come and do three hours of training for them, or a bunch of busy people waiting for me at a school meeting, it's just not reasonable.
So....after checking with the RAA re their reliability, I have bought a 2007 Hyundai Getz, four door....but I had to come down to a manual which is a real piss off.
I hadn't driven a manual for 12 years, so the test drives needed a lot of focus!!! I am sure the muscle memory will come back soon.
It's still got 18 months factory warranty, including roadside assist, and I actually have a CD player for the first time!!!
It's actually quite a pretty frosty blue. I generally have white cars, too...though my poor deceased darling was dark grey.
It ended up in a sort of Dutch auction...as I had a 2006 2 door Getz but with lower kilometres that I was also test driving. They ended up both being there at the same time with the result that both sales people were basically trying to trump each other. In the end the extra doors won because it simply IS a pain getting people into a two door. Not that the back seats are likely to be highly popular in this weeny thing! But even getting shopping and stuff in is easier in a four door...(I had a two door Civic lent to me by a friend for 3 weeks and it drove me a bit nuts.)
Man! How those car folk pressure when they are in a naked contest! I have never experienced the like!!!! I think it's just in their blood...it's not like we were talking big commissions for my little car.
I am devoted to Libertys though...so I am frustrated at myself for needing finance...but this is what happens to people who go overseas!
I have actually moved to being half-time on the Great Outback Challenge.
I am due up again the week of the 21st Feb. My full-time colleagues are supposed to be there now, but the remains of Yasi dropped torrential rains down, and they had to cancel because it was too dangerous to land the plane, and they likely wouldn't have been able to get from the airstrip into community.
