Need some opinions

[MadCow809]

okay... my mom sold the SLK 200K to her business partner at a great price. Now she is looking at buying a new car just to get to work everyday, so it doesnt have to fancy and it has to be around below R300 000 (which is about 23 800 GBP), but it does have to be a new vehicle. I got a couple of cars in mind and you guys are more than welcome to throw in ideas, and since she is only gonna buy the car sometime around jan 2007, so any new 2007 model cars are valid.

Here are some cars that i would suggest her to buy:

1. VW Golf GTI
2. BMW 320d
3. BMW 323i
4. Audi A3 2.0
5. Audi A3 1.9TDI
6. Toyota Camery

Also she cant drive a manual car, so cars that are not available in automatic are out of the option list. and since 90% of the cars in south africa comes standard in manual, it would cost about R15 000 / 1200 GBP to have the optional automatic gearbox, which will leave her with R285 000 to buy an automatic car.

anyway, thanks

[Buba]

From that list, I'd maybe say 320d, as the engine has really become awesome.
A friend of mine who currently works at BMW and has a 325i said to me 2 weeks ago that this engine is all you'll ever need... Well more speed is always better, but hey! And it works great with an automatic...

Do they even sell the GTI with an automatic? Or is it just the automatic dsg mode???

//edit: They dont have a normal auto in Germany... Depends on your Mom if she could live with the dsg...

[Karoug]

i'd say the Golf.. but it doesn't come with an automatic.. only the DSG.. but if she can't drive with a manual.. she better learn!!!

[MadCow809]

yeah.. the GTI's DSG has an automatic mode, and thats all she needs : ) im not even gonna bother explaining to her how to change gear with the paddle..


and

Originally Posted by Karoug

but if she can't drive with a manual.. she better learn!!!

she is 45, and i doubt that she will want to learn how to drive a manual

[Karoug]

My mom is 60 and she got her bike-license this summer... you are only as old as you think you are!

[BlitzR]

The problem with the the GTI is the life of the DSG unit. The clutches in the DSG supposedly have half the life of a regular one.
The 2.0 FSI A3/Golf/Jetta all come with a 6 speed Auto which is good.

[MadCow809]

Originally Posted by BlitzR

The problem with the the GTI is the life of the DSG unit. The clutches in the DSG supposedly have half the life of a regular one.
The 2.0 FSI A3/Golf/Jetta all come with a 6 speed Auto which is good.

hm.. that is a very good point actually, ive heard about the wear and tear of the clutch on the DSG... and since my mom is extremely lazy (like most women) she cant drive a manual, and she tends to forget to service her car.....maybe the DSG GTI is not the right car for her then....

but surely the factory warranty will repair the clutch free of charge... that is if the car is still under the warranty..

[watto]

Don't touch the Camry

I'd say the 320d. The engine in that is fantastic and of course being a diesel, more mileage!

[BlitzR]

If the car is going to be driven long distances the BMWs are top choice. Small cars on rough roads and long distances are quite tiring.

[SL65]

Well forget the Toyota for obvious reasons. The Audi A3 is basically a VW Golf underneath but you pay for the badge, if I'm correct. I also hear those things are no good to drive. But they are girly and might suit you mum!

VW Golf or BMW 3'er are both good...I'd be leaning towards the BMW however. It does have the conservative image though....

[BlitzR]

The Golf's interior is a little blank. The BMW is probably a nicer place too the sit.

[MadCow809]

Originally Posted by SL65AMG~V12~612BHP!!!!!!!

Well forget the Toyota for obvious reasons. The Audi A3 is basically a VW Golf underneath but you pay for the badge, if I'm correct. I also hear those things are no good to drive. But they are girly and might suit you mum!

yes yes, i know the camery is a devil, but my mom had a camery before, and she is quite impressed with the build quality and reliability, which is why she is quite keen on buying the boat... er.. i mean camery and yeah, the audi A3 hatchback does look girlish

[youngwarrior]

Audi A3 easy, best interior and best residuals of the lot.

The 1er is ugly.

[un-dee]

and even if its using the same platform as the golf, it is a lot more comfortable to drive, and better as well.

[M3lover]

What about a Mazda6?



Maybe not as prestigious as the BMW or Audi, but it has alot of the same qualities as the camry, which your mom seems to like, such as reliability, space, and so on but it's not nearly as borring.

The ride should actually be pretty good, and fairly sporty.

The 5-speed auto 2.3L version is from what I can find around R234.000 which will leave plenty of room for some nice extra equipment.

[ArosaMike]

Originally Posted by BlitzR

The problem with the the GTI is the life of the DSG unit. The clutches in the DSG supposedly have half the life of a regular one.
The 2.0 FSI A3/Golf/Jetta all come with a 6 speed Auto which is good.

That's rubbish! Any component on a production car is designed to last its entire life! There is absolutely no technical reason why a DSG should be any less reliable than a manual. In-fact, if anything it should last longer as the operation of the clutch is controlled by a computer. Engineering wise, the DSG is a fantastic piece of kit.

[andyhui01]

Originally Posted by MadCow809

yes yes, i know the camery is a devil, but my mom had a camery before, and she is quite impressed with the build quality and reliability, which is why she is quite keen on buying the boat... er.. i mean camery and yeah, the audi A3 hatchback does look girlish

well build quality on the Camry isn't that great on new Camry's as well... the only thing good about it is its reliability, thats about it.

[MadCow809]

Originally Posted by M3lover

What about a Mazda6?

the Mazda 6 should do the job quite well, and it will definetely leave some change from the R300 000 budget, the only problem that im worried about is the re-sale value, for some reason the Mazda6 doesnt really hold its value.... well at least not as good as its rivals.

[MadCow809]

Originally Posted by andyhui01

well build quality on the Camry isn't that great on new Camry's as well... the only thing good about it is its reliability, thats about it.

my impression of the old camery we had was like owning both a tank and a boat the same time. It is reliable as a tank, it never ever breaksdown, and when u take it to sharp bends and corners, it becomes a giant boat and sways around whenever u try to take a corner with abit of speed. But since the handling factor isnt a issue for my mom, and the Camery does have an excellent re-sale value, maybe its the right car for her.

[BlitzR]

Originally Posted by ArosaMike

That's rubbish! Any component on a production car is designed to last its entire life! There is absolutely no technical reason why a DSG should be any less reliable than a manual. In-fact, if anything it should last longer as the operation of the clutch is controlled by a computer. Engineering wise, the DSG is a fantastic piece of kit.

I totally agree that the the DSG is a fanatastic piece of kit, I wasn't entirely sure about the DSG having a shorter life span then a regular clutch. It might have been a rumor, but since the DSG is still somewhat new on the market reliability is still questionable.