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Hi,
Looking at buying one of these cars. NZ New Mondeo 2003, 120kms or Import Honda Avancier 2.3 2002 112km (but not sure if genuine). Both are auto, the Ford was a rental and has service history from new and rebuilt transmission at 99km. Honda has had 1 NZ owner and owner says it has been serviced the last 3 years that they have owned but no paperwork and no history in Japan. I was only able to test drive in a 60km road but both drove well enough.
How will they do fuel economy wise? I drive in the city during the week and do long drives to Tauranga and back in the weekends. Will the Ford have better performace on the long drives than the Honda. Will there be a difference in fuel consumption- I heard the Ford is thirsty. Both cars are going for under $7k and I only need the car for a year so I want something I can resell quickly. I note there are few avanciers and they dont seem to sell very quickly because of the 2.3 engine
It comes down to personal preference. Both these cars will most likely return a fairly similar fuel consumption and have relatively similar running costs. There is always a benefit in buying NZ new with a known service history which the Mondeo has, but then the Honda has been here a while now and been serviced in New Zealand, so there's a level of comfort there.
New Zealand buyers seem to prefer Japanese cars over European, so perhaps the Honda might have a slight edge at sale time, but it isn't a model that was sold new here, so perhaps the Mondeo is a more recognisable model.
Sorry to sit on the fence here, but there are pros and cons with both these cars, so decide which one you prefer and go for that one.
Ok cheers for that. How about the new shape Hyundai Sonata? The 2005 onwards model. How are they for fuel economy and reliability?
The Sonata has a good reputation for reliability, however fuel consumption for the 3 litre model is a bit on the high side.
Thanks for your quick reply. I'm looking at the petrol 2.4 or the 2.0 CRDI. This is the newer shape one. I heard the old ones were big and thirsty. I do about 20,000kms a mix of open road and city so diesel could work out cheaper although the cars do tend to be more expensive to start off with. How are the resale values of these cars?
Hyundai have developed a good reputation for their diesels over the past few years. Due to the fuel efficiency, the 2.0 CRDi diesel tends to hold its value well, but the 2.4 petrol is perhaps the best all-round value for money package. You should be able to buy a relatively low mileage example for less than you might pay for a higher mileage diesel and they have a good reputation for reliability.
Thanks once again. Unfortunately, the Sonata I was looking at is at the auction and the consultant will only let me have a test drive or a look at it on the day of the auction. Do you have any other suggestions of a vehicle around 2L which is economical and powerful. I would normally go Nissan/Toyota but I'm hitting a combination of CVT transmissions and D4 engines unfortunately. My budget is $10k and I do around 20000kms a year. Don't need a big car just one that has enough pep for overtaking on an open road and can cruise at a 110
You say you don't need a big car, but it seems that the ones you've suggested so far have been medium, so I'll assume that's your preference.
A few to consider (apart from those we've already discussed) are perhaps;
Mazda6 (or Atenza, which is the import version)
Toyota Camry
Honda Accord Euro
BMW 318i
Subaru Legacy
It's probably fair to say that there is no such thing as a perfect car, so there will always be compromises. Ideally, find a car that's in as good a condition as possible, with lowish mileage and preferably with a known service history.
PS: I think you meant that it needs to have a cruising speed of 100!!