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I travel for work about 45 - 50,000kms per year. I am paid a car allowance of $17000 per year. Are there any cars you would suggest that will travel this far well and I can pay for and run with this allowance? Thanks for your help.

David

From the "Ask Jack" archives - 14 December 2009

A tough question to answer.

If you are on the road for long periods of time, then a couple of important points spring to mind. They are safety, comfort, economy and performance and its hard to imagine you will achieve all four with the budget you have.

If however you do most of your driving around town, or only do the occasional long trip, then there are a number of small, economical, spacious and safe vehicles to consider.

One of the most spacious small vehicles for example is the Honda Jazz with its rear seat configuration creating more room than most bigger vehicles.

The newer the vehicle, then the less risk of high maintenance costs and the smaller the vehicle the more you save in fuel.

If you are looking at vehicles over five years of age then I would stick to mainstream Japanese vehicles simply because of their reliability record and therefore potential lower running costs.

Another good option for many people in a similar position to your self is to look at ex lease vehicles which normally have a good service history, are ex NZ new, and the selection and price range of vehicles available is fairly wide.

With the budget you have, I would also give any diesel powered vehicles a miss simply based on possible high repair and service costs. Hope it helps.