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Hi Guys,

Hoping you can help me with my situation.We're a two car household. I have a 2004 Accord Euro which is in great nick and has done 90kms. My wife has a 2003 Corolla hatch 1.8 NZ New which she used in her old job which had a lot of driving involved. As a result the Corolla is bang on 160kms but has otherwise performed well- new clutch and tyres fitted last year.

We've both changed jobs this month and work in the city. So now our driving is very limited. I was thinking about selling the Corolla as the kms are high and its a manual- so not ideal for stop/start traffic. We were looking at downsizing to a Demio or Suzuki Alto/Aerio/Swift to use as a run about. We'd still keep the Accord for long trips and its important for us to have 2 cars for the weekend

My questions are

1) How do you rate the 1.3L engines in terms of longevity. You don't see many which have done +150kms on Trademe
2) Will there be much of a fuel economy advantage in moving from the 1.8 to 1.3 engine? The car will mostly be loaded up with one/two adults
3) I know the Demio is a proven performer but how do the Suzuki's rate? Our budget is about $6-7k

I guess in the back of my mind I want to sell the Corolla due to the high kms before it loses more value but don't want to buy a car that's going to have trouble down the line

Thanks
Joe

Hello Joe,
The 1.3 engines in the models you mention have good reputations for reliability and longevity. As this will be a second car, I'm assuming it won't be doing a massive mileage, so should meet your needs.
There will be a fuel economy advantage, although in the big scheme of things, it won't be a huge saving and it shouldn't be the main reason for changing (which, as you say it's due to the Corolla's high mileage, it isn't your primary reason).
The Suzukis rate well, although given your budget, I think you'd get a better, lower mileage Demio. It's unlikely that you'd find a good low mileage Swift in this price range. In my opinion, the Alto might be a bit small.
Although the Corolla has a great reputation for reliability, like anything, as the mileage gets high, maintenance and costs will increase, so I can understand your reason for thinking it might be time for a change.
If you could find a well kept, low mileage Demio, that would probably be my preference.

Thanks Andrew that's great advice

What would you consider as high mileage for a 1.3L engine? I've seen some Demios which are between 90-110,000 kms but my mechanic reckons that's very high for a small engine. What are your thoughts?
The fresh imports are a bit above my pricepoint so will look to buy privately with an AA check

I agree with your mechanic to a degree, but it depends on the service history and how well the car has been maintained in the past. Unfortunately, with a Japanese Import, you very rarely get the service history.
Obviously, the advice is to try to find a car with the lowest mileage possible. I think you should be able to find a 70,000 - 80,000km car within your price range. There are some cars with a lower mileage than that on the AA Carfair website or on Trade Me .

Great thanks for that. I've been looking at some of the Demios on the market but waiting for one which isn't silver or white ( which every second one is!!!). Anyway I'm in no rush.

How do you think the Suzuki Swifts compare? I like the look of them but to me it seems a nonsense to pay between $9-$11k for a car which is around 8 years old with kms on it when they are selling at $19k brand new off the lot. Are they overpriced for what they are? What would be the benefit of the Swift over the Demio?

The Swift is an excellent car, and is the biggest selling car in its sector. It retains its value due to the great reputation and popularity.
Obviously, the model you are now refering to is quite a bit above the original budget you suggested, but if the budget can stretch to this, I'd highly recommend a Swift.
It could be argued that they're over-priced, but on the other hand, it can be argues that they're a pretty good investment (as far as cars go!), as they hold their value on the used car market.

My search for a demio has now hit a snag. I've test driven a couple and they both don't have a parcey tray to cover up the boot. Its a bit important for me as I take a bit of gear with me to work and need a secure place to store it out of sight. I spoke to Mazda and they can get the part in for $225 but say it was factory standard with the cars (although imports might be different). So far I have not found one on Trademe which has a parcel tray. So now looking at the Toyota Vitz models. Are these CVT? Any known issues with them? Will be trying for a post 2005 model

Thanks again!

As far as I know, the Demio should have a parcel tray/cover.
The Toyota Vitz/Echo/Yaris (different badge depending on where it came from and what year it is) is a great little car. NZ New ones from the era you are talking about don't have a CVT but some imports do. If it's an import you'll need to check and ask the question of the seller.