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I have a small family and Im looking at getting a reliable low maintenance station wagon late model with good fuel consumption and low kms my budget is around 8000 and i have cash to pay.

I am looking at a toyota corolla fielder s 2004 1.8 wagon facelift

1
I have found one i like from a dealer with 121000 kms on the clock and is a new import Thay want $8250 for it and I have cash but they want drop there price is this a good price for it .

2
I live in the manawatu and it is in auckland i am not able to view the car and they say it is a auction grade 4.0 and they have aa appraisal.Is it worth getting it with out viewing first or should i get a aa check done on the car myself.

3
Is it worth getting a 1 year warranty with the car?the dealer says they are an aa appraised dealer does it already come with a guarantee or warranty

4
Is there anything i should look out for in this type of car

5
is there any other good reliable station wagon i should be looking at in my price range

any feedback would be very greatfull

Thank you
Shane

Hi Shane,
This is a good model with a good reputation for reliability and consequently they hold their value well because they are so popular.
1) Price seems fair from a dealer, where you are covered by the Consumer Guarantees Act (CGA) should anything go wrong within a reasonable timeframe.
2) I think it would be advisable to have an AA Pre-purchase inspection done on a vehicle that has travelled 121,000km.
3) An AA Appraised car is a good start, but it's a fairly basic check that is done for the dealer to give his some idea whether the car is worth retailing on his yard or not. However, it doesn't mean that it comes with any guarantee over and above the dealer's legal obligation under the CGA. It's up to you to decide whether or not to buy a warranty insurance policy. Basically, you have the protection of the CGA for a few months (no set time, but what is "reasonable") and this model is well respected for its reliability, but it's not a new car so things could go wrong.
4) As I said, the model is well regarded so there's nothing that particularly stands out as being a problem. When buying a new import from Japan, check that it comes with 2 keys and ideally, make sure it has been serviced.
5) I think you are on the right track with this model, so don't want to confuse the issue by adding others into the mix.

thank you for that but this car has been sold.I am looking at another one in auckland a new import 2004 toyota corolla fielder 1800 with 9500 kms JEVIC certified for $8300.

I have had a an aa check done on the car and it came out good a grade1.
I am getting it of a registered motor trader but would like to know how i would check to see if it has any money owing or is stolen being a new import and not registered yet.

is there a reason for asking if they have two sets of keys.

Thank you
Shane

Under normal circumstances, we'd advise doing an AA Vehicle History Report to check mainly for money owing or damaged import history etc. However, as you are buying from a licensed dealer, the dealer must sell you the vehicle with no finance outstanding and must disclose if the vehicle is a damage import, so this is a safe purchase and no real need to do the history report.
The reason I suggested to ask if there are 2 keys is because many Japanese imports only arrive here with one key and replacements can be very expensive.

thank you so much for the info.
shane