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Dear AA we are looking for a Family Friendly Low maintenance Hatch Back within our budget of $6000-$7000 and approx $1000 trade-in on my old car and its giving me a bit of head ache so hoping for some helpful advice

We need something that can comfortably fit a pram in the boot and can handle a small amount of luggage or shopping

We looked at and have borrowed a friends 2004 Toyota Vits while this fitted our pram it was a squeeze with not much room for much else!
Also our friends Vitz was only a 1ltr it howled when going up hills

We have since test driven a few Honda Fit's 2007 onwards (I wouldnt consider an earlier year) and I really really enjoyed the experience however I am wary of the CVT transmission in these,

I also drove a 2006 Mazda Demo while this drove "ok" I found it surged a little when leaving intersections or from a stop, I wasn't sure if this was an issue with the car or because I wasn't use to it

I also tested a Toyota Passo/ Daihatsu Boon
While I liked this I was a bit put off by the foot parking brake

And I am planning to look at a Nissan note and Suzuki Swift in the weekend

One think I notice however most of the cars I am looking at seem to have a CVT transmissons

While I have read much doom an gloom on the internet about CVT it seems that regular maintenance is key to trouble reduced ownership of these

however the thought the increase in costs in maintenance gives me alot of reason to pause, as I do very little maintenance on my current car 1999 ford mondeo and it seems to just keep going

A third option is to keep my current car however this car will require the brake disks and pads to be replaced before the next wof

And sadly due to age many things are starting to give issues such as the locks on the door, air only vents to windshield acc bypassed long time ago etc

So long story short can you please give me some helpful advice on what would be good family car that is easy on the wallet gas wise, easy to maintain and reliable

Kind regards

Many of the cars you mention won't really provide much more room than the Vitz, which you say is a bit too much of a squeeze. Also, I wouldn't recommend these cars with only a 1 litre engine for family/open road use - go for at least a 1.3 in preference.
While the Honda Fit/Jazz is by far the most spacious in this segment, up until the end of 2008 they ran the CVT transmission which does not enjoy a good reputation for long-term reliability.
I also suspect the Demio you drove was an import with the CVT transmission as the surging on take-off is often a sign that a CVT is on its way out.
While CVT transmissions were only used in a handful of New Zealand new vehicles in this era, many domestic market Japanese models which have subsequently found their way to New Zealand were fitted with them. Mazda, Suzuki and most Toyotas didn't use CVTs for the NZ market until very recently, when the technology vastly improved.
So, it really comes back to budget, but if you can extend to a 2009-on Jazz, it would probably suit your purposes well. Otherwise, perhaps look for something slightly bigger, such as a Toyota Corolla or one of the Japanese import derivitives such as Raum, Runx etc which should be available in your price range, but with the imports make sure they're not CVT. Likewise, perhaps a Honda Civic or Nissan Tiida - but again, many of the imports were CVT.
There is likely to be some truth in your assumption that a CVT may last longer if it is properly serviced, but they're still more risky than a conventional auto.

Hi ABayliss

Thanks very much for your reply

So if I was looking at at Tiida would you recommend looking for 2009 onward same with the Honda Jazz?

Would 2008 honda fit/jazz or nissan be 'OK' or did these suffer from issues also?

Alternatively I have seen some Hyundai Getz in the 2008-2009 in my price range are these a good car to use?

The NZ new Honda Jazz had a CVT transmission until the end of 2008. The new model came out in about November '08, and this went back to the old traditional auto because Honda had experienced problems with the CVT. However, import model Fits will most likely have a CVT.
The Nissan Tiida is a different story. NZ New Tiidas had the traditional automatic, whereas most Japanese domestic models had CVT (but not all). This is regardless of year.

The Getz is a good car, but size-wise, it may be too small. If you find it OK for size, it would be a good option.