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Hi there. My partner and I currently own a 2008 Mazda 3 (bought new in Australia before moving to NZ). We are very happy with it. We need to purchase a second small car as we no longer work in the same vicinity. We like the look of 2009-2014 Honda Jazz, Mazda 2, Hyundai Getz, Suzuki Swift. The car would be doing 1-1.5 hours driving daily around hilly Wellington.
Firstly - could we manage with a 1.2 or 1.3 or are we better paying a bit more for a 1.5?
We love the Jazz but have been put off by nightmare CVT reports. From what year does this stop effecting the Jazz?
Is the Fit a viable option or should we steer well clear?
We've driven the Getz (my sister owns one) and the 2. Both seem good, but a bit tinny…how would you rate these for safety and reliability?
In essence - we want a reliable car, safe, cheap to run /service that could last a good whack of time. Safety is a consideration as we may consider starting a family in the coming years.
Lastly…I've noticed a number of i30s from around the 2010 era pretty reasonably priced (10k mark) with clicks in the low 100k. This is probably too big for a second car/run-about, but is it a car worth considering?
Sorry for the million questions…grateful for your advice!
Cheers!

Hi, well yes, that is a lot of questions, but all relevant when you are considering laying out a reasonable sum of money.
Basically, the Jazz you're considering (from 2009) does not have the troublesome CVT that went to the end of 2008 in the NZ market, however beware as Japanese import Fit models will mostly have the CVT. If you're keen on this model, it would be a good choice.
Actually, all the models you mention are fairly good, but again, with the Mazda2, NZ market ones didn't have the CVT but many import Demio models did. The Getz and Swift are both well regarded.
I'd certainly prefer something around the 1.5 litre size for the type of running you're doing, but perhaps a 1.3 might do the job if you're comfortable with the performance level. I'd suggest trying before you buy to make sure you're happy with any car.
The i30 (as you say), is really in the next size range up (equivalent size to Corolla etc). While it's a good car, it may be bigger than you require - but again, it's personal preference.

Thanks for your feedback!
If we were to take the i30 out of the equation how would you rank the other cars I mentioned? I know this is a hard question to answer! I guess I'm asking what you would spend your money on for a car for these purposes? Is there any make/model I'm missing here?
In a car 5-6 years old what is a reasonable price/mileage?
Many thanks!

You're quite right - it's not an easy question, as much of this comes down to personal preference. Also, not all makes and models cost the same. Assuming your budget is around $12k to $15k, you should be able to get a 2009/2010 car with 40,000-50,000km.
From your comments, I get the impression you're favouring the Jazz and it is a spacious, well built reliable model, however, the Jazz is also likely to be the most expensive of all of these.
As I said before, they're all good models and in my opinion, none of these will be a bad choice.

thanks Andrew! Very much appreciate your help :-)