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Hi,
I am currently in the market for a used car, hatchback style within a pretty tight budget of $4000 (though I do have options of financing in a few different ways which could bring this budget up a couple thousand, but would prefer to use my savings).

I have a few specifications which I'll discuss now, before I ask any questions:
- A reliable car that isn't going to crap out or end up costing a lot of money, because it was cheap & I didn't do all the right checks & balances. So it needs to be likely it will have 2-3 years of good use still in store.
- isn't horrible to be in (i.e. uncomfortable, super loud inside when driving, super tiny & squished like one of those ecars etc.) or super ugly because I still want it to look nice/like the car as i am spending my savings on it (Cars I like are anything kind of like the mazda axela & demio from 2007 onwards, I also love a good mitsibushi colt as that was my first car, so I'm not crazy fussy)
- fuel efficient, don't want to spend tons of money on fuel costs I am a student
- Not essential, but a two-star safety rating would be good

With that in mind as it may relate to some of my questions, here are my questions:
1. How many kms specifically, are too many (without any other wear & tear/issues etc. considered) when buying a used car (at least one that you want to last & to run well)?
2. How old is too old, or what is the earliest year I should be buying? & further, what type of recommendations for car makes/models/years within my specifications?
3. I am aware of the importance of pre-purchase inspections, history reports, valuation reports etc. is there anything else I should consider?
4. What is the perfect car you'd recommend if my budget went up to $6000?

Hi there,
We recommend buying the newest and safest car your budget allows. Average km's for a vehicle to travel is 10,000 - 14,000km per year. So a vehicle of 13 years old would have 130k-143k on the clock and be considered normal. Japanese mnufacturerd cars tend to be less problematic as they age, so looking at models like Toyota Corolla/Auris/ Vitz, Mazda 3/Axela/Demio and Subaru Impreza would be a fairy good place to start. It's best to drive the car first and make sure it suits your seating position, has the radio stations, safety features like Stability Control, drives well and is not noisy, clunky or rough.