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feijoagirl100

Hi there. We are replacing a 1997 Toyota Corolla which has served us well but is now aging and we would prefer a safer car. We would still like to buy a Toyota Corolla as we want a car that is reliable and cheap to run and cheap to repair. However we are struggling a bit with the safety side. We are a family of 3 with a 10 year old still in a booster seat. We have a budget of 12K max (would be great to spend only 10K if poss though). On the Rightcar website, the Sedan 14-16 model seems to be a good option for safety. We are currently looking at a 2017 Station Wagon but it only has a 2 star USCR rating and no rear bags, however still miles safer than the car we currently have. My question is, are we limiting ourselves by only looking at Toyota Corollas? Should we be looking at ANCAP ratings, USCR or the actual safety features when deciding on a model? Also with regard to mileage, we are looking at between 80-145K km? Would higher mileage than this still be ok? (We would always get a pre-purchase inspection). Thank you very much.

Bugsbunzy

We were also looking into buying a new car (a hybrid) recently and were concerned about the safety rating/features. We looked into several brands and models and finally settled on a 2015 Toyota Prius - G-touring leather version as it has good ANCAP/ USCR (5 out of 5) ratings and safety features along with some other bells and whistles such as radar (adaptive) cruise control/ lane assist, front sensors. I even watched the crash test videos of different cars, very fascinating I must say. By the way, I just watched a ANCAP test of Corolla 1998 vs 2015 (these are hatch versions though) on AANZ YouTube channel and saw that 2015 hatch version does have rear window bags. Did not find a video for the wagon version. There could be, but will have to do a thorough search to find one. Anyway, if I know for sure that the Corolla wagon does not have airbags in the back, I might not go for it. Used car safety ratings buyer's guide

We were looking into a hybrid specifically because of the fuel economy, thereby low running cost in the long run. We also limited ourselves to less than 80k km (because everyone we talked to - mechanics and friends alike - told us to go for a car with less than 100k km) mileage while we were searching and managed to grab one with only 51k km. However, I read plenty of people rave about mileages into 200-300k with Priuses and still running well without any major repairs.

We were worried about the battery life, too. The dealer we bought from offers a free 1-year mechanical/hybrid system breakdown warranty/insurance. Yet we made sure to get a comprehensive pre-inspection (including hybrid battery) done prior to buying.

Kudos for you for always getting a pre-inspection done. In ours everything checked out (including 80% of the battery remaining without having something dodgy done such as replacing individual cells). Got a 4 page description of what they checked with results. The inspector talked to us about the overall condition of the car and was impressed with it (which made us feel better) and also mentioned that there could be a major repair coming when the car is nearing 150k mileage. We are not worried about that since in our current car we only did 45k for 6 years. So any repairs needed will be far ahead in the future. All in all everything turned out well.

So my suggestion is, not to limit your car search to a single brand/model. In my opinion, in the bare minimum, definitely look into safety ratings and features, certified odometer (for imported cars), year of make, fuel economy, child seat fitting mechanism, boot size and how expandable it is (has folding seats?) and battery condition (if it is a hybrid/phev).

While a backup camera or a English language display with gps/bluetooth/radio etc in the car is not a must have, having them will make your life much easier. It will also make the price of the car a bit high. On the other hand, these are things you can fit in even after you buy the car. Dealer might be willing to fit those into the car for a small fee (ours fitted a camera with 3-guideline system and android display for additional $350), so inquire.

Explore what other features such as adaptive cruise control, radar lane assist, parking assist/ sensors, seat comfort - lumbar support will be in your budget limit. Some will offer additional safety and comfort. If you have some time to spare read/watch user and expert reviews. Be aware of the known issues that particular brand/model/year of make has.

Anon

Hi there,
ANCAP safety ratings are a good initial guide when purchasing a NZ new vehicle both new or used. However Rightcar reverts to Used Car Safety Ratings (UCSR) after 5 or so years and don't consider the ANCAP rating after this time. ANCAP ratings show that the car was built to meet a strict safety standard when manufactured and crash tested under strict conditions. UCSR are best used as an indication when buying older cars and some imports also can be given a rating based on features and the outcome of real world police reported driver injuries in crashes. The Toyota Corolla is a very good car, the wagon was generally available in a base model which at the time may not have been equipped with as many safety features as the higher grades. Average km's would be 10-14k per year, and vehicles generally don't suffer too much if higher km's have been applied quickly- like some ex rental or fleet vehicles receive- providing servicing has been maintained. Other options could be the Mazda 6/ Atenza or even Toyota Camry if you wanted something a little bigger?

feijoagirl100

Thank you, that is very helpful. The station wagon is the 2017 model 77000 km and 12K private seller. It sounds good but we are concerned about a lack of airbags in rear and the 2 star USCR rating. We also have the option of a 2015 Sedan model 159000Km $10490, ex rental and fully serviced from a dealer. This has more safety features which we feel more comfortable with but much higher mileage. However is ex rental and serviced so fits the point you make about those vehicles. Are we missing a good opportunity if we go with the sedan instead of the station wagon? What are your thoughts? Thank you very much.

Anon

Hi there,
If the wagon doesn't have the safety features you require then I recommend getting the better speced sedan. Or if a wagon is a must, maybe look into a different model.

feijoagirl100

Thank you. - If we were to proceed with the sedan, being it has almost 160k on clock now, and we drive around 10k per year mostly around town, what sort of things do we need to think about down the track in terms of servicing and maintenance? We tend to hold onto cars as long as possible so won't be selling for quite some time hopefully. The sedan has a full service record and we will get a pre-purchase inspection so shouldn't really be any surprises but it would be good to think ahead and what sort of things crop up as the mileage increases. We would continue to get it serviced regularly. We appreciate your advice. Thank you :-)

Anon

Hi,
Generally around 200,000km you would need to replace the waterpump along with a cambelt if fitted and the cooling system flushed and coolant replaced. Other items like drive fluids, sparkplugs, filters etc would potentially also be due at the same time. This is nothing out of the ordinary and are part of normal servicing.

feijoagirl100

Thank you. - A couple of other questions please: As it has been a rental it has a COF rather than WOF, do we need to do anything to change it back to a WOF? Also the rental company still has money owing but the dealer has said it will be cleared when purchase is confirmed and we will receive a clear title. What do we need to do to check on this? (We have already had a full AA history report which showed the money owing but wonder if there another way to check the money has been cleared once the purchase goes ahead). Thank you very much for your help.