Buying my first car

[TVR IS KING]

Yep.
That's right.
Err, I want something small and not-European, as I've heard they can be expensive to service. Everything I want to buy is either out of my price-range or doesn't have any kind of spark at all.
I want something small, otherwise I'd get a Commodore. And that's about all these is to it.
I have $2000 to spend.
What can you recommend?

[clutch-monkey]

gemini. charade. civic. clubman.
anything older and compact would suit i should think

[nota]

Originally Posted by TVR IS KING

I want something small, otherwise I'd get a Commodore. And that's about all these is to it.
I have $2000 to spend.
What can you recommend?

Early Commodores are quite compact. Not long ago I bought a sports-tuned VC for $1100. A decently tidy example it featured a healthy & cammed 202 & 4-speed & 4W-discs & 10-bolt LSD & 3-core radiator & springs & koni adjustables all 'round etc. Not mint or perfect but well above average with quality tyres & 4 mths rego. It was definitely fun to drive imo, and a (govt sponsored) LPG conversion would not cost too much, and make it super cheap to run

Your all-up $2k cap limits you to seeking condition over specification as you are near the bottom of the market for servicable rego'd goers. Perhaps consider a gas-XF Falcon as they are common, reasonably compact and cheap-as? Or Datsun or Gemini? Other RWD suggestions might include better examples of Cortina 6 (dicey dynamics) or Centura or maybe 1st-gen RWD Mazda 626?

[TVR IS KING]

...What's a Clubman?
I reckon I could live with a Charade. Civics from the generation I can afford are a bit horrible.
Gemini is a good option too.

My issue with the Commodores is they only ever came with 6-cylinders I believe, which generally uses more fuel than a 4. I don't really need a 6, and I don't need a sedan.
A hatch sounds like a good idea.

[clutch-monkey]

Originally Posted by nota

It was definitely fun to drive imo, and a (govt sponsored) LPG conversion would not cost too much, and make it super cheap to run

i have heard of a few people doing LPG conversions on commodores actually make money with the rebate

Originally Posted by TVR IS KING

...What's a Clubman?
I reckon I could live with a Charade. Civics from the generation I can afford are a bit horrible.
Gemini is a good option too.

mini clubman. light, simple, cheap to run, fun.
charade's are strangely indestructable and not a bad way to get around all things considered.

[nota]

Originally Posted by TVR IS KING

...What's a Clubman?
I reckon I could live with a Charade. Civics from the generation I can afford are a bit horrible.
Gemini is a good option too.

My issue with the Commodores is they only ever came with 6-cylinders I believe, which generally uses more fuel than a 4. I don't really need a 6, and I don't need a sedan.
A hatch sounds like a good idea.

You will find that gas-fuelled 6cyls like Commodore etc are notably cheaper to run than a petrol 4. At your price-point I wouldn't be surprised if in-demand 4cyls are more expensive than a decent gas-6cyl

If you could tolerate a Charade there is nothing you cannot bear...

[whiteballz]

go for an '89 honda civic, they're marshmellows to drive, reliable and cheap to run/isnure, save up for a better car till you can afford it.

I'm selling my silvia and looking to do that.

[nota]

Originally Posted by clutch-monkey

i have heard of a few people doing LPG conversions on commodores actually make money with the rebate

Thats right because (as I undersood it) the full $2k govt rebate is a flat rate that also encompasses the fitting of 2nd-hand LPG conversions using 2nd-hand parts, which can be bought/supplied/fitted to a functional standard & safety-checked for much under $2k

Or you could just buy an existing converted car for under $2k

[SlickHolden]

Don't forget they made a 4cyl Commodore,, My fav car that was.. Bullshit!.

Gemini as a owner of 1 and my mother owning 1 with my brother also, I can say this, They have faults but in my opinion the biggest fault is loosing motors.

Old Torana Cortina??..

[clutch-monkey]

Originally Posted by SlickHolden

Gemini as a owner of 1 and my mother owning 1 with my brother also, I can say this, They have faults but in my opinion the biggest fault is loosing motors.

what, so you're just driving along and everything seems to quiet and..oh shit! where the hell did my motor go? where'd i leave it?
seems like a very big flaw

[SlickHolden]

Pretty much open the bonnet where's the ****en donk gone

Mum was on her way home from work one night, She herd this slapping then banging close to home so she got home fast, It just decided to spill it's guts out and blow a few valves bomb!.
And back in the early 80's she bought 1 new, 3 motors she went through, Into a Commodore she went and never looked back.

[nota]

In contrast my mate kept unremittingly punching the guts out of his TX Gemini Repco delivery van, from new, and experienced few problems despite 4 years of continual savage slogging. Btw those RTS vans were credited as being the 'world's best handling commercial vehicle' in their day and may still be a contender for that title

[fpv_gtho]

Originally Posted by clutch-monkey

what, so you're just driving along and everything seems to quiet and..oh shit! where the hell did my motor go? where'd i leave it?
seems like a very big flaw

Somebody watched American Beauty last night

What do you need from a car? It sounds like you just generally need something cheap to run. I found out with my Pulsar that 4cyl's arent necessarily more economical than a carefully driven 6. My best consumption is only 9L/100km. The flipside of that is no matter how crazy i drive, it doesnt get that worse. Even when my clutch was fcked and i was shifting at 4000rpm to keep the load off it, it was still around 10L/100km. I paid $1500 for that car which only had 3-4 months rego left, and ive still got it and the clutch has pretty much been the only thing ive had to replace. Recently i was worried the wiper motor had gone, but the nuts holding the wiper arms on just got loose after they started hitting the bonnet whilst coming down. Ive got a friend who payed the same $1500 for a manual EF, but he claims hes had constant headaches with it and is on his 2nd engine. He doesnt get all that worse consumption though.

[Cyco]

fpv, how do you get such crappy economy? I can get better than that out of the Saab, and its not exactly driven easily, nor super aero....

[Falcon500]

Originally Posted by Cyco

fpv, how do you get such crappy economy? I can get better than that out of the Saab, and its not exactly driven easily, nor super aero....

Problem of dealing with shit and most first cars are exaclty that.

Careful of geminis they have serious problems of head cracking and the 5 speeder can cook in them but still their faster out of the box then a datsun.

Be careful of datsuns they just about always have blown head gaskets and are poorly looked after which means the run like shit but their an easy rebuild and go great with minor mods.

Cortinas are plenty of fun but they seriously need suspension mods they where never built to take anything bigger then the 4 they rarely come with

Centuras are great if you can find one if you find one I have but one suggestion buy it you get a little french car with a 265 hemi in it massive potential to go fast there and if driven sedatly the little car gets fine ecconmy.

Ford lasers are ok but bland but they dont have a gay stigma the charade has.Cordias are not too bad celicas are ok and i loved my gazelle too but a bit expensive to rego because of them being "sports cars" but nothing shocking just a bit rude. And never write off a good rwd magna,bluebird or what ever happy transplant vehicles there.

And never write off a good van either you dont need to go fast just get a big sound system and a fridge and thats a top way to travel same with a gold ol station wagon

Big car little car hardly any diffrence all providing you look after them and drive them sedatly.