Which used car should i buy, for price of 10~12000$,which will give me value for my money?

hi, i seek guidance on which manufacturer / make of the used car / 2nd hand car should i look for in australia.

as i m new to this country,i seek a car,prefferrably a sedan 4 door. But i am not able to decide which model or make would give me the value for my money. i will be using the car for my family, hence it should be easily serviceable,give good mileage and also not demand much of repair.

i would like to go in for a budget of 10~12000$ (AUD). So, plz guide as how should i proceed to get the best of the 2nd hand car.



Should i prefer to buy through a dealer or go in for private sellers straight?With NRMA Technical assisstance for car evaluation,about to go defunct, which other independent evaluator give me the true and best guidance on the technical as well as economical value of the car, which i intend to buy!Which used car should i buy, for price of 10~12000$,which will give me value for my money?
Grab something maybe a year or so old. Mazda's are great cars that will last a long time, but at an affordable price. Honda's are getting to be over rated, and more expensive. Also, a Toyota or a Nissan would be great to look into, but, you are looking at a little more money. Whatever you do, do not get a VW, they are cute little cars, but I have known many people to buy them and they just break down and have trouble after trouble. I just bought a Nissan Altima for 16000, but the walk out was much more. They are great because you don't need to change a timing belt, tune ups are every 105,000 miles, etc. I used to have a Mazda, but totaled it a few months ago. I had no problems with it, it was a 2002, and when I wrecked it, there was over 70,000 miles on it...never had any problems, just kept it up. You may have good luck looking into a Nissan Sentra. Those are great cars, not sure how much they would be, but you may have the same perks with the keep up, as I do with my altima.Which used car should i buy, for price of 10~12000$,which will give me value for my money?
get a GTO like my man! It's hott!Which used car should i buy, for price of 10~12000$,which will give me value for my money?
I'm from US not AUS so not sure about the prices or models available.



VW Golf TDI or Jetta TDI (Passat if it's offered there) have a lot of space and great mileage with the turbodiesel engine. Drawbacks are availability of parts/expense of repair, and Jettas had electrical problems some years back.



Nissan Maxima is generally a superior blend of fuel economy, luxury/comfort, power, and reliability. New ones got pretty pricey in the late 90's to early 2000's and they started making them smaller too, used ones might be in your price range. Altima is very comparable, but not as sporty.



Scion xB might be out of your price range, but if you don't go the diesel route, it can't be beat for economy, space, and (presumably) reliability (it is a Toyota product). Drawbacks: it looks like a refrigerator box on wheels. But is sure is roomy and gets 30-35 mpg (not sure what the metric conversion is for that). Compare VW TDIs at 44-49mpg.



Unless you want a warranty, avoid the dealers if you can find what you want from a private seller. Have your own mechanic inspect the car before you finalize the purchase.