What Do You Want from a €10,000 Car?

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YSSMAN

YSSMAN

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So, the folks at Opel want to sell you a super-cheap family sedan. Of course, they aren't the first. Nissan is very well known all over the world for throwing together bargain-basement models, and they've done so with relative success. Although these vehicles aren't exactly the penalty boxes that they were back in the '80s and '90s, its fair to say that €10,000 (a little less than $13,000) can only go so far...

Question is, what do you want out of a €10,000 family sedan? Real car wheels and tires? Bluetooth audio? What about power locks and windows? Obviously there are sacrifices to be made, but where do you draw the line?
 
10,000 Euro is about 8,000 in Sterling. For that price I expect a car with 4 seats, 3-5 doors, a steering wheel, three pedals, and 4 wheels. And that's about all that I expect.

I would want a car that's fun to drive, and is at least quick enough to keep up with traffic. I would want an interior and exterior that either hide their cheapness or use it to their advantage. I would want it to get decent fuel mileage, at least 40 MPG in real world driving. I would want the seats and ride to be comfortable, and for it to have a decent amount of space.
 
Over 60 hp, CD player and aircon. That's pretty much all I can expect from new €10,000 car. Volkswagen Up! can do all of that. Big problem is that you can buy much better used car for that kinda money.
 
It's pointless to buy something new that cheap when you can get a car about 300x more fun for $5,000 or more less, IMO.
 
Slash
It's pointless to buy something new that cheap when you can get a car about 300x more fun for $5,000 or more less, IMO.
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With a new car you get a warranty, if something breaks it gets replaced for free. On your $5K car you'll be paying for all the repairs. Not everyone wants a fun car either, a lot of people just want something comfortable and reliable that gets good fuel mileage while transporting them from point A to point B.
 
I'd figure that, these days, almost any car should at least have the following:
  • 4-6 speaker stereo w/ AUX and USB input (or at the very least, a USB charger)
  • ABS, discs on all corners
  • A center arm rest
  • Power windows and locks - not necessiarily an alarm
  • Fog lights, for safetys sake
  • Smaller diameter alloy wheels
Realistically, you can scratch almost all of those things off the list here in the States. Its more of what you want more of, and what brand you like, to see what you'll get. There aren't many cars here for less than $13k, and of those that'd be the size of the Karl, the Nissan Versa is the only one that comes close. At least on that one, you do get, uh, some things. But not much more. Then again, when you're walking out the door for $12k and change... What else are you really expecting?
 
Slash
It's pointless to buy something new that cheap when you can get a car about 300x more fun for $5,000 or more less, IMO.
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A) This argument could be applied to any price bracket.

B) With a $13,000 budget, a new car is always going to be a smarter financial choice given most cars under $10,000 have an issue of some sort you'll responsible for, esp if you're going after something "fun".
 
"Karl"? Seriously, GM?

It's interesting you posted the Micra. I think it's interesting that Nissan's trying it out here before the US - Canada being a much more hatch-friendly market, going by the previous experiment Toyota had with the Echo hatch, and the continued popularity of the Mazda3 long-roof - and killing off the Versa to do it. The Versa sort of felt like the 90's Altima, in that it was a bit between classes. The low-rent interior was a pretty obvious trade off for a huge amount of interior space compared to the other cars in the class, but everything else about it was just so dull. The Micra's arriving for a toonie under $10k, but you need to bump up to the $13.2k automatic model to get AC. But it has the same engine in a smaller package, a competitive one in the class, and some fun customization options. But of your list, well... 4 speakers no matter the trim, a USB input on mid-range and up, ABS (but drums on the rear), a driver's arm rest, manual windows/locks on the base model (power on others), fog lights and alloys on the top trim (the latter optional on the other two). Of course, the top-line SR lists for $15k CDN, so it's almost under the limit anyways ;)

It'll be interesting to see if it sells well; the Versa, despite it's crappiness, positively litters the road.
 
YSSMAN
I'd figure that, these days, almost any car should at least have the following:
  • 4-6 speaker stereo w/ AUX and USB input (or at the very least, a USB charger)
  • ABS, discs on all corners
  • A center arm rest
  • Power windows and locks - not necessiarily an alarm
  • Fog lights, for safetys sake
  • Smaller diameter alloy wheels
Realistically, you can scratch almost all of those things off the list here in the States. Its more of what you want more of, and what brand you like, to see what you'll get. There aren't many cars here for less than $13k, and of those that'd be the size of the Karl, the Nissan Versa is the only one that comes close. At least on that one, you do get, uh, some things. But not much more. Then again, when you're walking out the door for $12k and change... What else are you really expecting?
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Chevy Spark starts under $13k I believe.

But yeah. Pretty much this post is spot on. Except for the fog lights. Most people and car companies call that a luxury feature.
 
For that much money, I'd rather buy a used car. A new car under $13,000 just isn't going to be fast, or cool. If you raise it to $20,000, or even $25,000, I could come up with some ideas as to what I want, but I'll never find them in today's automotive climate.
 
White & Nerdy
For that much money, I'd rather buy a used car. A new car under $13,000 just isn't going to be fast, or cool. If you raise it to $20,000, or even $25,000, I could come up with some ideas as to what I want, but I'll never find them in today's automotive climate.
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Guess you don't understand coolness then. If you forget that Nissan, Korean and Chinese cars it's quite easy to find cool car for under €10,000. And what do you mean with today's automotive climate.
 
Legro
Guess you don't understand coolness then. If you forget that Nissan, Korean and Chinese cars it's quite easy to find cool car for under €10,000. And what do you mean with today's automotive climate.
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This is White and Nerdy. He thinks his Pontiac Sunbird is a muscle car.
 
For me, it has to handle, and be practical. I would get the 4 door E36 M3.
 
Legro
Guess you don't understand coolness then. If you forget that Nissan, Korean and Chinese cars it's quite easy to find cool car for under €10,000.
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Like what? Show me any car available new for under 13,000 American that's fast or stylish in any way. Cars that cheap are often:

-Powered by tiny engines. Even a 2-liter inline 4 is usually too much to ask for at that price point. Anything with more than 4 cylinders most definitely is.
-Slow. Like, ~100 HP slow. Maybe worse.
-Ugly. Micro-hatchbacks tend to have incredibly unfortunate proportions that make them appear to be taller than they are wide.
-Trendyish and unmanly. (coughChevySparkcough)

Since Beeblebrox237 brought up the Sunbird, if I had $13,000, I'd much rather buy one of those and spend the other $11,500 on something else than spend the $13,000 on something that has less power from a smaller engine and looks like many of those do. I do not hang out at shopping malls, I do not shop at Hot Topic, and I do not consider shopping to be a fun activity. And I do not want a car that makes me look as though I do.
 
It worries me how concerned you are with how you are perceived by other people.

Anyway regarding the topic at hand, for that price I just expect a car with 4 wheels, power steering, ABS, electric windows, CD player and central locking. Air con is still an option on a lot of cars over here so I wouldn't expect it as standard. If I had to choose a car for that price it would be a Kia Picanto (with an air con upgrade blagged for free at point of sale :p ) as they seem to have a fair bit of kit for the price, were voted the most reliable car in the UK last year and the 7 year warranty is pretty awesome, too. They're also not bad to drive, we have a Halo edition* as a daily driver and it's very pleasant considering the size and cost.

*Interestingly (or not) the Halo edition wasn't sold for very long and has since been replaced with the 'White' edition which doesn't include the limited edition paint. So we've actually got a fairly rare spec car, at time of checking there are only 335 registered on UK roads! 👍
 
White & Nerdy
...and spend the other $11,500 on something else...
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Let's be real, if you're buying a Sunbird for $1500, a good chunk of that remaining $11.5k is going to be constantly fed into the 2-decade-old car to keep it running at a level that still wouldn't be half as reliable as a new car. Which, as has already been stated in the thread, is why we're talking new cars; they come with warranties.

You wouldn't be driving around a classic car. You'd just be driving an old penalty box.

I do not hang out at shopping malls, I do not shop at Hot Topic, and I do not consider shopping to be a fun activity. And I do not want a car that makes me look as though I do.
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I don't think there's a car out there that accurately tells others what sort of person you are, FWIW.
 
@White & Nerdy are you really that insecure about your sexuality that you honestly think people care about what kind of car you drive and make assumptions based off that?
 
LeadFootLiam
For me, it has to handle, and be practical. I would get the 4 door E36 M3.
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Great choice. Top Gear did an episode on this a while ago and while they went to the extreme for entertainment purposes, they did make a very fair point; you get much better value for your money on a used car rather than a new one. Granted, buying a 50 year old merc isn't the smartest of choices but there is a sweet spot where a car is new enough to be reliable and practical yet old enough to have significantly depreciated in value. And the idea that used cars are unreliable is nothing more than a cliche. You have to know what to look for when buying a used car. Big potential headaches like clutch, transmission, brakes and suspension can easily be spotted to the trained eye and a test drive. I went though over 50 listings and a dozen test drives before I bought my 15 year old Bird, and 7000 hard miles later it has yet to be in a shop and no major breakdowns to report.
 
SlipZtrEm
Let's be real, if you're buying a Sunbird for $1500, a good chunk of that remaining $11.5k is going to be constantly fed into the 2-decade-old car to keep it running at a level that still wouldn't be half as reliable as a new car.
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Last year I looked up my car on KBB or something (pretty sure it was KBB) and the calculated value was, if I remember correctly, $1,543 for an "excellent" (i.e. perfect condition) example.

Which, as has already been stated in the thread, is why we're talking new cars; they come with warranties.
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That can only excuse so much.

You wouldn't be driving around a classic car. You'd just be driving an old penalty box.
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Is it a Mercedes inside? No. Is it a hideous torture chamber? Also no. I have one and the only complaints I have about the interior are 1. it's a little cramped (considering I'm only 5'7", that's not saying anything positive) and 2. some of the controls are positioned a bit off relative to one another. The first one could even be thought of as a positive, everything is close at hand.

peobryant
@White & Nerdy are you really that insecure about your sexuality that you honestly think people care about what kind of car you drive and make assumptions based off that?
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Say what you want, I'd say a lot of the super-cheap new cars out there today are over the line. There are cars that are simply uncool, and there are some that are utterly hideous.
 
Beeblebrox237
10,000 Euro is about 8,000 in Sterling.
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Then I'd want a chunk more money to get myself the all new Renault Twingo.

Alternatively, a used Smart. Roadster-Coupe, if I so wished.
 
Something like the Dacia Sandero (£5,995 for the 'Access' model or £7,995 for the 'Lauréate' model),
iu
Do I need to say anymore??
 
xZAMGMarmite
Something like the Dacia Sandero (£5,995 for the 'Access' model or £7,995 for the 'Lauréate' model),
iu
Do I need to say anymore??
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Good choice, the top model actually has a lot of equipment for £8000. No wonder Dacia are doing really well.

The new city cars (Citigo/Mii/Up!, Panda, i10) are very good and start at £8000. No options of course but dealers do discounts and ex-demos can be had cheaply. If I had £8000 to spend on a car a VW Up! would have everything I need.

@White & Nerdy Have you even been in or drove a new city car or supermini? You could actually get a less than 4 year old supermini that's quicker than the Sunbird.
 
I've driven several cheap small cars, and yes while they can be fun, fast and cool, I would simply never buy one.
I would rather buy a LARGER used car that gives better impact protection at 50+mph.
 
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