It was time for my sister to buy her first car, and with my advice in mind, to cut a long story short I should just tell you that she ended up buying a Hyundai i30. Today, actually. So I thought I'd share with you the way she arrived at her choice, because I believe that the way she went about buying her first car was exemplary to say the least.

To start off, we discussed her size range - one of the single most important things to consider when buying a car, and most often overlooked. It is a great starting place, and also gives you a consequential price range. My sister is a percussionist, and is often carrying a reasonable amount of gear, if not necessarily a lot of passengers. So a large cargo room area (with seats folded down) was needed, but a wagon was deemed too big. Instead, a large hatchback seemed the go, especially with the high amount of city driving that she plans to do. So immediately, she found that she had a list of cars to investigate.

However, there were a few priorities that influenced this list. She did not want safety to be at all compromised - so her car had to feature the full set of airbags (front, side and curtain) and feature electronic stability control. To obtain these features in a used car is next to impossible, and she found that it involved buying a reasonably old car from a premium brand such as Audi. The trouble then was that such premium cars incur extra costs, namely insurance, premium grade fuel, parts prices, service and repair costs. With the cost of ownership stacking up on cars that were already more than 5 years old, she decided that it simply wasn't worth it. With about $25,000 to spend (she had saved for a good number of years!) she decided that the best course of action was to buy a new car, and fit the safety features as options where they weren't standard. So a list was created, and we prepared to eliminate those who were unworthy.

The cars on this list were extensively researched on the internet, and the findings written down in a notebook for easy reference later. Each page was devoted to a different car, and when compared, all the pros and cons of each car were evident. So my sister stayed true to my golden rule number 9: "Do ya bloody research, ya lazy bugger!" - although that article "Your First Car" is geared (forgive the pun) toward buyers looking at a used car, you can read my buying tips here. Anyway, it was clear that some cars would have to be rejected before the race started, for the various reasons stated below:

Citroen C4 SX - too expensive, especially with automatic transmission
Fiat Ritmo Dynamic - automatic transmission not available (...!), expensive too
Ford Focus CL
Holden Astra CD - curtain airbags not available on "CD" model, no stability control
Honda Civic VTi - not a hatchback, lacks stability control, only front airbags available
Hyundai i30 SX
Mazda3 Neo Sport
Mitsubishi Lancer Sportback CL - no stability control, automatic is $2,500 extra!
Nissan Tiida ST-L - no stability control, not roomy enough
Peugeot 308 XS - too expensive, no automatic on XS model
Renault Megane Dynamique - Expensive, not practical enough
Subaru Impreza R - Expensive, again
Suzuki SX-4 - no stability control, only two airbags, high fuel consumption
Toyota Corolla Seca Ascent - no stability control at all
Volkswagen Golf Edition - wait for it... too expensive also

As it turns out, after all that, there were only three cars that fulfilled her needs at all, even if it was only on paper. And if you remember my "Your First Car" feature story, I had a golden rule - forget about Chrylser, Daewoo, Daihatsu, Dodge, Hummer, Hyundai, Kia, Proton and Ssangyong. Technically, this should have ruled out the i30, but my argument for this rule in the first place were that these brands make unsafe and poor quality cars. The i30 had all the safety features she wanted, providing she optioned the safety pack, and a new Hyundai will have a 5-year warranty. It's seemed churlish to deny it a spot in the final three.

So, having done all her research, she went dealing, and found that she really could just rule the Focus out of contention. Sometimes things aren't as good as they seem to be on paper. The Focus was essentially just as good as the Mazda3, without the sporty attitude and cool looks. The Focus also lacked a few convenience features that the Mazda had, and in the end, the after-bargaining price was pretty much the same.

The i30 however, is the one that came on top of the Mazda - for a few reasons, actually. Believe it or not, the i30 had the better interior. No, really. The interior pictures I have here are merely for illustration, and have been nicked from www.carsales.com, and aren't the actually the cars she looked at. But they are the right models, Neo Sport (Mazda) and SX (Hyundai), although I understand it may be hard to see what I mean from just the pictures. There were a few things about the Mazda that were simply done better in the i30. For example, the instrumentation of the i30, with its blue lighting, is much clearer than the Mazda3 and its eye-hating red illumination. Actually, the speedometer of the Mazda3 Neo Sport is the biggest problem, because 0-100kmh occurs in the 6 to 9 o'clock positions of the dial, and such a small spread of numbers makes your speed difficult to gauge (I'm loving these puns today!). This is no such problem in the i30. In fact, the i30 interior was obviously cleaner and just as classy as the Mazda, which does not appropriately reflect the pictures to the right. Even the rear seat provides more legroom and kneeroom, while boot space for either car is virtually the same.

Where the Mazda should gain ground on the i30, in driving experience, it fails, because the difference was not enough to gain the attention of my sister, who felt that they both drove very well and was content with either, although she preferred the driving position of the i30. This underscores the importance of test-driving these cars - even my sister was going to assume that because the i30 was a Hyundai it would be incompetent on the road. The i30 even has a few extra features over the Mazda, the most useful of which is a burglar alarm.

Don't get me wrong, we're both huge fans of the Mazda3, and still are, but at the time she was car buying, the Mazda was a car at the end of it's model cycle, and significantly older in design than the i30 - it showed. Which proves a point in my "Your First Car" article - cars are getting better all the time. Although the Mazda is obviously cooler than the rather bland Hyundai, this did not bother my sister at all - the Hyundai was by no means boring, she argued, and was better in just about every other area of assessment.

In fact, even I have been converted to an i30 fan - I'm not a huge fan of the way it looks, but for most people, it looks absolutely fine, drives absolutely fine, and is great value. She haggled like her life depended on it, and came away with a great deal. The real way to describe the i30 would be with this sentence: "There is absolutely nothing wrong with the i30, other than it has an awful Hyundai badge on the bonnet and tailgate."

But if that doesn't bother you, like it didn't for my sister, then the i30 is a great car. More importantly, it's a car that you can love. And she certainly loves her red Hyundai i30 - she's going to show it off to her friends.

FEATURE STORY: My Sister Bought an i30... Shock!

After being prompted in a reader comment "what would be a good first car?", I felt I couldn't simply answer that question properly in a Blog Comment. There is enough meat in this to make a sizeable story.

There is not one car that will suit all types of people, and different people have different priorities. Not to mention different price ranges. I can recommend stuff, but the range of things to choose from is so large these days that you'd still be scratching your head. However, for most reasonable price ranges, you can still get a variety of used and new cars. But there are a few golden rules to buying a good first car - so pay attention as I start listing them. I'll test ya later.

1. If it was a good car when it was new, then chances are, it will be a good used car as well.

Now what I mean by that is when the car was new - like in 2004 when Proton launched the Gen-2 - how was it considered? The Gen-2 was crap then, and is still crap now. Good new cars tend to make good used cars. So:

2. Forget about Chrysler, Daewoo, Daihatsu, Dodge, Hummer, Hyundai, Kia, Proton and Ssangyong. You won't miss them.

Why have I been so harsh? Because I can't think of one car any of these manufacturers have made that is actually good. New or used, it doesn't matter, don't be tempted by these carmakers. They may try to lure you with low prices, and seemingly good warranty etc., but these cars are made with the philosophy "near enough is good enough", and they will require more maintenance and repair than other cars. They are quite likely to be faulty. Not only that, they will not make you feel special in any way, and will be dull in every respect, not least to drive. With the exception of one or two recent Hyundais, all these manufacturers make cars that are significantly less safe than their competitors. Don't be fooled by how many airbags are quoted - they are made by Asian slave labour, and wearing a Michellin-Man suit is a more effective protection system than one of these cars. They are cheap, and that's it.

So talking about reliability, here's a rule that might help you out.

3. Buying a Japanese car will mean virtually trouble-free ownership.

More than a European car, anyway. Okay, here's the trade-off. A Japanese car will be really reliable, and won't cost too much to service or to insure either. But a European car will have more personality, will usually drive even better, but won't be as reliable or as cheap to service and insure. Really, the disparity in insurance costs can be an eye-opener. Get an online insurance estimate for your car before you buy, just to know what you're in for. Some online calculators are quite innacurate, but I can recommend the RACV insurance calculator, as they seem to be just about spot on. European cars are also more expensive than their Japanese counterparts. Really, those little Japs have worked out marvellous ways to manufacture with fantastic quality - especially Toyota. Toyotas never seem to as much as cough. Which reminds me:

4. Don't buy a Toyota unless you really, really have to.

But why, you ask? Well, let me as you a question in return. For your first car, would you like a whitegood on wheels, or would you like a car? If you answered "a car", then you do not want a Toyota. You will want to smile as you turn the key of your car every day, not groan because after 35 years your bland Toyota still keeps going and you wish it would just die. Okay, I know you can sell your car, so that's a bit of an exaggeration, but you should be a car because it is good, not because it won't die.

But that's enough brand bagging for one day. It's time to help you with what kind of car you should buy, and helping you come to your own conclusions about what is right for you. The first question you need to ask yourself is: how big does my car need to be? Which leads on to my next rule:

5. Don't buy a car that is at all bigger than you need it to be.

It may sound like common-sense, but you'd be surprised how many people just get carried away. Basically, the principle is this: you are far better off buying a better quality small car than buying a sh*tbox of a large car. And besides, a small car will provide better fuel efficiency (less money at the pump), and will be easier to park. That should be quite important, because if you're buying a first car, chances are you are young, and young people tend to need to drive in the city. You will be very surprised how much the right-sized car will lessen your in-car stress levels.

When people go out to buy a car, all they seem to talk about is their price range. They're getting it wrong! The first thing you should think about is your size range. What cars are the right size for your needs? Once you know that, you can see how old the cars have to be before they reach into your price range. But remember this:

6. Buy the newest car you can afford, with the least amount of kilometres on the odometer you can find.

Don't try and find the cheapest car that looks fine - a newer car will perform better and be more reliable than an old one. Spend as much money as you can (within reason) on your car - every penny is worth it, trust me. Cars get better all the time. These days they do, anyway. Try to find a car that has the least amount of kilometres you possibly can. But a good guide to follow is this - don't buy a car that has significantly more than 15,000km on the clock for every year of age. So a MY2003 (Model Year 2003) car with more than 75,000km is a bit of a worry. Why? Because any higher than that and it is likely that the car has been thrashed, and its internals may not be in great condition. Really, you do have to make sure everything about your car is in good condition.

7. Always, always test drive the car, and give it a thorough once-over, twice-over and thrice-over.

Play around with all the switches and knobs, and check to see if the electricals (air-conditioning, radio, CD player, windows, mirrors, etc.) are still working. If they are not, that will be an extra expense, and you really don't want that - depending on what car it is, it can be quite an expense, too. If you don't trust your own judgement, pay for an expert assessment of the car - they will point out mechanical problems that may not be immediately evident. But I'm talking about used cars here, not new ones.

But regardless, make sure there is absolutely nothing about the car that is really going to drive you up the wall. I mean it! Just about all cars have some sort of downfall, or something that is going to irritate someone. Just make sure that nothing at all is going to annoy the crap out of you, because once you've bought the car, there's nothing you can do about it. For example, when my sister was looking for her first car, she found that a few cars were just about perfect in every other area, but had one small problem: The speedometer was in the middle of the car, not directly in front of the steering wheel. My sister has multifocal lens glasses which are nigh on useless in the corners of the lens - they are designed for the straight ahead, and if my sister were to glance at the speedometer, she would have to physically turn her head away from the road - which poses a safety, not to mention an annoyance issue.

If you find that for the size of car you want, you can afford a new car, great! A new car doesn't have the same risk as a used car (risk of it being a lemon), and you don't inherit the problems of the previous owner. However, you may wish to look at buying a slightly used car or dealer demonstrator car - these are called "nearly new" cars. They may save you a few grand, but be warned - a car that is being sold after just a year of previous ownership is always a bit suspicious and fishy. Why don't they want it anymore? Find out why the seller is selling the vehicle. You don't want to buy their lemon. If they couldn't stand it after only one year, how will you fare?

8. Get the Roadworthy Certificate, and see the Servicing History Log-Book of the car.

If the car has been serviced abnormally often (use your own discretion, it's easy enough to tell), then chances are, the car is a dud. If the seller cannot provide a roadworthy certificate, do not buy the car. They should know they need to provide this, and are probably just trying to do a shonky deal with you. If at any time, the seller of the car refuses to answer one of your questions, or is witholding information, LEAVE IMMEDIATELY. The car could be stolen, and you don't want to get duped. It could also have money owing. For example, if the seller bought the car for $16,000 but still has $4,000 left unpaid, and you buy the car, then the $4,000 debt is now yours. Retarded, I know, but all the more reason to make sure you aren't dudded. That's why if it looks to cheap to be true, it probably isn't.

You can avoid this trap, however, by doing a free Vehicle Status Check on the VicRoads website - it will check whether the vehicle is stolen, it's registration, whether it has been in a "write-off" accident (some cars are repaired on the outside, but still have unsafe componenents), or any financial information that may be of interest to a buyer. I'll take you there now if you click HERE.

But when it comes to working out what car to buy, this comes first:

9. Do ya bloody research, ya lazy bugger!

After you've worked out what size car you need, you really need to do some research about the cars within that size range. The internet is a great way to do this simply, at your own leisure, and without car salesmen (usually men) breathing down your neck and telling you to buy, BUY, BUY!!!

Some cars will have different features, and so you will have to prioritise. Do I want better safety, or more performance? Do I want good handling, or do I want a more stylish car? They're not always mutually exclusive, but often, you will have to compromise. But how much you have to compromise depends on how well you've done your research. You shouldn't have to compromise very much at all (unless you expect a Toyota Yaris to be equipped like a Rolls-Royce).

By the time you walk into the dealership, or the car yard, or meet the seller to have a look at the car, you should know as much, if not more, about the car than the seller themselves. The seller should not tell you something about the car that you are at all surprised by, or did not know. If they do, you should be confident enough in your research to suspect them of lying - shonky car salesmen tend to lie, and you need to be able to show them up. When you finally see the car in the flesh (or metal, I should say), all you should need to do is see the Service Log Book, the Roadworthy Certificate, test drive the car and make sure everything works, and negotiate a price. That's it. You should already have found out about the car, either online, or by telephoning the seller for more information.

This way, not only do you save time, but you look more informed, and the seller will be less likely to rip you off. But at the end of the day, this is also a really important tip:

10. You should love the car you've bought.

Honestly. Providing you've followed the rules, you should be able to find a car that you will fall in love with, and grow attached to. It sounds lame, but think what a fantastic feeling it will be when you look at all the other cars on the road and laugh because yours is just soooo much better. Cars usually aren't perfect, but if you find one that you truly love, then in the end, that's what truly matters, isn't it? And don't think I'm comparing buying a car to finding the partner of your dreams, because if you are thinking that, then you've missed the point entirely. You too should be a car enthusiast. You should be enthusiastic about your car. Cars are not just transport - they are personal transport, and a symbol of global culture.

So anyway, if one of your mates reckons they've bought a lemon, its because they haven't followed one of my ten simple rules. Learn from their mistakes, buy a better car than they did, and chuckle quietly to yourself when they give you a jealous glare as you drive off down the street.

FEATURE STORY: Your First Car

Yes, it's been a long time since I've last posted - I took a break while I got my wisdom teeth yanked out, and living on tomato soup isn't exactly the ideal diet for the development of creative and witty automotive prose. Nevertheless, I will post the cars that will keep you at the height of your game should you indulge in buying a car in the sales rush before the year is out. Here are the dos and don'ts - kind of like my annual awards story. It's the Really Cool and Really Not Cool awards. Italian car-makers are well represented, as is Citroen, and Mazda walks away with the crucially important Real-World Family Car award. BMW has fared poorly, with no less than five "Really Not Cool" nominations, and other German makers (with the exception of Audi) are dusted around the other "Really Not Cool" awards and nominations. Oddly enough, this seems to be a reflection of the human populations in these two countries - in Italy, the ladies are like beautiful supermodels, whereas in Germany, you cannot tell the women apart from the men. Could the fact that German women are cosmetically challenged be the cause of a lack of inspiration amongst German designers?

"REALLY COOL SPORTS COUPE" Award 2008

Probably the only car that truly gobsmacked me not only when I first saw it, but the hundreds of times I've booted up my computer just to look at pictures of it. These few sentences are taking an age to write, just because it incapacitates my faculties and leaves my mouth gaping open. And yes, it must be in this "Infa Red" colour - the bodykit of the DBS was never my cup of tea, until I saw the car in this loud colour. I don't think I like the bazillion-dollar One-77 as much as I like this curvaceous beauty - I'm a straight guy, so I like curves. What else can I say?

Also Nominated:


Maserati GranTurismo S



"REALLY NOT COOL SPORTS COUPE" Award 2008
First of all, it's a Porsche. Second, how can anyone really believe that this isn't just a try-hard cut-price 911? It looks exactly like a 911, which is hardly at the cutting edge of design, but isn't as good. If you're going to be a wanker, you should at least have a car that is fast enough to smoke your aggressor's HSV GTS at the traffic lights. Can the Cayman even do that? Nope, the Holden will outpower the Porsche. Sad.

Also Nominated:


BMW Z4 Coupe




"REALLY COOL EXECUTIVE SEDAN" Award 2008
It sure isn't perfect, and I've always thought that the nose is ill-proportioned, but every time I see a 159 on the road, I'm convinced it deserves this award. What other executive sedan has the sheer road presence that this car has? Certainly nothing German does, although the Audi A4 comes close. This is a car that flatters the owner, because it insinuates that the driver has good fashion sense, is an automotive enthusiast, and probably has a spicy sex-life. But it's a sedan! Surely it doesn't get any better than that.

Also Nominated:


Audi A4




Citroen C5




"REALLY NOT COOL EXECUTIVE SEDAN" Award 2008
Is this car at all classy? Nope. It is as classy as tucking your business shirt into your (visible and above trouser-line) underpants. It screams "I wanna be an old-school socialite", if anything, and while the 159 is modern and probably timeless, this bubbly oddity loses it's sheen very quickly. Really, it doesn't deserve to have a leaping cat on the bonnet, but there you go - it sure does, unfortunately.


Also Nominated:


BMW 3-Series




Renault Laguna




"REALLY COOL LUXURY LIMOUSINE SEDAN" Award 2008Really, is this any surprise? The new Phantom is the last word in rich stylish transport. It's big, and square, and a face like a Mack truck, but it sure is cool. It infers that you are of as noble blood as all of the royal families in Europe, or you own all the royal families in Europe. It is truly brilliant in every single way, and I don't see why anyone with the need for a million-dollar luxury car buys anything else.


Also Nominated:


Maserati Quattroporte




Bentley Continental GT Flying Spur Speed (who needs a car with a 6 word name, though?)


"REALLY NOT COOL LUXURY LIMOUSINE SEDAN" Award 2008
Really, this involves all the Maybachs, because they all look cheap and anonymous and tacky, with paintjobs that are worse that your Ford Falcon. But this is just gross stupidity and snobbishness. Why on earth should you, a bazillionaire, get to ride in an open-topped limousine, while you're driver is in what is basically a black tinted box up the front? Are they not cool enough to soak up the sun's rays?


Also Nominated:


BMW 7-Series




It's just nice. That's how I would sum up the XC60. It is executed without flaw, yet it doesn't look bland or boring either. To be honest, it's one of the most classy luxury SUV out there - many other are vary garish and some are just rude. I wouldn't say this SUV is offensive in any way - on the contrary, it's rather likeable. It only seats five, but hey, for those who appreciate the high driving position and practicality of an SUV, this one is just perfect.

Also Nominated:


Mazda CX-9




"REALLY NOT COOL SUV" Award 2008
There will be somewhere in the world where the Hummer H3 is cool. Somewhere in America. For the rest of the world, it is gross stupidity and ignorance of a growing environmental problem, and a statement of American excess. And that is not cool at all. I really was thinking about putting the Porsche Cayenne up here, because it is hideously ugly also, but it does serve another purpose - it is (somewhat) a performance car. The H3 is a statement of idiocy.

Also Nominated: (here we go...!)


Porsche Cayenne (Close 2nd)




BMW X6




BMW X3




Mercedes-Benz GLK-Class




Ssangyong Actyon




Ssangyong Kyron




Subaru Tribeca




"REALLY COOL FASHION ACCESSORY" Award 2008I've raved about this little car here before, and I won't go into too much of that now, but the 500 manages to balance retro good looks, with a kind of European class that is missing from other fashion accessory cars. And then it's cute, too. Great! And you can make this car to be exactly as you'd like, so it will suit your fashion personality - not my thing, but I can tell that some others will be grateful for this. Bizarrely. I still really like this car. If I was an old pensioner, with little long-distance driving to do (mostly city stuff), I have no doubt in my mind that I would buy this car. Because it would put a smile on my wrinkled and aged face.

Also Nominated:


Mini Cooper




"REALLY UNCOOL FASHION ACCESSORY" Award 2008
I'm sorry, but I don't get this car. You would have to be living in a bubble to think that other people thought you looked funky or cool driving it. But then again, being inside a Beetle is living inside a bubble. The main irk I have with this car is that it doesn't have any substance to back up those superficial looks. I don't have any reason to love it - some women who must be taking hallucinogenic drugs will disagree, but that doesn't stop them looking uncool to the rest of the world living outside her pink bubble.

Also Nominated:


Smart ForTwo




"REALLY COOL REAL-WORLD FAMILY CAR" Award 2008
I think this car seems to have a positive outlook on life - I mean, look at it, you can't help but feel optimistic when it looks at you like that. But the design is so smooth, yet so characterful, that it puts all but the highest of Italian supermodels (the 159 of course) to shame. And it is available in what is probably the most intoxicatingly loveable light blue (which sadly isn't pictured) I have ever seen on a car. I sound decidedly female saying that, but there you go. It also happens to be the perfect family car - not too big, but roomy enough for a family of five. I don't understand why people buy Falcons and Commodores actually - why don't they buy one of these?

Also Nominated:


Citroen C4




Fiat Ritmo



"REALLY NOT COOL REAL-WORLD FAMILY CAR" Award 2008
Oh god, why would anyone feel the need to buy this? It looks awful! And it's American, very American. Shoddy quality, plastics that feel like a child's lunchbox, and an inability to function properly as a car. Not to mention that it actually looks worse in real life than it does in the pictures. I don't want to talk more about the Sebring - it makes me feel ill thinking about it.


Also Nominated:


Kia Magentis




Toyota Camry

FEATURE STORY: The Really Cool (and not) Cars of 2008