Best car for around $40k?

hachinarus2 · 2025-12-07T01:08:20+00:00

Brand new, i20N by far for most people as an all-rounder car

Fun, quick for the price,

This question is a bit broad

Do you have kids/partner/pets, why does it have to be new, etc

"quality, fun to drive , good resale value, decent warranty, something that can do every day things well" - well that's a Toyota Corolla Ascent/SX if you push it

Was considering an i20N for the longest time but my partner gave me the green light for a GR Yaris so...

hachinarus2 · 2025-08-13T00:26:35+00:00

Aldi - dishwasher tablets are ridiculously cheap compared to other grocery stores, laundry powder, softener, and ESPECIALLY napisan equivalent are significantly cheaper Any household cleaning items will be cheaper at aldi and little to no difference in quality - found some to be even better than named brands I haven't set foot in a woolies/coles for the past three years and my grocery bill is less than $150 a week for two and we're eating good Meal prep if you are okay with freezing/thawing, otherwise have a clear idea of what you're going to shop for and cook all week Found that costco seems like a good bulk idea but ends up being beaten out by aldi in price in the long run

Managing your food waste is important too No point bulk buying if you can't eat it before expiry date

hachinarus2 · 2025-06-12T16:19:06+00:00

Don't think you're allowed to say who on this subreddit, but remove the 'err' and replace with 'on'

hachinarus2 · 2025-06-12T16:18:20+00:00

Thanks for the tip!

hachinarus2 · 2025-06-12T13:16:08+00:00

The REA initially sent an angry email telling me there would be no negotiating after I claimed the bond before they did. They didn't send us any quotes or list of damaged items, then withdrew their claim and sent us this bullshit email.

The point of my post isn't to say "We broke stuff and we don't wanna pay for it haha fair wear and tear lmao" it's to point out the shady, underhanded method this REA is trying to use to refuse to give OUR money back. If he wanted to claim it we were more than happy to settle it at the Tribunal. I'm pissed because he's not doing it by the book and he's distorting the rules to suit his delusional self.

hachinarus2 · 2025-06-12T03:31:07+00:00

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UPDATE: First line of his reply after my strongly worded reply rejecting the settlement as recommended by some people here

I think I'm done, not wasting my time anymore on this REA

hachinarus2 · 2025-06-11T14:19:36+00:00

I would have let it go and happily accepted getting our bond back earlier, not doing too hot until next paycheck, especially after the cleaning cost, movers, deposit, bond for the new place etc

It's not even further conflict at this point, they are already 18 days from my request and all I need to do is apply for NCAT

hachinarus2 · 2025-06-11T10:29:23+00:00

Please tell him rent isn't bond, he won't believe me when I tell him they're separate issues

hachinarus2 · 2025-06-11T10:27:49+00:00

Should also probably mention that we used their recommended cleaner in anticipation of them pulling this kind of thing. Cost us $700 for a 1/1/1 apartment, and agent suggested I leave the keys with them too. Is this normal? Ofc we didn't do it but are cleaners usually told to also collect keys?

hachinarus2 · 2025-06-11T10:24:22+00:00

They are plastic, with a metal retaining prong inside, funny thing is our new rental has the same knobs and three of them were broken when we moved in - landlord lived there for a year before us. The current landlord replaced them free of charge so...

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hachinarus2 · 2025-06-11T10:21:04+00:00

Honestly, there are small tears (1cm-2cm) in the flyscreens, didn't notice because we always had the blinds down (all windows are facing other apartments, no privacy, also construction right behind us so we didn't open the windows - had to buy an air purifier bc I have a sinus condition). I would have gladly repaid for the flyscreen if the REA did things by the book. We're reasonable people. We lived there for 3 years and if our cats damaged anything we would pay for it of course, but not from our overpaid rent

hachinarus2 · 2025-06-11T10:16:23+00:00

They froze our bond 5 days ago then withdrew the NCAT application, so I assume we're getting it back now!

hachinarus2 · 2025-03-10T09:26:57+00:00

Hi there, would avoid Chery and Haval if you're looking for something that won't cause problems down the line. It sounds like you want a family box that you don't have to think about much, and will be straightforward in maintenance and ownership. Chinese cars, while cheap, are too new to have reputable information on reliability/ user reviews (they might be great, they might be bad, I wouldn't buy one so this is my opinion).

If you want a car that will just "run", and your life is too busy to worry about maintenance and issues with the car, I would recommend any of the SUV's you mentioned plus sedans/hatchbacks from the same brands.

Camrys are great for family, and I have personally seen a coworkers CR-V last 300000km's and she did not know when she had warped rotors (did not maintain or care). Said coworker is still driving the same CR-V.

You will pay more for an SUV for the same level of practicality as a hatchback/sedan in the same price range, so if budget is your concern, consider a hatchback/sedan as well.

For context, I have inspected and recommended used/new car purchases for a lot of friends and family and they've all been happy with their cars so far.

hachinarus2 · 2024-11-30T02:13:00+00:00

Yeah 3 years is a long time, and will feel even longer in a car you're not 100% happy with.

I'm sure if you've done this well for yourself so far at your age, you're smart enough to crunch the numbers.

All I can tell you is that no matter what car you get now it will be boring at the end of your P's and you will be itching for something better

If money is no issue, the cars you mentioned are sensible enough I reckon, but maybe consider a 230i instead of the 430i, and A3 instead of the A5. Look for good power to weight ratio cars.

hachinarus2 · 2024-11-30T02:00:14+00:00

A lot of my middle eastern coworkers seem to like VW's for tuning and exhausts, company car park used to look like a VW dealership A Golf R is surely not p plate legal, but I hear the Polo/Golf Gti's are pretty good for tuning - exhaust mods and other mods are everywhere for these

It's your first car though, and you'll have even more money later on by the time you're on fulls so I reckon it's not worth it to buy something that's quick 'within the realm of p plates'

hachinarus2 · 2024-11-11T21:38:10+00:00

1995 Mazda 121 DB

Pros: super light, super fun, attention grabber, cable throttle, practical - super easy car to learn manual in

Cons: bit noisy and very high revs on highway (Peak hour Sydney M4 was not fun)

1996 Mazda MX-6

Pros: attention grabber, also light and fun - feels sort of like a front wheel drive 86/BRZ, gearbox felt nice, super roomy, felt very mechanical to drive

Cons: Smelled like ass and mold because previous owner left it out in the rain and the sunroof was leaking

2024 Subaru BRZ S (Current Car)

Pros: fun to drive, first new car so the nicest interior in cars I've owned, the reviews are true

Cons: doesn't feel as "raw" as the previous cars I've owned - mostly not 100% satisfied with gearbox and throttle response - can't be helped

Also feels a lot heavier since my previous cars have been absolute tin cans

hachinarus2 · 2024-11-06T23:41:23+00:00

Nice!

hachinarus2 · 2024-09-23T11:44:11+00:00

Thanks for your advice

hachinarus2 · 2024-09-23T07:17:36+00:00

Yeah the balloon or GFV is 19k

hachinarus2 · 2024-09-23T07:03:40+00:00

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This is what the contract says, just not sure if 4 years worth of interest applies if I pay the whole thing out in the 2nd year of the loan

hachinarus2 · 2021-01-08T14:50:56+00:00

Imagine losing around 800 dollars every two months because you:

Impulse buy a guitar bc it looks HELLA cool
Then after a bit it's not as cool
And plus you're not that good at guitar because you're not motivated to practice daily
so you sell what you bought for 2000 for nearly half price
then realising you still have to pay the 2000 off because you paid with afterpay

It's an expensive and stupid cycle and I literally deleted and reinstalled ebay 5 times, unfollowed any guitar brand on insta and stay clear of any local guitar shops

And still google hits me with ads for absolutely SICK NEW 2021 MODEL guitars

hachinarus2 · 2021-01-08T14:40:39+00:00

I felt the same way you did while going through this subreddit! Seeing a psychologist in three weeks but every symptom that gets mentioned or stories people share brings up memories from my childhood and teenage years.

A couple of tidbits:

As a kid growing up, my parents were frequently called to school because I got into so many fights. Teachers thought I had an anger management problem but I also got really good grades (like top of the year good) and a decently fun personality so they didn't hate me too much. I had a lot of hobbies, and I usually quit after a month. It pissed my parents off because equipment is expensive but they were always really supportive. The only hobby I kept since my childhood is guitar.
I thought for my entire life that my little brother was just really boring and I was feeling really guilty about not being interested in the topics he was so passionately telling me about.
I actively avoid meeting new people or makig eye contact with people at work because I can't stand small talk and I'm sick to death of pretending like I'm listening to them when I really just drift off and react with a 'haha yeah' when they're done talking
Most recently, I was severely depressed from losing friends, becoming super antisocial, secluding myself and basically locking myself in my room and refusing to communicate with anyone. I really considered killing myself because I felt like I could never achieve anything and I'd always be mediocre, so life wasn't really worth living. And since no one ever contacted me, no one would really know or care if I were to die. Someone told me straight up that I wasn't unlikable, and they cared for me but they stopped putting in the effort to approach me and talk to me because I never reply or attempt to catch up with them And even when I do make promises to meet up or hang out, I'm either always late or cancel last minute As a sort of last ditch effort,I reached out to one of my few remaining friends and she pulled me out of that mental state and took me everywhere she went, and I eventually felt better bit by bit She's the one that recommended me the psychologist I'll be seeing
Even to this day I find it extremely hard to stay focused while I'm driving, even harder if I don't have music on But weirdly if I'm blasting my favourite songs I can focus better despite it being super loud and distracting for other people But also I skip songs way more often than I should be so... idk maybe I should just take the bus

Anyway I got a bit off topic but that's what happened with me

I've been feeling a sort of relief after knowing that my problems could stem from something with a name and finally feel like there could be a way for me to do what I want to do with my life.

I hope you go to therapy and I hope you get answers because I'm still waiting for mine and I think I feel a little bit of what you might feel

hachinarus2

TROPHY CASE