Hyundai I30 Problems

The Mazda3 generally has a slightly higher trade-in value.

For starters you should tell her not to drive into floodwaters. I would suggest a small hatch, something like a Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, or Hyundai i30. All are reliable, economical, safe, and within your budget.

The best times to buy are usually the end of the financial year, or at model run-out times, that's when the specials are on. The CVT and dual-clutch autos are both still unknowns in terms of long-term reliability, but either should be ok over the five years you plan to keep the car. Any of the cars you list, and the list is a long one, would be ok. It really comes down to what you like.

It has a timing belt.

Everyone should check his or her new car before taking delivery of it, no matter the brand. You shouldn’t just assume that because it is new that it is without flaw. Having taken delivery you have much less power to have problems corrected, leaving you in the situation of having to negotiate with the dealer and the carmaker to get a satisfactory outcome. If you feel they are not interested in your concerns you should contact your state’s consumer affairs department and seek their advice.

On the surface it does seem unreasonable that the new transmission is not covered by the warranty. I would press Hyundai for an explanation of the problem, and an answer as to why the replacement transmission isn’t covered. If that doesn’t get a satisfactory response I would contact the Consumer Affairs people in Victoria and enlist their help.

Clutches do wear out and need to be replaced, and you will need to do that in the future when yours wears out. The mileage you quote is within the normal range.

The dealer would have been aware of the upcoming updated model, but he would probably have been under an embargo that would prevent him from talking about it.

However, he should have told you, at least off the record, that it was coming, particularly because you asked about it.

The reality is that things do go wrong on cars and sometimes we have to pay to have them fixed. Your car is eight years old. I wouldn’t quibble with it; I’d just fix it.

That's a fascinating pair of options April, but both are indeed very good cars. It's a struggle to match the official fuel consumption figures with any new car, but I've just spent three months living with the VTi-S and experienceced an 8.5L/100km average with largely urban and loaded driving, which was better than the Tiguan 2.0-litre, Escape 1.5 and CX-5 2.5 litre I've lived with previously. So you'll have to work hard to get worse than that figure. The extra space of the Honda is a big drawcard, but you'll have to judge that for yourself. My only real gripe with the VTi-S is the lack of active safety gear like AEB, which is set to be rectified with an updated version in future. The i30 SR comes with all the important safety gear standard.