First Car

I'M LOOKING at buying a 1998 Holden Calais VT for my first car. It has done 213,000km. Did the Series 1 come with side airbags?

It was to turn his Falcon into Australia's favourite used car. Polites reckoned it was the first step in creating a blue oval carpark and a rise in demand for the then-new Falcon, as people would be drawn to the brand and eager to continue in the Ford family. But he failed. The Holden Commodore is still Australia's favourite starter car, decades after the original VB Commodore created a legend when Peter Brock drove it to victory in the Repco round-Australia trial. New figures from Bankwest show Holden is still the first choice for a first car in Australia, with both men and women. Nearly a quarter of all men have a Holden as their first car, with 16.1 per cent of women also buying into the brand. Ford is second, at 15.5 per cent for men and 13.7 per cent for women, reflecting the huge job still faced by the company in getting to terms - will it ever make the leap? - with the car still regarded as 'Australia's own'. There are no real surprises in the Bankwest information, as Toyota was third and Mazda took fourth with both men and women. Men then favoured Nissan, Volkswagen, Mitsubishi and Mini while the female choices are Mitsubishi, Nissan, Honda and Hyundai. Bankwest spokesperson Adrian Bradley says men prefer a car with a bit of grunt like a classic V8 Commodore, while women go for a more fuel efficient four-cylinder Toyota. "It's probably no surprise a lot of blokes want a car you can hear before they actually arrive," he says. Bankwest went to a company called Brand Management for its research and, after talking to 1250 people, discovered 60 per cent of people save and pay cash for their first car. But 21 per cent get help from their parents and a lucky 3.7 per cent get it as some sort of gift. The average spend on a first car with 21-30 year olds was $9973, but the figure drops dramatically to $5214 for baby boomers in the 51-60 age group, who probably bought their first car more than 30 years ago.

Devers said yesterday the scheme could to be tailored to "green" car purchases as part of an incentive package for more efficient cars. "We've all seen the benefits to the building industry as a result of the first homeowner's scheme, which contributes up to $21,000 to first home buyers," he says. "If the Federal Government was serious about making environmentally efficient cars more appealing, why don't they consider a similar scheme for first car owners?" Devers said the level of incentive would have to be worked out but $5000 would be manageable. Vehicle sales this year are down 20 per cent as buyers desert showrooms and all brands are feeling the heat. Devers wants to link a first buyers scheme to cars that deliver low greenhouse emissions and economy under 6 litres/100km. "By linking a first buyers' scheme to cars that meet 130 g/km of C02, it has enormous potential to not only lower our greenhouse gas emissions, but also help save the lives of hundreds of young Australians. "Last year, drivers aged between 18 and 25 made up almost 30 per cent of all fatal crashes, despite representing only 14 per cent of all drivers," he says. "One of the acknowledged factors in many of these crashes is the fact young people traditionally drive older vehicles, most of them lacking advanced safety features such as side curtain airbags or electronic stability control. "Making fuel efficient cars with high safety levels more financially attractive with a bonus - like the home owner's scheme - addresses two major issues." Devers said he had not shopped the first car concept with the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries but was seeking to put it out to the public. He admitted that Suzuki has a vested interest in low emission cars because it will soon start selling its 1.0-litre Alto. The three-cylinder Alto emits just 113 grams a kilometre of C02. "But the issue of green cars and incentives is wider than just our interest," he said. "Every carmaker has similar cars in other markets with similar low emissions but there is little incentive to bring them here. "Customers shopping at this end of the market should not be rewarded for thinking with their conscience, as well as their wallet."  

SOON I'll be buying my first car and would like something with power and good fuel economy. I like the Holden Commodore and the Ford Falcon, and want something with the same power as both of those -- but with better fuel economy -- for about $4000. Which car would best suit me?

WHAT do you think of the Ford Escort Mk 2 for a first car?

Australian car-makers have never quite grasped that many of us no longer live on quarter-acre blocks with white picket palisades in suburbs straight from Neighbours.But style, luxury, comfort and even performance needn't be sacrificed at the altar of practicality or forsaken in the pursuit of greenness.Only a decade ago, Volkswagen's Golf was considered a small car, but the current model is quite big enough for a family mobile.Beneath that, there's an emerging class of diminutive but dynamically pleasing, usefully spacious and (of increasing importance) eco-friendly city cars.It's the segment that shows less in terms of horsepower really can be more in terms of liveability and sustainability. In terms of luxury, too: you can downsize but up-spec - and cut quite a figure when you do.When a car weighs not much more than a tonne, low fuel consumption and low emissions are pretty much guaranteed.The Citroen C2 and C3 won't win any traffic-light derbies, but they do tick both those green boxes and the less tangible - but just as important - one marked “style”.In terms of reliability, it's said there's no such thing as French without tears, but it's hard not to be enamoured of the chic siblings.Our selections would be the C2 VTS with 1.6-litre petrol engine or the C3 Hdi with super-frugal, 1.6-litre turbo diesel (both from $23,990).The latter variant would also be the overwhelmingly popular choice in Paris.Italy gave the world the original city car, designed to provide affordable personal transport while being able to park on a postage stamp. It was the Fiat 500.The reborn, and instantly iconic, Fiat 500 fulfils that brief as a chunk of retro chic that's also fun to drive.Our choice is the top-spec Lounge variant, priced from $25,990 with a perky 1.4-litre petrol engine mated to a six-speed manual. If the 500 doesn't raise a smile, you probably don't like sunny days, either.There's also the option of a robotised manual transmission with auto-drive mode. It dispenses with both a clutch pedal and the emission spikes that occur when you change ratios in a conventional gearbox.And, with seven airbags, the ESP-equipped top models in the 500 range have better crash-safety credentials than a Falcodore.The Honda Jazz has been around longer than any other car mentioned here but, in several respects, it remains the benchmark for city cars.Honda's build quality is world-leading; the Jazz's space, practicality and economy are class-leading.Although a small engine combines best with a manual gearbox, it's equally true that changing gears for yourself is a dying art.So try the range-topping VTi-S with continuously variable transmission and 1.5-litre powerplant at $22,920.In the next-size-up Civic range, Honda offers a petrol/electric model which has been submerged beneath the decidedly eco-unfriendly mountain of print devoted to Toyota's Prius.The Civic Hybrid ($32,990) is massively cheaper than the Prius and at least looks like a car rather than a self-conscious eco-statement.Anyone who equates Hyundai with its old $13,990 drive-away-then-chuck-it-away days is labouring under a mighty misapprehension.The new Hyundai i30 has won car-of-the-year awards both here and in Europe (where this, the best car ever built in Korea, was designed).The 1.6-litre diesel-powered models take it up to just about any supposedly more prestigious European equivalent you care to name.The name of our preferred variant, the SX CRDi (from $21,490, plus $1500 for the safety pack) is the only clunky thing about it.More Australians spent their own money on a Mazda3 last year than on any other car. It's the fourth-best seller overall but, unlike the top three, there are no fleet sales among them.Sales-wise, the newer, next-size-down Mazda2 will run its bigger brother close this year. And so it should, being, if anything, an even more convincing package.Diminutive in stance but capacious within, cute to the eye but perhaps the best-driving car here, tolerably rapid but easy on fuel and easy to park, the Mazda2 Maxx (from $18,710) is the ideal city car. Nor will it fall short when freeway trips are required.Frankly, it's brilliant - and a cheaper, lighter, more efficient coupe version will arrive in Australia shortly.Look out also for the Peugeot 107, due mid-year. It will slot under the 207's entry-level ask of $19,990.If you remember the Top Gear episode in which a game of five-a-side football was played using Toyota Aygos, the 107 is the same car, made in the same factory, but with different badges.Actually, it's cars like the 107 and the Fiat 500 that make us look askance at Smart's ForTwo (from $19,990).Yes, it's very clever, but Sydney isn't yet Turin, despite the epic ineptitude of the RTA and our Roads Minister.Besides, you've got an allocated parking space downstairs. So why go without a boot and back seats?Toyota's Yaris shows how a small car can fit a family, although you really need to ignore the base models and go straight to the YRX (from $20,790).Of course, it's the Prius that gets all the attention in Toyota's range; as such, it's the world's most successful automotive marketing exercise.Granted, the hybrid-powered Prius uses staggeringly little petrol in the city, but on the open road we'd take a diesel such as Volkswagen's Polo Match TDI ($22,990). 

I'M 17 years old and ready to buy my first car. Should I buy a used or new car? And what models make a good first car?

I AM a student looking to buy my first car and I'm interested in Toyota Corollas because of their reliability. I'm interested in a 1998 model that is roadworthy, has new tyres, but has done 213,000km. Should I steer clear of a car with so many kilometres on it, and what problems could arise?

I WOULD like to buy a 1997-1998 five-door Toyota RAV4 as my first car. What are the important things to check in a car of this make, model and age before buying? A local car yard is advertising a 1997 model five-door automatic with power steering and airconditioning for $8999. Is this a fair price?

The newest addition to the Mazda range is a sharp-looking little hatch that doesn't deserve to be called a shopping trolley. But it can complete such mundane tasks without an issue.