Best second hand cars – with Budget Direct.

As a partner with Budget Direct, we share their insights on purchasing a second hand car!.

Once you’ve decided to start shopping around for a second-hand car, it’s time to get stuck into some serious research.

The first thing to work out is the type of vehicle that serves your needs best — a roomy family car, a durable SUV, or a compact car for optimal fuel economy.

Or, if you’re a teenager, maybe an affordable and reliable ‘starter car’ that ticks all the boxes for safety but still falls within your ‘almost broke student’ budget.

Check out our round-up of some of the best second-hand cars in Australia, keeping in mind that the term ‘best’ can mean different things to different car buyers.

Budget Direct used Canstar’s latest customer satisfaction data to create a list of car makes for each of six car segments: Small cars, large SUVs, medium SUVs, dual-cab utes, cars for teens, and family sedans.

We then used this data to select five car models that fitted into each segment:

Small cars: Holden Astra, Honda Civic, Hyundai i30, Kia Cerato and Mazda 3.

Large SUVs: Holden Trailblazer, Mazda CX-9, Hyundai Santa Fe, Mitsubishi Pajero Sport and Nissan Pathfinder.

Medium SUVs: Holden Equinox, Mazda CX-5, Honda CR-V, Hyundai Tucson and Mitsubishi Outlander.

Dual-cab utes: Ford Ranger, Volkswagen Amarok, Toyota HiLux, Nissan Navara and Mitsubishi Triton.

Cars for teens: Suzuki Swift, Holden Barina, Honda Jazz, Hyundai i20 and Kia Rio.

Family sedans: BMW 3 Series, Ford Mondeo, Honda Accord, Hyundai Sonata and Mazda 6.

A shiny, brand-new vehicle can be a beautiful thing, but there are those who might consider it an unnecessary expense.

Sure, a new car smells nice. It hasn’t been ‘sullied’ by a previous owner.

It’s less likely to break down than a used car.

And some of today’s new models feature some very impressive safety technology and advancements in fuel efficiency that leave last century’s cars in the dust.

But there are some pretty huge advantages to buying a used car, too.

The steepest drop in depreciation will have already occurred.

Even when you buy a model that’s just a few years old, you’ll still save a lot of money on the sale price compared to the latest model.

The insurance will tend to be less expensive too, since the car’s monetary value is lower.

And hunting down just the model you want at the price you’re prepared to pay is easier than ever —everything’s online these days and there are a ton of choices out there.

Older cars are normally less fuel-efficient and emission-friendly and may lack a lot of the safety features and tech gadgets that new car owners now take for granted.

These include things like side airbags, navigation systems, immobilisers, rear cameras, Bluetooth and other 21st century goodies.

Still, there can be a lot to smile about when you buy a quality used car — not least of which is the fact that you can avoid all those new-car dealer fees.

And nobody is going to try to talk you into paying an extra $600 for optional rust-proofing or offer you some overpriced add-on floor mats.

As for that ‘new car smell’ that everyone raves about, your health is better off without it, since it consists (at least partially) of some rather dubious airborne chemicals.

For some added peace of mind, you can even run a check of whether a second-hand car has ever been written off, stolen, or still has money owing on it. Budget Direct’s PPSR report tool is free to use, and returns you a complete summary of a car’s history.

Read more : https://www.budgetdirect.com.au/car-insurance/guides/car-buying/best-cars/best-second-hand-cars-in-australia.html