I just bought a car. Well, subject to a mechanic giving it a going-over.
Holden Astra CD TS, 2000 hatchback “Olympic edition”. Which means it’s from two Olympics ago, and that it has a few little extras like fog lights. Silver, electric windows, airbags, ABS, CD player, alloy wheels (like I care), remote locking.
Perhaps not the ultimate in motoring, but a nice little car that’ll cut my petrol consumption by about a quarter, and heaps nicer (and zoomier) than the old beast, if a little less roomy inside. And at a price which is reasonable given how little driving I do.
After signing the paperwork and leaving, some other people were looking at it, a tad disappointed. Seems I beat them to it by mere minutes.
Will probably pick it up next week. Pics later.
The only catch is no trade-in. Anybody want to buy a 15-year-old Magna?
PS. 5-door, manual, from a dealer.
18 replies on “Vroom”
I’ll buy it off you for a hamburger.
Stick it on ebay with a funny story and it may get a stack of bids on it. :) It’s happened many a time for others…
Hey! And congratulations! Sheesh, it is obviously way past my bedtime…. Fantastic to hear of your new purchase and would love to check it out sometime. Maybe that same day Tony, the tribe and me come visit :)
Auto or manual? Car dealer or private?
Very nice, well done!
“Anybody want to buy a 15-year-old Magna?”
Uhhh … no.
But congrats on the purchase!
I doubt anyone would want your Magna even for parts… :)
Good on you Daniel for buying a new car. I think the 15-year-old Magna is bound for the scrapheap if nobody wants it. I am currently on my L’s and learning to drive an auto and a manual, and I have about 25 hours in my log book. I like driving a manual but one time a grounded the clutch so hard I could smell burnt rubber and went back and fourth, but I am good on the other 4 gears.
My Holden Apollo, new when purchased, is now older than my first car was when I got it. My first car was a ’63 Beetle. Depressing, huh?
What’d it set you back?
Congrats on your car purchace! I just bought a car 2 weeks ago myself but I continue to walk to work. It is a 2007 Nissan X Trail Ti with a manual transmission. It was a dealer demo with 11,000 KM and I saved quite a bit over a new one. I bought it at Chadstone Nissan and my sales experience there was great unlike my previous bad experience at Blackburn Nissan. Of course I was not asked for a non refundable deposit to test drive it like at Blackburn Nissan. I am still adjusting to driving on the other side of the road. I am having fun exploring my new city with the car but I will continue using public transport when I can. With my current job I don’t need to rely a car every day like I did in the US.
You might consider saving the old car for your sons to drive when they are old enough. In the US one can get a learner’s permit at 15 years old.
>> In the US one can get a learner’s permit at 15 years old.
Good grief, they’d need to sit in a booster seat to see over the wheel!
It’s 16 in Victoria.
Jed, I haven’t encountered deposits for test drives… but then, I’ve never gone shopping for a near-new car. (Assume you have a Vic driver’s licence to leave with them.)
Daniel – a point to ponder.
The “alloy wheels”. You may not “care” but, in fact, they’re not just for show. They actually improve the car’s handling (compared to “standard” steel wheels) by reducing the unsprung weight. This may (or may not – anyone with definite knowledge feel free to comment) help to increase fuel efficiency. :-)
However, I suspect there’s a hefty carbon footprint left from the manufacture of the wheels, just from the energy it takes to smelt the alloys used to manufacture them. I’m betting it’s more energy than it takes to make steel. :-(
Thanks Noel, that’s interesting. (You can tell I’m not a car person!)
After talking to many people and posting my story on another website I have come to believe that Balckburn Nissan was trying to scam me out of $1,000 thinking I was a naieve foreginer. I did not have a Vic. license at the time but I did when I bought this car.
Your alloy wheels might be made from recycled materials such as aluminum soda cans. Aluminum melts at a much lower temperature than steel. I can remember melting an old aluminum automatic transmission shell in high school metal shop and casting the molten aluminum in a sand mold. Aluminum alloy wheels are stylish but not really that much different in weight from steel wheels.
In high school I remember a classmate getting his learner’s permit and another jealous friend asking if he had to get blocks attached to the pedals.
Congrats on the car purchase – the TS Astra is an excellent choice. I put many km on mine with very few problems at all. Anything you need to know about the Astra, feel free to drop me a line :)
Found this on Oztion. Hope it helps.
CARS, VANS, UTES WANTED WE PAY UP TO $1,000 CASH – ANY CONDITION WE PICKUP FROM YOUR PLACE – MELBOURNE METRO Or You Deliver & Get More Please Reply with Year, Model, Petrol Type (Unleaded or Super)
General Condition Call 0450 380 345