VT for first car, good idea?

[thomassekay]

Hey guys i couldn't find a better place to post this question.

Im currently on my L's in SA and will shortly have my P's. I plan to buy a car early next year. I would like to get a VT wagon, would i be able to get decent one with my budget of $5000? I've looked around a bit online but im not a genious when it comes to cars considering i have never owned one.

Are the VT's good reliable cars?
Are they relatively cheap to maintain?
How are they on fuel?

Thanks heaps
Thomas

 

[graham7773]

First, there is not a car on the road that has no problems. Having said that, I own a VT Acclaim wagon and find it a good comfortable car that drives and handles well. got enough power unless you are a rev head, it has very good brakes and looks good. Mine has abs and traction control. Helps a lot. No car is cheap to maintain unless you learn to do most work on it your self as mechanic labour charges push servicing costs through the roof. If you talk to someone at center link, they may be able to put you in a car maintenance course. If not, your local Tafe will have those courses. As for fuel, it depends on how heavy your right foot is and how well you maintain the car. I am seeing claims of as low as 8 litres per 100Ks hwy. That makes a lot of Japanese cars look very thirsty. If you are carefull, $5000 will get you a very nice VT Wagon.

 

[1SIKR8]

mate my first car was a VT, my secound car was a VT lol there a nice car and if you don't flog the guts outta them, i've herd of them doing 500,000km without a rebuild on anything. but in saying that, there not gonna blow up straight away if you give them the occasional booting

 

[calais24/7]

5k should get you a nice wagon, not sure how much more (if any) the wagons are over a sedan, becuase in all honesty you can pick up a vt sedan for like 3-4k. All cars will have problems, it just depends on how well it has been treated and the service intervals etc. When looking try and buy off older people and if you can get one that shows the service history. IMO never buy a car off a P plater.. no matter how cheap or fully sick it is. Like graham said it's a lot cheaper to maintain a car if you can do it yourself, things like oil changes, spark plugs and small things like that. And for a vt wagon i wouldn't buy anything that has over 250 thou on the clock. Good luck and if you have one in mind post it up here for all of us to have a look cheers

 

[T-rex]

One thing to remember is in most cases, no one sells a good car. So really have a good look at it and nit pick while talking them down because that can save you money for what may be wrong with it that you don't know about yet.

 

[MikeCuzzy]

5k should get you a good VT, they have common faults (like all cars) depending on what series you get. If you can try and get a Series II, Acclaim, that way you get some of the options like ABS and Traction. As for parts, well they sold 300 000 of them, so parts are A) easy to get and B) just about all mechanics around in the last 10 years have a good knowledge of them. Make sure that you buy one with a complete service history, and that it was serviced every 10,000km or so, if they are looked after they will keep going forever (mine's at 429,xxx km- no issues beyond basic maintenance).

Depending where you live in SA, your fuel usage may be reasonable or not so much. The wagons do use more fuel, especially in the city where you can't expect much below 15L/100km, that said with country driving I've heard as low as 8 or 9L/100km. Premium fuel might help this somewhat, you'll have to experiment with it yourself. Personally the best I have managed is just below 10/100km in my sedan, though it's not exactly a new injection system... or engine

Also, the price of comprehensive car insurance on a VT for P-platers can be... ridiculous, just bear that in mind and make sure you shop around.

In short they are solid, powerful, comfy, reliable Aussie cars. And I will let mine go when someone pries it from my cold dead hands

Regards, Mike.

 

[Chilly]

Also, the price of comprehensive car insurance on a VT for P-platers can be... ridiculous, just bear that in mind and make sure you shop around.

In short they are solid, powerful, comfy, reliable Aussie cars. And I will let mine go when someone pries it from my cold dead hands

Spot on, full comp for me was about what the car's worth (if not more) so it wasn't worth getting. In short I'm extremely happy with my VT hasn't had any problems as yet and is great to drive, only down side is that if you drive it hard it uses ALOT of fuel (same as any other car in the world ). GET IT!

EDIT: It's also worth going to auctions, you can get some great deals there as long as you take someone with you who knows what they're talking about i.e a mechanic.

 

[graham7773]

Re insurance, NRMA and other ins companies will do a third party property, pay by the month policy that won't hurt your wallet so much and you can get one that covers you also, as long as you are not at fault. Peace of mind if you are involved in a smash.

 

[Chilly]

Re insurance, NRMA and other ins companies will do a third party property, pay by the month policy that won't hurt your wallet so much and you can get one that covers you also, as long as you are not at fault. Peace of mind if you are involved in a smash.

Yes agreed, this is what i have and am very happy with it, also got discount because we used the same company that insures both home, my parents business and dad's car. Ended up being quite cheap, as long as you are sensible enough on the road then 3rd party alone will do.

 

[MkyHnly]

i have a vt s pack for my (technically) 1st car (i had a vc for a few months and a truck took it out)

anyway, i reckon they are really good and reliable, as people have said there are parts everywhere - your local wreckers will be full of vt's

for me, i only pay just over $60 a month for 3rd party fire and theft which doesnt hurt the hip pocket too much and gives you more cover than just 3rd party - however if you do a deal with your parents and put it under their name and they nominate you as a driver, you will pay next to nothing for comprehensive.

ive heard that the only things that normally go wrong with vt's is the fuel pumps, but if you get a decent aftermarket one they will go forever

hope this helps mate and good luck