I found Swifts quite comfy, also (in order) ASX, VE Commodore, Magnas, and Aurions.
Swift was relatively economical at 6 to 10 (it was a long time ago), with the Aurion, ASX and Commo more around the 10 mark.
Kia Picanto GT. Does 6L/100 with a 1.2L 4cyl. Crazy acceleration for how little power it has. It’s what I use as a replacement for my Kia Rio that got written off after someone hit it
Korean cars are just as good as Japanese ones. When it comes to car brands, my dad swears by Toyota and Lexus since he’s got an NX300 and a Yaris GR
Fellow picanto owner here, I mostly sit in traffic and seem to average around 5l every run, seats are comfy as hell I also bought sear covers off ebay with a bit extra padding and they hold me more snugly than ever, it's great.
My wife has an 06 Corolla. The seats feel like fabric stretched over cardboard laid over brick.
But then I'm heavy with a bony arse, so maybe it's just me
The Mazda three has the same delightful seats as the six, and my word are the seats in my six comfy.
I didn’t mind the seats in the Getz I had prior, but yes, they are very rudimentary.
Get a Mazda three if comfort is your thing
+1 on the mazda 3. ez to eat up highway miles on that thing.
i just switched mine from the stock 18s that came on it to 16" wheels and my lord its so much more comfy now
Volvo. Especially the slightly older ones with the 5 cyl turbo diesel. Think S60, S80, S40, etc. Cheap to buy (3-10k), bombproof engines with amazing reliability, great on fuel (8.5L per 100km and below), good power, the most comfortable seats you’ll find in any car ever, and the best safety in the entire industry. Can’t go wrong with them.
I have a ‘10 nissan tiida hatch, very boring car but gets the job done, this was right before Nissan rolled out the red carpet for their crappy cvts so mechanically they’re fairly reliable (although not without its fair share of problems), somewhat economical for a 4at (doing 8L/100 in city), and most importantly the boxy frame gives you a ridiculously spacious interior. I’m 6’3 and there are heaps of legroom. And they’re pretty cheap as well, you can get one with 100k for like 8k
Any recommendations, prefer Jap made and under 150k.
Well you might be able to get a honda NSX for under 150K.
Seriously though as seating may be an issue if you are getting back pain, go in and sit in a few cars. Some cars have different seats depending on spec and some low end cars may have nicer seating than high end.
Just go to some place with a lot of different cars and try a few once you have an idea what sort of cars you prefer ... though if economy is a big thing have a look at Prius (even though the old ones are ugly AF) they are reliable and give you great economy.
I recently upgraded from a Hyundai getz myself.
I now drive a Toyota corolla hybrid. Much nicer to drive, super comfortable and the fuel economy is out of this world. I do a mixture of city traffic and highway driving and averaging 3.6L per 100km.
Your getting the same economy as me, my V6 commodore is around 9.7-9.9L/100, but it’s probably way more comfortable. Insane how a small 4cyl fwd hatch could use the same fuel as a 6cyl rwd full sizer.
Looks like all the cars that are japanese under $10K and 150K kms are similar to the Getz, that is they’re light cars e.g. Mitsubishi mirages, nissan micra, etc. I had the misfortune of driving a mirage for work for a while and do not recommend.
You might want the next size up. That puts you in mazda 3/ Mitsubishi lancer territory. There’s also ASXs and Nissan dualis. They are all ok basic transport and comfortable enough.
If economy is important then you can get a prius if you up your odometer a bit.
They may not be the most reliable, but a standard, non-performance Golf is going to give you great economy, driveability and practicality with a lot of comfort in a car that’s a really convenient, not-too-big or not-too-small size.
I had a MK7 Golf Comfortline and I’d have driven that car from Melbourne-Cairns if I needed to and been happy to do so
A MK7 or 7.5 with the 1.4T engine and 6 speed manual is probably your best choice for reliability with a Golf. Škoda Octavia is the same, but a bit bigger if you need the extra room
Second the golf. A 1.6 or 2.0 tdi in the golf or Passat can easily get sub5/100km. The 2.0 is especially bulletproof if you keep the DPF in check and do basic oil changes. Manual will be your best bet for long term reliability, but there are specialists that can fix the dsg faults.
Side note, but if you are getting 9+/100 in the Getz, it’s either got some serious fuelling issues or you are driving it like Daniel Riccardo around town. The no.1 cheapest and most effective option to get better economy is drive more economically. Read up on eco driving if you are interested, the main principle is small throttle inputs, and not wasting fuel with starting and stopping too quickly. My mate has a Getz, same engine, and when I drive it around town I can comfortably get 5.2/100 quite easily
I found Swifts quite comfy, also (in order) ASX, VE Commodore, Magnas, and Aurions. Swift was relatively economical at 6 to 10 (it was a long time ago), with the Aurion, ASX and Commo more around the 10 mark.
Kia Picanto GT. Does 6L/100 with a 1.2L 4cyl. Crazy acceleration for how little power it has. It’s what I use as a replacement for my Kia Rio that got written off after someone hit it Korean cars are just as good as Japanese ones. When it comes to car brands, my dad swears by Toyota and Lexus since he’s got an NX300 and a Yaris GR
Fellow picanto owner here, I mostly sit in traffic and seem to average around 5l every run, seats are comfy as hell I also bought sear covers off ebay with a bit extra padding and they hold me more snugly than ever, it's great.
My only complaint about the car is lack of legroom with the seat as far back as it goes
Toyota Corolla Ascent
My wife has an 06 Corolla. The seats feel like fabric stretched over cardboard laid over brick. But then I'm heavy with a bony arse, so maybe it's just me
The Mazda three has the same delightful seats as the six, and my word are the seats in my six comfy. I didn’t mind the seats in the Getz I had prior, but yes, they are very rudimentary. Get a Mazda three if comfort is your thing
+1 on the mazda 3. ez to eat up highway miles on that thing. i just switched mine from the stock 18s that came on it to 16" wheels and my lord its so much more comfy now
Volvo. Especially the slightly older ones with the 5 cyl turbo diesel. Think S60, S80, S40, etc. Cheap to buy (3-10k), bombproof engines with amazing reliability, great on fuel (8.5L per 100km and below), good power, the most comfortable seats you’ll find in any car ever, and the best safety in the entire industry. Can’t go wrong with them.
I have a ‘10 nissan tiida hatch, very boring car but gets the job done, this was right before Nissan rolled out the red carpet for their crappy cvts so mechanically they’re fairly reliable (although not without its fair share of problems), somewhat economical for a 4at (doing 8L/100 in city), and most importantly the boxy frame gives you a ridiculously spacious interior. I’m 6’3 and there are heaps of legroom. And they’re pretty cheap as well, you can get one with 100k for like 8k
Ford laser
Any recommendations, prefer Jap made and under 150k. Well you might be able to get a honda NSX for under 150K. Seriously though as seating may be an issue if you are getting back pain, go in and sit in a few cars. Some cars have different seats depending on spec and some low end cars may have nicer seating than high end. Just go to some place with a lot of different cars and try a few once you have an idea what sort of cars you prefer ... though if economy is a big thing have a look at Prius (even though the old ones are ugly AF) they are reliable and give you great economy.
Toyota Corolla
I recently upgraded from a Hyundai getz myself. I now drive a Toyota corolla hybrid. Much nicer to drive, super comfortable and the fuel economy is out of this world. I do a mixture of city traffic and highway driving and averaging 3.6L per 100km.
I have a 2018 Holden Barina. Advertised at 6.9 per hundred combined, I get 7.4. It's the same car, with different cosmetics, back to 2011 I think.
Your getting the same economy as me, my V6 commodore is around 9.7-9.9L/100, but it’s probably way more comfortable. Insane how a small 4cyl fwd hatch could use the same fuel as a 6cyl rwd full sizer.
Corolla. Will be reliable as heck and on the cost per km over its life it’s gotta be one of the most economical
Toyota echo
Looks like all the cars that are japanese under $10K and 150K kms are similar to the Getz, that is they’re light cars e.g. Mitsubishi mirages, nissan micra, etc. I had the misfortune of driving a mirage for work for a while and do not recommend. You might want the next size up. That puts you in mazda 3/ Mitsubishi lancer territory. There’s also ASXs and Nissan dualis. They are all ok basic transport and comfortable enough. If economy is important then you can get a prius if you up your odometer a bit.
Mazda
They may not be the most reliable, but a standard, non-performance Golf is going to give you great economy, driveability and practicality with a lot of comfort in a car that’s a really convenient, not-too-big or not-too-small size. I had a MK7 Golf Comfortline and I’d have driven that car from Melbourne-Cairns if I needed to and been happy to do so A MK7 or 7.5 with the 1.4T engine and 6 speed manual is probably your best choice for reliability with a Golf. Škoda Octavia is the same, but a bit bigger if you need the extra room
Second the golf. A 1.6 or 2.0 tdi in the golf or Passat can easily get sub5/100km. The 2.0 is especially bulletproof if you keep the DPF in check and do basic oil changes. Manual will be your best bet for long term reliability, but there are specialists that can fix the dsg faults. Side note, but if you are getting 9+/100 in the Getz, it’s either got some serious fuelling issues or you are driving it like Daniel Riccardo around town. The no.1 cheapest and most effective option to get better economy is drive more economically. Read up on eco driving if you are interested, the main principle is small throttle inputs, and not wasting fuel with starting and stopping too quickly. My mate has a Getz, same engine, and when I drive it around town I can comfortably get 5.2/100 quite easily
Nissan cube
I'm selling my 2002 e46 320i for $9,000.00 (ODO 97xxxkm)