I live in Toronto with my parents and rely mostly on public transit, and borrowing their Volkswagen Golf. But a new job in Moose Jaw requires me to have a car. I’m on a tight budget – $5,000 would be ideal, but I can go up to $20,000 – and my salary won’t allow much room for repairs. The car needs to be reliable, have room for me and my puppy, plus a hitch. I’ll be towing my stuff in a U-Haul trailer. I’m a fan of the Golf and Honda Civics, but are they too rich for my budget? I drive manual, if that helps. – Jane
Leeder: I’d love to suggest that you consider buying used – there are plenty of Honda Civics and Volkswagen Golfs on the preowned market that have hundreds of thousands of kilometres left in them. But putting on my mom hat, I’d love to see you end up with a car that minimizes your risk of unexpected, costly repairs. That means buying new, which will stretch your budget to the max, but the warranty and peace of mind may be worth it. Mark, put on your dad hat and weigh in.
Richardson: No way for new, I’m afraid. There are literally only a handful of new cars on the market that can be driven off the lot for less than $20,000, after you’ve paid the taxes, the stupid freight and PDI rip-off. They’re all small and basic, like the Hyundai Accent, Chevy Spark and Mitsubishi Mirage. If Jane wants a hitch and reliability, she should look for a four-year-old VW Passat or Honda Accord.
Leeder: Unless Jane really loves Moose Jaw, she’s probably going to be thinking about how to get back to Toronto, where she can trade her car for a TTC pass and ride the rocket to her heart’s content. That means resale consideration. Jane should get the 2016 Hyundai Accent L. With manual transmission and basically no other options, she’ll pay $15,750 with tax. Hyundai says the Accent is “not recommended” for towing, but the car can do it with a custom hitch. Plus, there will be room in the budget left over for winter tires. Brrrr.
Richardson: That most basic of Hyundais is a loss-leader to get people in the door and persuade them to trade up another $2,500 to the car with power windows and automatic transmission. Which means it’s not worth much as a used car because nobody wants it, and they certainly don’t want to pay for it – especially if there’s a hitch attached. That’s a red flag that it’s been towing a heavy, junky trailer across the country and killing its transmission. I’d run a mile from an Accent with a hitch. Back to thinking used …
Leeder: Under duress, to be clear, I’d then suggest Jane look at some used VW Golfs. She can likely get into a manual with a reasonable amount of use (ballpark 75,000 kilometres) and stay on budget. Opting for diesel, if she can find one, will save her money on gas and she’ll get her dog-friendly hatchback. Resale should also be decent when the time comes.
Richardson: I’d recommend a size larger – not sure how big that puppy’s going to grow to, but if it’s anything like my 70-pound dog, a Golf’s not going to cut it, and it certainly won’t want to tow it. Plus, Jane, I’m wearing the dad hat now: There are only so many times you can tour the Al Capone tunnels, or afford to kick back at the spa or peer at the anatomically correct moose outside the Tims. You’ll be taking some long trips, so give yourself some space and hauling ability with a Passat or Accord to stretch your legs. The Passat will cost around $12,000 and the Accord about $15,000, each with less than 100,000 kilometres on the clock, which should still be less than half their reliable lives.
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