[AussieNess]

Hi all....since I've been browsing (and loving) your site, I thought it was time I said hello. I have been looking at i30s for several weeks now and actually took one for a test drive yesterday. (Vivid Blue SLX Manual) I loved it!

We currently own a Falcon XR6 but as my daughter is due to get her L's next month we need to change cars. Will probably check out some other small cars before the final decision, although am not too keen on the Focus.

Any advice on insurance implications re: the i30 would be much appreciated.

Looking forward to being a part (hopefully) of your i30 family.

Ness

[Hemmi]

Hi Ness and welcome  

[EymaTeapot]

Hi Ness,

I am sure you will make the right choice and get a i30.

Welcome to the club.

[davet]

Welcome Ness,
Did you drive the petrol or diesel?

[Dazzler]

Hi Ness,

Welcome to the club... From my experience the i30 is very inexpensive to insure compared with some other vehicles in its class...

I'm biased towards the diesel but there are many members who love their petrol i30's just as much...

Go for it (you won't be disappointed)

[eye30]

Welcome to the forum AussieNess from 1 of the poms.

Buy the i30 and you won't be disappointed.

[AussieNess]

Thank you all for your warm welcome.

davet....I test drove a petrol. Around here it's fairly flat....it's a valley. I really only drive around town and the occasional trip to Sydney or Tamworth. A diesel might be a bit of overkill. Tragically too, Australia doesn't allow you to drive very fast anyway. (Unlike some countries)

The salesman said I was looking at about $27,000. Don't think my trade is worth much..possibly $10,000 if I'm lucky. I don't want to go into debt for a car but gee they're nice and there doesn't seem to be too many used ones about. You owners seem to want to hang onto them, which I guess is a good sign...hehehe.  

There aren't too many colours to choose from is there? I always wanted something black to mark turning 40 and that didn't happen. Now I've just turned 42 and am thinking...hmmmm maybe the silver would look elegant....Oh I don't know. My XR6 is dark grey so want something different to that although I see it's very popular here.

Thanks again guys....think I might mosy over to the RTA website and see what personalised plates set you back these days....hehehehe.

Ness

[donc]

Hi Ness - Just a tip, shop around! ... I bought a SLX manual a few weeks ago and paid considerably less than what you have been quoted... more than six thousand less!

[AussieNess]

Oh My God.....thanks for your post, donc.
Do you mean that I should ring around different Hyundai dealers? That's a massive difference! Maybe I should try lots of metro ones like Sydney??? Did you get to choose the colour etc. or was it one off the lot?

All bar one of our cars have been second hand. We did buy a Corolla about 10-12 years ago. I'm not very wise when it comes to negotiating a price! (Obviously...hehehe)

Ness

[Dazzler]

Hi Ness,

If my memory is correct Donc is leasing his and so would have got some sort of a fleet discount (don't expect to get an SLX, even a petrol one for $21K)

Nothing against Donc...just setting the record straight...

Cheers,

Dazz

[Lakes]

Hey AussieNess, i would stick with the XR6 mate, they would get close enough economy to the petrol i30 and ride and handle better than the i30. they are also much cheaper to service.
if you were doing more miles i'd say get the i30 CRDi.
Just my take m8.
Cheers

[donc]

Hi Ness,

When I was getting quotes for this vehicle I stipulated any colour would do – as long as it was red - So yes we did choose the colour.

Also Dazz is correct about my getting a fleet discount, however wrong about the amount of difference it makes – the fleet discount was less than 1K, yet I paid closer to 20K than 21K for the car – If you pay more than 22K for a petrol manual i30 SLX you are paying too much. The trick is to shop and talk with cash – in other words, organise your finance first so it’s a cash sale.

The Aussie economy is in a slump and the dollar sliding – dealers will do anything to move these at the moment.

PS - and even with that discount the dealer still tossed-in tinted windows, mud flaps and a genuine iPod cable. Believe me they do have plenty of room to move when it comes to price!

[Dazzler]

Hi Donc...

Your vehicle must have been in someone's yard for at least 4 months as I would suspect it was a March build or earlier (Coming with only one remote key). Was it pre-registered as a demo or did it have more than delivery KM's on it? I'm not doubting you but surprised that you got it that cheap as I did work in the industry for a short period back in the 90's and I know margins have got a lot thinner since then. It's easy enough to get around the Dealer delivery fee on old stock but that's only going to save you a grand or so. I didn't say how much I thought fleet discount would have saved you but would have thought closer to $2000 or $2500 but again you're the one with the paperwork.

I'm glad they're not discounting Diesels to that extent  

Cheers,

Dazz

[donc]

Hi Dazz,

11km’s on the clock when it was delivered so probably used for a test drive or two – but it’s not a < March model, we now think the whole key issue is a stuff up (lost key).  Also it wasn’t pre-registered.  

This whole topic of price negotiations, using leasing as a means of saving $$, maintaining dealer loyalties (so you can buy cars at near cost) etc. probably deserves a thread of it’s own – if someone starts one I’ll be glad to give a few tips on ways you can save a few $$ with that next car purchase while still letting the dealer make a few $$ and entering a good equitable business relationship.

Cheers

[AussieNess]

Hi

Lakes...thanks for your response. My daughter won't be able to drive my XR6 once she gets her P's so we need to change cars anyway. I'm surprised to hear the fuel economy on an i30 petrol is similar to that of a bigger XR6. Also as I am only just over 5ft (good things come in small packages apparently) I find parallel parking a little difficult because I can't see how close I am to the car behind me. Other than that the Ford has been a great car to drive and aside from tyres and batteries hasn't required any upkeep. It has 150,000 kms on it now. It was a reps car previously.

donc....you must have done an amazing deal to get your car for that price!

It's also harder to bargain when there aren't lots of i30's gathering dust in the car yards.....the dealer has the upper hand.

By the way...I checked the RTA website and was horrified to see the annual price for personalised plates! What a scam. (Any psychics with Saturdays lotto numbers would be appreciated!)

Ness

[Lakes]

AussieNess, did not think of it that way m8. i'm open minded m8 and like to tell it how i see it.
i drive a Toyota 4 cylinder company car and with me driving it uses as muck fuel in sydney as my V8 Ute. the XR6 would get better city economy than my ute. from experience you need to got 1.5 or smaller with a 4 cylinder petrol to get good economy. thats why i went with the diesel as they just get good economy and i'm happy. i looked at small petrol 4's but the ones that could get economy where very ordiary to drive and did not feel like i could drive them out west over the blue mountains. thats were i go a lot. but Hyundai are a good company and you would not have any problems. i've seen that over the years and thats a reason why i went with the i30. i don't like being let down or having problems. i would say you could expect 10l/100k in town and 8L/100k out of town. they are not easy at first to park and the external rear view mirrors take time to get used to. but once you get used to them they are great, just explain to your daughter the mirrors are wide view both sides so might look like things are further away but they are closer, what you do is look in the inside rearview mirror then the side mirrors to compare. you get used to judging and they are good to use reversing once you get used to them, rear view is not that good, but just remember the car does not have a boot so were the rear widow is thats about leavel with rear of car.
hope you follow my meaning m8.
cheers

[AussieNess]

Lakes...thank you so much for the advice. I really appreciate the time taken to write your response. All tips most welcome.

I have another question so might put it in general discussion.

Have a great weekend all....
Ness

[Medic01]

hey there.
i'm surprised to see so many aussie i30's

[Doggie 1]

Hi, to add to the price thing, I'm entitled to national fleet discount and I've been quoted $24500 in Perth,drive away with 12 months' licence for an SLX diesel manual. Does this sound about right?
Dave

[EymaTeapot]

Hi Donc and db08,

On Fleet pricing there is another factor to consider. When you take out a novated lease on a car, you dont pay the GST componant at the time of purchase. On a $25k vechile, this is a saving of Around $2500. However, you do pay the GST back, this is factored into the the repayments over the time of the novated lease. So infact the discount is not nearly as big as it first seems.

[kinesiologykid]

You need to make sure you compare apples with apples.
Does it have ESP for instance?
Here in Tassie they wanted $30,000 for the new diesel manual SLX with cruise control and ESP as standard, and would not budge, it would have meant waiting a month.
As someone else mentioned the diesels are scarcer so they don't need to deal as much.