[Frankyg]

Hi,

New Forum Member Alert! I've just found the forum and joined a few mins ago! I'm not sure this is the correct sub-forum to ask for help, so mods feel free to move :-)
The story so far ... I've just sold my X-trail and am have narrowed my next car down to the I30 (probably a 2014) or, my wife's preference, a Corolla. I'm keen on the i30 and have located one at a dealer in Mt Gambier (Aussie) which is around 500 kms away from me. It's a 2014 i30 Active Auto MY14 with 40,000 km's.  Full Service History and 'Excellent condition inside and out' - according to the sales blurb. All in, it will be $15000 drive away.

I wanted some advice on a couple of things. First, does this represent a reasonable price, if the car really is in Excellent condition? Second, I'm reluctant to travel the distance without having seen and driven the car without being really certain that it's worth the trip - if that makes sense?! The salesman offered to do a video call and walkthrough which sounds great, but I wanted to know if anyone has any other suggestions on how to extract the most from the salesman BEFORE I turn up there and feel somewhat pressured to buy it given the distance I've travelled. I wouldn't buy it if there was something that just wasn't right, but any advice on what I should do before handing over my cash would be most appreciated.

I've got to run to the airport but will be back here later.....
Cheers...!

2014 Hyundai i30 Active Auto MY14

FrankyG

Looking through carsales.com shows it to be the average asking price for others with similar km's, you can generally knock another $1500 off the dealers asking price if you flash some cash in their face

[Dazzler]

Welcome  Frank,

Pity we don't have an active member in or near Mt Gambier than can do a preliminary inspection for  you. We have so many friendly and helpful members.

Certainly looks good in the photos. I've had a few Corolla rental cars and while they are reliable and fairly economical they are very bland inside and boring to drive. The i30 feels more substantial on the road, has a much nicer interior, a much bigger boot and lots more character. 

[beerman]

G'day mate,

Wonder why the car has been moved from QLD to SA?? Would probably be my first question, and why does it have a great big Ford dealer sticker on the rear window (that takes $1,000 off its value straight away)

If I was to go talk to the stealer I would be erring on spending 14k (plus on roads) on second hand or 20k on a new one. After all the new one has 5 years warranty. I would also be pointing out the excellent deals on Kia Ceratos, this one here with the balance of 7 year warranty would be particulary interesting to me (I reckon you could probably get it in your budget if you decided you liked it).

2015 Kia Cerato S Auto MY15

I would think that they would be struggling to move the i30 because of the Hyundai deals, and the Kia run out would also be capturing those with less dollars to spend.

Like any used car, the devil is in the condition. I have looked at plenty of 'as new' cars that did not look anywhere near new.

The Cerato is nowhere nearly as nice interior wise as the i30, and it's not a Hatch

[Dazzler]

Wow! Beerman makes a good point about the Cerato. They are a close cousin of the i30, Kia is part of the Hyundai group and many components are shared.

[Dazzler]

The Cerato is nowhere nearly as nice interior wise as the i30, and it's not a Hatch

I agree about the interior, but I think there is a hatch version...

[Surferdude]

We have an i30 AND a Corolla.
I like both but the i30 is better to drive and Dazzler's point about the difference in boot size is valid. There is a massive difference. So much so that the Hyundai has become our fortnightly grocery shopping choice because it will all fit in th boot without having to spread bags loosely across the back seat.

[Frankyg]

Good to hear from an owner with both cars under consideration. What do you prefer the corolla for? How do you find the i30 overtaking on the freeway?

[Phil №❶]

Well, the ad looks good BUT, you can't tell whether it has


• Been in an accident
• Crabs along the road
• Has any electrical / flood damage
• Was a company vehicle
• Why was it shipped from Qld to MTG

If those questions can be answered to your satisfaction, then take all the other advice on board & check it out.
Being 500k's away should not be a guarantee of a sale in your mind. You must create the impression that thee is no pressure regarding the sale and negotiate aggressively, as you would for any car.

Adelaide is only 455 k's from MTG, why not come to a larger place to buy an I30

[Surferdude]

Good to hear from an owner with both cars under consideration. What do you prefer the corolla for? How do you find the i30 overtaking on the freeway?

I don't really prefer the Corolla over the i30 for anything. It's not got any real flaws apart from the boot size.
The i30 is better in all driving conditions. The "progressive" electronic steering means it backs off the amount of power assist at highway speeds, making the steering (IMHO) more precise and with less tendency to float around.
Prior to the i30, I came out of two Subarus (a Liberty and an Impreza) and, again in my opinion, the i30 loses nothing to these two in the steering and handling department.

[beerman]

The Cerato is nowhere nearly as nice interior wise as the i30, and it's not a Hatch

Your talking to a stealer, he dosen't know what you are really thinking. 

I don't mind the Kia (except the red radio), everything else comes down to personal taste.

In the end, there are plenty of i30s out there, I don't know if I would drive 1000ks for one unless it was much cheaper than the rest, or had a rare accessory that I just had to have.

Back to Kia's  Here's one around the same price to compare...and its a hatch

2014 Kia Cerato S Auto MY14

At the price and warranty I reckon they are well under rated and worth a test drive at least (they also have a bit more kit like front bumper sensors for example).

That said, I know that wives can be difficult.....

[cleid]

I'm with beerman. Why travel so far when i30's are everywhere?

Once you have travelled 500km you have little bargaining power as the dealer knows you're invested.

[Paolo5]

My previous car (before my i30) was a Corolla.

It was a great car....reliable, smooth, refined, comfortable...but gees was it B-L-A-N-D!

My perception before i30 ownership was clouded by previous perceptions equating Hyundai with being cheap and nasty. The i30 that I took on a test drive before buying my diesel was the car that convinced me that Hyundai now makes a quality vehicle.

My i30 is much more versatile (being able to tow a heavy camper-trailer with ease), economical, comfortable...but above all, much more fun to drive.

Absolutely no regrets going from a Corolla to a Hyundai.

 

[Frankyg]

Thanks guys for the observations. I've not been a corolla fan boy, so not that difficult to persuade me in favour of hyundai :-) My wife on the other hand....is concerned about hyundai resale value 5 years down the track, long term reliability etc. (her family have driven some corolla's that have really gone the distance) Anyway, I prefer the i30 and that's what counts. Wait, did that come out loud?  I plan to get a test drive of an i30 in the next few days, and hopefully I won't need to travel 500 km's to find one at the right price. We've sold our X-trail quickly and say goodbye to it on Sunday. 4 days to find a good 130. I shall report back!