Car buyers guide: Finding the one

Holden Cruze. Photo / Supplied

The dilemma

Met a mate in the hardware store the other day: "The eldest daughter's fallen in love. Not with a guy, but a car. After she wrecked her old Civic, I said there was no way I'd help her into another one until she turned 20 and got some more experience.

"Well, now she's qualified on both counts and wants a Suzuki Jimny; you know, the little SUV."

He paused, presumably for sympathy. "Just out of curiosity, I took one for a spin. It was noisy, buzzy and so low-geared it couldn't get out of its own way on the highway. I told her she's not having one of those things so now she's dared me to find something similar that she does like, or she'll buy a clapped-out Jimny with her own money. What's a guy to do?"

I thought he was being a bit harsh on the Jimny; if he wanted to know the meaning of buzzy and low-geared he should have tried the version before the one with the current M13A 1.3-litre engine. I'd be happy enough for my daughter to have a Jimny but they do tend to be polarising and, sadly for my mate's wallet, hold their value well.

The budget: About $9000

The shortlist

Holden Cruze
Before being a mid-sized car, Cruze was a small SUV based on the Suzuki Ignis car. Never all that well-reviewed, it was nevertheless distinctive, quite stylish - especially its interior - and inexpensive to run. There aren't lots around but those that do appear for sale often have quite low mileage and are in good shape, suggesting they've been a second car. Its AA-Monash driver protection rating is "very poor".
From $8000

Honda HR-V
The most stylish and distinctive-looking of the trio, the HR-V was made for eight years until 2006 as a five-door and as a three-door until 2003. A smaller companion to the CR-V, the HR-V performed well and enjoyed reasonable sales, both new and as an import. Automatics had a Constantly Variable Transmission (CVT), which could be costly and fussy to repair. Make sure the CVT's impending doom is not why it's being sold. Its AA-Monash driver protection rating is average and the HR-V has rave reviews for reliability from the UK's What Car? No surprise that top-condition, low-mileage examples fetch more than $10,000.
From $8000

Mitsubishi Pajero iO
The most off-road-looking of the three, the iO is like a smaller full-size Pajero. It's available as both a three- and five-door. iO is the only one of this week's picks with low-range gearing, a feature it shares with the Jimny. Availability, particularly of five-doors, is good.
From $7000

Driven recommends

Hmm, how do you put yourself in the shoes of a young woman with a liking for SUV-type vehicles? If she sees herself as being part of the off-road crowd, the Pajero iO is an obvious choice. If she's more into cute and funky, the Honda or Cruze make sense.

But I'm risking a friendship by suggesting my mate sucks the kumara, finds a bit more money and goes with a 2007-ish Jimny, if that's what the girl really wants. Choose an automatic, because the vague manual isn't particularly pleasant to use.