Member - Doug T (W.A) replied:

Stefan
Yeehaa I'm not the only one then , Been there ....done that... with my Daughter back about 1991, she wanted my opinion for a car, told her a 4cyl , while I was away in the Truck Mum and Daughter off into Moorooka and she got a bloody 6cyl Datsun 240K paid like $5000 for it , I wouldn't have give $1500 for it , bloody salesman seen 2 females and made a killin' damn thing was worn out before she got it.

Doug

Mike Harding replied:

Yes I have and, like you, I'm not in a rush to repeat it.

I think you just have to make it _VERY_ clear to them before you even start looking that they have two choices:

1 - buy the pretty pink one with frilly bits and spend a fortune forever after on repairs until she decides to scrap it.

or

2 - buy the one with the decent mechanicals etc even if it does have fake leopard skin seat covers and is a vomit shade of green and spend the minimum amount possible on a $4k car over the next few years.

Even females must be confronted with the stark logical rationalisation between finance and romantic desire :)

Mike Harding

Gerhardp1 replied:

I was lucky with my daughter (4 years ago)- she saw a bubble in a carpark in a deep maroon colour, and decided she wanted one of those, and she wanted to spend $3000.

She came home with the requirement for dad to find one of those - first thing I did was a reality check on the price - $3000 wasn't going to cut it for the popular and bulletproof little thingy.

So I checked online and found one a few ks down the road - asking $5500, 56,000ks, interior perfect, exterior straight, good reg, RIGHT COLOUR, ordered RACV check and all good.

Offered $5000 and this was accepted - the car has now done 112000k, has had a clutch fitted at about 75000k, and I've given it a few oil changes and some new tyres.

The little baby is soon to be traded on a Suzuki Swift as she will finish Uni this year and has landed a good permanent job.

I think the Suzi is a great choice (I sent her to the Melb motor show to look at all the small cars and she liked the Suzi best, the next weekend she turned up in the driveway with a test drive unit ! )

Anyway she heeded my advice to keep the Mazda for another 6 months or so and save what she would have made on payments so she can pay cash when it's time to move.

So there have been no dramas with my daughter and cars.

Motherhen replied:

Having been car shopping with a daughter, it is quite amusing watching the salesmen's bungling attempts to find out if there is a man lurking somewhere, or whether they can just 'rip off these girls'. We walked out of a couple of car yards with our noses in the air when they tried to pull the wool over our eyes. Then we found a car she really wanted and had another salesman still trying to find out about a man (my husband was overseas at the time), so she got her boyfriend and his mates to go and give it the once over. She got this car, but the battery failed when we got it home. We went back, and while the salesman was arguing no responsibility, i commented that i had set a trend buying a car for the first of my 4 children. His eyes lit up and he raced off to 'talk to the boss' and give us a new battery quick as a flash.

Des Lexic replied:

I still have a good chuckle about this women I knew through work who had bought this little pinky coloured car. She was wrapped with it until I told her the name that blokes had given that pink. Dog D i c k Pink.
She coulsn't wait to sell it afterwards.

Member - extfilm (NSW) replied:

Stefan,
Had a classic a few months ago.
My stepdad's cousin had a mate come over from Ireland..... We got talking about Australia travelling and he told me he was going to buy a van to take around Oz. I said beauty good for you..... A few weeks later it became known I had my mechanics ticket. We were up the club at the time sitting around the table with around 10 people, when the question came up........ But get this it wasn't the standard "If I find a van I like can you come with me to look at it?" I would have obliged with no worries........
But this D Head comes out with in front of everybody. "So, in the next 6 weeks you will drive me around Sydney on sundays to find me a car." No question he asked He told me. My response was "Mate I have one day of a week and the last thing I am going to do is drive you around sydney to find a van for the next 6 weeks."
He found a toyota Tarago for 4500 and knowing tarago's when I was an apprentice I advised him against it and would not have a look at it with him. He only wanted to spend 5000 all up including decking it out for his once in a lifetime experience.
I did a quick search and told him to go for a 4wd mitsu express for 3500 that I had seen in the gosford area....... "Great" he said "When are you going to take me up?" I said to him go and hire a car for $29 and have a look at it first and let me know what you think. "Oh No" he said "I am not spending $29 to hire a car when I have you to take me up".
Dare I say it, I told him no
A few weeks went on and nothing more was said until I heard he bought that tarago. He has now spent over 7k repairing all the faults with it and Karma is coming around to him. If he was more polite I would have been happy to help him with his purchase......
Oh and by the way he has been at my coisins place now for 4 months and leaves for his trip in 10 days........ Only know this as my coisin is counting the days..... He is not invited back at her place upon his return.

Member - Barry (NT) replied:

Yep experience here also, but with a distinct twist.

Took eldest daughter to auction,,, hubby on shift work,,, knew which car she wanted,,,etc etc and I did the bidding,,,

knocked down to us,,, 75 series,,, all OK,,, rings hubby and says does he still want the same car?????

Had to tell she now OWNED it,,, no more talky talky,,, had to laugh though.

Cheers Baz