[RedVee8]

My Daughter is of learner driver age and will (hopefully) be going to Uni next year.
I happened to see a Calibra the other day and was wondering if they'd be a suitable candidate for a first car for a 5' 2" girl.
Daughter likes Astra Convertibles and Tigras, however they are unrealistic as 1. too much $$$$ and 2. she is resisting my push for her to learn on a manual.

Thoughts?

 

[DirtyMoney]

This is off subject, but i always thought the Opel calibra looked a lot better than the 95 cavalier. Yes, they shared platforms , but never talk about it.

 

[Odin]

Have heard bad things about their reliability and parts cost, best to research it.

 

[MonaroSS]

From a safety point of view the best first car is a pure two seater. Statistically it is distractions from friends in back seats that causes most accidents with new drivers.

Even though there is a restriction to 1 passenger for the first year for P Platers, this would be better extended to three years. So buy your daughter an older red (lowest accident rate color for a car) Holden Ute with bucket seats. Fit bull-bars, roll-over bars and put it on gas to keep the running costs down.

Perfect girls car......

If she complains, paint it reddy-pink.

 

[RedVee8]

From a safety point of view the best first car is a pure two seater. Statistically it is distractions from friends in back seats that causes most accidents with new drivers.

Even though there is a restriction to 1 passenger for the first year for P Platers, this would be better extended to three years. So buy your daughter an older red (lowest accident rate color for a car) Holden Ute with bucket seats. Fit bull-bars, roll-over bars and put it on gas to keep the running costs down.

Perfect girls car......

If she complains, paint it reddy-pink.

Sounds like the first car my 15yo son is planning........

 

[Dr Terry]

From a safety point of view the best first car is a pure two seater. Statistically it is distractions from friends in back seats that causes most accidents with new drivers.

Even though there is a restriction to 1 passenger for the first year for P Platers, this would be better extended to three years. So buy your daughter an older red (lowest accident rate color for a car) Holden Ute with bucket seats. Fit bull-bars, roll-over bars and put it on gas to keep the running costs down.

Perfect girls car......

If she complains, paint it reddy-pink.

But the Calibra is a 4/5 seater.

Not many 2 seaters are sold in Australia, the MX-5 Mazda is the only one that quickly comes to mind.

Dr Terry.

 

[RedVee8]

But the Calibra is a 4/5 seater.

Not many 2 seaters are sold in Australia, the MX-5 Mazda is the only one that quickly comes to mind.

Dr Terry.

Any view on the Calibra, Dr Terry?
The first thoughts were a small hatch like the last pre-Daewoo Barina or a TS Astra. Then I happened across a Calibra and had a thought. Looking for something with at least a little nod towards modernity, a couple of airbags, not that big etc. Price would be right, a nice size (not too small), nice looking. Concerned about timing belt changes on the TS (don't think the SRi would be a good first car for her), wondering if the Barina is just too small.

Oh, just remembered the other thing she liked was the Cruze.

Any way, the way she is going getting her hours up I'll have a while to think on it!

 

[isszy]

I really like the Calibra, but a work colleague bought a later model V6 and only kept it for about 12 months before he sold it - things started to go wrong and parts availability was the biggest problem, even in metro Melbourne.

 

[Baz]

Have a read- http://www.drive.com.au/Editorial/ArticleDetail.aspx?ArticleID=48611&vf=1

Also here http://www.drive.com.au/Editorial/ArticleDetail.aspx?ArticleID=9274&vf=1&IsPgd=0

 

[AbsoluteSaab]

The only thing I can comment on about the Calibra is, as a first car it is not safe.
When the car decides to go not many young drivers will be able to react quick enough.
I know of only 2 stories including calibras and both involve level crossings, both involve the car leaving the road and both resulted in all occupants being killed except the driver who sustained serious injuries.

 

[MonaroSS]

But the Calibra is a 4/5 seater.

Not many 2 seaters are sold in Australia, the MX-5 Mazda is the only one that quickly comes to mind.

Dr Terry.

That's why I was recommending the Ute instead.

Of course alternatively you could always pull the rear seat on any coupe and bolt in a luggage rack instead......

 

[mikmak]

If she ends up going for an auto I would steer clear of the Calibra. It is essentially a 2-door Vectra and when you get issues with the throttle body, they need to be tended to immediately. They can clog up and send the throttle into a seesawing rev a thon. They can then conk out which I couldn't imagine being too much fun in a round about. Mine did this early on and after getting recommended to replace the Air volume sensor (or something or rather) at $850 odd bucks a piece, I investigated further. Turns out you just need to clean the throttle body every couple of months to stop the butterfly from sticking. Regardless, losing power in an auto (and therefore power steering) would be pretty nerve wracking. It can be circumvented and they run great when taken care of.

It is probably important to note that many of the reliability issues that I could find, almost all relate to the air volume whatchamacallit. People spend in the order of up to $1200 trying to repair it because the fault code that the mechanics get, tell them to replace it. I couldn't find any other real problems. I am just about to pass 200k on my vectra. That's 110,000 in the last 3 years and I have hardly given "victoria" an easy life. The servicing is expensive when you do the major service (every 90,000kms) but for their age, the Vectra brakes exceptionally well, with a longer wheelbase than the Astra and IRS to aid stability. Not sure if the Calibra has IRS though.

As for the Cruze, I'm sure you would be aware of the inherent problems with tall boy cars (high centre of gravity etc.) but what would worry me most is that (high CofG) in combination with a short wheel base. Consider having to panic stop with all that weight up high. The soft suspension would result in nose heavy pitch with less weight over the back wheels. The higher CofG in concert with a shorter wheelbase, would accentuate any imbalance either side of the straight ahead. ie. if she had to swerve under brakes, stability (in roll and yaw axis' specifically) would be rather poor.

 

[mikmak]

Oh yeah, I was also told to avoid the V6 but I never investigated why. I just bought the 2.2 Vectra because it had more squirt than the Calibra and I4s obviously have cheaper insurance, rego and stamp duty (over V6s).

 

[RedVee8]

Thanks guys.

It's looking like a Barina (or a lowered Cruze!).
Just looking to see if the Barina has timing belt issues.........

A Suzuki Baleno may be on the radar I suppose.

 

[casket_demon]

All girls should have 2 learn how 2 work a stick......





shift car.

 

[RedVee8]

All girls should have 2 learn how 2 work a stick......





shift car.

yes, good luck with that...

 

[Uzzy]

This is off subject, but i always thought the Opel calibra looked a lot better than the 95 cavalier. Yes, they shared platforms , but never talk about it.

No they didn't.

 

[nota]

RedVee8, re Calibra have you scrolled through carsurvey.org
(electrical maladies, price of parts etc, Calibra more befitting long-legged drivers?)

I imagine you'll be focussing exclusively towards a GMH vehicle for your daughter's 1st car? If faced with the same criteria as yours then I'd probably be tempted to head elsewhere than Holden, which until recent years lacked in small-car competitiveness, and thus has less to offer in your used-car quest. But daring to recommend 'enemy factions' on here is probably not a good look so I will desist unless asked

Btw coincidentally guess who just missed out last week on snaffling a work colleague's very tidy '99 TS Astra ... for $4,500 :sad:

 

[chinamonty]

If you are not all that focussed on GM then I would suggest a VW Superbug. Although perhaps not the safest around they are very reliable and easy to look after as servicing only costs oil, plugs and points as there are no water filter at all and the oil uses a strainer system. It is also no great tragedy if she has minor dingsd as you can change the front or rear mudgaurds (fenders ) quite easilly. Keep it for two years and then get her something more apt.

 

[RedVee8]

RedVee8, re Calibra have you scrolled through carsurvey.org
(electrical maladies, price of parts etc, Calibra more befitting long-legged drivers?)

I imagine you'll be focussing exclusively towards a GMH vehicle for your daughter's 1st car? If faced with the same criteria as yours then I'd probably be tempted to head elsewhere than Holden, which until recent years lacked in small-car competitiveness, and thus has less to offer in your used-car quest. But daring to recommend 'enemy factions' on here is probably not a good look so I will desist unless asked

Btw coincidentally guess who just missed out last week on snaffling a work colleague's very tidy '99 TS Astra ... for $4,500 :sad:

Would like to stay GMH, but it's not so easy. I quite like Suzukis so a Suzuki Baleno perhaps? or the dreaded Toyota Corolla.... have to price the second series Nova.