Our best used cars under $10k
12 Dec 2024 | Buying A Used Car
Share:
Can you really buy a good used car for under $10k?
Is buying a cheap car worth it? You bet! Many consider the 1990s and beginning of the 2000s a golden era for reliable cars. The basic mechanical stuff had been pretty much perfected and it was an era before computers had completely taken over vehicle functions. Buy a car under $10k from this timeframe and you can get a great machine that will serve you for a long time.
As long as you stick to brands with proven reliability like Toyota, Mazda, Honda, Nissan and Suzuki, it’s not hard to find cars under $10k that represent truly great buying: they are robust, inexpensive to maintain and many are full of character. The flood of used imports dating from this time also means there’s plenty to choose from.
We have have so much confidence in these models that we offer very a comprehensive 4 year warranty – even with unlimited claims. Our budget cars are just as mechanically sound and reliable as our other cars. So while these might be the cheapest cars for sale on the yard, cheap doesn't mean bad quality!
Mazda Demio
Demio is Mazda’s popular small car, which has gone through a number of shapes and styling changes since the 1990s. You might also know it as the Mazda2, which is what it was called in NZ-new second-generation form (starting in 2002). It’s a Mazda under $10k that’s really worth considering.
Earlier models were a bit like mini-people-movers, with a boxy shape and super-practical interior layout. In fact, one of Mazda’s boasts for the second-generation model was that it could swallow mountain bikes standing-up through the tailgate when the seats were folded.
The third-generation model (from 2015) is still the current shape; it’s a more conventional hatchback, but looks great and is fun to drive. $10k or less will cover all three generations of this impressive model. It’s a cheap used car, but it’s a great one.
Nissan Note
For a truly modern-looking and feeling small car, you should make a note of this Nissan. Although it’s never been sold in NZ as a new car, the Note is a massively popular used import and with good reason.
It looks distinctively different, it offers proven reliability and some versions even have innovative hybrid technology.
The Nissan Note was introduced exactly 20 years ago, but the most common model in NZ is the second-generation version launched in 2012. From 2016, the Note was also available as an “e-Power” model, which features a petrol engine that generates electricity to power electric motors for the wheels. It’s a different type of hybrid, but it’s technology that’s now used widely by Nissan, and it’s incredible to think you can have e-Power in a Nissan under $10k. You might look at this and think it’s cheap used car for sale, but you’re getting a lot for your money.
Suzuki Swift
Did you know the Suzuki Swift has been the most popular privately purchased new-car in NZ for the past two decades? Add to that the many thousands of used imports (which outnumber the NZ-new stuff two-to-one) and what you have is an awesome small-car that’s highly regarded and in good supply.
The Swift name has been around for a long time, but it became really iconic with the 2005 model, which looked great and was also fun to drive. Your $10k will get you a first or second-generation (2010-17) model. The later one is bigger and bit more practical, but both are really appealing and reliable small cars. For someone who really loves cars and driving, is this the best used car under $10k?
Mazda Premacy
Imagine a Mazda Axela/Mazda3 as a super-practical medium-sized people mover and that’s the Premacy. This is another model that was never sold NZ-new, but you might also have seen it badged as a Mazda5, depending on which country it has been imported form.
The Premacy was built from 1999-2018 in several different versions, but at its core it’s a really practical family car with a bit of extra cabin height that makes it especially people-friendly and a really handy thing to carry luggage around in.
The Mazda Premacy is available as a conventional five-seater with a really big boot or a six/seven-seater with three rows for bigger families. But always in a size that’s easy to drive and park around town.
Honda Fit
The Fit probably needs no introduction. Honda’s popular small car has been around since 2001, in four generations; it’s also known as the Honda Jazz. While the latest model (introduced very recently, in 2020) doesn’t come within our $10k budget, all three previous versions do – and the good news is they all have the same basic design and clever Magic Seat cabin setup.
Magic Seat is a unique-to-Honda rear-seat design that takes advantage of the Fit’s flat floor to allow you to fold the seats in a variety of ways; anything from a bed to a tall space behind the front seats that’s suitable for almost anything! From a pot plant to a makeshift changing room for young kids at the beach. Check it out, you’ll be amazed.
The third-generation model (2013) was even available as a hybrid in Japan, and many of these have made their way to NZ.