I really appreciate it mate. Ive owned 4 cars up to this point:
NA Ford Fairlane - loved it, seemed like a great deal...... turned into a nightmare
84 Honda Prelude - liked it, but had alot of km and was starting to fall apart, luckily someone ran up the back of me and it so written off. So i bought a....
85 Honda Prelude si - My logic, stick to what you know....... the car help me do that, it fell apart. I do onsite work so i snapped up the first thing i saw
95 Hyundai Excel - "Le **** box" as the french might say. I hate it.
So it is definitely time for a nice car. The car i have my eye on is in NSW. I have been in contact with the owner, and he seems helpful enough. But definitely want to make sure i get a great car, not another expensive burden.
As i do drive around up to 800km sometimes in a week, maybe i should look at a diesel. Are they more economical to run? And manual or auto the way to go? Ive driven a manual for the last 5 years, and i certainly do get sick of it. But there is a comparable manual for a bit cheaper.
I feel like doing what i have always done up to this point, let a car catch my eye, buy it on the spot, convince myself its was a great deal, blame the car when it breaks down
After analysis, this approach seems to have been a failure each time.
Time for new tactics, informed decision making and due diligence. Very glad i stumbled across this forum. Thanks for all the pointers so far. Been a great help.