"Those who don't have a car shouldn't drive on Shabbat," recently stated in an interview with Walla the chairman of Torah Judaism, and the next Minister of Housing, Yitzhak Goldknopf, makes it clear to those who still hoped that there will not soon be an expansion of public transportation on Shabbat.
Indeed, in Israel it is difficult to manage without a private car. Even those who manage to get to work or school by walking, riding, or using public transportation, discover that there are quite a few cases where a private car is better. Not only on weekends, but also for those who do not live in an urban area with good alternative transportation.
But what will one do if their budget for purchasing a car is limited? The used market is full of options for every budget and for every purpose. But for this guide, we narrowed down the list to cars that are more reliable than others, simpler and cheaper to maintain. These are not the fastest, nicest and most luxurious cars, nor are they the most economical, but they are the safest buys at the price level we have chosen, up to about NIS 20,000.
At such a price level, you can find cars that are less than ten years old, that will satisfy the transportation needs of a family or student, provide good safety for the period, and are available on the second-hand market.
We have chosen the alternatives that will be as cheap as possible but also as young as possible, and we have compiled the information you need to know to start the search, including the years relevant to the price level we defined, the level of safety, the advantages and disadvantages.
As always, the rules of thumb of the used market are also valid here: patiently look for less worn cars, cross the mileage data, check the accident history in the clearinghouse database of the insurance companies, be impressed by the seller and his reliability no less than that of the car.
And remember: there is no 100% certainty about the quality of the car you will purchase, but it is certainly possible to reduce risks.
Alto.
One of the only Minis with a real automatic transmission (Photo: Nir Ben Tovim)
Suzuki Alto: Mini expenses too
The car that reinvented the small car market in Israel survives well even today and is offered in relatively large numbers.
Parks anywhere, very economical thanks to the 1,000 cc engine with 68 hp, 5-speed manual transmission or a true 4-speed automatic.
Simple in design, but efficient in execution, improved during 2011 when it was upgraded from 4 to 6 airbags.
Years:
2009-2013
Safety:
3 stars with 4 airbags, 4 stars with 6
Why yes:
economical, very cheap to maintain, powerful air conditioner, easy to drive and park.
Why not:
only 4 seats, the automatic is slow, they are all noisy, crowded in the back and in the trunk, and their cabin is small.
Road test:
Suzuki Alto in a comparative test against the competitors
Skoda Citigo.
Autonomous emergency braking as standard already in 2012 (photo: manufacturer website)
Skoda Citigo/Seat Mi/Volkswagen Up!: Modern Beetle
seat me
There is also a cheaper 3-door version (photo: manufacturer website)
Volkswagen Up!.
A little higher quality and more expensive than its sisters (photo: manufacturer's website)
The trio of mini vehicles of the Volkswagen Group are technologically simple cars and intelligent in design, which, although no longer imported to Israel, are still produced today in an electric version.
3 and 5 door versions, 1,000 cc engine, with 60 or 75 hp, manual or robotic 5-speed gearbox.
Very good build quality, relatively reliable robotic gearbox and cheap to maintain (about NIS 6,000 to replace a clutch at the importer's garages, 3,500 at specialized private garages).
Volkswagen and Seat versions are slightly more equipped.
Years:
2012-2016
Safety:
5 out of 5 stars in the European crash test.
Why yes:
spacious relative to the size, comfortable relative to small cars, very safe for its time, including autonomous emergency braking that was rare at the time (up to 30 km/h). Very economical (17-19 km per liter), excellent maneuverability and good performance even with the engine the weak
Why not:
Poor equipment, including rear seat windows that only open a narrow slit and no trip computer.
A robotic gear of the vibrating type.
Road test:
first drive: small and cheap Mini
Spice Star.
The most economical of the small automatics (Photo: Kobi Liani)
Mitsubishi Space Star/Atrage: What is good for the IDF
Etrage.
She was loved in the army as a sergeant major, but impressed with her reliability (photo: manufacturer website, manufacturer)
Not this pair of twins will put Mitsubishi in the motoring hall of fame, at most the motoring tribunal in The Hague because of the design of the Hatrage.
But the Mini (which was still considered a Super Mini when it was launched) and the enlarged sedan version it's based on are efficient, unspoiled workhorses.
1,200 cc gasoline engine (71-80 hp) together with a continuous automatic or manual transmission, provides excellent fuel consumption.
reliability?
The IDF also has Atrazes that have traveled more than 200,000 km under the conditions of a Shavi workshop, and survived without removing the steering wheel
Years:
2013-2014
Safety:
4 stars for the Space Star in the European crash test.
Why yes:
fuel consumption of 15-16 km in real life, a trunk of 450 liters in atrage, which can transport two adults in surprising comfort. The Spice Star is very easy to park, both are well equipped.
Why not:
Loud as a gunner's drill, noise insulation of a Mark 4 chariot, rocking in turns, narrow back seat for three.
Road test:
Mitsubishi Space Star
focus.
The unit is also offered as a hatchback, sedan and station wagon (Photo: Kobi Liani)
Ford Focus: the European that breaks the stigma
The reliability of the family Ford got a bad name, but that's mainly because of the third and fourth generations (nowadays the fifth generation is sold).
The second generation is the most successful of them: spacious, safe and reliable, with a rare variety on the market, of a sedan (4 doors) with a large trunk, a station wagon (5 doors) and a compact (5 doors).
There are 1,600 cc (100 hp) and 2,000 cc (145 hp) engines, from the Mazda 3 of the time, and a 4-speed automatic transmission.
The recommended models are from the end of 2008 until the end of model production, with stability control as standard, 6 airbags and quality improvements.
Years:
2006-2011
Safety:
5 stars in the European crash test.
Why yes:
spacious, comfortable, good road behavior, a useful station wagon and a fun 2 liter version.
Why not:
performance at 1,600, fuel consumption and pretty boring exterior design.
impreza
Leona's granddaughter still contains the reliability gene (photo: manufacturer's website)
Subaru Impreza: Japanese and not expensive
In the years when Subaru was still an icon in the Israeli market, and still not synonymous with Jeeps, the second generation of the Impreza and the granddaughter of the mythical Leona arrived in Israel.
We will leave the desirable sisters WRX and STI and focus on the base models with 1,600 cc (95 hp) and finally 1,500 hp (105 hp) engines, and a 4-speed automatic transmission, or a few 5-speed manuals.
Such treated cars easily cross the 200,000 km mark. There are also a few station wagon versions and even 2 liter (150 hp) with dual drive, hot and rare.
Years:
2001-2008
Safety:
4 stars in the European crash test
Why yes:
simple and easy to drive, comfortable and useful
Why not:
performance at 1,500/1,600, space in the back
Mazda 3. Reliable and high-quality with the bonus of driving pleasure (Photo: Kobi Liani)
Mazda 3: the national used car
For almost a decade and a half Mazda 3 was the best selling car in Israel.
But you can see it on the roads in large numbers thanks to its high reliability and long survival, good production quality, alongside technological simplicity that allows almost any garage to repair it.
The important version for our purposes is the 1,600 cc (105 hp) with a 4-speed automatic transmission (there is also a 2-liter with 150 hp, 5-speed automatic, but we didn't come to enjoy, we came to save). There is no problem finding cars Privately owned.
Years: 2009-2010.
Safety:
5 out of 5 stars in the European crash test.
Why yes:
Improved quality and sound insulation compared to the first years. Excellent road handling, good comfort, successful human engineering. Plenty of spare parts and garages available.
Why not:
No The most economical, and at 1,600 certainly not the fastest.
Road test:
Mazda 3 vs. Chevrolet Cruze
Nissan Tiida.
The engineers did a better job than the designers (photo: manufacturer website)
Nissan Tida: the family car you forgot about
Long before the launch of the Juke and Qashqai, Nissan was the Japanese manufacturer with the strange cars that the Israelis didn't like.
The Tida was the first to be sold in good numbers, in 4 and 5 door versions, a 1,600 cc engine with 110 hp, and an automatic transmission.
It was well equipped in the private vision models and less so in the business for leasing, but the lack of popularity of the brand hurt the demand for it in the second hand market, giving it bargain prices in Japanese terms.
Note that in the first two years not all cars have stability control and 6 airbags.
Years:
2008-2018
Safety:
4 stars in the European crash test (only with 6 airbags and stability control)
Why so:
relatively spacious rear seat for two adults and the hatchback moves on a rail, so you can play between the size of the trunk and the knee space in the back seat.
High sitting position, good ride comfort, good quality of materials, relatively cheap for Japanese family cars,
why not:
Narrow back seat, the sedan is ugly rockets
Road test:
first drive in the new Nissan Tiida
Hyundai Accent/i25: family workhorse
Hyundai's small family car has always been the queen of leasing.
The second generation presented a great improvement in all areas, especially in safety which was bad in the first generation.
And the third generation, which was also named i25 as part of the model marking system for the American market, presented another improvement, in terms of space and design.
1,400 cc engines with a continuous gearbox (97-100 hp), and 1,600 cc with an automatic gearbox (112-124 hp).
Both sometimes recorded hundreds of thousands of kilometers as a police officer's attached vehicle, and survived
years:
2009-2011
Safety:
4 stars in the European crash test for the second generation, a good score in the American IIHS test
Why yes:
the Accent is simple and safe for its time.
The i25 is more spacious, interesting and economical.
Why not:
the simplicity of the engines is expressed not only in reliability, but also in high fuel consumption, especially in the second generation.
Road test:
Hyundai i25 standard rose class
Do you have any other recommendations?
You are welcome to add in the comments
. They helped in the preparation of the article: Itzik Assolin from the Autovik garage in Jerusalem and Ron Ohana from the Ron garage in Tel Aviv
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