By ELISSA FRIDAY
ON MY travels in South Geelong this week I spotted Mike Hanneysee Car Sales.
To me it seemed just another used-car dealership on Fyans St but little did I know it’s been trading for 52 years. Wow.
In fact, the yard’s LMCT – its licence to sell cars – is number 900. These days anyone obtaining an LMCT will have a number well over 100,000.
I wandered around the car lot, where director Justin Hanneysee, Mike’s son, greeted me.
Justin really knows his stuff when it comes to cars.
My objective was to find an inexpensive yet decent car; something ideal for a student or someone who doesn’t want to dig too deep into their back pocket.
I found – don’t gasp – a black Holden Viva!
It’s a three-door Korean hatchback that’s said to be very reliable.
It also looks great in black.
With 70,000km on what I would call the ‘mileage’ clock, and at a drive-away cost of $8372, it was a real bargain.
On further investigation I discovered the car includes ABS, or anti-lock-brakes, an important safety feature that stops the car from skidding while still enabling the driver to steer.
It also had a backup warranty, four airbags, a CD player, air-conditioning and keyless entry.
The four-cylinder, 1.6-litre engine also meant the Viva would be low on fuel use, which sounds good.
Justin went on to explain some of the major things to consider running cost-wise when buying a used car, such as whether anyone can service it or whether the car has to be taken to an approved dealer.
Also, how much do the tyres cost and what’s the fuel-efficiency like?
Justin kept providing useful tips, like checking whether the car had a timing chain or belt, the reason being that a car with a belt will most likely need to change it every 100,000km. Pricey!
On the other hand, timing chains tend to be found in the more-expensive cars.
Justin also mentioned to bear in mind that ongoing running costs can be higher with European cars.
His final recommendation was to ensure any used car purchased had RACV approval.
“If not I’d send it back where it came from,” he said.
Happy motoring.
