Trajet in 2008
Trajet in August 2011, just before we sold it.
Back of the Trajet - I was rear-end the day before trading it in
When we were planning our first adventure in Australia in 2008, I looked for an inexpensive used car that we could buy to use for 8 months. The car we purchased was a 2001 Hyundai Trajet. A nice little "people mover" (Aussie term for mini van). The Trajet wasn't the best looking vehicle, but the inspection came out well and it had fewer then 200k km. We learned how to drive on the other side of the road with it (which means little bumps and dings due to slight miscalculations). We drove from Brisbane to Sydney in it. It served us well for the 8 months we were in Australia. At the end of our time in July 2009, we parked the car for 13 months with our belongings inside.
When we returned to Australia in August 2010, 13 months of the car sitting out in the sun and rain had not done it any favors. The paint on the bonnet (Aussie for hood) had peeled. We got it running again and registered it for another year. It served us well. But we were concerned about the integrity of the vehicle. As we approached the end of the registration period, we decided investing another $1,000 on the car to register it ($400 for CTP Insurance, $313 for registration, and $200+ for Road Worthy Certificate) was better spent buying a new car.
Sunroof
The Kia Rondo is narrower then the Hyundai Trajet
The Rondo is slightly shorter then the Trajet too....
less storage space when all seats are in use
Meet our Kia Rondo EX- Limited. It is a 2010 dealer vehicle with 9,000 km. It has 7-seats (people mover) with a sun roof, leather, 6 air bags, and USB port. I'm really thrilled with it. We picked it up on Friday 18, August and immediately went on a short family holiday to the country (I'll make a separate post) - just west of the Blue Mountains. The car ran 800 km in the first 2 days we owned it. It still has 4 years left on the 5 year, unlimited kilometers warranty Kia provides. We also received a 6 month registration (CTP Insurance and Registration fees paid by the dealer).
I'm really enjoying the new Kia!
