Two new cars, $100,000 to spend – what would you buy? The Drive team has its say

The choice on offer in the Australian new-car market these days is astounding, with more than 60 brands from all corners of the globe competing for 1.2 million sales annually.

There's something for everyone, yet for customers on a budget, it's getting harder – not easier – to find cars that tick all the boxes, don't cost the Earth, and have a bit of flair to boot.

The Drive team was set a simple challenge: find your ideal brand-new, two-car garage for less than $100,000.

A few ground rules, to keep the challenge fair (and doable):

• All prices are before on-road costs where possible, so Drive staff in different states aren't advantaged/disadvantaged
• Nationwide drive-away offers listed on the manufacturer's website are allowed
• Vehicles must available to price on the brand's website, not priced at one specific dealer
• No ex-demos – only brand-new vehicles with delivery mileage
• No imaginary negotiating with dealers for a better price

As you'll see, some members of the team have interpreted the rules liberally... but what would you choose? Let us know in the comments below.

I have two positions here. A two-car garage I would recommend, and a two-car garage I would own.

First, the recommended $100,000 two-car garage. This is the Australian driveway of the future. A rough-and-tumble go-anywhere 4x4 ute and a compact, fully-electric hatchback. The best of both worlds for tomorrow's family!

Conveniently, too, there is a brilliant option on each side of the garage currently supported by a strong EOFY price offer.

On the left, we have the electric MG 4 Excite 51 for $36,990 drive away. This gives you 350kg of electric range, and enough room for up to four people to manage daily urban duties. I'd even throw a splash of $700 Diamond Red metallic paint at it for $37,690 on the invoice, leaving $62,310 in change.

Then on the right, I'd take advantage of another EOFY offer and pick up an MY25.25 Ford Ranger XLT bi-turbo dual-cab 4x4 for $60,000 drive-away. This is a great price – about $10K off retail – for Australia's favourite ute.

Again, I'd add a $750 selection of Blue Lightning paint – and, if I could get the dealer to wipe $190 off to stay under $100,000 total, the $1750 Touring Pack, though I could go without it.

A grand total of $98,440 for both cars, on the road, and in future-Australia's driveway.

My chosen $100,000 two-car garage is perhaps not as broadly appealing, but still delivers a good mix of family practicality and fun.

First up, a Skoda Octavia RS wagon for $59,990 plus on-roads. Add the zero-cost Racing Blue metallic paint (not pictured), and there's a fun and sensible age-appropriate daily.

For its partner, I've chosen a Toyota Corolla ZR Hybrid hatch at $39,100 list. I wanted the $1350 option of Frosted White paint and a black roof, but it breaks the budget, so I'd need to settle for single-tone Silver Pearl – though either way, I'd go for the red interior accents. 

Why a Corolla? With a young driver in the family, I would need a car she can learn and feel comfortable in, and ultimately adopt as 'her own' when she becomes a full-licenced driver. That would give me a chance to shop for more classic Mercs or Peugeots to fill the driveway space!

Abarth 695 Competizione manual: $38,900
Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid AWD: $58,500
Total: $97,400

For me, it's a no-brainer.

For $38,900 plus on-road costs, my driveway will play host to a snarling and ferocious little beast in the form of an Abarth 695 Competizione with manual transmission (assuming I can find a dealer that still has new stock).

I love its aggressive stance, and the barking and bristling little 1.4-litre turbo-four under the bonnet.

But I also need something practical, so for $58,500 plus on-road costs I'll park a Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid AWD in my driveway, and make it white, please.

Kia Picanto Sport manual: $18,390
Toyota LandCruiser 78 Series GXL Troopcarrier: $80,500
Total: $98,390

The Picanto is the most cost-effective runaround on the market, backed up by a seven-year warranty. If the turbocharged GT model were still on sale, I would take that. But this will do, and it's still pretty fun to throw around.

Plus, I can vouch for squeezing in a (young) family of four and a week's worth of groceries in one. It's enough car for the mid-week darting around, is cheap as chips to run, and can park anywhere.

As for the second car... modernity be damned, the Troopcarrier is one car I could see myself owning long-term.

The V8 is dead, and pricing has become ridiculous, especially for the GXL trim. Knowing a V8 Troopy was $12,000 cheaper a few years ago makes me cry.

I need the GXL for the second row of seats (for five seats in total), plus locking differentials. But with the space of a studio apartment in the back, we could load enough gear into this for camping and future road trips. It's the closest thing to accomodating the kind of activities I want to do, in its factory form.

My first-choice two-car garage isn't quite within the budget, but hear me out.

I tried my best to grab a family car that was all-electric and spacious, and while rivals also fit the bill here, I landed on the Kia EV5 Air due to a longer warranty and larger dealer footprint.

With a single electric motor and 64kWh battery, it can cover up to a claimed 400km on a charge – enough for weekly duties – and is practical enough to fit the pram, scooters, balance bikes, and everything else.

For the second car, it has to be a GR86 with a manual gearbox, a car that fixes a lot of issues with the first-generation model. Now fitted with a 2.4-litre engine, it might not win any drag races, but the flat-spot in the torque curve in the old 2.0-litre engine is all but eliminated.

It means you no longer need to wring its neck out just to get up to street-legal speeds, and makes driving the new GR86 as a daily an actual enjoyable experience. Plus, I can always stretch its legs a little on the weekend on a tight and twisty road.

I understand I'm $710 over the budget, but come on, budgets aren't that hard and fast, are they? And if they are, I'm sure a Kia or Toyota dealer would shave a few hundred bucks off the price, especially to get some cars out the door before June 30.

But if the partner (or editor) is enforcing this $100,000 cap, I guess I would have to change my options.

I'd swap the Kia EV5 to an XPeng G6 Standard Range, priced at $54,800, which also frees up my budget for a $44,290 Subaru BRZ and the no-cost WR Blue paint option. This takes my total to $99,090, keeping me under the budget.

Tesla Model 3 RWD: $54,900 (plus $2600 for Ultra Red paint)
Mazda MX-5 G20 Roadster manual: $42,140
Total: $99,640

With two of the most fit-for-purpose new cars on sale for under $100,000, these are choices I'm pleased with.

On the daily driver side of the garage is a base Tesla Model 3.

The RWD is all the Model 3 you'd ever need, with a lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery you can fast-charge without thinking twice, and you get the same well-packaged, well-featured and tech-laden interior as higher grades. Add $2600 to the bill for Ultra Red premium paint.

The 'fun car' is a base-model Mazda MX-5, which slides in at $42,140 plus on-roads. I'd love the extra luxuries of the GT grade – keyless entry and Bose audio, particularly – but they won't change the driving experience, so I can live without them.

The pair rings in at $99,640 before on-road costs, and you can actually get surprisingly close to $100,000 drive-away, thanks to special offers Tesla is running at the moment.

Volvo XC40 Plus B4: $54,990
Toyota GR86 GT manual: $43,940
Total: $98,930

If there's one thing these challenges are good for, it's provoking us to think outside the box. There was an inordinate amount of time spent at the Drive office umming and ahhing over options for a two-car garage. 

Sadly, and it sounds a bit ridiculous, but $100,000 is too much for one car, but too little for a two-car garage these days. But I digress...

I need something practical because I'm beyond 30 years old now and need the space, but I'm still a car enthusiast at heart, so I want something entertaining too. 

The entry-level Volvo XC40 is a worthy practical small SUV with a luxury lean, because it's larger inside than it looks, is pretty thrifty on running costs, and comes with a premium aura inside and out. It sneaks in just under $55,000 before on-road costs for the XC40 Plus. 

Plugging the performance car-sized gap in my garage is the Toyota GR86, which costs $43,940 (before ORCs). It's fast enough, fun enough, and looks the part.

Importantly, my two-car garage costs $98,930 – leaving $1000 on the table to pay for floor mats. Don't worry about the on-road costs.

Ford Everest Black Edition: $68,990
BYD Dolphin Essential: $29,990
Total: $98,980

This was incredibly hard. Cars cost too damn much.

Trying to make the $100,000 budget stretch to a weekend warrior with a 3000kg tow rating and 4x4, and then still have money for an electric family run-around was tough.

The first of my two cars would be the Ford Everest Black Edition, which costs $68,990 plus on-roads, or $69,000 drive-away.

I couldn't afford to step up to a V6 grade, but the 2.0-litre bi-turbo diesel (based on the Trend variant) is still exceptionally well equipped, has full-time 4WD, selectable low-range, has all-terrain tyres, and offers plenty of black styling details I like.

The second car would be the BYD Dolphin Essential for $29,990 plus on-roads, because I like its styling, it's comfortable, drives well enough to get along with as a daily run-around, the 345L of boot space is enough to fit the basics in for kids or shopping, and the electric power would take away the fuel bill for my considerably long commute.

By charging at work or home using solar, it would cost me almost nothing to run, and I'd probably only need to charge once or twice a week, even with the not-particularly-generous 340km claimed driving range.

Nissan Z manual: $76,160 (plus $1495 for Ikazuchi Yellow paint)
Kia Picanto GT-Line manual: $20,190 (plus $550 for Aurora Black paint)
Total: $98,395

As a diligent follower of instructions, I have kept mine under $100,000.

First up is the Nissan Z manual, priced at $76,160 before on-road costs before Ikazuchi Yellow paint is optioned for an additional $1495, bringing the total to $77,655.

The second car would have to be a Kia Picanto GT-Line manual, priced at $20,190, before $550 Aurora Black is added for a total of $20,740 before on-road costs.

Being someone who hates having a 'normal' car no matter what, the Z looks weird enough to tickle my fancy in an overwhelmingly boring affordable sports-car market, but with enough power to be exciting enough to only be a weekend car with the odd trip to the office during the week.

Aftermarket parts supply out of Japan means I would be able to throw plenty of modifications at the car in the future to turn it into the ultimate, comfy drift car.

The same goes for the Picanto; it's probably the coolest 'cheap' car on the market at the moment.

It has such a lovable face, and it's from a dying breed of manual commuter cars that are still available. Plus, why would you buy anything other than the GT-Line? It just looks fab.

My grand total of $98,395 plus on-roads leaves me with some pocket money to buy a set of cool wheels for the Picanto, a few extra bucks for grinding discs to cut the springs on it, and some welding rods to lock the diff in the Nissan Z.

BYD Seal Premium: $52,990
Mazda MX-5 G20 Roadster manual: $42,140
Total: $95,130

If you're in the market for an electric daily driver, then look no further than the BYD Seal.

I opted for the mid-trim Premium variant not only for its budget-friendly pricing ($5910 cheaper than a rival Model 3), but because the interior feels luxurious, and you get a lot of bang for your buck in terms of its equipment list. 

If the Seal is the car you take for the daily work and coffee run, the MX-5 is the one you take if you want to enjoy the proper driving experience.

I went for the entry-level MX-5 G20 because this is what I would choose as someone who's new to the convertible sports car game. This feels like a safe base option that leaves room to level up either through mods, or a higher-grade MX-5 variant when the time is right.

Ford Ranger XLT bi-turbo 4x2 dual-cab: $56,440 plus on-roads (plus $4500 for factory-fit canopy)
Suzuki Swift Sport manual: $32,990 drive-away (plus $80 for gold front emblem)
Total: $94,010

I've chosen the Suzuki Swift Sport and a Ford Ranger XLT (with a canopy). 

The combination of a small hatchback for trips around the city, and a ute (with canopy) for practical tasks and our semi-regular trips to see family interstate, makes this the ideal two-car garage for me.

This is reasonably close to the current combination my partner and I have, but our cars are just a decade (or two) older....

Honourable mention: What I would really choose (if I didn't have to pick two cars) is a LandCruiser 70 Series Troopcarrier ($85,623 drive-away in Victoria), plus a Public Transport Victoria Myki ($6) for my second 'vehicle'. 

Suzuki Swift Sport: $32,990 drive-away
Zeekr X RWD: $49,900 plus on-road costs (plus $500 for Mulberry/rose interior)
Total: $83,390

At 17, I purchased my first car: a second-hand 2015 Suzuki Swift, affectionately nicknamed “Sadie”, and subsequently fell in love with it. Reliable and straightforward for someone who’s not a huge petrolhead, I don’t know I’ll ever be able to let her go. But if I did, it would absolutely be in favour of the stylish, edgy upgrade that the Sport iteration brings.

Being a commuter, and my most frequent passenger being my cavoodle puppy, the Swift Sport is the perfect small, zippy car for my lifestyle.

Even outside of the day-to-day run to the station, it’s more than I could ask for to get me into the CBD for a show, out to the Yarra Valley for lunch, or even into the countryside for a weekend.

Still offering the chance to grab a manual transmission, which I’ll always opt for, the Swift Sport sits at $32,990 drive away.

And for the second car, a Zeekr X – is it wrong to let the option of a Mulberry and Rose interior for $500 completely sway my vote? If so, I throw up my hands and admit to being guilty as charged.

The aesthetics of the Zeekr X captured my interest from the moment it crossed my desk, and I couldn’t think of a more alluring foray into owning electric vehicles.

Perfect for an afternoon with the fam (or the girls), the Zeekr X would get its moment in the sun any time I needed to travel in a group (while I adore the Swift, I don’t envy anyone who has had to sit in my back seat). It would also be the one to take for a spin any time I’m after that feeling of luxury for a lengthy drive, special occasion, or a little more room to stretch.

The Zeekr X is currently $49,900, but bearing in mind I’m in hot pursuit of that soft pink interior, this would bring the price to $50,400.

Mazda BT-50 XTR 4x4: $62,705
Hyundai i20 N: $35,500 (plus $595 for premium paint)
Total: $98,800

I often find myself playing the two-car garage game, although usually with various 30-year-old cars, not brand new.

My answer always includes a larger car that is (somewhat) off-road capable, and one that can be taken on a more fun, spirited drive.

My first pick is a 2025 Mazda BT-50. I'd like the SP, which already comes with all the bells and whistles Mazda can throw at it, but it's $67,990 drive-away – so I've had to stick with the XTR 4x4 for $62,705 plus on-roads (or $62,490 drive-away on special).

Admittedly, if budget allowed, I would pick a new LandCruiser Prado over the BT, but at $10,000 more for the base model, it cannot be done with this budget.

To round things off, I've picked a Hyundai i20 N for $36,095 before on-road costs, after optioning single-tone premium paint.

With this pair I have a fun car that can squeeze into small city car spots, and a more comfortable vehicle for road trips, hauling cargo or towing. At a total cost of $98,800, I've left enough for petrol, but not much else.

Abarth 500e Scorpionissima: $51,990 drive-away
KGM Musso Ultimate XLV Luxury: $46,500 drive-away
Total: $99,000

Fiat's website lists an Abarth 500e with 20km on the clock for $51,990 drive-away, which is a significant discount over the original $60,500 plus on-road costs RRP, for a car that's fun, and finished in a wild colour. (Ed – it's brand new and clearly hasn't been driven, so we'll allow it. Plus, the car has been on special at this price nationally in recent months.)

As for the Musso, even with the Luxury Pack, you've got a loaded ute for $46,500 drive-away. It's great value and drives well.

Alex Misoyannis has been writing about cars since 2017, when he started his own website, Redline. He contributed for Drive in 2018, before joining CarAdvice in 2019, becoming a regular contributing journalist within the news team in 2020. Cars have played a central role throughout Alex’s life, from flicking through car magazines at a young age, to growing up around performance vehicles in a car-loving family. Highly Commended - Young Writer of the Year 2024 (Under 30) Rising Star Journalist, 2024 Winner Scoop of The Year - 2024 Winner

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