Reply With Quotein before MX5
For the first time in years we need to run a second car. A move to the country makes it a necessity really, and with my eldest son nearing an age when he can start learning to drive, I'm on the lookout for something cheap to run and insure, reliable (mobile phone signals not great up here!) and large enough to squeeze a couple of adults and 2 lanky sons in (although as a second car, it will be a maximum of 3 people for 99% of journeys I suspect)
Now, I'm no petrolhead but over the years I've bought and sold a few cars and never had huge issues. Always checked cars thoroughly, bought and sold privately and never had any issues. But now, thanks to the internet and sites like Honest John, I get the impression that every car out there has huge issues waiting to go wrong. Honda Jazz, VW Polo, Ford Fiesta, VW Up!, Toyota Yaris - you name it, the internet is full of negative reviews and very few helpful, positive comments. It's the same with BMW and Mercedes, even Honda VRV"s etc - apparently they are all about to fall apart and have problems with electrics, DPF's - in short, they're all unreliable money pits waiting to fall apart!!??
I thought cars were much more reliable now? - I've had 4 VW's in a row from new, nothing at all has gone wrong with any of them. My latest car, a Volvo, has also been faultless. So why is the net so negative about nearly every make and model, and has the internet made life harder rather than easier? - I'm probably going to go for a 1 litre Fiesta ecoboost, a couple of years old - but any advice or suggestions much appreciated!!
in before MX5
In the £4-5,000 range: Subaru Impreza 2.0 R 5 Door Hatchback, or a Subaru forester2.0ltr, great cars to drive and really well put together.
Good hunting
Joe
Weve had an older Jazz as the nanny's runabout for a few years. Reliable and spacious and even 6'3" son can fit in back seat fine. Its versatile and good at what it does. Pretty comfortable seats. Only downside is the road noise is quite high so not really that great on long hauls.
The new Fiesta is apparently quite good to drive if youre interested in spending more money.
Great cars and having owned an Outback for 2 years now, I would say they are a little thirsty for my liking if you are just using it for general road use. I would go a Focus TDi if you can afford it. They hold their price and can be expensive to fix if they are high mileage but a great little car otherwise.Originally Posted by Joe.K
You're right that any fault on a car now has a spotlight shone on it by the internet.
Picking up on one small point, you've got a son that's soon going to start to drive. Before you buy anything, have a play on the price comparison sites for insurance costs once he's passed his test. While we found adding my lad onto our policies wasn't bad as a learner (when the passenger is mum or dad saying "slow down", "look out" and "mind that") it rocketed when he'd passed his test (when the car may have the four Pissed Passengers of the Apocalypse screaming "won't it go any faster", "turn the music up" and "you drive like a ****")
Getting something affordable to insure for a new driver will push you down Up!, C1, Panda or Kia Rio route or similar.
My father was determined that my son could have his 23 year old 30,000 mile Rover 214 (1.4, no ABS, no traction control, no side impact protection, no airbags, no aircon, £145 tax, 30mpg, poor parts availability) for nothing, but insurance for that was looking like £2000-£2500 a year third party fire and theft.
We ended up picking up a 10 month old 4,000 mile Skoda Citigo (1.0, ABS, traction control, side impact protection, airbags, aircon, £20 tax, 50 mpg, in warranty) for £5500 from a main dealer as the insurance was £750 fully comp.
Despite the small proportions, I reckon there's more leg and head room in the back than my old Octavia
The new 'little' cars (like the Citigo mentioned above) are excellent. I pootled around in a relatives Hyundai i10 for an extended period recently and was incredibly impressed with the space, kit, NVH and comfort.
Buy nearly-new (or discounted new) and you will have absolutely zero worries about reliability, safety and so on. Sometimes you just want hassle-free motoring and they fit the bill.
My wife's had a Honda Jazz from new for 10 years, no issues other than service and friction items to replace. Our son now has it, as she's now got another new Jazz.
Can't fault them at all and practical enough for 4 easily.
Avoid the Subaru boxer diesels and the Focus 1.6 tdci. Both have well documented issues / design flaws. The
1.8 diesel focus is older tech but is a reliable unit.
Also 2007 onwards 2 litre diesel BMW's had serious reliability issues with the cam chain.
I've just bought the wife a Suzuki celerio,can fit 4 adults in ,1000cc,no tax,runs on fumes 6 months old 6k,can't fault it ,perfect second car
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+1 for Honda Jazz. Had one for 10+ years now as a second car. Reliable, economical, cheap to insure, versatile, excellent loadspace, I could go on.....
Quite a lot of internet threads are people who are simply unrealistic. They expect brakes, clutches and tyres to last forever, and consider a puncture a breakdown.
Others are unlucky, cars are complex these days, even basic ones are filled with computing power and a fault in a module can cost hundreds (or more) to put right.
Finally, a lot is about the dealers, if it does not show on a diagnostic computer many of them have nobody who can be a real mechanic and look into it deeply. All of these reasons generate the thousands of posts you see. If they had gone in and the dealer had fixed it in a single visit, they probably would not be moved to complain quite so much.
I never expect perfect reliability, but have to admit to having had it from most modern cars with the odd glitch. That would not make a very interesting internet forum post, so I guess you don't ever get to see the good side.
Honda Jazz. It'll do everything you require and not break.
I second the jazz suggestion...I had an 04 that was incredibly practical and reliable...I'm using an 04 yaris as a second car just now, 1.3 is really nippy, super cheap and fun to drive.. i did 15k miles commuting with it last year and incredibly reliable
I think it's really down to the fact that cars are so cheap, relative to labour and parts costs. It's easy to get a 2-3k bill on a £4k car, hence all the online meltdowns. My suggestion: lease or PCP on a nearly-new inexpensive car and get rid before the manufacturer warranty expires. It's what I did: new entry level Suzuki Vitara with no extras and a bit of discount - around £200 a month (depends a bit on how much more than GFV it is 'worth' at the end) for 35 months. So two services, and get rid before first MOT.
Basic car inside, and not the fastest by any means, but very well engineered and surprisingly decent to drive and live with...
Some helpful advice, thanks - did consider an MX5 but can't sit in one without the roof down due to my height 😐
We now live in North Norfolk having moved from SW London, and the driving experience up here is hugely different. Barely any traffic most of the time, it's either 20mph through villages or 60mph everywhere else on generally good roads - with a fair few farm tracks thrown in for fun (which is why I bought an XC60 D5 recently having had to turn back from trips to Norwich due to rivers flowing across roads and fords etc over this winter!) - but nearly every trip out needs a car and I'm getting bored of transporting eldest son who's nearly 16 to his girlfriend in the middle of nowhere!
I'm prepared to spend up to about £8k I reckon, which brings in older Honda CRV's and Vitaras - and newer Fiestas - but I agree the VW Up! (and other versions like the Citigo) do appeal as they are quite large inside I'm 6'2", 15 year old son is almost the same with plenty of growing to go. Youngest son has Down's which means he's a long title shorter and won't be driving (that would be carnage having watched him on the PlayStation!). Funny thing is, because you tend to drive everywhere much more economically than London, I'm not so concerned about engine size - getting over 40mpg out of the other car. It's more the insurance for my eldest I think (I intend to use this as the family second car then pass it to him) - I think I need to explore the insurance side, anyone had any experience with the Ford 'my key' which means you can programme a key to limit speed, stereo volume etc? Sounds like a good idea
You Like VW , then why not a Golf? fits your criteria?
Had too many Golfs and a bit bored with them tbh. And the smaller engined variants don't seem to be very cheap or economical - in comparison to their competition they look very overpriced secondhand
Also not very practical from a 17yo insurance PoV
My Golf was causing me no end of issues so I just chopped it in for a 2013 Honda Civic EX model. Very smooth drive and fully loaded with equipment...
Might be worth considering.
If you want something higher up/4x4 and something to pass on to your son with cheap insurance, what about a Suzuki Jimny?
All cars have/can have issues, it's why they all come with warranties from new. That and the built in obsolescence... Chasing reliability in used cars comes from choosing simplicity in design and engineering. Which IMO the Japanese seem to have done the best.
I bought a year old Fiesta ST (current shape with the 1.6 turbo engine) towards the end of 2014 and I have to say it's really exceeded my expectations and reset my opinions on Ford. It's brilliant and hasn't given a single hint of unreliability or untowards behaviour in the 12,000 miles and 18 months I've owned it.
I would happily have another Fiesta and would endorse them for anyone considering one.
Panda has good head and legroom and five doors.
I suspect it's like the news bulletins, always report the bad stuff, good news is no news, can't say I've seen a thread that says I had a car and it was good!
Anyway another shout for Fiat Panda, v economical, cheap tax and insurance, 1.2 is an 'interference" engine so if cam belt goes it can be repaired with a new one! We have run several, a 54 plate that 100k miles and no issues, only needed front brake pads in it's life with us, bought another and horror of horrors it needed a new coil pack (£16) and a clutch (£110 fitted) great little things.
Cheers, John B4
I've clearly misunderstood what an interference engine is. I thought it meant the pistons and valves occupied the same space at different times, so if the cam belt went it would explode. How does it work, then?
It doesn't look like you misunderstood interference engines (although "explode" might be a bit dramatic in most cases!).
I think previous poster meant to say non-interference with regard to the Panda.
Cool. I'm not often right. Don't tell my sister. She's always right!
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