Reply With Quotei think your initial lines of thought are pretty good to be honest.
We're looking for a small runaround for my wife to use for school runs (two kids), shopping trips and the odd nip up the motorway to visit family.
Priorities are a decent safety record, reliability and inexpensive tax/insurance/servicing/running costs. Needs to be a four door with enough space for a couple of small cases. Auto preferred but not essential.
Budget is up to about £6k.
I'm thinking along the lines of a Honda Jazz, Skoda Fabia and VW Polo.
Very grateful for recommendations from those with experience, and any pointers of what to avoid.
And if there is an existing thread about this, apologies!
Many thanks, Matthew
Last edited by Mr Curta; 15th August 2018 at 14:51.
i think your initial lines of thought are pretty good to be honest.
Vw up!
My mate has one and absolutely loves it.
Got another mate with a Honda jazz and he is not so enamoured.
Good luck everybody. Have a good one.
The Honda Jazz is a car for little old ladies. Seriously this should not even be on the list!
My other half has a Fabia - we like low profile normal cars. It's been great so far, but not at an age where things are starting to go wrong. Very practical for us plus a baby and a dog. We just about squeeze everything in.
The only issue with it is due to the VW emissions scandal. They keep sending us letters saying it needs to go in to have the update done which causes me ear ache as my partner thinks her car is about to implode because of the tone of the letters... I refuse to have it done.
Don't rule out the 5 door Nissan Micra. Daughter had a 10 reg for over three years and it was teenager proof and very reliable. She prefers her current Fiat 500 but it's not as good a car by any stretch.
Good luck in your search.
My daughter had one (in her 30's) and loved it, she changed it for a Toyota Yaris which she thinks isn't as good as the Honda.... she'll go back to the new Honda Jazz when the terms up on her Yaris.Originally Posted by 200mwaterresistant
Nought wrong with it.
Craig has just put a Skoda Fabia 2007 for sale on SC. May be worth a look.
Ford Fiesta?
I've championed the Fiat Panda in the past and I'll do it again despite others knowing better. Mine was flawless, fantastic economy and brilliant to drive. They're as basic as cars get these days, relatively simple to fix if anything does go wrong and significantly cheaper than an equivalent 500.
Pretty much all cars are decent nowadays, so can’t go far wrong. Budget and styling may dictate!
Jazz sell by the bucketload and have great residuals for a reason
The Fabia appeals to precisely the same demographic as the Jazz...…both are good cars and should be on the list
OP - as others have said include the Fiesta too it is a cracking car
I'd be choosing something from Toyota, Nissan, Honda over the European brands.
Modern Nissan share quite a lot of parts with Renault, so IMO aren't as good as they were.
Hyundai & KIA models are worth a look.
Ta
Dave
Thanks for the input so far, which has helped us to narrow down a shortlist.
I've added a budget to the OP, which is up to about £6k (although I'll be happier with a lot lower
I agree with this. I don't think that you can go wrong with a Japanese car. Even when their older and have gone through a few owners they are often still very reliable and tight. Better build quality in the first place I think.
My brother - two young kids, one large Labrador has a Fabia estate and swears by it. He had a Fiesta and hated it.
Jazz all day long. We chose one because it was the only car that could seat four adults comfortably but it's more spacious than the others and more versatile. The cinema style option with the rear seats is surprisingly useful, it's not the most tactile inside but it's ok and you just know everything will just work for a long time. The engines are a little underpowered, we've the 1.4 and it's not got much top end even if you use the higher rev band that the engine likes but it's got enough power and decent economy.
I like the Polo and the Fabia and would probably have gone with them if space/versatility hadn't been important. The Jazz will carry 4 x 6' 13st adults no problem or a couple of bikes with the rear seats folded and wheels off.
Ps I think the 2012 onwards came with Bluetooth so worth checking for that if you'd like it.
Disappointed that nobody has mentioned an MX-5 yet.
That would be silly as you specified four doors. What you obviously need is the RX-8.
The last three cars I bought for my other half were-
2012 VW High up! 75bhp
2015 Seat Mii i-tech 60bhp
2018 Honda Jazz SE 1.3 Man
Honda is the better car by a country mile. Ride, comfort, DAB stereo quality. You name it. If I had got a better deal, would have went for a few more toys in the EX.
All good cars though.
Now, a VW up! GTi, that could be on the drive in 2021...
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kia picanto, my wife loves hers, 7year warranty, zero tax 60mpg and cheap ins.I'm over 6' and find it OK to drive.
Matthew...
Meg and I share a 16 year old Yaris 1.0VVti.....in 16 years it’s never failed an MOT, and the only fault has been an O2 sensor..
Gear driven cams means no belts, or chains to break, regularly get 50mpg.. all in all a great little car👍
I regret selling my little yaris. Never let me down.
Send the kids in an Uber
Last edited by Velorum; 17th August 2018 at 22:56.
I ran a 2004 Yaris for a couple of years...great wee thing, ran like clockwork...also had a 2004 Jazz, that was equally reliable and incredibly practical although not as fun to drive as the Yaris (I do believe the MK2 and MK3 Jazz's (?) have better handling. I'm in the same boat as my wife wants us to sell the family second car (2006 Honda accord) for something smaller and better mpg...looking at a Kia Picanto but of course she wants a new one...bah
Vote for the Yaris, wife has a 2010 1.33 and to date it’s been faultless. Seats aren’t the most comfortable to be honest but as a town run around both my daughter and wife love it.
The solution for four doors has been found previously: buy two MX-5s.
Kia Rio.
Só much better on the highway.
Last edited by Huertecilla; 16th August 2018 at 17:25.
This. My GTI is the cheapest car I’ve ever owned but the most fun! I believe the 90bhp version is good fun when thrashed.
Honda Jazz (although some early ones had gearbox problems)
Hyundai i10
Toyota Yaris
The pick of the bunch being the Toyota in my opinion.
I think it was here on the forum that someone wrote that only some insects and Honda’s will survive a nucleair holocaust. If you want troublefree motoring, get the Jazz. And I am telling you this as a VW Up! owner. You can bend it backwards as long as you like: the VW is a slow car and cramped compared with a Jazz. Furthermore: an Up! like mine can not have a tow bar... cooling and g’box are hardly up to this more serious work. Where a Jazz can be fitted with one - a bike rack is no problem for a Jazz. And lets be honest: a bike rack and childrens’ bikes go hand-in-hand. At least here they do.
The reason for not buying a Jazz was the previous model’s seating position. I found awkward; the s/wheel was too low for my liking. The new model has fixed that
Last edited by thieuster; 16th August 2018 at 20:57.
I picked up a 4 door VW Polo in January, cost £800 off eBay. It’s a 2003, 1.4 TDI model. Costs £135 a year to tax and about £45 to fill up with diesel, and for that I get approx 550-700 miles.
One heck of a step down from the M5 I had before, but I save close to £1500 a month driving the Polo, and I don’t need to worry about having my house burgled for the keys, or some **** bashing my doors every time I leave it in a car park.
The Polo gets a thumbs up from me. My mrs has the 1.6 petrol version which while a little thirstier on fuel, is still a decent drive and cheap to keep.
1. Toyota Yaris
2. Hyundai i10
3. Honda Jazz
4. Ford Fiesta
5. Seat Ibiza
6. Fiat Panda
[IMG][/IMG]
Swiss Toni says "Buying a car is like making love to a beautiful woman. She thinks she wants romance and flowers, but what she really wants is a Ford Fiesta 1.0 Ecoboost or a Vauxhall Corsa. Or an MX5."
So clever my foot fell off.
Another vote for the Honda Jazz. I’ve had two, the original shape and the series II. Both were completely reliable and cheap to run and you would be amazed at the amount of space inside for a small car. The should have called it the Honda Tardis.
I’d agree with the majority here of the Honda or Toyota, I’ve a civic as a second car I brought from the forum back in 2013 it’s now 12 years old and no big bills just routine servicing and a abs sensor in my time.
I've owned a couple of Suzukis and they are great reliable runarounds
Check out the old model swift... still a good looking car and totally bulletproof
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We run an Audi A2 1.4 petrol. Cheap as chips to buy and run, won’t rust because it’s aluminium. Recent fuel prices dictate a £36 to £40 fill up and around 250 miles per tank running around town.
What I will warn of when buying a small run-around, you will get bullied on the road. I’ve never experienced it before as I’ve always had larger/expensive cars and vans, which I now realise command a lot more respect on the road. Driving the A2, a small car, people expect you to move over/stop/wait. Even get overtaken in silly places despite doing the speed limit. So often does this “bullying” occur that we are having a swap around and will go to a people carrier or SUV, although much more expensive to run, you can’t put a price on piece of mind when the Mrs and kids are on the road
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She drives a lot in Bogotá, bullying might be an issue but I doubt she’ll be on the receiving end
Don't just do something, sit there. - TNH
An amusing quip, especially at this time of the morning!
The harsh reality is such that it’s your kids at risk due to other people’s ignorance, selfishness and risk taking - out of your control.
My advice would be go larger, even if your wife was........
.......“MuhammadI’mHardBruceLee”
Bought my mum a Yaris as a run around for town.
Overall excellent car and faultless.
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I do so little mileage these days, and mainly local, so a couple of years ago I decided to get a smaller, more economical car and went for a VW High Up! .... what a brilliant little car and I thoroughly love going out and playing with it, in fact for some unknown reason it reminds me of my motorcycling days and I'm now planning to get a newer one to enjoy. I couldn't recommend it more highly. Go try one you'll be hooked in five minutes and you'll be finding every excuse to borrow it..
Yaris hybrid.
Matthew have you considered a new lease? For less than your £6K you could get a new car for 24 months so no servicing costs, a warrantee to cover breakdown worries and better safety / economy.
There are some threads about it and I recall one or two members here are in the game but here are a handful of options I pulled from https://www.parkers.co.uk/car-leasin...#filterActions
Skoda Octavia Hatchback
SE Technology 1.0 TSI 115PS DSG auto 5d
AutomaticPetrol £137.00 per month
Term:24 months
Initial Payment: £1,236.06
Admin Fee: £295.00
Mileage Allowance: 8,000 per year
All prices include VAT
Honda Civic Hatchback
SR 126PS VTEC Turbo auto 5d
AutomaticPetrol £144.00 per month
Term: 24 months
Initial Payment:£1,293.30
Admin Fee: £300.00
Mileage Allowance: 5,000 per year
All prices include VAT
Honda Jazz Hatchback
S 1.3 i-VTEC CVT auto (03/2018 on) 5d
AutomaticPetrol £147.00 per month
Term:24 months
Initial Payment: £1,318.50
Admin Fee: £180.00
Mileage Allowance: 5,000 per year
All prices include VAT
In Bogotá?
Apologies for any confusion. The car we are looking for is for use in the UK.
Basically we are gradually relocating, starting with my wife and children over the summer, in time for school starting in September.
The car will be used for the occasional school run (it's within walking/cycling distance), shopping trips and mum's taxi service. There will be the odd trip up the motorway to visit family.
Our time back in Blighty could be as little as 12 months, so for as long as it is still an unknown quantity we are after something cheap and cheerful to tide us through. Neither of us have any NCB as we have been away for pushing eight years, which is another factor in running costs.
Many, many thanks for all of the information posted in this thread. We are liking the sound of a Yaris and as we'll need two cars when I finally make the move we might look for the right one in slower time, when we have a better idea of how long we'll be back in the UK for. In the interim we've got an inexpensive Fabia in mind that will then become my home-office wheels when I get back.
Nope in the UK Matthew and family are relocating back to the UK for a while...
I've just had a rental Yaris for two weeks in Spain. It's large enough for 4 adults at a squeeze, and you can (just) fit four cabin bag size cases in the boot.
Driving was OK round town, but it struggled slightly on long motorway climbs. The engine on it was shagged though, so maybe not realistic of a 'real world' example. It had really annoying little yellow triangle lights in the speedo, that constantly told me I was in the wrong gear.
I had a Toyota IQ for 2 years, Drove 10k plus in UK and took it on a 3 week tour of Germany and it was superb, super cheap to run, no tax, enough room for 4 if really required (but tight) and perfect for 1-2 people in most situations, dream to park
RIAC
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