N/A - What car would you recommend? - ennogs

I need help in deciding what type of car to get

I am not a petrol head. I don't care what my car looks like or which manufacturer makes it. I have about £4000 to spend on a second hand car.

My criteria is

Low engine size so it is low in petrol costs.

Cheap cost on wear are tear parts such as clutch, brakes, exhaust, timing belts, etc.

Pollution tax free (car tax) or as low as possible.

Based on my criteria what models of cars do you recommend?

N/A - What car would you recommend? - ennogs

also I don't care about the size of the car

N/A - What car would you recommend? - Bianconeri
If you can stretch that a bit without burdening youself with debt then how about a new Dacia? Basic for sure but new car warranty.
N/A - What car would you recommend? - RobJP

First off, you don't want a car with cheap replacement parts : you want one where the parts last a long time. A cheap exhaust isn't cheap if it rusts out in 2-3 years, versus a more expensive high-quality one that lasts a decade.

Same for brakes, etc. My BMW the brakes are expensive, but the original pads still have loads of wear at 3.5 years old.

Really small engines can be horrible and gutless. Which means you have to work them really hard, negating any fuel savings. So you end up ragging the engine all the time to get anywhere AND using lots of fuel, where if you had a slightly larger engine you'd be driving it more comfortably and gently, meaning you end up using less fuel in the long term.

N/A - What car would you recommend? - ennogs

If you can stretch that a bit without burdening youself with debt then how about a new Dacia? Basic for sure but new car warranty.

I cannot stretch my budget over £4,000. £4,000 is my absolute maximum.

N/A - What car would you recommend? - SLO76
Skoda Citigo, Seat Mii, Hyundai i10,i20, Kia Picanto, Fiat Panda 1.2, Vauxhall Agila & Suzuki Splash are all well made, cheap to run, pleasant enough to drive and available with low mileage for that sort of budget.

A 1.2 Fiesta with the Yamaha designed engine is a good bet too but not all sneak under the 120g/km low tax threshold. Brilliant wee things to drive, good to look at, just enough room and a bit more refined than the city cars above. Best of the lot for driver enjoyment by far.

Avoid diesel at all costs, they're more trouble than they're worth and in this class unlikely to save you much anyway. I like the wee Seat/Skoda for the simplicity and quality. They've a nice offbeat 3cyl engine note, decent refinement at speed, ride well for a city car and thanks to their popularity parts prices will be reasonable. Boot is small though.
N/A - What car would you recommend? - ennogs

I am single and have no kids. I will be using the car for going to work and back and food shopping. I don’t do any long or medium distance driving. I don’t need a big boot.

I really don’t care about the shape, size and looks of the car

N/A - What car would you recommend? - ennogs

Thanks for all your replies

N/A - What car would you recommend? - ennogs

I would say I do about 4,000 miles per year

N/A - What car would you recommend? - Wackyracer

What distance is your daily commute?

N/A - What car would you recommend? - ennogs

My daily commute is about 14 miles.

Sadly my work is very awkward to get to. It takes me 10 minutes on the motorway. By bus I would have to get 3 buses and it takes 1.5 hours.

N/A - What car would you recommend? - Oli rag

Consider a mazda 2 or a toyota yaris, you should get a decent one for around £4k.

Both of these are very reliable, economical and should cost £30 to tax.

N/A - What car would you recommend? - madf

Look carefully and for under £4k you can buy a one owner full service history Honda Jazz or Toyota Yaris. Utterly reliable and excellent dealer service.

You often see ones with low mileage (under 40k miles) despite 6-7 years old.

There are 99 Honda Jazz in the UK like that..tinyurl.com/j5bwe9y

and 171 Toyota Yaris tinyurl.com/zth6kwy

Edited by madf on 25/10/2016 at 13:05

N/A - What car would you recommend? - sandy56

Toyota or Honda, Suzuki is your best bet, with a petrol engine.

Suzuki Swift is a good small car.

N/A - What car would you recommend? - Paul_1

Reliable, Low Running Costs, Inexpensive Parts....

you could consider a ford fiesta diesel.

You can get them in either car or can configuration. Great little vehicle.

N/A - What car would you recommend? - SLO76

Reliable, Low Running Costs, Inexpensive Parts....

you could consider a ford fiesta diesel.

You can get them in either car or can configuration. Great little vehicle.

Wouldn't advise a particulate filter equipped diesel for the usage or pricepoint we're talking about nor would it be a good idea to buy a car with the notoriously troublesome PSA 1600 turbo diesel as fitted to most Fiesta diesels. The older 1400 is a very different engine and well able of big mileages but best avoided if it has a DPF. But even the 1400 at £4K will likely be carrying a 60k plus mileage compared to sub 20k on a Seat Mii or Skoda Citigo.
N/A - What car would you recommend? - Wackyracer

Look carefully and for under £4k you can buy a one owner full service history Honda Jazz or Toyota Yaris. Utterly reliable and excellent dealer service.

You often see ones with low mileage (under 40k miles) despite 6-7 years old.

There are 99 Honda Jazz in the UK like that..tinyurl.com/j5bwe9y

and 171 Toyota Yaris tinyurl.com/zth6kwy

They would be my choice too. They might not be in the lowest VED bands but, ~£130 a year on tax is better than spending out on repairs.

N/A - What car would you recommend? - colinh

With an annual mileage of 4000, fuel for a Fiesta-type car will cost approx. £450 per annum (according to HJ's Real MPG fuel calculator); so obviously a factor, but other costs should be examined - servicing, insurance, etc.

N/A - What car would you recommend? - madf

For 4,000 miles a year, DO NOT BUY A DIESEL. Any slight fuel and tax savings will be offset by potentially very high bills.

N/A - What car would you recommend? - ennogs

Thanks for all you replies.