Am thinking about getting a cheap second car just for the school drop/pick. Somewhere around £2000 (or less, can't justify spending more for what would be just a 3 mile run). Would be for 2-3 years. Want to keep the cost down, so probably 0 road tax (or minimal), low insurance, minimal maintenance/service. A petrol manual. Autotrader shows: iQ, Aygo, i10, Alto (all around the 10 year mark, 100k mark).

Any suggestions?

-M

Better to go for a reliable, sturdy, reasonably corrosion-free car that one that is £10 / £20 / zero rated for VED. If you get one that also has a low VED, then great.

Think of 'minimal maintenance' as 'not requiring loads of parts every year. With a car that likely age, you're bound to need to replace some wear and tear items other than tyres.

See if you can find a car that has been well cared for (not just a FSH) and have it checked over by someone with a decent amount of mechanic knowledge - well worth it to get one that runs with little intervention. Cars that have done low mileages (forget diesels) need their brakes checked as they can have expensive-to-fix issues because they bind and warp the discs.

Don't scrimp on servicing though, especially oil changes on timing chain-driven cars (as most Oriental ones are). No FSH - walk away.

And go for a more base-level model - less kit (and to go wrong), smaller wheels and more sensible (and popular / widely available) tyres (55-70 profile) that will last longer, be less susceptible to damage, give a better ride quality and cost far less to replace when they need changing.

I'd forget the iQ (too expensive) and add the KIA Picanto (same undeneath as the i10), its sister cars the Rio and i20 if you need a bit more space, also the base Mazda2 (if on sensible tyres), Fiesta, Suzuki Swift. The older Yaris is still your best bet. I still see quite a number of the mk1 and 2 cars about and in surprisingly decent nick. Lots owned by little old ladies who make sure they are well cared for.