My wife is thinking of buying a new Honda Jazz or VW Polo 1.2 which are about the same price.She drives about 18k per year, mainly rural commuting, with the occasional longer journey. We like the modern design approach of the Jazz and likely build quality and reliability expected of Honda. However, the Polo seems very solid with excellent residuals.Having said that we had a Polo from new 7 years ago which suffered the usual door seal leaks and gearbox failure!
What about the Polo 1.4 TDi as an economical alternative - is it worth the extra £1000?
BTW does anyone know if the recent mods to the 2003 MY Jazz suspension have cured the 'hard ride' criticism?
We would be most grateful for BR members thoughts on any of the above.
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If she's going to keep the car for 3 years and 54k, the fuel bills will be (at 74.9 p/litre for petrol and 76.9p for diesel and assuming she gets the EU combined economy)
Jazz 1.4 - £3706.56
Polo 1.2 (65 bhp) - £3903.30
Polo 1.4 TDi (75 bhp) - £3074.18
Therefore the TDi in the Polo won't quite pay for itself in fuel savings, but it has masses more torque, better mid range performance and will be worth more second hand, so I would definitely pay the extra £1k.
Incidentally www.ukcarbroker.co.uk has the Polo 1.4 S TDi for £9260 for the five door, the 1.2 for £8325 and the Jazz for £8617 for the 1.4 S.
The Jazz's residuals are excellent as well, although I suspect that they'll be slightly more sensitive to high mileage as an even higher proportion of them will go to low mileage private buyers, despite the excellent build quality and residuals.
Against that, I'd say the Jazz is the more practical and sharper handling car, with the best petrol engine,but if, subjectively, your wife feels more at home in the Polo there is absolutely no reason not to go for it.
As for the ride - I think it has been improved but ultimately the only thing that matters is whether your wife thinks it is good enough against the Polo. Drive them both and if she likes it, old model or new, she should get the Jazz. Financially, there is nothing to separate the two cars and while the Jazz will possibly be more reliable, that's what the warranty is for!
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I'm a big fan of the Jazz. It seems to have moved the game on in a way the Polo has never attempted. Customer satisfaction surveys, together with the lack of Jazzes on the second hand market, lead me to believe the residuals will be close to the Polos.
I never found the Jazz ride too harsh, although I've read the reports. I've never driven a Polo diesel, but would suggest that the Jazz's 50ish mpg should be plenty of economy.
I would say that the Jazz's cutting edge design with a tape player seems a bit of an anachronism.
They are both good solid sensible choices, but I'd go for the Honda.
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I test drove an early Jazz last year and the first thing I noticed was the hard bouncy ride, apart from that I found it perfect in everyway especially the room, for such a 'small' car.
I have not had a chance to test the latest ones but I am not letting the 1 negative aspect put me off and hope to take delivery in Sept. One thing that struck me was how quiet the engine was at idle.
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Anyone else can give you the technical advice, I can only give you a personal opinion from a girlie point of view :)
You've chosen two solid cars, so really all you can do is test drive both of them, nit pick, and then go with your heart. It might just be that you don't like reversing one of them, or that one is harder to swing around in the road, or that there's no where for a handbag. You know your preferences and priorities, so try them out and then thrash it out together (preferably over a bottle of wine)
(when I'm saying YOU I mean plural, not meaning to imply that you personally will be looking for handbag storage) LOL
I once let my husband choose a car for me to drive and it ended up being a car I hated - he never drove the ruddy thing :( Never again!
I've been asking for advice on here about a new small car for my daughter, and at the end of the day, I've thought about everything everyone's said, gone out and looked for ourselves, read the brochures, and made a chart of all the features in relation to price plus our own priorites - but if the winner on paper doesn't just feel right behind the wheel, then we'll start looking at our second choice. The paper choice isn't necessarily the right car to drive. You know what they say ... if it feels right do it - it's not as though you are tempted by one reliable buy and one maverick manufacturer is it?
We've had 5 Honda vehicles, got two CRVs at the moment, got a Honda lawn tractor, and a Honda electric lawnmower. I can honestly say that apart from the obvious maintenance we've never had to spend a penny on any of them. They've never, ever let us down, and we've never regretted buying any of them. I love my CRV.
On style alone I'd choose the Jazz myself, and so would my daughter - she'd love one (in her dreams!)but only you can know what suits you!
Good luck and let us know please?
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Hootie, I thought you said you didn't know much about cars.
What an excellent post. I agree with everything you said, though I'd stress that you only get the shortlist of solid cars by doing the paper calculations.
While my mother has been happy with each of the six cars she's owned over thirty years, despite never having test driven a car, the ones she's 'picked out' for my dad were both absolute disasters. I think he knew at the time but thought he should listen to her.
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Aaaw David, you've made me blush now, but as I'm wearing red I can just about get away with it :)
I can't pretend to know stuff I don't - I wouldn't dream of coming on a site dedicated to cars and trying to sound knowledgable, but I have got five skills that've got me through life so far
1. I don't pretend to know stuff I don't, but I do know how to find out stuff when I need to know it. If you know how to find out when you need to, then you don't need to know all the time really do you?
2. I am good at delegating (see 1. above)
3. I am good at shopping (which includes for cars)
4. I can always find a parking space just in the right place at the right time (invaluable)
5. I know what I like when I see it, and never go home empty handed if it feels right (I mean about shopping)
So I suppose to buy the right car for *you* you don't need to be all that clever really after all (I hope this rings true when we finally settle on Cherry's new car)
I don't know how this post helps anyone now, so I'll shut up.
Night Night
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In view of your affection for, and dealings with, Honda products - any chance of applying your logic to Honda UK and getting them to bring out the CRV with a diesel engine? I read that they don't intend to do so until next year at the earliest.
I understand your liking of them but for many it needs an oil burner (and how about taking the spare wheel off the door and sticking it out of sight?
The Rav4 has one, as do most other competitors, so why are Honda dragging their heels?
Off you go hootie get the bit between your teeth and let us know when to expect it :-)
KB.
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Hi KB ~ if my influence with Honda is anything like my influence in trying to get my girls to tidy up their bedrooms, then we're on a hiding to nothing I'm afraid :-D
I'm no good on the techy side of cars, only on how to choose the best one for you. I never wanted diesel so I haven't looked into it. If I did, I'd have to start all my lists and charts from scratch. I don't know, but would you really be comparing two petrol driven cars to a diesel? or would you be comparing like with like? I'd try to sort that one out first.
Spare wheels on the back doors are a bit of a pain (esp when you're only little like me) in my car they could have well lost the hidden picnic table (never used at all) and put it there instead. Most cars like mine have wheels on the back though, so I just had to get used to it.
About the ride quality - it's just personal isn't it? you have to suck it and see (as they say)
Only thing I can say is that Hondas have turned out to be our choice, through our own experience. Only down side has been a lot of changes of dealer in the various parts of the country where we've lived. True I suppose the service etc. can be pricey, but like I say, have not spent anything else inbetween.
Do you really think they'd listen to me though? if so, I may have found myself a job!!!
ps (just so that I know - how would an oil burner improve my life? - not being sarky btw)
Hope I'm not sounding like Harry Enfield now ("you don't wanna do that....")
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Thanks for your thoughts everyone. Great post Hootie - your analysis of the car-buying process is spot-on.
On paper we are drawn to the Honda, on balance, partly because of friends good experiences with Japanese cars in general and Honda's in particular.
Also, I bought a Mk 4 Golf GT TDi 115bhp new just under 5 years ago. This car had the following parts under warranty: water pump, cylinder head, engine, 2 sunroof motors,flywheel,ECU,alarm system.
Believe it or not, 2 years ago I bought a new Golf GT TDi 130 bhp.This has only had a new rear door catch due to leaking rear washer pipe.But maybe my experiences with Golfs tends to steer me in the direction of another more reliable marque.
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If you're looking at a Polo then why not look at a Seat Ibiza or Skoda Fabia too?
Personally we have just bought a Jazz SE and like it lots. Get the SE for aircon. There are some pre-reg ones around for 9 grand if you don't mind what colour you get (don't go for the "Iris Red" (aka shocking pink) unless you're planning on keeping the car a LONG time, you'll have trouble selling it!)
Try the ride out, you might not find it too "crashy". Certainly we think it's quite smooth, mind you we had an A Class before and that was the dictionary definition of a hard ride! The engine is quiet at idle, the mpg is excellent (50 in normal use). The only criticism I might have of it so far is that the doors feel a bit light.
Mike
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DavidHM said: >>> The Jazz's residuals are excellent as well, although I suspect that they'll be slightly more sensitive to high mileage as an even higher proportion of them will go to low mileage private buyers, despite the excellent build quality and residuals.
Against that, I'd say the Jazz is the more practical and sharper handling car, with the best petrol engine,but if, subjectively, your wife feels more at home in the Polo there is absolutely no reason not to go for it.
As for the ride - I think it has been improved >>>
DHM: Can you confirm that this is all based on 1st hand personal experience? [ I assume it is not sourced from a PhD student's thesis for a dodgy dossier! ;-) ]
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Yes actually; my parents looked at both before deciding to get a Focus that worked out barely any more expensive. As my mother wouldn't test drive, I stepped up to the plate.
I think the ride has been improved in the Jazz, although compared to an A Class anything is fine. (I've only driven an 02 plate one and didn't really mind the ride, although I've never been fussy in that respect). As for the Polo - it's okay but I am fussy about handling and it feels like any VW; safe but not overly communicative. The versatility of a Jazz with the seats down is really astounding so yes, it is far and away the more practical car.
As for residuals - well try finding a cheap Jazz second hand. Obviously working out what it will be in three years' time is a bit of guesswork, but looking at the numbers on the road, the numbers on rental fleets and so on, it's a fairly informed guess.
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Don't know much about the Jazz (though it receives much praise) but I think the Polo is bettered by both of its sister cars, the Fabia and Ibiza, which are better drives, better equipped and give you more for your money.
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Got to be the ultimate small car - Jazz (with the awful ride sorted out) with VW PD engine. Bingo.
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The ride in the Jazz we bought was awful, you need to sit in th eback and take it on a bumpy ride, suspect that over alot of miles it will drive you mad. We managed to get our money back on the Jazz, with relief.
Has anyone mentioned service costs, Honda dealers are notoriously expensive.
Think your Polo diesel or Seat Ibiza diesel is the best bet.
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There is something about the Jazz in today's HJ column in the Telegraph (not sure exactly which model as I was only glancing through whilst in a traffic jam)
I'll get back to you later if you haven't got it and need to know anything?
Personally have been out and bought a new car today and am chuffed to bits :) (not going to get it until 1st September though)
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