He has now pretty well recovered from his surgery and aside from not being very energetic, he is feeling very well. His mind has now turned to his rusty Astra again.

In short, he has decided he wants to change it while the scrappage scheme is in force as his car more than qualifies and he is fearful of more running repairs, but more over, he cant be bothered to think about it anymore and wants a totally hassle-free ownership experience now.

So, what to buy? His criteria are: spacious, long warranty, easy to get in and out of, automatic ( proper box not auto-manual ) and comfortable seats. He also wants a boot that can easily fit a wheelchair without folding seats down. His budget with the scrap discount is £10k. the car will only do 5000 miles a year so a diesel isnt worth it but the car will be his until he either dies or gives up driving, then will pass to my mum to fullfill the same role.

Now, dont laugh, but his starting point of reference is the Daihatsu Materia auto - he had a good look round one when he was paying for the Coupe MOT and admitted that he is quite smitten with it. He likes the space inside, warranty and he said that the looks make him smile as its quite distinctive, but at the same time, its very functional. Its also not a big car which appeals. He found it easy to get into as its just the right height and at £9500 inc scrap disc its within his budget. He likes the idea of a 'big' supermini.

So, any suggestions? So far the cars that spring to mind are : Skoda Fabia 1.6 estate, Chevy Lacetti( its so cheap ), Nissan Note, Renault Clio Tourer, Seat Ibiza, Hyundai Matrix, Kia Ceed, VW Polo. Some are just big superminis but they come so big these days they might do the job.
He stated he isnt interested in performance, handling or badge, just a pleasent ownership experience and a car that will last him ten years or so ( he reckons thats what he has left! ).
He doesnt want a Vauxhall nor anything italian, but is open to french cars if they have proven reliability.

Comments on my ideas or left field suggestions most welcome, especially if you own any of the mentioned cars! He is looking to test drive on Sunday.
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Nice buy but you would still need a petrol pump! Read more

Hi all and thanks for looking I currently have an Audi A3 sport 2.0 fsi and I am looking for something a little bit faster but I am not sure which to choose. I am thinking of any of the following;

Subaru Impreza 2.0 wrx awd turbo

Vauxhall Corsa VXR

Vauxhall Astra VXR

Renault Cleo 197 Cup or Sport New Shape

I need it to be reasonable in servicing costs, filling it up soso, carry three people and a dog and safe in an acident. Looking to pay between 8 and 12k.

Thanx all Read more

Does anyone know if drivers are routinely asked to submit to an eyesight test following a major 'incident', in the same way as being breathalysed? Obviously a check would be made as to whether they were wearing glasses/contacts at the time.

I wonder how many people have nipped to the paper shop, for example, without bothering to find their specs? Read more

So the other day i was a passenger in a hire car from possibly the biggest car hire company in the UK; name no names.

We were travelling on the m6 toll in their car, going straight between 60 and 70mph as it was raining. 2 mins after it had started raining as i said going straight, the car just lost it, no swerving, no braking, nothing, it just lost it. The back left end just started sliding left.

We spun 360 degrees, 3x, hit the central reservation barrier which ripped the front wheel off, was catapulted back into the carriageway, hit the drain gully spun 2 more times and miraculously ended up off all 3 lanes, pointing the right way up against the central reservation on all 3 tyres.

Shocking crashing at that speed and luckily it happened on the toll. That car could have killed 2 fathers and potentially seriously hurt or killed others too.

When we got out we realised why all of sudden we lost control, looking at the rear tyres, both of them were completely bald on the outside edges. And i tell you, we were literally going straight and it just suddenly let go and it was a 4x4.

Here is a pic: yfrog.com/0iimg1awij

So, i know it was the drivers responsibility to check tyres. So everyone remember to check theirs and defiantly check any hirecar! I know on my car i always put new tyres on the back as they are without doubt the most important tyres on a car. They are there to anchor the car and clear water and i always check my tyres.

An unbelievable day that could have been much much worse.

And i must say, despite the angle of the picture, the tread that did exist was also on the min limit based on the cardboard measure the hire car company used when we got recovered back to the depot. Read more