Buying a new car - Sober Rat

Buying my first new car

I have never owned a brand new car before and so I didn’t know quite what to expect when it came to testing and buying a new car.

This year I was fortunate enough to have a successful PPI claim come through. My current car is now nineteen years old, that’s not to say that there is anything wrong with it, it has been a great little car to own with very few problems and very low running costs for over 90000 miles. It is a Peugeot 106 diesel and has now covered nearly 123000 miles. It is cheap to insure and returns about 55 mpg without being careful. My only problem is that it is a bit boring to drive; it resembles a boat when cornering and accelerates at a similar rate to a barge. So this year I decided to buy something with a bit more excitement. Top of the list for me was that it needed to be super mini size again as I really don’t need anything bigger. It also needed to have fairly good handling and reasonable performance. Super minis today are not so “mini” any more. The VW Polo is about the same size as an early Golf now and the Fiesta seems to be similar in size to the old Focus. Having said that that is only on the outside as inside there is very little difference to my current car, in fact the boots of these cars are not as wide as the 106, which was quite a surprise.

I wanted to see what most of the manufacturers had to offer so went about booking test drives with as many as possible over the school summer holidays. There were a few manufacturers that I wanted to avoid, but not many. Renault I decided would be one of them as I had seen a programme on TV about what it took to change a front light bulb in their cars. It involved removing the front wheel and arch lining, sod that.

The first car that I tested was a Ford Fiesta, I had heard a lot about the drivability of these and I tried the 1.0 Ecoboost engine. This was a fantastic little car. The Fiesta handled very well and the engine was quite perky. I found the dealers quite helpful and they didn’t push for a sale too much.

Next I decided to look at the Kia Rio, as I have heard some good things about these cars recently. I tried to book a test drive with the local dealer and spoke to one of the sales people who said he would get back to me to arrange a time and date. They never did. After this I tried to book tests with Mini, Suzuki, Audi, VW, Hyundai, Citroen, Peugeot, Vauxhall, Mazda, Seat, Toyota and Honda. Most of these test drives were booked online so relied on the dealers getting in touch with me and while most of them did there were a few exceptions. I would like to share with you my opinion of the cars that I tested and the dealer experience.

Citroen DS3 – The dealer phoned me back promptly and booked a drive on a Sunday morning. When I arrived he told me that his sales person had not shown up yet. We discussed the DS3 for a bit and then he took my driving licence and let me go out on my own as the guy had still not turned up. This meant I could take the car wherever I wanted which made this a really good test drive. The car itself was ok but the steering was a little lacking in any sort of feel. Not a bad car in any way though.

Vauxhall Corsa – Again they were prompt in getting back to me and took me on a slightly boring route for my drive, I only had one round-a-bout to see how the Corsa handled. The sales person was very good and discussed all the options well. The car lacked a bit of feel and the engine was a bit dull.

Honda Jazz – The dealer was very good and made every effort to answer any questions about the Jazz that I was interested in. This car had the best gearbox of any car that I drove, so positive and precise. Unfortunately the engine just didn’t excite me in any way, quite slow acceleration and no real get up and go, a shame really because the car is very well built and very practical. A bit pricey though.

Mazda 2 – The dealer was very good and took me on a very good route for the test drive. The Mazda 2 was really nice to drive with the handling being excellent. The gearbox was in a great position for driving and was nice and positive. The engine was quite good but being a non-turbo didn’t really feel that fast. Mazda stopped making the 3 door version which is what I wanted which was a shame because I did like this car.

VW Polo – The dealers were very good and took me on the best planned route of any dealer. The Polo was a very comfortable to drive but lacked in excitement. This may have been down to the fact that it wasn’t the engine that I wanted to try, it was a diesel not a petrol engine, but the car didn’t feel that good on the handling front. I asked for a test of the turbo petrol engine and they said that they would call me when one was available. They did call a few weeks later but never confirmed the test drive. I enjoyed driving this car because of the position and visibility, but not the excitement it gave.

Audi A1 – The dealer was quite good and the A1 was a real surprise. The car sounded good and was a very nice place to sit. The engine had good punch and the whole car felt so different to the Polo with which it shares the same chassis. For a while it was top of my list. Expensive but a very nice car to drive and be in but I always had some reservations about the looks. The brakes felt very good too and the ride quality, although stiff, was comfortable.

Hyundai i20 – The dealer/sales person was excellent. He sent me out on my test drive on my own which again gave me the freedom to choose my own route. The i20 was ok but not exciting in any way and I was very shocked that the trip computer told me I was only getting 20mpg. I would expect better than that with the performance I got. Nice enough car but not my cup of tea.

Peugeot 208 – The dealer was quite helpful but the test drive route for the 308 was awful, all around the congested roads near the dealership and so very little chance to assess the car that well. I did feel that it wasn’t the car for me though as it felt a bit boring. It also had the worst steering wheel position of any car that I tried. You could not see the dials well whatever position the steering wheel was in. Strange design that.

Toyota Yaris – The dealers were good but the Yaris was not at all interesting to drive, very sensible and nothing wrong with it but again not what I was looking for. The engine choice is very conservative and the rear parking camera a waste of time in my opinion, better off using the mirrors and looking over your shoulder.

Seat Ibiza – I didn’t test drive the Ibiza but had to hire a car for a week and it happened to be the Seat. Not a bad car and quite a good price but lacking the overall handling of the Fiesta, Mazda or Audi. You can get some good engines in this car for a good price but I found the styling was not to my taste.

Suzuki sent a card through the post saying that they would contact me shortly to arrange a test drive but never did. The Swift gets good reviews but I didn’t get the chance to find out unfortunately. Mini didn’t even bother contacting me even though I made two requests for a test drive and the only time they responded was when I complained via email that they had not contacted me, so I didn’t bother even trying the car in the end as they didn’t deserve my attention.

I did a lot more research online while the testing was going on and in the end had a short list of the Audi A1, Ford Fiesta and Mazda 2, in that order. I then realized that the price I would pay for the Audi would bring the price very close to the price of the Ford Fiesta ST. At this stage it seemed to me that it would be a good idea to try out the Fiesta Hot Hatch. I booked a test drive and couldn’t believe how much better this car was in handling and power, even compared to the other Fiesta I had tried. The Audi was nicer inside but it had nearly 60bhp less power for the same money. So that was it really, the Fiesta ST was a really great little car to drive. It ticked all the boxes that I wanted ticked and I placed my order. I did not go through my local dealer in the end as they were not very flexible on price and I instead used an online car broker and got the car for about £2500 less than the list price, for a factory order car. You can’t argue with that, I got all the options I wanted for less than the price of a standard car in “Race Red”, not my colour of choice. The only problem is the wait: there is about a 12 week wait for this car at the moment as it has been more sought after than Ford expected. It will not be as cheap on running costs as some of the other options but I think it will be a lot more fun which for me is an important part of driving. I can’t wait for it to arrive! I will miss my little Pug though. There really wasn’t a bad car among the cars that I tried it was just about what floated my boat in the end. I find that each car has a personality that you either like or don’t. The disappointments were the dealerships that didn’t make an effort to contact me. I have since had emails from Kia asking me to contact them to arrange a test drive and a few from Suzuki saying that I really should try the new Swift. Bit late now! Still no word from Mini though. Unbelievable! It’s a wonder that they sell any cars at all. Maybe they could tell that I wouldn’t have bought one anyway as the boot is a joke.

Buying a new car - gordonbennet

Enjoyed that, thanks for posting.

You were spoiled with your 106 Diesel, one of the best little cars ever made IMO...if they'd continued making them and bolted a turbo on for good measure they'd be selling like hot cakes still, as you rightly say all cars have become bloated for little improvement in interior room, 106 had a good boot for its size, helped by Pugs marvellous rear suspension....the soggy handling you mention is IMO down to the tyre choice on your car (unless the shockers are shot), they had an excellent combination of compliant suspension with good overall grip, difficult nay impossible to find now except on a Berlingo.

Its natural successor was the C2, only available as a 2 door and with different rear suspension a joke boot, and more recently 107/C1/Aygo, IMO a superb little car but needed a bigger engined option and again a very small boot.

Hope you enjoy your new Fiesta should be fun to drive if a little hard riding, only one thing did you take the test car on some of your normal roads, test drive routes are chosen to show a car in its best light, or rather to hide anything that might put potential buyers off, that why i use my own test route, if they don't like it i don't have to buy.

We had a similar quandry a few years ago, we ended up buying a Cit C2 VTS HDi, good little pocket rocket in its own way, but unbeknown to me at the time Toyota for several years had offered the 1.8 petrol engine (current Avensis engine) in the Yaris in SR spec, that would have been perfect as we'd have LPG converted it anyway, trouble is sometimes these cars are there but you just don't know about them...i was a car transporter driver in those days delivering Toyota's as well as other makes and even i didn't know the 1.8 Yaris existed.

Edited by gordonbennet on 21/12/2013 at 18:16

Buying a new car - Sober Rat

Thanks for the reply. Perhaps I have been a little harsh on the Pug. I said it was boring but in all honesty I have managed to have fun in it without coming to any grief so it can't be that bad. When I tested the Fiesta ST I actually told them that I didn't want to go where they took me for the previous test and they were ok with that. The roads where I live are pretty poor generally so although I did notice the ST was a little firm it wasn't too crashy.

Buying a new car - piggy

". Perhaps I have been a little harsh on the Pug."

Yes you have! My wife had two of these over the years.Both went to 6 figure milages with total reliability. Hers were petrol engined which probably handled better than the diesel version. I like to take a car close to it's dynamic limit; the Pugs did not dissapoint. Very interesting post OP.Very objective indeed.

Buying a new car - Andrew-T

Your small Pug is getting long in the tooth. But if you don't normally do it, I think you should splash out a few quid on some diesel injector cleaner, which may alleviate your complaint about accelerating like a barge somewhat. Some on here will scoff, but I find it soon makes a noticeable difference, especially to good old-fashioned diesel engines.

But buying a new car? Have you had an attack of Christmas spirit, or come into money? :-)

Edited by Andrew-T on 22/12/2013 at 10:33

Buying a new car - gordonbennet

But buying a new car? Have you had an attack of Christmas spirit, or come into money? :-)

''This year I was fortunate enough to have a successful PPI claim come through.''

.;-)

some claim, i got £40 but i don't do loans.

Edited by gordonbennet on 22/12/2013 at 10:50

Buying a new car - Sober Rat

" I think you should splash out a few quid on some diesel injector cleaner, which may alleviate your complaint about accelerating like a barge somewhat"

Thanks for the advice, I may well try that. There is a good chance that I will keep the Pug in the family so it would be good to get the thing going a bit better. I'm an ex toolmaker and have always maintained the car myself, not that I enjoyed doing it that much but toolmakers tend to trust no-one IMO. It is only nuts and bolts my Dad says(another ex toolmaker).

The Fiesta was ordered back in October but didn't quite get here in time for Christmas, so nothing to do with spirit, apart from the colour. If my PPI hadn't come along I would be more than happy to keep driving the 106.

Buying a new car - corax

but unbeknown to me at the time Toyota for several years had offered the 1.8 petrol engine (current Avensis engine) in the Yaris in SR spec, that would have been perfect as we'd have LPG converted it anyway,

You wouldn't have to GB, the engine does 35-40+ mpg in a big Avensis even when you work it. Not much power, so you really have to plan your overtakes, but the economy is amazing.

Buying a new car - gordonbennet

You wouldn't have to GB, the engine does 35-40+ mpg in a big Avensis even when you work it. Not much power, so you really have to plan your overtakes, but the economy is amazing.

Hi C, all well i trust?....Forester still bringing a rightly satisfied smirk to the face.:-)))...whoosh gone.

Thing is i have an aversion to paying ever increasing taxes for our incompetent (and incredibly actually elected) leaders of all three hues to throw around like so much confetti, so the LPG thing has become a thumbing of the nose protest as much as an economy drive..:-)

We both really liked that model Yaris but it needed a decent engine option, i was as much annoyed with myself for not knowing, until last year, that the 1.8 SR existed at all, the 1.4 Diesel wouldn't been enough for my barmy SWMBO'd.

All old news now though, since the Outlander SWMBO has become a AWD convert for its sure footed grip whatever the weather, and prefers the higher seating of even a slightly higher soft roader....mind you she quite fancies that Hyundai Grandeur currently for sale on Ebay classifieds for about £2350, that would make a very decent LPG'd luxobarge for a few years...if it wasn't for the £470 VED stinger.

Edited by gordonbennet on 22/12/2013 at 14:42

Buying a new car - Avant

Welcome to the forum, and thanks for such a helpful comparison of cars (and dealers). From all accounts I've seen, the Fiesta ST is a lot of fun, so good luck with it when you get it.

Stay with us!

Buying a new car - skidpan

We looked at the Fiesta ST back in June,great car but the fact it was not available with 5 doors ruled it out for us.

Hope you are not expecting to get the "Official" mpg figure of 47 mpg, if you are you are in for a big disapointment. Looking at tests and various sites (including this one) indicated 35 mpg is nearer the real world figure, but much less if you use it in town on short journeys.

Buying a new car - Sober Rat

Not expecting anywhere near the quoted MPG. On the test drive I noticed the ST only managed 33, which was what it had on it when I set off for the test. I do a fair amount of open road driving so we will see what happens if I can keep the revs down, IF!

Buying a new car - corax

Not expecting anywhere near the quoted MPG. On the test drive I noticed the ST only managed 33, which was what it had on it when I set off for the test. I do a fair amount of open road driving so we will see what happens if I can keep the revs down, IF!

A mate at work is looking to trade his Zetec S in and buy one of these next year around spring time, and no doubt he will be very happy with it. A 200+ bhp turbo in a car the size of a Fiesta sounds like fun :)

Buying a new car - Wackyracer

Sober Rat, That was a very interesting read indeed. Makes a change to read something like that.

I hope you'll write something about your impressions of living with the ST after you have had it some weeks.

Buying a new car - veryoldbear

A most enjoyable write-up on small car selection, and a rather telling indictment of the different attitudes of main dealers ...

Buying a new car - Sober Rat

Thanks Wackyracer and veryoldbear. I will report back on living with the Fiesta but also on living with a new car. I have always bought 2nd hand and have always been quite lucky with the cars that I have owned (4 cars in 30 years). That is the reason that I posted the original text as it is all a new expierience for me.