? - Used small car

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Wed 21 May 2014 23:11
? - Used small car - kerbed enthusiasm

Sorry, I know that this subject has been done to death but we're very suddenly in the market for a replacement car. Thinking approx. 4K with priorities being low insurance and comfort. 5 doors and manual are also essential. Looking at Yaris, i10 (i20 is just within range too), Fabia, Polo, etc. 107 and its counterparts are really too small and Jazz, Note, etc are surprising high insurance. Has anyone got any recommendations based on personal experience please? Avant, I think your daughter runs an i10?

Thanks in advance. I promise to read all contributions and inform you of the decision.

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Thu 22 May 2014 00:35
? - Used small car - Avant

She does indeed - well remembered! So far, so good after 20 months and just under 20,000 miles - no problems at all (touch wood). Not sure how well it'll last, but I do know that she had no problems with four hard-driven Toyota Yarises before the i10 (which was a lot cheaper than another Yaris).

There'll be more Yarises to choose from at your price level: go for the 1.3 (or the 1.2 i10) as the 1.0 is on the sluggish side. The Fabia is anothe possibility if you want something slightly bigger: cheaper than a Polo of similar age and mileage.

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Thu 22 May 2014 00:50
? - Used small car - daveyK_UK

Always found Vauxhall corsa to be comfortable, cheap to insure and fairly reliable.

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Thu 22 May 2014 08:56
? - Used small car - SteveLee

i10. Two in the family - both have been faultless apart from disappointing (high 40s, low 50s at a push) fuel consumption.

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Thu 22 May 2014 14:54
? - Used small car - Happy Blue!

Any reason not to go for the best selling supermini - Ford Fiesta? Good cars, lots of choice, cheap parts..

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Thu 22 May 2014 18:37
? - Used small car - kerbed enthusiasm

Slightly averse to Fords. I had a diesel Mondeo which proved... problematic. We also had a Ford Fusion 1 which literally crippled both of us with its seating position, despite it seeming fine on the test drive. I did well to drive it back to the garage a week later and it was only a mile away! The Fusion is the only car that has had this effect but I'd hate to repeat the mistake.

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Thu 22 May 2014 18:39
? - Used small car - kerbed enthusiasm

Not all that well remembered, Avant. It came up in my Google search comparing the Yaris with the i10!

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Tue 27 May 2014 21:03
? - Used small car - kerbed enthusiasm

I've never found any pleasure in buying a replacement car. I usually do so because I have to: most of the cars we've had we've kept for as long as economically viable.

My search has now concluded. I've bought a Yaris having, reluctantly, discounted other models. I looked at a Fabia 1 1.2HTP. The engine was surprisingly peppy and the insurance group was satisfyingly low. Unfortunately, I found that the seat had limited lumbar support so I knew that out ageing bones would soon suffer. I also tried the previous model Fabia (Ambiente), this was slightly slower but had much better seats. Unfortunately, the car salesman (main dealer at that!) walked away from me to talk to another customer as we were about to sit down to discuss finances. Forty minutes later he hadn't returned, so I left...

The i10 was very tempting but as it has an insurance group of at least 10 it was discounted from the search - new drivers take note!. The Kia Ceed would have been ideal but low insurance groups only kick in on the new models (2011 onwards). I discovered that the Chevrolet Spark has low insurance, good economy and NCAP. They start from about £3.5k for a used car and so constitute a good deal for those who are after a small city car but their ability to mix it with motorway traffic concerned me a little.107s, C1s and Aygos litter the used car forecourts. 5 door cars command a slightly higher price but the rear windows are on a latch rather than a winder: not good for a child with travel sickness!

So, a Yaris it is. Thanks for the ideas everyone.

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Tue 27 May 2014 21:30
? - Used small car - daveyjp
Good choice, but don't be swayed by insurance groups too heavily. Get quotes as claim history for models is more important than the group.

If youngsters are buying group 1 Aygos and having lots of accidents the insurance may well be higher than for a group 10 Hyundai with fewer claims.
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Sat 31 May 2014 10:56
? - Used small car - LagoonNaiad

I will second this - I get cheaper (just) insurance quotes on a Nissan Note than I do a Toyota Yaris.

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Sat 31 May 2014 11:53
? - Used small car - LagoonNaiad

(Group 9 1.3 Yaris vs Group 10 1.4 Note for comparison purposes)

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Fri 30 May 2014 04:58
? - Used small car - SteveLee

Didn't you look at a Panda? Superb little car.

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Fri 30 May 2014 09:31
? - Used small car - cilvilservant

We took a couple of Pandas out for test drives recently after reading reviews and opinions of how these cars would be great for us as a second vehicle.

Driving them with the family in the car felt like driving a tin of sardines on wheels. I was so disappointed as I wanted so much to like the cars due to their attractive prices and funky design.

For the price, they are great but it felt too agricultural and flimsy for me. Still, I appreciate why they have a huge appreciation society!

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Sat 31 May 2014 01:17
? - Used small car - kerbed enthusiasm

Pandas became a running joke in our internet trawl. My better and wiser half kept finding and suggesting them on internet searches, consistenly forgetting that they only have four seats. Given that this is a second car in a household of four (that's very likely to soon become three) we probably won't ever need to use a fifth seat but it was, for reasons that I do not fully understand yet accept in their entirety, a crucial search parameter. A three star NCAP result also did little to instill confidence, especially as the car will be required to cope with motorway traffic. Fiat Pandas look fun and cheeky on the high street; their appeal lessens quite considerably when you see them running alongside a HGV. That said, I like the design and the seating position and understand their appeal.

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Sat 31 May 2014 09:40
? - Used small car - bazza

My daughter has a Panda but it lives in the city for which it is perfect. Once out on the motorway and on A roads, it's limitations become more obvious. She will be moving to a new area soon, so we will find something more suitable for longer trips, for reasons stated in other posts. For what it is, the Panda is a great design but it is very lightly built and if you work on cars a lot as I do, you can see just how light that build really is. In a big accident, a small light car and its occupants will absorb a lot more energy than in a bigger heavy one. Simple laws of physics, big marble v small marble. Doesn't matter how many N Cap stars a small car has, it is disadvantaged. 3 years ago my wife was driving our Octavia hatch doing 40mph on an A road. She was hit by a Clio coming the other way on the wrong side of the road at about 40 mph. Both cars completely destroyed but all occupants bruised but ok. Looking at the aftermath showed just how strong modern cars are-amazing really. They both absorbed a massive impact and protected their occupants. i shudder to think if it had been an older car or a tiny car like the Panda. Anyway, I digress, but what about a Fiesta-not much wrong with those, or go up a size into Auris/Corolla land -tough cars with not a lot to go wrong? Yaris i agree is probably ideal but they are quite pricey for what they are. Clio also, having witnessed how tough they are first hand.

Cheers.

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Mon 2 Jun 2014 17:56
? - Used small car - Xileno

Clio MK3 (2005 onwards) are solid and reliable cars, you will not go far wrong with a 1.4 engine.

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Mon 2 Jun 2014 18:08
? - Used small car - Avant

Good to see you back, Xileno. As I remember you've had some good experiences with Renaults, as I did in the 1980s and 1990s.

I think there's quite a lot of evidence that quality has improved again after a dip in the arly 2000s. I still would recommmend a petrol for anyone buying used: it's not so much the engines themselves that fail on some diesels, rather the peripherals.

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Mon 2 Jun 2014 18:34
? - Used small car - Xileno

Likewise! I see you're a moderator on here now, promotion or what... do you still play the organ?

I do not actually have a Renault at the moment, a change in domestic arrangements meant that it made more sense to keep the Focus being newer and lower mileage than the Megane, particularly as the Megane was due a cambelt, it made sense to trade it in before the expensive service. I do miss it though, it was extremely comfortable and refined. I saw it for sale about 18 months ago on a local forecourt, it still looked nice and shiny and for a moment I was tempted...but then sense got the better of me!

I would say that overall my experiences of Renault have been good but I have a very good dealer nearby and I think that makes a huge difference. I've written lots on the decline in Renault quality but also their rise again, it was mainly the 2000 to 2004 period where things went downhill with the Laguna MK2, Scenic MK2, Megane MK2 and Espace models. From about 2004 things have improved significantly, the Renault = unreliable claim does not hold any more.

I hope to buy the newest Laguna I can source soon, unfortunately Renault have stopped selling this model in the UK.

Sorry for the thread drift...

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Tue 3 Jun 2014 01:05
? - Used small car - SteveLee
I hope to buy the newest Laguna I can source soon, unfortunately Renault have stopped selling this model in the UK.

2011 for 8K: www.cargiant.co.uk/Renault/Laguna/details-647985-R...p

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