New year, new car

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Sun 31 Dec 2017 12:56
New year, new car - primus 1
My sons girlfriend is going to look for a new ( to her) car next year, atm she drives a fiat panda( 2009)which has been reasonably reliable so far, just the usual servicing although she had the cam belt etc changed this year, and apart from a few minor issues has been ok, she needs something reliable and is thinking about a Kia Picanto or Hyundai i10, although a couple of others might be in the frame, a Suzuki Celario, or Mitsubishi Mirage, her budget will be about 5k inc her px for the panda she mainly uses for short urban commutes and the odd journey a bit further afield although no long motorway trips, image is not important , what are your views on these cars, or is there anything else that would suit, .?, has to be small city car.
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Sun 31 Dec 2017 13:49
New year, new car - badbusdriver

The mitsubishi mirage is not a great car (though many well be perfectly reliable), but the other 3 you mention are fine city car choices. Out of the 3 the celerio would be the youngest for the £5k budget, which can get you into a 2016 model. The picanto and i10 would be a year or two older, but all 3 would be very reliable. I'd also be thinking about the toyota aygo (facelifted 'x' front) and it's citroen and peugeot kissing cousins, the C1 and 108. Also, if she likes her panda, it would be worthwhile looking at another one, as the basic 1.2 engine is a sturdy and reliable little thing (unlike the twin air).

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Sun 31 Dec 2017 16:40
New year, new car - primus 1
Thanks , think the Aygo etc are a little too small she wants something that will last a good few years would the new shape panda be a better car than the Kia/Hyundai/Celario ?
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Sun 31 Dec 2017 23:20
New year, new car - alan1302
Thanks , think the Aygo etc are a little too small she wants something that will last a good few years would the new shape panda be a better car than the Kia/Hyundai/Celario ?

Probably not - the Kia/Hyundai and Celario are all very reliable cars.

I have the old style Hyundai i10 and found it to be ver reliable in the 4 years I have owned it nad racked up 60,000 miles in the car - even on a long journey it's been comfortable and good to drive.

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Mon 1 Jan 2018 00:32
New year, new car - SLO76
Picanto and i10 are the best all rounders at this money. Robust, reliable and not ugly as sin like the Celario or utter garbage like the Mirage.
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Mon 1 Jan 2018 08:30
New year, new car - SLO76
That said, £5k will also buy a very nice used Mazda 2 1.3, Suzuki Swift 1.2 or Ford Fiesta 1.25. All three are robust and great fun to drive.
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Mon 1 Jan 2018 08:53
New year, new car - primus 1
I agree about the Mazda,and swift, but these are just a little too old, she wants as new as possible given her budget, and the Picanto/i10 have the longer warranties, she’s not image conscious hence the Celario, most on here seem to favour Japanese or Korean make cars for the reliability,
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Mon 1 Jan 2018 10:27
New year, new car - badbusdriver

The difference in size between the celerio and the aygo is negligible, in fact the aygo is slightly wider. The main difference is that the celerio has 5 seatbelts, whereas the aygo (and the C1/108) have 4. This is also the case with the VAG trio of the up, citigo and mii. The i10 definately has 5 seatbelts and i think the picanto does too, wouldn't swear on it though.Bear in mind though, this does not make any of them '5 seaters', as it would be a very tight squeeze for 3 adults on the rear seat of a car this size. Nice to have the option though, just in case!.

I have to stand up for the celerio. No it certainly is not blessed in the looks department, but it is a very honest little car, with no delusions of grandeur like some. It makes absolutely the most use of it's space, and usually comes out well in any type of 'real mpg' survey. Add to this, the fact that they are very simple and reliable and it really is a perfect choice for your requirements. There may only be 7 owners reviews on autotrader, but the celerio scores 4.9 out of 5. They are also very light in weight so not as sluggish as you might imagine a 1.0 car to be. The only area it might not be much fun would be on motorways or main roads on a windy day, where its lack of weight combined with being relatively tall and narrow would probably make it a bit skittish!.

And i can only applaud anyone who takes 'image' out of the car buying process. There are so many people out there who base this decision solely on how the car looks and put no consideration into whether or not the car is any good!.

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Mon 1 Jan 2018 11:04
New year, new car - SLO76
The issue with the Celerios ungainly looks isn’t so much my personal taste, it’s the high depreciation they cause. Buy a used Swift at the right price and it’ll hold its money far better greatly outweighing the lower running costs of the smaller less practical car. Style sells especially among the ever younger buyers a car appeals to as it ages and unfortunately awkwardly styled cars are hammered when it comes to resale. Otherwise it’s a perfectly acceptable little car just be aware that it’ll be worthless when you come to sell so buy right to start with, dealers struggle to move them so expect a good deal.
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Mon 1 Jan 2018 12:39
New year, new car - badbusdriver

Much as i respect your wisdom SLO, the prices being asked on autotrader just don't back up what you say regarding depreciation.

The celerio was launched in 2015, so i used this age as a base, excluded any insurance write off's, decided on a mileage of up to 30k and started searching for the cheapest examples of the celerio, i10 and swift. I then compared the asking prices to the new prices and the results, while far from scientific, suggest the opposite of what you say is actually the case. With the price asked for the celerio closest to it's new price, going by percentage.

For the record, the figures i came to were that the celerio had lost 33% of it's new price, the i10 had lost 40% and the swift had lost 51%.

Like i said, it aint scientific, but that is what i found!

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Mon 1 Jan 2018 11:21
New year, new car - Engineer Andy
I agree about the Mazda,and swift, but these are just a little too old, she wants as new as possible given her budget, and the Picanto/i10 have the longer warranties, she’s not image conscious hence the Celario, most on here seem to favour Japanese or Korean make cars for the reliability,

I drove the Celerio for a day as a courtesy car whilst my Mazda was having a clutch change, and it was ok, nothing more: I found the seating position a bit high for my liking (I had to reach down to pull the handbrake) and the gear change didn't have much feel, but it was surprisingly nippy around town. On the local dual carriageway it did run out of puff, especially when going up inclines, but then it only has a 1.0 litre engine. Quite a basic, dull (grey) interior too.

I would personally go with the KIA if you want the peace of mind with the warranty (2 extra years over the Hyundai), and get only the spec you actually need to get the newest car you can (given that's why you're saying no to the Mazda2 and Suzuki Swift [both very nice cars in their own right, especially the driving experience] et al).

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