Which small car?

Honest John Back Room » Motoring discussion
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Sat 16 Aug 2008 14:24
Which small car? - brg190 pete
Hi All

Starting to think about the next car for my wife, either new or up to a year old. I've had a look through the car-by-car breakdown, and have a couple of possibilities in mind, but would like advice from you before I say what are my current favourites.

Wish list for the car is as follows :

Cost up to £6.5k
Small car, but must be 5 door and the boot big enough for a guitar
Safety very important
Reliable
Long-lasting (current car = 10 year old Micra - she wants the next one to last as long)
As few gadgets as possible (eg no alloys) but must have air con
Main use = town driving

Image not important, nor is performance. But economy and low VED are important.

Given that small cars don't depreciate too much in the first year, I may be tempted to go for the extra peace of mind of buying brand new.

Should be grateful for your suggestions, everyone.

Edited by Pugugly on 16/08/2008 at 18:48

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Sat 16 Aug 2008 16:24
which small car? - stunorthants26
Daihatsu Sirion 1.0 S
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Sat 16 Aug 2008 16:58
which small car? - Zub
Hyundai Getz now £5995 new.
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Sat 16 Aug 2008 21:38
which small car? - brg190 pete
Thanks for those suggestions.

Not thought of the Sirion - did drive one a couple of years ago as a courtesy car and felt very tinny - but the new model looks like it might be much better.

Also not considered the Getz - but I thought a strong contender might be the i10.

Tempted by those companies with 5 year warranties - so Daihatsu and Hyundai might both be strong contenders.

A major concern for me is that the wife will only consider small cars - because she is not a confident driver. She currently drives an R-reg Micra which I know is, in relative terms, much less safe now than when new - bearing in mind the tendency for everybody else to be driving stronger and safer cars than 10 years ago. So I really want her to drive the safest small car we can find. The i10 does very well in crash tests, are there any others I should consider?

Thanks in advance for any further suggestions.
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Sat 16 Aug 2008 22:46
which small car? - runboy
I'll put my hand up for the i10 (we have one on order). Not sure you'll get any deal (list is £6745) but there are a few 2nd hand coming up on Autotrader.
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Sat 16 Aug 2008 22:55
which small car? - stunorthants26
The good thing about the Daihatsu is that it feels quite large and is certainly nothing like the original Sirion, although i would point out that my aunt has a 1.0 Sirion auto which she has had ten years now and its still going strong despite, er, sporadic ' didnt know it needs servicing' ownership.
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Sun 17 Aug 2008 14:26
which small car? - tawse
I was in Motorpoint in Newport a few weeks ago and was amazed how many cheap pre-reg and 1 year old Nissan Micras they had - manual and autos - so perhaps worth a look.
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