Cheap, smallish, reliable car recommendations

Honest John Back Room » Motoring discussion
View Threaded
Sun 25 Sep 2011 13:10
Cheap, smallish, reliable car recommendations - davidjwest

Hello,

We're downsizing from a Mondeo estate and Renault Grand Scenic to two new cars, one will probably be a Galaxy (we need a 7/8 seater) and the other is going to be a smaller car.

Our fuel bill between us is around £500-£600 a month as we do over 15k each so we are hoping to make some cost savings by having a economical car to replace the Scenic as that only returns ~35MPG.

Budget would be up to £8k but as depreciation is a concern I am prepared to pay less for an older car, it needs to be reliable, economical and have a minimum of 5 seats.

There'd be a mix of town, country and motorway driving with the odd run of up to 150 miles but mostly 30 miles or so a day, 15k per annum I'd guess.

Current shortlist includes Fiesta, Hyundai i20/i30, Seat Ibiza, Citroen C3 Pluriel (my partner wants one!) but there's a lot of choice out there so I'd like some recommendations.

Thanks!

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Sun 25 Sep 2011 20:16
Cheap, smallish, reliable car recommendations - mlj

..reliable, economical and have a minimum of five seats...

C3 Pluriel (no longer made) had a mediocre reputation for reliability I believe. (Speaking as a Citroen owner.) I wonder if the cars on your shortlist are big enough given your third criterion?

It's always easy to hypothetically spend someone else's money but I would be looking at diesel, 50 mpg minimum and cheap to maintain. Toyota and Skoda would be my first port of call. Fabia or used Octavia if you need the space. used Avensis at Toyota.

c3 Pluriel? My word!

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Sun 25 Sep 2011 20:47
Cheap, smallish, reliable car recommendations - jamie745

The Pluriel was a poor car, badly put together and nothing more than a gimmick. And that haphazard roof is something you'd get tired of within a week. And if you're asking for five seats presumably you will want a 5th person in the car from time to time, unless they can bunch up like a Russian doll you dont want a Pluriel.

Skoda and Toyota are good choices. Theres plenty of cars to pick from. Ford Focus, might be a bit common but the 2.0TDCi in Ghia or Titanium spec is a very good car, roomy also. Go for a 4 year old one or slightly older without the DPF. Toyota Avensis and Skoda Octavia as mentioned above. Chevrolet Epica, ok will depreciate like a stone but you can get a big, four door diesel on an 09 plate for considerably under your budget. Toyota Prius, ive driven one, they're not for everyone and can take some getting used to but enviable reliability record and is the only non-diesel here to compete economy wise.

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Sun 25 Sep 2011 22:48
Cheap, smallish, reliable car recommendations - Avant

I agree with the others: you should find something of the size you want from Skoda (Fabia or Octavia) or Toyota (Corolla/Auris or Avensis).

If you're prepared to go for a car 5+ years old, the old shape Honda Civic is worth a look as it has masss of rear legroom and can seat 3 in the back in comfort. (The new-shape Civic has a horrendous lack of rear visibility which is bad enough to be dangerous.)

Two to avoid - the Mazda 6 diesel which is prone to expensive engine failure, and ditto the 2.0 PD engine found in the VW Passat, Skoda Octavia etc. The 1.9 PD and newer common-rail diesels don't have the same injector problem.

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Mon 26 Sep 2011 21:06
Cheap, smallish, reliable car recommendations - 475TBJ

The new-shape Civic has a horrendous lack of rear visibility which is bad enough to be dangerous.) Yes Avant, another car where style overrides practicality and so another motorcycle killer, potenially.

BTW, I agree a Corolla/Civic could be ideal cars.

Reply | Report as offensive | Link

10 warranty myths exposed

Here’s how to sort the fact from the fiction when it comes to car warranties.

Cheap Car Warranties

A guide to how much VED you will need to pay on your car.

Road Tax Bands and Rates