Car for grandma to carry junior around?

Honest John Back Room » Motoring discussion
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Mon 6 Jan 2003 13:33
Car for grandma to carry junior around? - Ellis
Apologies for the similarity to this thread and the Citreon ZX thread. Looking for a car for my mum to replace her '84 metro which is not looking healthy. Small to medium car preferably 4 doors but not essential, decent build and safety approx £4-5.5k. Short journeys mainly.
Had a look at various cars on HJ's car by car but nothing promising, had thought a about Peaugeots as a local dealer doing 0% finance 3 years no deposit, but seems to have bad reports on 106, 206 and 306, Micra and Civic look promising, anyone got any personal recommendations as I know not all makes of the same car react equally through their working lives.
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Mon 6 Jan 2003 14:14
Car for grandma to carry junior around? - DavidHM
Before HJ suggests it, Yaris! An early one should be available for that.

Alternatively, a new shape Corsa is safe, chain driven although I doubt she's going to do big mileages, a bit slow, but spacious and sensible. That should be available for £5k on a 51 plate.

I probably wouldn't buy a Fiesta at this money. A Micra is also a good buy, virtually new at this price, very easy to drive and reliable although probably not quite as safe. A Civic is a good car but a £5,000 one is likely to be at least 4 years old.

Be wary about 3 year, 0% finance offers; often it means that the interest is just in the price already. Unless you have very bad credit, shopping around and buying from another source will usually work out cheaper; and if you have bad credit, you probably wouldn't get the loan in the first place.

Finally, I wouldn't bother with a 206. It's a decent enough car but if you want safe, cheap and reliable, rather than minxy, you can do better with your money.
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Mon 6 Jan 2003 14:39
Car for grandma to carry junior around? - DavidHM
Although after I typed this, I thought, what the hell, get yourself a Clio instead.

A 1.2 Authentique is only £7k new so should be available. A post facelift one has 6 airbags and ABS as standard, has electric windows, remote locking, stereo and sunroof, and if you get a good one they're very reliable.

With Renaults, quality seems either to be all there or not there at all. A mate of mine has 3 (S, X, Y) and none has had any problems, including his 1.2 that has done 40k from new in 2 years. On the other hand, it is *very* well looked after.
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Mon 6 Jan 2003 15:45
Car for grandma to carry junior around? - Maz
A little bird (or was it a fat bloke) tells me that you can pick up a new Ka for £5k. Not necessarily my first choice, but with three years warranty you can't wrong.

If you go for a second hand car, probably best to get something Japanese if substance is more important than style to Gran. The outgoing Micra is good value right now.

Steer clear of leaky, shoddy (IMO) Clios.
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If you cover no more than 100 miles per day and have easy access to a charging point at home or work, then an EV is ideal for you.

Is an electric car right for me?