Re: Recommend me a small (ish) car!
 

Id recommend the VW Golf 1.6 SE Thats what ive got and ive had no problems with it so far. Depending on how much you want to spend, you can pick them up for a decent price. They also have a reasonably good mpg (but that depends on the kind of driving you do).

Corsa's are ok. 3 of my friends have them. One is reliable the other two kept breaking down (one friend is on her second corsa in 2 years).

Another friend has a KA which is really cool and unbelieveably economical. shes had no problems at all with it so id say they're reliable enough :D

Id avoid fiat puntos at all costs...

Maria

Re: Recommend me a small (ish) car!
 

+1. my friend had a courtesy car and it was pathetic..!

Re: Recommend me a small (ish) car!
 

fiesta, corsa.

Re: Recommend me a small (ish) car!
 

I dorve one of the original new shape micras years ago and found it to be alright. Ok, you had to wring the neck out of it, but it was a right laugh, that was a 1.3 though. Anything with a 1L engine (Other than a 2 wheeled version) is going to be pants.

Re: Recommend me a small (ish) car!
 

I actually just read your post.

If you can find one, get a Fiesta 1.4TDCi in the ST trim level. Cool looking, economical and fialry quick.

Re: Recommend me a small (ish) car!
 

i wouldnt get a saxo...

bought a brand new one off the forecourt on my 18th birthday..piece of poo...had it 13 months....was in the garage for 9 months of that time....at one point i was driving round in a 2 month old car with about 90 miles on it that just had 2nd and 5th gear....

after 13 months and it being buggered AGAIN....and being told that the warranty wouldnt cover it...(cheeky fecks)...it conveniatly (excuse spelling) was stolen whilst i was in the pub and found 3 hours later burnt to cinders....quite lucky really...

in summary rubbish cars....

fiesta
focus
rover 214/216

thats the sort of thing id be looking for...nothing by peugeot or citrean...peh...

Re: Recommend me a small (ish) car!
 

Not a Rover, for Gods sake don't do it to yourself,[-o<

You will notice everyone will recommend what they own / owned as everyone thinks their car is the best.

Or they have had a bad experience with one or two and will base an opinion on that.

I see hundreds of cars each year, drive most if not all of them and then price them as trade ins so trust me on this, some cars are woefully unreliable and problematic, some lose so much value that its painful to think about.

Stick to simple rules.

Japanese/Korean - they over-engineer everything so they are super tough mechanically and simple to fix (PS. Nissan is not Japanese)

Simple - lots of neat gadgets are class but key cards and gizmos are a bottomless pit of problems. ABS is a must for insurance reasons though.

Service history - a modern car doesn't need too much attention but if its been regularly serviced by its previous owner you can be sure its going to give you less hassle in the long run. Don't get too hung up on mileage as long as the servicing is in order.

Avoid French - Its not a anti french thing, they made good looking cars that are nice to drive, problem is they make them cheaply and they fall apart alarmingly quickly and even leak (how can a car leak in 2008?)


if you find something like this it will give you less problems in the long run, will be simple to re-sell when your done.

Re: Recommend me a small (ish) car!
 

Don't go for a daewoo either. Yeugh.

Re: Recommend me a small (ish) car!
 

Peugeot 106. Great handling and built like tanks.

Re: Recommend me a small (ish) car!
 

i thought the electrics were crap?