Need small reliable Automatic ...

[Electric Leyland]

.. with decent length ticket, pref 5 door. Has to be CHEAP cos got to pull budget out of thin air. Sounds like a fussy request but it's not for me, 'er indoors wants to scoot around town with the baby and pushchair in something, basic A to B stuff.She's used to a modern Yaris over in Oz but even a 10 year old one costs the earth these days, it's ridiculous.Anything considered that fits this bill, Polo, Micra, Pug, Jap, Cit, Golf, Korean, don't mind travelling to get it.Anyone got anything? Don't think she'd drive that white Rancho sadly, or anything that's proper Autoshite. Tsk.

[Betaphile]

Assuming baby + pushchair will fit, Micra CVT for sure. I was amazed the first time I drove one, it's like it's from a different planet compared to most shitbox small automatics.

[gtd2000]

Small automatics are in high demand and usually command higher than average prices.I know this as I've been buying my mum small automatics for the past 20 years Should be easy enough to find something though

[r.welfare]

+1 to Gtd2000 as I have to do the same for my own mother!Micras seem to be everywhere so I'd assume the CVT box is reliable, having said that my mum's Honda needed a £2.5k box rebuild last year so I'd personally prefer a conventional auto at the shite level. Something like a Corsa or Polo. Check the trans fluid is a nice red colour and the box shifts properly. Steer clear of anything French and automatic though.PS Take the pushchair with you to check the boot size, the Quinny thing we have is enormous and was the main reason we chopped my wife's Fabia in for an Accord...

[pogweasel]

Cheap + small + automatic = syntax errorIt's pretty hard to find anything like that which isn't total rubbish.Oh and like WELF sez, sumpermini's are mosly bollocks for fitting prams in etc, best go up a notch, Astra, Corolla, Volvo 340 all available with mingebag smaller engines + badermatics for tedious but thrifty two-pedal motoring

[gtd2000]

If you want cheap n cheerful, with bugger all image have a look for a Proton Compact or Satria in automatic format.Should be generally reliable with the Mitsubishi mechanicals and they are actually a larger car than you think inside.

[peter9000uk]

If you want cheap n cheerful, with bugger all image have a look for a Proton Compact or Satria in automatic format.Should be generally reliable with the Mitsubishi mechanicals and they are actually a larger car than you think inside.

DOn't tell my future son in law that! I spent yet another evening yesterday recovering his 54 plate Satria GTi back to the main dealer. That will be the 9th time in the 8 months he's owned it. They have had the car for a total of around 8 weeks out of that 8 months as well. I keep telling him my £140 Vectra was a better buy, we bought them at the same time and the Vectra has cost 95p for an aerial connector, a pot of grease to lube the wind up window mechanisms & runners, a tube of silicone sealant to fix the leak in the rear and an MOT. Mind you will now have to buy a tube of JB weld or something to block the hole in the rear box that has just developed. I refuse to buy a new rear box. For extra shite points it is a 1.6 8v Envoy with manual everthing and no rev counter!

[peter9000uk]

Bugger ... just remeber I had to lay out £1 to buy a new wheel trim for the one that was missing.Didn't realise this car is costing me a fortune

[r.welfare]

The 1.6 8 valve Family 2 engine is the best one to have - bulletproof. Almost as good as a very early Omega Select with the 2-litre 8 valve as a modern Vauxhall shite buy!Back to the original topic, I had no idea you could get a Proton Compact with a slushbox, that sounds like a cracking buy. Even a Persona would fit the bill if she doesn't mind something a bit bigger.

[Betaphile]

Cheap + small + automatic = syntax errorIt's pretty hard to find anything like that which isn't total rubbish.

Agreed - anything small, more than 10 years old and with a conventional slushmatic is pretty much guaranteed to be shit (not shite). That's why I thought the Micra was such a revelation - I assumed it would be as nasty as anything else in that bracket, and it wasn't, it can actually keep out of its own way and is a (relative) hotrod compared to a Coarser auto or whatever.

[wuvvum]

I bought an H-plate Mazda 121 auto (bubble shape) for £70 a couple of years ago - it cost about another £120 to get through a test so it still came to under £200 on the road, and it was great. I have to say though that that was the only small automatic I've had that was cheap (apart from the DAF 33, but that may not be the kind of thing Mrs Leyland has in mind...). Even the Renner Five was nearly £400, and that didn't last long before the gearbox went south.

[gtd2000]

If you want cheap n cheerful, with bugger all image have a look for a Proton Compact or Satria in automatic format.Should be generally reliable with the Mitsubishi mechanicals and they are actually a larger car than you think inside.

DOn't tell my future son in law that! I spent yet another evening yesterday recovering his 54 plate Satria GTi back to the main dealer. That will be the 9th time in the 8 months he's owned it. They have had the car for a total of around 8 weeks out of that 8 months as well. I keep telling him my £140 Vectra was a better buy, we bought them at the same time and the Vectra has cost 95p for an aerial connector, a pot of grease to lube the wind up window mechanisms & runners, a tube of silicone sealant to fix the leak in the rear and an MOT. Mind you will now have to buy a tube of JB weld or something to block the hole in the rear box that has just developed. I refuse to buy a new rear box. For extra shite points it is a 1.6 8v Envoy with manual everthing and no rev counter!

That's pretty poor for a Proton unless it was mainly minor niggles rather than mechanical failures? But recovering the vehicle doesn't sound too minor.. I've got a Persona 1.3L "Si" (10 year anniversary special edition - only produced in '99 supposedly) which has had a couple of age related items that needed replaced over time but it is 10 years old. Then again, the only real creature comforts are the power steering and A/C so there's not that much to go wrong anyway

[peter9000uk]

He has had 2 Proton Compacts prior to this GTi and they have both given him grief as well!The GTi's dashboard is lit up like a Christmas tree and just about managed to pull it's own weight up the ramps onto the truck. I do not like the noises coming from the cambelt area either. All on a one owner,full dealer history car with 21k on it!

[peter9000uk]

On an auto note, I may have access to a Carina/Corolla on an H plate, a dark grey hatch thingy. Looked quite tidy too, will report back when I know more

[gtd2000]

He has had 2 Proton Compacts prior to this GTi and they have both given him grief as well!The GTi's dashboard is lit up like a Christmas tree and just about managed to pull it's own weight up the ramps onto the truck. I do not like the noises coming from the cambelt area either. All on a one owner,full dealer history car with 21k on it!

That doesn't sound promising at all I'd have sworn of Protons by now if my experiences had been like his - I've had two so far, one was virtually as new and this one came to me in a fairly unloved condition...

[Mash]

How about this, looks a beauty. Can't get much more reliable than a Honda:

 

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/1988-HONDA-CIVIC- ... 0369936570

 

 

Need to be quick though.

 

Damn you, new eBay and your difficult picture linking

[Parky]

Quite simply its gotta be anything Japanese. They'll be a few "Sid and Doris" spec Sunny's, Starlets, Micra's, Corolla's, and Mazda 323's about for not much coin.

 

How about the 323 Hatchback, early 90's model? They look pretty nice. Here are some examples.....

 

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/1993-MAZDA-323-GL ... 286.c0.m14

 

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/1996-MAZDA-323-EX ... 286.c0.m14

 

And this one isnt an auto but this type/shape might be worth hunting down:

 

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/MAZDA-323-SE-SILV ... 286.c0.m14

[Guest]

http://coventry.gumtree.com/coventry/19/44522919.html

Nissan Micra 1.2 GS Auto in bright red, drives very well, body work in good condition, 4 months MOT, 5months TAX, Slight exhaust blow otherwise very good.

 

Get the price down from £350 that should do.....

[254575]

daf 55/66?

[pogweasel]

ECLECTIC LEYLANDII TO THE EBAY FONE ASAP

 

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/1989-RENAULT-5-AU ... 0468528780

 

Now that's what I'm talking about. BE QUICK

[Spottedlaurel]

Bluebird like mine too old/large? The tidy ones that crop up now are often auto's. If it wasn't the only car I have with an MoT at present I'd almost be tempted to offer you mine...

[Electric Leyland]

Damn did not realise how hard it is to find a cheap good small auto! In Oz more cars seem to be autos. Needs to be MOT'd til end Feb minimum, when they fly back for some lengthy timeframe. Great advice from all so far, am lapping it up.Looks like a bubble Micra is falling into the too expensive category, like a Yaris. That R5 is ace but she says to old. Ditto the 1st gen Micra. Tsk, moon on a stick! Mazda 323 and Honda Civic 5-doors apparently look to be "too big". Shame as they are amazing value judging from what's been selling right now. Ditto Bluebird. The Protons all seem to be 3 doors. Loved that silver Civic but again 3 door. She reckons baby seats can't go in the front, I beg to differ but she is fairly adamant on that one. Jeez. Basically the task of finding something that ticks all her boxes on sod all budget is like finding a needle in a haystack, but I'm persistent and have FULL AUTOSHITE FAITH with this task.Anyway Astras seem to be cheap, although she is saying still too big, but I'm persuading her everyone but everyone says get a big boot. And her Mountain Buggy pushchair thing is BIG. So I think an Astra is at her top limit of size, just. Only bidded on 1 car so far, an M plate Astra, ticked every single box, but my bid was only good enough to be second highest bid, it went for £343. Nadgers!Currently watching more Astras, Golfs, a Polo, Corsa, about to have a nightly scan...

[Mr_Bo11ox]

get her a Scorpio 24V automatic estate and if she complains, send her to work down the pit for 6 months.

[Electric Leyland]

get her a Scorpio 24V automatic estate and if she complains, send her to work down the pit for 6 months.

With that amount of manual work experience she'd no longer need an auto I'm tempted to look for a cheap French auto next, really bad idea?

[pogweasel]

She reckons baby seats can't go in the front, I beg to differ but she is fairly adamant on that one.

OK, here's the OFFICIAL LINE from Mrs_Pog, who works at Muthacare (St.Evenage)For stage 1 rear-facing baby seats, the back is preferable, BUT many cars have shorter seat-belts in the back, making it impossible to fit securely. Also, baby seats in the front are safe to use as long as there is not a passenger air bag, or the passenger airbag can be physically swithced OFF. If you have a definitive make/model in mind, drop us a line and she can check the fitment / seat guidelines. If you are looking at Mk3 Astras, then they are pretty good for that kind of thing, we had two back-to-back when Poglet Maximus was V.small for that reason: Accomodated everything, seat fits front and back, plus airbag for mum. :)Hope this helps. (PS: Don't get too carried away and buy a massive Volvo 760 Turbo Estate - massive safety brick yes, but you can get fuck all seats that fit!!)

[gtd2000]

Damn did not realise how hard it is to find a cheap good small auto!

 

...Tsk, moon on a stick! Mazda 323 and Honda Civic 5-doors apparently look to be "too big". .....The Protons all seem to be 3 doors......Anyway Astras seem to be cheap, although she is saying still too big,

The Protons are actually a size bigger than any of these cars above...so even if you get a cheap 5 door it's already beyond the "too big" category..

 

A lass at work had one of those Astras and I couldn't believe how much smaller it was inside than my Persona.

[Guest]

What's her problem with the big cars, is she just rubbish at driving?

[Spottedlaurel]

What's her problem with the big cars, is she just rubbish at driving?

Possibly not a suggestion EL will be making to his other half, what with post-natal hormone levels, sleepless nights and all...We had a Mazda 323F when we had our first child, but with a high loading sill and swoopy roofline it wasn't great even with a not-overly-large pram, so the Carina E was purchased and did a great job. Mrs SL was happy driving it, and this being someone who used to drive Minis and once described a big Rover to me and it turned out to be a 213...I would personally avoid anything with three doors for child-carrying.

[gtd2000]

What's her problem with the big cars, is she just rubbish at driving?

LOLWhen I got a Kia Picanto to replace my mums 121 bubble her first comment after sitting in it was...It's like driving a bus!

[Electric Leyland]

What's her problem with the big cars, is she just rubbish at driving?

Possibly not a suggestion EL will be making to his other half, what with post-natal hormone levels, sleepless nights and all...

Not if I want to keep my nadgers swinging in the vicinity of my trousers. But it's not the driving Mr H, it's the parking. Plus round our way it's a nightmare even for the non-Smart driver.Thanks Pog for the information, very useful and informative. Actually off to Muthacare St. Evenage this week to browse the bottles'n'teats section. Rock & Roll!Tempted by another Astra today, but the PAS isnt so good, and that's a must for this project.