O/T: Suggest me a modern motor

[jakebullet]

Idiot Sister wants a car that is:

Cheap tax

Billion miles to a gallon

Small with weedy engine

Doesn't break down ever

Cheap.

 

4-5 years old max. Hence why I've not got a clue. Can't get thru to her that money saved by buying an old shitheap 1.5TD corsa B instead will buy a lot of diesel.

 

Help plz?

[Luxobarges_Are_Us]

A Colt would probably fit the bill rather nicely...if she can find one.

 

If she has no brand inhibitions, it may also be worth looking at Protons.

[Albert Ross]

2002-2009 Fiesta 1.4 TDCi. I "think" the tax is around £30 a year. 70mpg, look a little square, but strong shell, high NCAP rating. Engine made by Peugeot. Nice seating position, and slick gearchange, easy to drive. 3 and 5 door available. Come in "Flat cap/whippet-miserable Northener" ultra pov spec, all the way up to "well heeled biddy" leather and aircon spec with alloys.

[Pete-M]

[scaryoldcortina]

If she has no brand inhibitions, it may also be worth looking at Protons.

 

Well, if we can suggest sub-atomic particles then I reckon an electron would fit the bill nicely.

[Justin Case]

Fiat Panda 1.1 or C1/Aygo/107 are the best alternatives. Tell her to forget the low tax, it's a red herring put out by desperate manufacturers to divert attention from how much extra their 'eco' cars actually cost; low insurance is more important and all of those are in the lowest groups as well as costing pennies to run and having a good reputation for economy and reliability. If I were looking for a modern that was easy on the pocket, I would look no further than these

[KruJoe]

SUZUKI SWIFTs are well regarded as a good little modern.

If they're still too salty, try the smaller ones, are they called Alto or Splash or Squeak or summert(?)

 

I think Nissan have been selling two(?) sub-Micra models... "Paxo"...

 

It's probably clear I'm no expert... but she could do a lot worse than a 1.0 froggy faced Micra. They still look current and there'll be loads to choose from.

[autofive]

i absolutely refuse to suggest anyone buy a modern motor

[AnthonyG]

Fiat Panda

[RedSparrow]

One of these:

 

 

Bit older than 5 years but in my experience they are super reliable and the 1.3 Endura engine is surprisingly nippy. I've had mine for 7 years and have had zero problems with it.

[trigger]

Horsely Horseless?

 

Or a Fiesta 1.4 TDCi like Albert said or a Nissan Micra 1.5 DCi is also £30 a year to tax and mega cheap to insure and run, depends on her budget.

[oldford]

Daihatsu Charade the L251 model from 2003 to 2007.

[ashmicro]

Getz Diesel. Here's the one I had:

 

 

 

GR103.8. Cheap cheap to run, with the narrowest powerband of anything I've ever driven. Well made and equipped (aircon and leccy windows)

[gtd2000]

KIA Picanto for a small modern that's reasonably well equipped and supposedly the most reliable car sold in Britain last year to boot.

 

 

Which Rates KIA Picanto UK's Most Reliable Car

 

http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/news/buying-and-selling/2010-07/which-top-car/

 

Bought my mother one in 2008 (on a 54 plate) and the only thing it's needed was a replacement reluctor ring on the driveshaft for the ABS (did it myself) and a rear high level brake lamp bulb.

 

The old reluctor ring had rusted and split causing an ABS error code at low speeds - sourced a pair on eBay for 15 quid..

[gtd2000]

Getz Diesel. Here's the one I had

 

GR103.8. Cheap cheap to run, with the narrowest powerband of anything I've ever driven. Well made and equipped (aircon and leccy windows)

 

Ash what was the real world MPG on the Getz diesel?

 

I had a 1.3L (petrol) version on a long term rental in Israel back in 2004/05 and only got 35 MPG average - then again I was driving around to and from work at 90MPH most days

[synx508]

Fiat Panda, ideally one of the Eco models to get the cheaper road tax, I think Actives might also qualify.

I bought a new Panda Dynamic Eco for my wife a few years ago and it has been a fabulous car so far, economical, very low road tax, cheap insurance and apparently very nice to drive. After a minor bump recently that required us to have a courtesy car for a weekend (nearly new Hyundai i20 with 2k on clock) both of us appreciate what a good little car the Panda is. It's actually more comfortable on long trips than the larger i20 and has a really impressive turning circle so it's easy to park. The 1.2 engine in our Panda Dynamic isn't super powerful but it seems to be very flexible and the car seems to be a good bit nippier than it should be on paper.

As I understand it, the electric steering can be a pain in Pandas, as with Puntos and similar. Using the "city mode" all the time is supposed to kill them quite rapidly. Frankly I'm baffled as to why it needs power steering at all, but I suppose all modern cars have it.

I'd also back up anyone suggesting a Getz, they're nicer than the i-series, I reckon, although I am not sure it'll be easy to find a bargain as there's a huge demand for small fuel efficient cars at the moment.

 

I feel like a fraud contributing here because I can't even drive, though I've bought several cars over the years.

[Guest]

Stanley Steamer.

[jakebullet]

Ta Muchly peeps, some good suggestions there. I like the picanto best, looks to be lots of tartan rug low miles older ones about going cheap.

 

Mind, idiot sister listens more to stupid mates from the pub, currently she's convinced all corsas are free road tax. Same muppets managed to get her to change from an old corsa 1.2 to a 2.0 freelander 'cos it won't cost any more to run. 3 years later she's finally worked out this is wrong.

[eddyramrod]

Another vote for the Fiat Panda here; I know someone who runs them on a rental fleet, and he swears by them. I'd also suggest Suzuki. The smallest model will be the Alto, but the 2006 Ignis we had for three years was a great all-round performer. 5 doors, 1.3 engine, well equipped, nothing ever broke, regular shape makes it easy to park...

[ashmicro]

Getz Diesel. Here's the one I had

 

GR103.8. Cheap cheap to run, with the narrowest powerband of anything I've ever driven. Well made and equipped (aircon and leccy windows)

 

Ash what was the real world MPG on the Getz diesel?

 

I had a 1.3L (petrol) version on a long term rental in Israel back in 2004/05 and only got 35 MPG average - then again I was driving around to and from work at 90MPH most days

 

Oops, sorry just seen this. Over 50 was the norm, although I did a fair bit of motorway driving. That said, I did quite a bit of farting about in towns trying to find places too.

[ProgRocker]

Another vote here for the Kia Picanto.

[wuvvum]

I'd say Picanto too, it's one of the very few modern cars I'd actually contemplate buying. Never driven a Panda so can't comment on those, but in my experience in terms of reliability Korean > Italian. I can't recommend the Getz though - I hired one in Australia a couple of years back and absolutely hated it, spent every minute wishing I was back behind the wheel of my clapped-out 19-year-old Saab 900.

[Angrydicky]

Another vote for the Horsey Horseless here.

[mk2_craig]

If someone was holding a gun to my head until I bought a modern small hatch, I'd use that as the perfect excuse to obtain a Perodua of some description.

 

I concur with those recommending a Panda, cracking wee things. Alternatively how about a 107/C1/Aygo? Someone's selling a 4yr old example for £2750 locally which sounded a lot cheaper that what I thought was the going rate for those things. Toymotor mechanicals too which must be a good thing, dodgy pedals apart

[Cavcraft]

Hyundai Accent everytime.

[RoadworkUK]

Re. C- Class estate, if you're buying one new using Mercedes' unbelievably cost-effective â„¢ 3-year PCP finance program, it actually makes quite a sensible package. Also, after the facelift a couple of months ago the interior no longer reminds you of a North Korean budget hotel, and the ride doesn't jiggle you like the Shooting Stars Vibro-Sprout challenge.

 

Having said that, they still bore the shit out of me thanks to my having to stare at the bloody things all day long.

 

Vote me up for the Panda. My dad badly regrets not flinging the KA in for an Active Eco during scrappage.