Advice for used car, fiesta or seat

[route101]

I am looking to purchase a used car with part exchange. Any advice on this? I am looking at a Fiesta or Seat Ibiza between 2 and 4 years old. What would you pick between them? Any other models I should consider?

 

[pdq]

Any really. Fabia is good, generally very similar to the Ibiza with the same engines. Kia and Hyundai also well priced with some warranty left at those ages.

 

[90019]

Small cars like that are all generally good these days, so you'd really be best to just go look at them and try them out to see which you prefer.

If you've got a car supermarket nearby that doesn't have pushy salesmen, it can be worth having a wander round and sitting in anything that catches your eye which fits your criteria, as you might find you really like something you hadn't previously considered.

 

[dastocks]

I would avoid VAG (Seat).

You might want to look at Warranty Direct reliability ratings:

Reliability Index - Reliability Index

How reliable is your car or the car you’re about to buy? And how do you determine what is or isn’t a reliable car anyway? When you’re considering the purchase of a car, there are only a handful of factors that really matter – reliability is one of them. What affects reliability? Having a car […]

reliabilityindex.com

When looking at the top 10 bear in mind that the Vauxhall Agila was a re-badged Suzuki and the Citroen C1 was made on the same production line as the Toyota Aygo and Peugeot 107/108.

Any Toyota effectively has a 10 year/100,000 mile warranty these days.

 

[birchesgreen]

My friend had had an Ibiza for years and has had no issues.

I had a Fiesta for years and had no issue either, in 16 years the only thing that failed in all that time was the water pump. The only other time it needed time in the garage was due to external factors (pothole and idiot other driver). Can't go wrong with a Fiesta. But either will do you well i think.

 

[E27007]

I am looking to purchase a used car with part exchange. Any advice on this? I am looking at a Fiesta or Seat Ibiza between 2 and 4 years old. What would you pick between them? Any other models I should consider?

You should consider aused Honda Jazz, very reliable, high NCAP rating ,high mpg and very spacious. Honda cars tend to last for many years without issues,

 

[A0wen]

I am looking to purchase a used car with part exchange. Any advice on this? I am looking at a Fiesta or Seat Ibiza between 2 and 4 years old. What would you pick between them? Any other models I should consider?

Of those two - Fiesta without a doubt.

If you want alternative options - Honda Jazz, Toyota Yaris, Kia Rio, Hyundai i20.

VAG (so Skoda, Seat, VW) are not as reliable as the myths would have you believe. Their engines are also all belt cam driven - why is this important ? Because it means at about 60,000 miles or 5-6 years you then have a bill for replacing the cambelt (which if you don't runs the risk that the belt breaks and wrecks your engine) - and a cambelt replacement will easily cost you £ 400 - because it's not an easy job and requires quite alot of time and effort to do.

 

[bangor-toad]

Hi,
Having bought a replacement car this summer I looked at quite a few before choosing.
As has been mentioned, most modern cars are actually pretty good so I'd suggest that issues like reliability, safety, etc aren't really things to worry about. What really guided my decision was how comfortable the drivers seat and driving position was. That was it really.

As an example, I considered a VW Touran. It was a great, well built, car that ticked all of my boxes but the seat & driving position just didn't suit me.

My advice would be: go and sit in some different cars, listen to your butt and your back and when you say "Oooh, this feels good" your search is over.
Enjoy shopping!
Cheers,
Mr Toad

 

[Bletchleyite]

When looking at the top 10 bear in mind that the Vauxhall Agila was a re-badged Suzuki

The old Agila (the tall, boxy one) was*, the later one I think wasn't, though I forget what it actually was.

* And was a surprisingly good first car for a tall person! Quite liked mine. Also very, very cheap to insure as most owners were older people just using them to tootle about town, you hardly ever saw one on the motorway.

 

[bspahh]

I am looking to purchase a used car with part exchange. Any advice on this? I am looking at a Fiesta or Seat Ibiza between 2 and 4 years old. What would you pick between them? Any other models I should consider?

For the price of a 2 year old Fiesta, you might get a brand new Dacia Sandero. They have no badge credibility, but they get reasonable reviews. The design is based on a Renault Clio

I've had a Fiesta as a hire car ~ 5 years ago, and the handling and ride were pretty good. I noticed a few corners which had been cut. For example, when lift up the back seat, the underside of the base of the seat had bare foam. Its not something that would be on show, but its not going to be as durable as having the foam covered in fabric.

The old Agila (the tall, boxy one) was*, the later one I think wasn't, though I forget what it actually was.

* And was a surprisingly good first car for a tall person! Quite liked mine. Also very, very cheap to insure as most owners were older people just using them to tootle about town, you hardly ever saw one on the motorway.

The second Agila is a rebadged Suzuki Splash according to Wikipedia

Opel Agila - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

I inherited one and its fine, although you have to get in an out in very specific order, or it will bleep at you. For example, it will bleep if the keys are in the ignition when the driver's door is open.

There are thing like this which are personal choices. You might like driver assistance tools, or find them annoying. You may be able to turn things like this on and off with settings.

 

[Bletchleyite]

The second Agila is a rebadged Suzuki Splash according to Wikipedia

Thanks. If you drill down on the Suzuki article it claims a joint venture, though I guess Suzuki built it.

For example, it will bleep if the keys are in the ignition when the driver's door is open.

I've had cars that did that before, it's fairly useful as it stops you forgetting them (which I do quite a lot on the Kuga where they're just in the armrest box because they don't have an ignition to put them in). I think my old Vectra did, so perhaps it's a Vauxhall thing.

 

[A0wen]

The old Agila (the tall, boxy one) was*, the later one I think wasn't, though I forget what it actually was.

* And was a surprisingly good first car for a tall person! Quite liked mine. Also very, very cheap to insure as most owners were older people just using them to tootle about town, you hardly ever saw one on the motorway.

Both were - the first Agila was a Suzuki Wagon R, the second was the Suzuki Splash.

It's replacement - the Vauxhall Viva - was a re-badged Chevrolet Spark.

If Vauxhall go back into the city car market, then it'll be with a rebadged Citroen C1 / Peugeot 108 now Vauxhall is Stellantis owned.

 

[A0wen]

For the price of a 2 year old Fiesta, you might get a brand new Dacia Sandero. They have no badge credibility, but they get reasonable reviews. The design is based on a Renault Clio

I've had a Fiesta as a hire car ~ 5 years ago, and the handling and ride were pretty good. I noticed a few corners which had been cut. For example, when lift up the back seat, the underside of the base of the seat had bare foam. Its not something that would be on show, but its not going to be as durable as having the foam covered in fabric.


The second Agila is a rebadged Suzuki Splash according to Wikipedia

Opel Agila - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

I inherited one and its fine, although you have to get in an out in very specific order, or it will bleep at you. For example, it will bleep if the keys are in the ignition when the driver's door is open.

There are thing like this which are personal choices. You might like driver assistance tools, or find them annoying. You may be able to turn things like this on and off with settings.

Bit in bold - eh ?
*NO* car has fabric on the underside of the seat - it's always exposed foam, mainly due to cost. Take 5 minutes to wander around a scrappies and you'll soon see that.

A picture here of a VW Polo with the seats folded to prove the point https://www.parkers.co.uk/volkswagen/polo/hatchback-2002/used-review/practicality/

 

[route101]

Hi,
Having bought a replacement car this summer I looked at quite a few before choosing.
As has been mentioned, most modern cars are actually pretty good so I'd suggest that issues like reliability, safety, etc aren't really things to worry about. What really guided my decision was how comfortable the drivers seat and driving position was. That was it really.

As an example, I considered a VW Touran. It was a great, well built, car that ticked all of my boxes but the seat & driving position just didn't suit me.

My advice would be: go and sit in some different cars, listen to your butt and your back and when you say "Oooh, this feels good" your search is over.
Enjoy shopping!
Cheers,
Mr Toad

Yes, need to set aside a day to go around dealerships!

Fiestas aren't touted as the most reliable model!

People seem to buy cars online now, anyone had experience?

 

[A0wen]

Yes, need to set aside a day to go around dealerships!

Fiestas aren't touted as the most reliable model!

People seem to buy cars online now, anyone had experience?

Bit in bold - by whom?

The trade holds them in pretty high regard with generally good reliability. Any problems are usually easy to fix and relatively cheap (any garage can fix a Fiesta). If you want ultimate reliability, then you have to look at the Japanese (Toyota or Honda) or the Koreans - Kia / Hyundai - which tend to be the best overall.

It's worth remembering there are *far* more Fiestas out there than pretty much any other supermini - as a result there are no shortage which have been abused or neglected.

 

[bspahh]

Bit in bold - eh ?
*NO* car has fabric on the underside of the seat - it's always exposed foam, mainly due to cost. Take 5 minutes to wander around a scrappies and you'll soon see that.

A picture here of a VW Polo with the seats folded to prove the point https://www.parkers.co.uk/volkswagen/polo/hatchback-2002/used-review/practicality/

I was wrong. My Mondeo doesn't have fabric under the rear seat squab. Its metal instead:

Anyway, my point is that its good to look at the details for cars, and avoid ones which have details you personally don't like, and accept anything that doesn't bother you.

 

[Bletchleyite]

You can see the foam through those oval holes at the top.

 

[AndrewP]

Agree with the people who say sit in a range of cars - pop to a Motorpoint or CarGiant in London and you can see what feels good.

As for me I like big cars but if I was in the market for a small car it would be the MINI because they look good

 

[tomuk]

If Vauxhall go back into the city car market, then it'll be with a rebadged Citroen C1 / Peugeot 108 now Vauxhall is Stellantis owned.

It won't be as Toyota have bought Stellantis out of the JV. You will just have to buy a low spec 208/corsa/c3

 

[D365]

I would avoid VAG (Seat).

You might want to look at Warranty Direct reliability ratings:

Reliability Index - Reliability Index

How reliable is your car or the car you’re about to buy? And how do you determine what is or isn’t a reliable car anyway? When you’re considering the purchase of a car, there are only a handful of factors that really matter – reliability is one of them. What affects reliability? Having a car […]

reliabilityindex.com

When looking at the top 10 bear in mind that the Vauxhall Agila was a re-badged Suzuki and the Citroen C1 was made on the same production line as the Toyota Aygo and Peugeot 107/108.

Any Toyota effectively has a 10 year/100,000 mile warranty these days.

Agree with checking reliability. That’s what lead me to go for a Fiesta instead of a Polo, albeit this was five years ago.

 

[dgl]

The old Agila (the tall, boxy one) was*, the later one I think wasn't, though I forget what it actually was.

* And was a surprisingly good first car for a tall person! Quite liked mine. Also very, very cheap to insure as most owners were older people just using them to tootle about town, you hardly ever saw one on the motorway.

Yes, my Uncle had two, he was very tall and fitted in it quite well, he looked stupid in the K13 micra that replaced them.

There were some differences between the Suzuki and GM versions, for example the GM version got a choice of their own 1.0 or 1.2L engines and used GM transmissions whereas the Suzuki got their own 1.3, the radio setup was also different, the Wagon R+ got a bog standard off the shelf Clarion CD/radio whereas the Agila got a standard GM radio with the separate display. They were also built in different factories in Eastern Europe for the European market.

 

[Tetchytyke]

I'd just point out that not all Fiestas are equal. Make sure you test drive anything you're interested in.

I've got a 2013 Fiesta 1.0 Ecoboost, the 125PS Titanium version. It's a great little car- great handling, fast- but has needed work, including new suspension on the rear due to corrosion. The good thing is Fiestas are so common they're not expensive to repair, the new suspension and a new cat cost less than a grand.

I've had it pushing 8 years and I'd recommend one.

But I've driven Fiestas of the same age without the Ecoboost engine, the 1.2 normally aspirated engine in particular, and they'd struggle to pull the skin off a rice pudding.

 

[A0wen]

It won't be as Toyota have bought Stellantis out of the JV. You will just have to buy a low spec 208/corsa/c3

Stellantis also own Fiat - the next gen C1 / 108 / City car VX could easily be based on the Fiat 500 platform- and there's already a 500ev to cover that as well.

 

[route101]

I'd just point out that not all Fiestas are equal. Make sure you test drive anything you're interested in.

I've got a 2013 Fiesta 1.0 Ecoboost, the 125PS Titanium version. It's a great little car- great handling, fast- but has needed work, including new suspension on the rear due to corrosion. The good thing is Fiestas are so common they're not expensive to repair, the new suspension and a new cat cost less than a grand.

I've had it pushing 8 years and I'd recommend one.

But I've driven Fiestas of the same age without the Ecoboost engine, the 1.2 normally aspirated engine in particular, and they'd struggle to pull the skin off a rice pudding.

I have heard the Fiesta Ecoboosts are ones to avoid from someone for reliablity.

 

[E27007]

I have heard the Fiesta Ecoboosts are ones to avoid from someone for reliablity.

I think it was on this forum, a ford Ecoboost requires a new cambelt at 75000 mile intervals and the charge is £1700.
Ecoboost engines have issues with under-bonnet fires due to faulty pipework, i believe there is a recall campaign to replace the pipes for improved parts

Ford Ecoboost engine problems

 

[Tetchytyke]

I have heard the Fiesta Ecoboosts are ones to avoid from someone for reliablity.

Watch it blow up tomorrow, but never had any issue with ours.

The timing belt is, apparently, 150,000 miles or 10 years.

The cost is about £1000-£1500, my car is worth about £5000.

 

[Bletchleyite]

If I was going for an older car that I didn't want to need expensive repairs I would go for a normally aspirated petrol, as a turbo is just another thing to blow up.

The cost is about £1000-£1500, my car is worth about £5000.

For a cambelt? Where on earth have they put it?

I guess you'd get it done for less at a non-main-dealer, but this points to silly design.

 

[Tetchytyke]

For a cambelt? Where on earth have they put it?

The Google garage says its apparently a wet cambelt. No idea what that means.

 

[Bletchleyite]

The Google garage says its apparently a wet cambelt. No idea what that means.

Ah, it's inside the engine with oil lubricating it in some form. What a rubbish idea.

 

[NoRoute]

Any other models I should consider?

Yes try test driving a hybrid like the Toyota Yaris and see what you think of the automatic transmission, they make for a very relaxing drive and are more fuel efficient.