What car should I buy?

[pdq]

Don't get hamstrung with a vehicle that's smaller than you need just because of nerves. It won't take more than a few days of driving to get used to something bigger.

I'm an experienced driver, but never more than a car or small Transit. Hired a 30' motor home in Canada last year. Within a day felt pretty comfortable with it - and driving on the right.

So trust yourself. You'll get used to a car of any size, along with it's foibles and features.

 

[A0wen]

Don't get hamstrung with a vehicle that's smaller than you need just because of nerves. It won't take more than a few days of driving to get used to something bigger.

I'm an experienced driver, but never more than a car or small Transit. Hired a 30' motor home in Canada last year. Within a day felt pretty comfortable with it - and driving on the right.

So trust yourself. You'll get used to a car of any size, along with it's foibles and features.

That doesn't always work out though. It depends on the individual. Far better to buy a car you are comfortable with than buy one you're "not sure" about and hope you'll get used to it, particularly where the driver is inexperienced or lacks confidence.

As I will rarely if ever have three backseat passengers, if the car I end up with has a centre headrest for the backseat it'll be removed and stashed in a relative's garage...

That's a silly thing to do - the centre headrests tend to be smaller so they don't obscure the driver's vision. Taking it out means it will inevitablty get lost or damaged which will reduce the car's value when you come to sell.

. I'm now leaning towards something as small as I can get away with, as I'm more familiar with superminis than larger hatchbacks.

Look at a Honda Jazz then - incredibly spacious, the boot space is bigger than some cars the next size up, the rear seats fold in various ways making it incredibly flexible. It's miles bigger inside than a C30 or anything from the MINI range.

My wife had two of them when our children were growing up and they were utterly brilliant little cars and completely reliable - only ever needed routine servicing or tyres / exhausts - the latter on the first one when it was over 10 years old.

 

[61653 HTAFC]

Don't get hamstrung with a vehicle that's smaller than you need just because of nerves. It won't take more than a few days of driving to get used to something bigger.

I'm an experienced driver, but never more than a car or small Transit. Hired a 30' motor home in Canada last year. Within a day felt pretty comfortable with it - and driving on the right.

So trust yourself. You'll get used to a car of any size, along with it's foibles and features.

Whilst the only cars I've owned previously were small (Renault R5 and Suzuki Swift), I'm not completely unfamiliar with larger cars, so I probably am being a bit over-cautious. The only car I drove for the first five years since I passed was my mum's Ford Escort saloon, which was quite long. I've also hired transits with no issue, so I just need to build my confidence a bit. I'm not going to have something with particularly poor visibility though.

That doesn't always work out though. It depends on the individual. Far better to buy a car you are comfortable with than buy one you're "not sure" about and hope you'll get used to it, particularly where the driver is inexperienced or lacks confidence.

I am toying with the idea of getting an £800 s***box for a year and not worrying about being able to move everything around that I want to- but looking at cars is stressful so I'd rather not commit myself to doing it all again!

That's a silly thing to do - the centre headrests tend to be smaller so they don't obscure the driver's vision. Taking it out means it will inevitablty get lost or damaged which will reduce the car's value when you come to sell.

They're only smaller on the earliest cars that had them, and there aren't many of those left. You have a point about it getting lost, so storing it in my own flat rather than someone else's garage would be smarter. Though the higher waistline of cars from around 2008 onwards mean the rear headrests are not actually blocking much view anyway. It's more a perception thing on my part.

Look at a Honda Jazz then - incredibly spacious, the boot space is bigger than some cars the next size up, the rear seats fold in various ways making it incredibly flexible. It's miles bigger inside than a C30 or anything from the MINI range.

My wife had two of them when our children were growing up and they were utterly brilliant little cars and completely reliable - only ever needed routine servicing or tyres / exhausts - the latter on the first one when it was over 10 years old.

I did look at a couple, as I assumed they'd be super cheap to insure and possibly have lower mileage due their popularity with the older generation. When I got a quote for one it was quite a surprise, as it was at the upper end of the various quotes I've had so far.

 

[MotCO]

That's a silly thing to do - the centre headrests tend to be smaller so they don't obscure the driver's vision. Taking it out means it will inevitablty get lost or damaged which will reduce the car's value when you come to sell.

A bit OT...

A little known fact is that the rear headrests are designed to be easily removed so that if you are ever in the car submerged in water, you can remove them and use them to smash the rear window. The rear windows are thinner than other windows (they don't need to withstand pressure at the front at going at 70 mph) and the headrest fittings have a pointed end.

 

[A0wen]

I did look at a couple, as I assumed they'd be super cheap to insure and possibly have lower mileage due their popularity with the older generation. When I got a quote for one it was quite a surprise, as it was at the upper end of the various quotes I've had so far.

Nothing is "super cheap" to insure - I've just had the renewal through on my Vauxhall Insignia and it's gone up by over 50% - which seems common at the moment.

Depends what you're comparing a Jazz to - and also which version - yes they cost more than a Fiesta or Polo but in many ways it's a better car than either, especially in reliability and space terms. You could easily run a Jazz instead of a Golf or Focus for example - I had a Mk2 Focus at the time my wife had her Mk1 Jazz and there wasn't much to choose in space terms.

 

[61653 HTAFC]

Nothing is "super cheap" to insure - I've just had the renewal through on my Vauxhall Insignia and it's gone up by over 50% - which seems common at the moment.

Depends what you're comparing a Jazz to - and also which version - yes they cost more than a Fiesta or Polo but in many ways it's a better car than either, especially in reliability and space terms. You could easily run a Jazz instead of a Golf or Focus for example - I had a Mk2 Focus at the time my wife had her Mk1 Jazz and there wasn't much to choose in space terms.

I've also heard a few bad reviews of the Jazz, compared to precisely one good review from yourself. You're right about nothing being "super cheap" to insure of course, but I expected it to be at the lower end (so "super cheap" in relative terms), but it was in fact surprisingly high- higher than a two-litre Volvo V50 for example.

 

[A0wen]

I've also heard a few bad reviews of the Jazz, compared to precisely one good review from yourself. You're right about nothing being "super cheap" to insure of course, but I expected it to be at the lower end (so "super cheap" in relative terms), but it was in fact surprisingly high- higher than a two-litre Volvo V50 for example.

Bit in bold - not sure where you're getting your reviews from ? Websites such as Honest John highly recommend them.

The V50 is getting old now and was basically a rebodied Mk2 Focus - you're better off with a Mk2 Focus, which will be cheaper to buy.

 

[61653 HTAFC]

Bit in bold - not sure where you're getting your reviews from ? Websites such as Honest John highly recommend them.

The V50 is getting old now and was basically a rebodied Mk2 Focus - you're better off with a Mk2 Focus, which will be cheaper to buy.

From individuals, rather than published reviews. My friend had an early one through his dad's Motability (the son was the main driver) and it gave them a lot of trouble. Sure, it may have just been an unlucky lemon and that can happen with anything- but we can only go on the information we have available.

 

[A0wen]

From individuals, rather than published reviews. My friend had an early one through his dad's Motability (the son was the main driver) and it gave them a lot of trouble. Sure, it may have just been an unlucky lemon and that can happen with anything- but we can only go on the information we have available.

Well a sample of one isn't statistically realistic.

I'd place a bit more store by the motoring press

Used Honda Jazz - 2015-2020 Reliability & Common Problems

What to look for when buying a Honda Jazz 2015 - 2020, covering common problems to check for and overall vehicle reliability.

www.whatcar.com

Reported problems with the Jazz are remarkably few. The car has built up a solid reputation as one of the most reliable on the market, indeed it was named most reliable small car in our 2023 used car reliability survey.

Both versions of Jazz which have been on sale since 2008 - so the youngest are 15 years old - are in the Top 10

 

[thaitransit]

Another thing you could do is hire some of the cars you like to try them out for a weekend before committing to buying one. Gives you a good idea of what they are like on longer trips.

This is something that I am considering myself as just like you I haven't driven for almost 10 years. But whatever I get needs to be good for very long distance travel as it would replace airline travel too. Eg Melbourne to Brisbane a 1800km trip.

 

[61653 HTAFC]

Well a sample of one isn't statistically realistic.

I'd place a bit more store by the motoring press

Used Honda Jazz - 2015-2020 Reliability & Common Problems

What to look for when buying a Honda Jazz 2015 - 2020, covering common problems to check for and overall vehicle reliability.

www.whatcar.com

As I said, entirely possible that one example was a lemon.
To be honest it wouldn't be a car I'd be enthusiastic about owning for admittedly subjective reasons. That's something I'd happily overlook if it was going to be significantly cheaper to insure, but it isn't. Given that I'm just going to have to bite the bullet on the insurance for the first year, and that there aren't any significant savings from choosing a "dull" car like a Honda Jazz or Nissan Note, I'd rather have something that'll also make me happy to drive- that I'll take pride in keeping clean and tidy. I know I should buy with the head rather than the heart, but I'm not going to completely ignore the heart.

Also that review is for cars that will be outside my budget. I'm not sure why you seem to be offended that I'm not taking your advice- it really isn't personal.

Another thing you could do is hire some of the cars you like to try them out for a weekend before committing to buying one. Gives you a good idea of what they are like on longer trips.

This is something that I am considering myself as just like you I haven't driven for almost 10 years. But whatever I get needs to be good for very long distance travel as it would replace airline travel too. Eg Melbourne to Brisbane a 1800km trip.

That's a reasonable suggestion, but I doubt any car hire places will have cars available for hire which would also be within my budget to buy- they'll all be 0-5 years old.

 

[A0wen]

As I said, entirely possible that one example was a lemon.
To be honest it wouldn't be a car I'd be enthusiastic about owning for admittedly subjective reasons. That's something I'd happily overlook if it was going to be significantly cheaper to insure, but it isn't. Given that I'm just going to have to bite the bullet on the insurance for the first year, and that there aren't any significant savings from choosing a "dull" car like a Honda Jazz or Nissan Note, I'd rather have something that'll also make me happy to drive- that I'll take pride in keeping clean and tidy. I know I should buy with the head rather than the heart, but I'm not going to completely ignore the heart.

Also that review is for cars that will be outside my budget. I'm not sure why you seem to be offended that I'm not taking your advice- it really isn't personal.

The review is the later one, but as I pointed out the pervious generation from 2008 is in their Top 10 as well, and that's bang on your budget e.g. http://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202306018021629?atmobcid=soc3

Auto Trader UK - New and Used Cars For Sale

Find your next car with Auto Trader UK, the official #1 site to buy and sell new and used cars. Over 400,000 cars online. Simple, easy, quick!

www.autotrader.co.uk

All I did was work through the requirements you posted - smaller car, good space, reasonable running costs, good reliability. The Jazz and Civic both tick all of those, so do many other cars, but it's beyond doubt that Japanese and Korean cars are the most reliable even when they get older with fewer mechanical or electrical faults. Insurance isn't the only cost to consider - repair bills in terms of scale and likelihood of needing them are too.

 

[Gloster]

When you take the head rest off and store it, use wrapping, such as a clean plastic bag sealed by tape. And remember where you put it. The same applies to parcels trays and the like, which can be easily chipped with frequent use.

 

[Wuggie Norple]

Have you considered a Fiat 500L?

You should be able to find an early model for around your budget, especially if you buy privately.

I’ve had a 64 plate 105hp 1.6 diesel Pop Star for 5 years and it has been absolutely brilliant. It’s not an SUV or crossover, but a very practical MPV with loads of room inside (the headroom is huge!). The other day I bought a 3m length of steel conduit and that fitted inside the car, despite the compact external dimensions. It is great to drive (probably less so with the weedier engine options) and the front seats are comfortable even on long journeys. Visibility is excellent all round, helped by a high driving position and lots of glass, and mine has a reversing camera which is fab. Mine has been reliable bar one breakdown that the AA fixed in 10 minutes. It has also needed a replacement EGR valve and a routine cam belt replacement at 60k miles.

 

[61653 HTAFC]

Have you considered a Fiat 500L?

You should be able to find an early model for around your budget, especially if you buy privately.

I’ve had a 64 plate 105hp 1.6 diesel Pop Star for 5 years and it has been absolutely brilliant. It’s not an SUV or crossover, but a very practical MPV with loads of room inside (the headroom is huge!). The other day I bought a 3m length of steel conduit and that fitted inside the car, despite the compact external dimensions. It is great to drive (probably less so with the weedier engine options) and the front seats are comfortable even on long journeys. Visibility is excellent all round, helped by a high driving position and lots of glass, and mine has a reversing camera which is fab. Mine has been reliable bar one breakdown that the AA fixed in 10 minutes. It has also needed a replacement EGR valve and a routine cam belt replacement at 60k miles.

I had considered them, but I've not seen any within my budget that were nearby. I've not ruled them out, but there doesn't seem to be many about that tick all (or most of) the boxes. I'm not overly keen on how they look, which isn't a major concern but if I'm going to own it for five years it is something to bear in mind.

There does seem to be a few Pandas around with reasonably low mileage and in the lower tax and insurance brackets, and they'd do the job with the seats down. At the moment though my preference is still for a smaller estate- a Peugeot 208SW or Renault Clio Touring (something I didn't realise existed until I started looking!) would do the trick.

 

[Vespa]

Dacia dusters seem quite roomy and cheap enough.

Trabant
Lada
Yugo
Wartburg

Nothing wrong with a Trabant, I've driven them, easy to look after and still goes no matter what, won't pass any ULEZ giving a green activists a double heart attack

 

[61653 HTAFC]

Dacia dusters seem quite roomy and cheap enough.

They fall foul of my "no crossovers" rule I'm afraid... wouldn't be so bad if they didn't have that ridiculous rubber trim along the side, I couldn't live with that for five years!

My Crossover limit would be something like a Peugeot 3008.

 

[pdq]

Does sound like a Fabia estate is an ideal motor. Small but spacious. Our 2011 mk2 model was fabulous though you're probably looking at a mk1 for the budget. Lots of them around, and tough. More of them around than the small Renault and Pug estates.

 

[61653 HTAFC]

Does sound like a Fabia estate is an ideal motor. Small but spacious. Our 2011 mk2 model was fabulous though you're probably looking at a mk1 for the budget. Lots of them around, and tough. More of them around than the small Renault and Pug estates.

Fabia estates are on my "possibles" list. Most of the ones I've seen have quite high mileage, though that isn't necessarily a deal-breaker. There's a Seat Ibiza estate (basically the same car) I've seen which only had about 60k on it, if that's still available at the start of next week I'm going to try and sort a test-drive.

As you say, the French ones aren't particularly common but they aren't as rare as all that. I'm going off the idea of a Mini Clubman because the ones that are available seem to have been ragged around- though if I find a nice one it would still appeal.

 

[A0wen]

Dacia dusters seem quite roomy and cheap enough.

They fall foul of my "no crossovers" rule I'm afraid...

A slightly curious attitude, because the current Duster is smaller, on every dimension (height, width, length, wheelbase), than the 3008.......

 

[61653 HTAFC]

A slightly curious attitude, because the current Duster is smaller, on every dimension (height, width, length, wheelbase), than the 3008.......

The 3008 (of the generation I'd be getting) looks like a slightly raised estate. The Duster with all that silly grey cladding on the outside looks like a running shoe from the 1990s. It might not be a logical choice, but taste is a factor. The "current" model Duster is of course irrelevant as I'm not in the market for a new or nearly-new car.

I take your point about dimensions though, in my research I was surprised to find that a Volvo V50 is narrower than a Mini.

 

[Gloster]

I take your point about dimensions though, in my research I was surprised to find that a Volvo V50 is narrower than a Mini.

The modern Mini has little to do with the traditional Mini. What was a small, basic car that appeared in an era of small cars has become a car that it is only slightly smaller than the much larger standard vehicle of today. But build and sell on the nostalgia of people remembering the Swinging Sixties (nowadays that has another meaning), Twiggy in Carnaby Street and The Italian Job. It is just another car, a far cry from the basic rattletrap that took me around northern Europe.

 

[61653 HTAFC]

The modern Mini has little to do with the traditional Mini. What was a small, basic car that appeared in an era of small cars has become a car that it is only slightly smaller than the much larger standard vehicle of today. But build and sell on the nostalgia of people remembering the Swinging Sixties (nowadays that has another meaning), Twiggy in Carnaby Street and The Italian Job. It is just another car, a far cry from the basic rattletrap that took me around northern Europe.

I agree but everyone knows that, and I wasn't suggesting otherwise. The car is still called a Mini so what else was I going to call it?

My point was that if you were to look at a photo of a (BMW) Mini and a photo of a mid-sized Volvo Estate, you'd assume the Volvo would be larger in all directions. It's only when you look at the figures that you realise how poorly the Mini lives up to its name.

 

[birchesgreen]

Yes cars are much bigger now, my first car was a Lada stationwagon, it seemed a big car at the time but my current Sandero is 20cm wider...

 

[Sun Chariot]

Citroen C4 Picasso and Honda Jazz seem to offer the practicality you want, within the budget you mention - several examples on Auto Trader, Car Gurus and eBay.

 

[urpert]

Citroen C4 Picasso and Honda Jazz seem to offer the practicality you want, within the budget you mention - several examples on Auto Trader, Car Gurus and eBay.

I ran a cheap 10 year old Picasso for a bit. Although superficially they feel quite flimsy (as French cars often do), underneath they are reasonably tough and surprisingly easy to repair even for a very unenthusiastic DIY mechanic. Unfortunately for the OP, manual versions are pretty rare (and PSA manual gearboxes of that era are pretty unpleasant).

 

[A0wen]

The 3008 (of the generation I'd be getting) looks like a slightly raised estate. The Duster with all that silly grey cladding on the outside looks like a running shoe from the 1990s. It might not be a logical choice, but taste is a factor. The "current" model Duster is of course irrelevant as I'm not in the market for a new or nearly-new car.

I take your point about dimensions though, in my research I was surprised to find that a Volvo V50 is narrower than a Mini.

Once again, I'm not really sure what you're on about ? What "silly grey cladding" ?

These images show there really isn't any. If you'd been dismissing the Citroen C4 Cactus which had the "airbumps" on the side for that reason, I'd get that, but the Duster's a pretty clean design. And virtually all modern cars use plastic bumpers. Quite alot have roof rails because people want them for mounting roofboxes or bike racks.

Citroen C4 Picasso and Honda Jazz seem to offer the practicality you want, within the budget you mention - several examples on Auto Trader, Car Gurus and eBay.

I suggested that in post #69 and it was dismissed out of hand. But now the Dacia Duster has been dismissed for equally spurious reasons which does make me wonder what it is the OP actually wants....

 

[61653 HTAFC]

Once again, I'm not really sure what you're on about ? What "silly grey cladding" ?

These images show there really isn't any. If you'd been dismissing the Citroen C4 Cactus which had the "airbumps" on the side for that reason, I'd get that, but the Duster's a pretty clean design. And virtually all modern cars use plastic bumpers. Quite alot have roof rails because people want them for mounting roofboxes or bike racks.



I suggested that in post #69 and it was dismissed out of hand. But now the Dacia Duster has been dismissed for equally spurious reasons which does make me wonder what it is the OP actually wants....

You're right, I was thinking of the "Airbumps" on the C4 Cactus, apologies for that. Not sure where I got the idea that the Duster had similar things fitted, maybe I've just looked at so many cars that they're all merging into a very unsightly blur! The Duster might well be back on my possible list if I can find a decent one- though it does have a bit too much of the "off-brand Range Rover" look to it. My main concern with Dacia in general is that they might not have been looked after, as being a "budget" brand means they're more likely to have been treated as "disposable". On the other hand, a well-kept example of the mundane/ordinary/unexceptional would in some ways be right up my street.

To be honest I'm becoming less and less sure about what I want as this thread goes on. There are certain cars I just don't like the look of and can't bear the thought of owning for five years, not necessarily for any reason other than my personal aesthetic choice. No offence intended but the Honda Jazz falls into that category, as does what I now realise is the Citroën C4 cactus. There are others which maybe don't inspire passion (the Škoda Fabia and Seat Ibiza estates for example) but I've nothing against them and would be quite happy to have. As much as anything I was expecting to gain more from what people advised against, than what they raved about. People will rave about the car they have, but will moan about what they used to have or what their annoying neighbour has.

It's said that you should choose a car with your head, not your heart... but I'm going to go somewhere in the middle. If I went entirely with my heart I'd be spending silly money on something from the 80s or 90s and I'd end up ruining it by not storing it in a garage over winter. If I go entirely with my head I'll end up with something I don't care about enough to look after properly, and that I won't actively enjoy owning and driving. If it was just a tool for getting around I may as well stick with the buses, lousy as Arriva Yorkshire are.

 

[bspahh]

To be honest I'm becoming less and less sure about what I want as this thread goes on. There are certain cars I just don't like the look of and can't bear the thought of owning for five years, not necessarily for any reason other than my personal aesthetic choice. No offence intended but the Honda Jazz falls into that category, as does what I now realise is the Citroën C4 cactus. There are others which maybe don't inspire passion (the Škoda Fabia and Seat Ibiza estates for example) but I've nothing against them and would be quite happy to have. As much as anything I was expecting to gain more from what people advised against, than what they raved about. People will rave about the car they have, but will moan about what they used to have or what their annoying neighbour has.

It's said that you should choose a car with your head, not your heart... but I'm going to go somewhere in the middle. If I went entirely with my heart I'd be spending silly money on something from the 80s or 90s and I'd end up ruining it by not storing it in a garage over winter. If I go entirely with my head I'll end up with something I don't care about enough to look after properly, and that I won't actively enjoy owning and driving. If it was just a tool for getting around I may as well stick with the buses, lousy as Arriva Yorkshire are.

There are very few offensively bad cars that are now on sale. In the 1970s, there were cars that would not start when it was damp, where the heaters didn't heat, and that would rust so bad you had to scrap it, within 6 years. Each model looked different, and they had character, but many of them did not work.

Nowadays, pretty much any car does the basics. They will start, stop, warm up when its cold and cool you down when its hot. Some are bigger than others. Take a tape measure and make sure they fit the stuff you need to carry.

The differences are in the running costs. With a used car in your price range, the most significant one will be from repair bills if something expensive goes wrong, or from an intermittent fault that will be a nightmare to identify. You can't tell this from a service history, from the mileage or the paintwork. I think the best way to avoid those is to buy the car from someone that you trust to tell you that they are not selling it because of expensive repairs that are looming.

 

[Sun Chariot]

Have you looked at Suzuki Vitara /SX4 for your budget? Suzuki build surprisingly robust cars. My wife's 2017 S-Cross is a pleasure to be driven in.

Here's an example, Vitara in manual, 2011, 72k miles, £4.5k

2010 Suzuki Grand Vitara 1.9 DDiS SZ4 3dr ESTATE Diesel Manual | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for 2010 Suzuki Grand Vitara 1.9 DDiS SZ4 3dr ESTATE Diesel Manual at the best online prices at eBay! Free delivery for many products.

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