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Original poster

If you had £5k to spend on a car....

80 replies

WhereIsBlueRabbit · 13/10/2018 21:04

....which of the following would you go for and why?

We're planning to buy a car in next couple of months. Looking for a 5-door hatchback with a good sized boot, cheap to run/insure, needs to be reliable and safe, mostly town driving/short trips but needs to be able to handle motorway driving as well.

We will buy outright (with a view to keeping it until it runs into the ground). I think we should aim for something under five years old with fewer than 100k miles on the clock.

My shortlist consists of the following cars:

Ford Focus - I think we would have to stretch our budget for this!
Ford Fiesta
Hyundai i20
Honda Jazz
Toyota Yaris

Secondary contenders are VW Golf, Nissan Micra and Kia Rio, though I think the last two may be too small.

Any thoughts? My dad is really sniffy about anything that isn't a Ford but I think we'd get more for our money with some of the other makes.

OP posts:
FlotSHAMnJetson · 13/10/2018 21:07

I would go for a Golf out of all of those, I HATE Fords and I'm not keen on the others.

Golfs are absolute troupers, you'll get a good couple of hundred K reliable miles out of them if you look after them.

RedDwarves · 13/10/2018 21:10

Toyota Yaris for reliability and consistency in style across the years.

Hondas are great cars, but the Jazz is unattractive, IMO. As for the Hyundai, also great cars, but it would depend on the year, because they tend to change their style up quite often, so the i20 could look outdated. I also prefer the i30 to the i20.

So yes, Toyota Yaris.

Ford has lost its pre-GFC reputation for reliability. Nissans are rubbish, as are VWs. Kia Rio is quite small, but Kias are fantastic cars.

Starlight345 · 13/10/2018 21:11

I did last year . I bought Toyota Yaris

Reliable
Large boot
Reasonable insurance
Used to come out well compared to others in crash tests
Plenty room inside
I like mine

I had a ford it was a rust bucket

Notthecarwashagain · 13/10/2018 21:13

I had a fiesta courtesy car for 10 days. I loved the look of it, liked driving it (apart from the very small steering wheel!) but hated the inside. It feels very cramped to me.
My mum has a Micra, and there doesn't seem to be much between the 2 of them in terms of space (although that's my opinion rather than fact!)

buscaution · 13/10/2018 21:14

I would be looking for less than 60k on the clock if I were buying up to 5 years old. 100k is far too generous.

I would go look at them all and see what you get a feel for.

Original poster
WhereIsBlueRabbit · 13/10/2018 21:17

Thank you, @buscaution, that's good advice. Interestingly, most of the Hondas and Hyundais I've found on Autotrader seem to average 10k miles per year. There are quite a few with just 30/40k on the clock.

OP posts:
TokyoSushi · 13/10/2018 21:18

I have a Kia Rio, it's great! Cheap to run, you could probably get a reasonably new one, definitely not small, please say you'll look at one - I bet you like it!

hartof · 13/10/2018 21:18

I have a fiesta, I love it! Had it 2 years from brand new never had a problem but I don't do many miles!

greyspottedgoose · 13/10/2018 21:21

Iv got a golf, granted I spent 3 times your budget on it, it was 7 years ago, still drives like a dream I'm so pleased with it, I'm hoping it lasts me another 7 and more! Plenty of boot space and it's nice and spacious inside, perfect, I would not have anything else

Rockbird · 13/10/2018 21:32

Ford every time, had many and never had a problematic one.

Twooter · 13/10/2018 21:34

Look at Skodas.

GreasyFryUp · 13/10/2018 21:41

Honda Civic. Forget the Jazz.

AlexaShutUp · 13/10/2018 21:46

Another vote for Toyota Yaris here. Second choice from your list would be a Honda Jazz but they're not as nice as the Yaris.

I replaced my car recently and looked at all of the cars you mention, read reviews, which reports etc. The Yaris came out on top for me by far, it scores very well for reliability over time. Our budget was slightly higher than yours, so we went for a Yaris hybrid, but I'd have gone for the standard Yaris otherwise.

overagain · 13/10/2018 21:47

HondaJazz. You are unlikely to get a good civic or golf for 5k, where as you'll get a great jazz (and they're great cars). Civics are high on insurance as they are routinely stolen to order, though they are great cars.

Carolwithane · 13/10/2018 21:48

I love my Kia Rio. Drives really well and cheap to run, I find boot space fine.

I have a 2013 (3) model with heated seats - bliss Grin

Blackgrouse · 13/10/2018 21:50

A 7 year old car with 25000 miles will be more reliable than a 5 year old car with 100000 miles on it. I personally wouldn't want over 60000 miles on a 5 year old car.

I've had a Fiesta, a Focus and a C Max and liked them all but they all had a bit rust and the odd electrical problem. They were cheap to run and cheap for repairs though.

I had a VW Polo which was very reliable until the gear box went at about 100000 miles.

I now have a Honda Jazz which I can't fault other than I feel it's a bit of an old person's car. The boot space is great, Honda's are very reliable and it feels spacious inside. I paid £7000 for it at 3 year old with 19000 miles on it.

I'd go for a Jazz or Yaris, probably the Yaris as they look better (the boots smaller than the Jazz which is why I got a Jazz).

NutCase82 · 13/10/2018 21:52

I had £5k a couple of months ago and got a golf, some similar priced cars felt very light and wobbly, I didn't feel safe in them, almost like I was being blown around by the breeze.

anniehm · 13/10/2018 21:57

To be honest these are all really small. No idea on price but we swear by Mazdas, so reliable - when rac man came to jump start my car (my fault) he said he was shocked to see mazda on the chit because they don't go wrong, at least the ones built in Japan he said, current Mazda 5 is 9 years old and the only money we've spent is on wear & tear things like tyres and brakes. Not the cheapest to run around town I admit but the 7 year old ones have a more fuel efficient engine.

WorryPot9 · 13/10/2018 22:20

To me it seems you’re looking at some very differently sized cars?
I would add a seat Ibiza/Leon to your list if you could find one in price range. Never a problem with mine. I’d also recommend test driving some, you might find you dislike the feel of some. I wasn’t keen on the drive of the fiesta personally (though loved my old one)

BigStripeyBastard · 13/10/2018 22:27

Skoda Fabias are cab cars. I had one as a courtesy car a few years ago and I really liked it.

FordGirl · 13/10/2018 22:31

Ford Fiesta 100%! I have the MK7 (ST) and love everything about it. Perfect size inside. Nice sized boot, good looking car! Never had an issue!

Scoleah · 13/10/2018 22:35

Golf,
My Husband always says German Cars are the Best! Grin

Original poster
WhereIsBlueRabbit · 13/10/2018 22:43

Thank you! Some very different opinions here....

Really, we want compact rather than super-small. I feel like a Nissan Micra might be too small. If I saw a Ford Focus with the right spec, I might be willing to stretch the budget a little - but Ford Focus size is as big as I'd be prepared to go.

OP posts:
Original poster
WhereIsBlueRabbit · 13/10/2018 22:48

Oh, and we'll definitely be test driving some - it's more that I want to check I'm not leaving out anything obvious from the shortlist Grin

OP posts:
Santaclarita · 13/10/2018 23:00

Golf. But nothing younger than 2010. You can't get better than that.