£6500 for a car...

[RedPandaMama]

If you had £6500 for a car, what would you get?

I did have a 2016 Renault Clio and I liked it but someone crashed into me and it's been written off now I feel weirdly nervous to have the same car, but I'm not sure if that's really stupid. I'm still a bit panicky when driving so I'm not sure getting the same car would help.

Just me and DD (2) so don't need tonnes of space. Economical and reliable is preferable as money is tight-ish and I can't afford random repairs - I had an old Golf that had a habit of needing a £500 every 12 months and it was a nightmare.

Essentials: 5 doors, isofix base, some boot space.

I've been looking at the Citroen C1 Puretech, or Kia Picanto. Cheap insurance and road tax. Both seem decent and around the £5500-£6500 for a 2017 model.

Open to any suggestions!

I can understand not wanting the same car again, my dad was the same after his car was written off.

Generally, Japanese or Korean is best for reliability. How many miles a year do you do, and what kind of driving? (i.e. motorways, rural, city driving etc) How much space do you need? Picantos and C1s etc are city cars, and quite a bit smaller than a Clio.

If it were (was?) me, my money would be going on either a Toyota Yaris, a Mazda 2 or a Honda Jazz. Maybe a Kia Rio or Hyundai i20 as an alternative.

Have you looked at Corsas? Until we outgrew it earlier this year (Ds is a wheelchair user now) I had corsas and they where great and very reliable

My last one was 12 months old for just over £7000 so you would be able to get something decent in budget

Thanks for the suggestions!

Sorry should have mentioned, I do around 8000 miles a year. My work is only 10 minutes from my house so mainly town driving. I do have to do a couple of motorway drives a week to DD's dad's as well as visiting family down south (3hr drive) once every 3 months or so.

I second Japanese makes. Had my Suzuki 3 years now and not needed any work doing

Kia picanto. Fab cars, small, very cheap.

Toyota aygo will be better quality engine than a C1 (same car other than that)

Fiat 500 convertible. Love mine so much. Can’t imagine driving anything else. Cheap to run.

I’m in this bracket and looking at Golfs and Fiestas.

VW Polo best car I’ve ever had

Whatever you look at, please consider the Euro NCAP safety rating too.

www.euroncap.com/en

The Aygo and the C1 have exactly the same engine - all built in the same factory in the Czech Republic. I used to have a Skoda Citigo and that was fab. We now have a Fabia and also great

I drive a similar amount to you OP and I have a VW Polo TSI. I upgraded to it from a Fiat 500 last summer and I swear it makes the Fiat feel like a mobility scooter

Cheap tax, doesn't hoover fuel and really nice to drive.

I have a jazz. Bought 3 years old for £8k so a bit more. It really roomy easy to drive and reliable.

I second Corsa. I love mine and it’s a really good size. I have a two year old as well.

I vote for Hyundai, either i10 or ix20. The i10 is basically the same as Kia picanto and the i10 a little bit bigger. They're lovely cars and great to drive. Alternatively Suzuki are fab too

We loved our Hyundai i20. Really reliable and cheap to run.

I've recently bought a Honda Civic for 7k.

The boot alone is worth it, but it also drives well and Honda is known for fab reliability.

You will probably be able to pick a decent corsa up as they are having a major face-lift soon so a lot of people may be upgrading to the new models

Can't recommend a Hyundai i10 or i20 highly enough.

Definitely look at Hyundai i10. Great little cars.

I can’t recommend my Mazda highly enough. Cheap to buy, cheap to run,never gone wrong in 7 years.

Hyundai i10 is an excellent little city car

Love my hyundai i10. Got it pre reg with 9 miles on the clock for about 6700.

I know you said 5 doors but honestly a Fiat 500 would be perfect for you, it’s by far the best car I’ve ever had and you can get a higher spec one that’s only a couple of years old for your budget.

If you have your Dd in the passenger side rear you can pull the front seat right forward and there is plenty of room to get her in her seat.

Thanks for all the suggestions!

@YippieeKayakOtherBuckets I do love the Fiat 500 they're lovely, but the 5 doors is something I'm non-negotiable on. We went on a weekend trip with my mum who drives a 3 door VW beetle. Having to constantly get DD in and out by flipping the seat forward and bending into the car was a nightmare. I also have some ongoing back problems due to the car accident so can't easily bend and crawl around, so that's why I'm avoiding 3 doors x