Best car - lone woman living rurally

[DoubtjngThomas]

Recently divorced and DD and I live quite rurally. I need a new car but ex was always in charge of that.

Looking for recommendations on a super reliable car,that is economical to run. Not fussy I just don't want to have to worry about it.
Budget could probably stretched to £7/8k

We had a Kia Ceed for years, super reliable, still had original battery and exhaust when we sold it for a Skoda.

Even quite rural has icy hills and muddy lanes, I’d do a small second hand 4x4, doesn’t have to be a big tractor.

There's rural and there's rural.
North of England rural (roads cleared or closed so that routes can be maintained, bad weather plan in place etc) is very different from Midlands rural where 2 inches of snow means that the entire village gets shut down because nothing is gritted or ploughed, the buses stop and the schools close. I drove a Nissan in Yorkshire and a land rover in Cambridgeshire. The weather was never as bad in Cambridgeshire as most years in Yorkshire but when it did snow I needed the heavier car.

They're not dull!

I'm driving an 07 Fabia ATM and it's a great little car. Got out of Lydden Hill in horrible rain on grass when bigger cars were struggling.

I live rurally and have a VW golf, it's very reliable- 10 years old and going strong.

Obviously wouldn't take it off-road but on rural actual roads it's fine!

I'm a lone woman, living rurally with one DC, no dog. I do about 150 miles a week.

I couldn't afford a new one, so I went for a 2 year old Volvo V40 diesel. I've had it 4 years and so far it's been rock solid. I'm tall and my DS is 6' as are his friends, but there's plenty of leg room.

Valid point about the Ford Fiesta

Same with the Nissan Micra

Also drove a Zafira for years that coped brilliantly on narrow muddy (and often flooded!) lanes getting me to and from work.

My approach was to ask an RAC man which car in my price range he had to rescue least, and he immediately said a small Volvo.

This! I have a 20 plate corsa with winter tyres and it's all of this as well. Recently had it valued and it was about £8k.

I agree with this. I have seen bigger more expensive cars stick at the side of the road when it's snowing and I can safely get to where I need to be.

Something to do with thinner tyres and less power in my car makes it easier to drive in difficult conditions. I also have a car similar in size to the FF

I live rurally and have just bought a Taigo and I’m really happy with it but they are quite expensive. I had a Fiesta for a number of years before this and did not like it on wee roads, it just never felt sturdy enough. it wasn’t good at going up hills and was hopeless in snow.

I was going to suggest a Golf - I think for £7-£8k you’d be looking at a 9ish year old one. Before my Fiesta I drove a Golf and it was great, when we sold it it was 10 years old with 180k miles and I still see it in the village now, 5 years later!

Yeah a C1 or the equivalent in Peugeot or Toyota, cheap as chips all round and super reliable. My ancient 15 year old one did 58mpg!

My nissan leaf never misses a beat, good deals to be had on 7-10 year old models.

For me there are two big considerations living rurally when it comes to choosing a car. The first is having a car with solidity and big wheels, not because of farm tracks and off road (though that was the reason I bought my 4WD) but because of pot holes on rural roads. It might be better where you are OP but I know so many people in smaller cars where I live who have hit a pothole that has done massive expensive and sometimes permanent damage to their car where my car doesn't suffer in the same way (depending on the size of the crater!). That's probably the main case for a bigger or SUV type vehicle these days.

The other thing I have found to be helpful if rural is choosing a brand that has a dealership or good garage that can service that particular brand and isn't miles away or will pick up the car from home. When I moved to where I am now the only garage that could deal with my car at the time was an hour's drive away so every service or repair I had to take a day off work to sort it out. It was the reason I sold the car.

Actually the other thing I'm mindful of is the cost of keeping cars on the road. My DSis bought a 2019 Audi which is a very nice car but the other day the daytime running light stopped working. Not just a bulb but £220 to diagnose the problem and £700 odd to fix it! I know cars are expensive generally but that's put me off aspiring to the those "luxury" marques.

Oh don’t get me wrong. I drive a Karoq and absolutely love it. Do feel I’ve aged about 20 years every time it get in it, though 🤣

This (ceed) or a hyundai i30 -diesel model either way as pull better uphill so much more economical in hilly areas. Very cheap tax too.

A yeti, can get one for that price easily

They’re expensive.

I agree I always buy VW, my previous one, from new, was 22 years old. I kept it as a second car, out of sentimentality. It always passed its MOT, except the last when sadly Covid saw it out!
I’d look at a T Roc, Tiguan or if you can get it at that price a T Cross. I’ve not owned a Skoda, buy people I know say they’re reliable.

I live rurally and I'm on my second Clio. They have both coped brilliantly with mud, serious flooding, gales and snow. Renaults have excellent lighting which makes a huge difference living rurally. Small cars or normal family cars are lighter than SUVs and cope just as well - I had a land rover before this and it was just a money pit, didn't cope any better than a vw.

I live rurally and drive a 14 year old Skoda Fabia down potholed lanes to work. Cheap to run, easy to keep out of the way of massive combine harvesters. Other than regular servicing, the only expense was a new cam chain at just over 100k miles.
The only time I’ve blown a tyre was when I was confronted by a massive Rangerover coming at me in the middle of the road on a blind bend and had to get onto the verge quick. Said verge had a massive hole in it.
DH has blown more tyres in his 4x4 and he WFH! Plus it costs him a fortune to replace them.

Car does fine in heavy snow, but I think a lot of those potential issues are down to driving ability. (Ahem). I don’t believe you need a massive pickup or 4x4 to survive in the countryside.

I live very rurally - on a lane with grass down the middle and potholes. I have a vw t cross and it is great.

Dh has a huge 4 x 4 truck, but I hate big cars and have had a variety of small cars over the years. I like a high driving position. You absolutely don't need a 4 x 4 suv

And dd has been working as a groom during her gap year. Drives to loads of farms and down potholed lanes. She has an Aygo! And it's been super reliable

Peugeot 3008 would suit, not sure if it would be too small though? It's not the biggest

Volvo XC40 would suit perfectly but not sure you'd get a reliable one within budget

Vauxhall Mokka or Crossland would fit too, I'd say they're quite good value for money and a decent size

Another vote for a fiesta. Put winter tyres on in winter, jobs a good ‘un.