AIBU to ask you to help me choose a car?

[CornedBeef451]

I am driving myself mad with indecision, please help!

I need a new car, I have a 15 yo Citroen Picasso which is on its last legs, MOT due late July so I want/need to change it before then.

I love it because of the upright seating position and I can reach everything and see over the front (I am very short).

Budget is 10k, I need a bit more oomph for motorway driving, petrol, manual, front and rear parking sensors (for DH) and a reasonable boot although it doesn't have to be quite as big as the Picasso.

I think I like a Vauxhall Mokka X but it doesn't have great reviews on Autotrader so now I'm doubting myself. Test drive was good but the salesman came with me which was unnerving and he never stopped talking about himself so I couldn't concentrate!

I've tried a Hyundai Tucson because my friend has one but it felt massive.

Suzuki Vitari was a nice size but the seat was too long and cut into the back of my knees.

Citroen cactus/ C3 I found the roof height a bit oppressive and I don't think it's big enough for family holidays.

Any other suggestions or experience of a Mokka?

The Skoda Kodiaq is the biggest in the range, Karoq is described as a small SUV. It has five seats, a massive boot and the back seats can be folded down or taken out completely for big loads. The Kamiq is smaller and is described as a compact SUV. They’re newer though and might be more than you want to pay.

It's frustrating that pretty much all the cars mentioned on here are SUVs. Please consider non-SUVs, too. SUVs have a much higher chance of causing serious injuries or death if they hit a pedestrian or cyclist.

Absolutely do not get a Nissan Juke. They’re the most awful cars on this earth. I had one for a year, from new, it had less than 7k on the clock when I gave it back because it had so many faults it was dangerous.

I had a Citroen Picasso many years ago then went to a C4 Grand Picasso. I have to say I didn’t like it. I found it really uncomfortable and by the time it was 3 years old it started to have niggly faults.

I’d not worry about cars feeling massive after one test drive, tbh, you’ll soon get used to it. Maybe look at a VW Touran?

How often do you drive on motorways? If it's only once or twice a year, no use having 5% more fuel consumption the rest of the year to save 30 minutes on a small number of trips.

If your DH needs parking sensors then perhaps he should get his eyes tested or stop driving.

Honda Jazz - it has extra hidden boot space and tops safety ratings.

Skoda Karoq.
That's probably my next car

Skoda Yeti is one of the best cars I've ever had. Petrol engines are great and although it'd be a little older you could get a good spec and they're super reliable. I wouldnt touch a vauxhall even if someone bought one for me.

Not a Kuga or a Mokka IMHO. I'd agree with pp saying XC40 although in general I would advise against a 4x4.
2 wheel drive petrol yeti would tick all your boxes.

Thanks everyone. A lot of those suggested are way out of my budget but it was fun looking.

I really like the Yeti but there's none for miles. I like the Capture so I'll try and book a test drive if I can.

@newnortherner111 DH only has one working eye so he's legal to drive and a actually a very good driver, just has some minor parking issues due to the lack of binocular vision, particularly with a new car.

My BIL has a Jazz and it's very nice but a bit small for us.

I have just bought a Kia Venga and it's quite similar to my old Picasso. 1.4 or 1.6 surprisingly spacious interior, 7 year warranty. They are not too popular so for 10K I imagine you would get a 2 year old with low mileage . I'm very happy with it

I’ve got a Skoda Karoq and bloody love it. The Kodiaq was a bit too big for what I needed but the Karoq is fab. I bought mine brand new a couple of months ago after looking at a number of others but I got so many extras as standard with the Skoda it was a no brainer for me.

The Skoda yeti is one of the best cars I’ve ever bought. I got an approved used one for approx 10k - it had about 30,000 on the clock. It’s been extremely reliable and I’ve had to spend very little on it since. Just a few new tyres etc and regular servicing. It’s now done approaching 80,000.

It’s extremely roomy - the back seats are easy to take in and out, and when the seats are out it’s a huge space in the back. Great for family life and fitting shopping in.

It’s comfortable and nice and quiet to drive. Handles nicely. Smooth ride on the motorway. I love it, I really do.

@Shamoo

Second hand Volvo Xc40 - not sure if you could get in budget if a few years old? We just got a 6 month old one for 13k and it is excellent, would really recommend.

We also looked at the Peugeot 2006 and 3006 - liked the Peugeot 2006 but it wasn’t big enough for us.

You paid £13k for a 6 month old XC40?

I'm not in the UK but I'm pretty sure that the Mokka X is the same vehicle as our Buick Encore. As someone else mentioned, the boot is tiny. I find the 1.2L turbo is plenty powerful enough when there's 2 people in the car - it has loads of acceleration then - but you don't have the same oomph when it's carrying 4 and luggage.

Have you looked at the Citroen c3 aircross, they've received good reviews and have great boot space

I love my Honda CR-V petrol automatic. Not too large, high up and like an arm chair. It’s old fashioned 12 plate but I love it

Stay away from the Vauxhall mokka. They're also small inside but are higher up.

Skodas a good reliable cars. I've saw pp have suggested those. Tbh anything with a VW engine your getting a decent car ie Skoda, SEATs (have VW engines, are getting better but pretty basic)

I am enjoying the Yeti love! The other Skodas seem to be out of my price range though.

Just going to check out the Honda CRV, Kia Venga and Ford Kuga.

Why the Vauxhall hate? I know nothing about cars so have no idea.

I have a 1.25 fiesta - on the motorway it's fine but bit slow pulling off at roundabouts and I have to wait until there's a very big gap before going around cyclists. I like Vauxhall's and drove mokas at work a few years ago and didn't think they were bad. If you can afford it though I would vote automatic Volvo they're a dream to drive

I love my qashquai

I second avoiding Jukes too. We are motor traders and the cars we have most issues with are Nissan Jukes and Citroen DS3s.

I would also look at Ford Kugas, great advice from whoever already mentioned them. we have had 3 personally over the course of 8 years with not a single issue, and they've been great. For 10k you would get a lot for your money. Or if you like the MPV type cars you could look at an S Max or C Max maybe?

I would recommend a Volvo (we have a V90 now) but you would be looking at older ones for 10k.

I drove a Hyundai Tucson recently and it's the most awful drive, feels like it's going to tip over round corners and you're bouncing about all over the place. They feel like an extremely cheap car, but they're actually quite expensive. It's the dullest car I've ever seen and driven with no character whatsoever and that was a 3 year old one that cost about £15k!

What about a Peugeot 3008? We had a 1.2 petrol recently and it was very nippy actually. Although visibility out the back window is pretty poor, but not too much of an issue if you have reversing cameras or sensors I suppose.

I agree with the Mokka reviews, they are not very reliable and are poorly built. As a trader we can see Autotrader 'scores' out of 100 based on how quickly they sell and how many people view the ads. Mokkas do have a terrible score on that basis.

Saying that though a Skoda Fabia only gets a score of 3/100 from them and personally I think they're fabulous little cars - although probably a bit small for you. I would consider Skoda Yeti or the small SUVs.

The Kia Sportage is also a great car and good value for money. May be worth considering?

But at the end of the day these are just my opinions. So you go for what you like, if you liked the Mokka then go for it!

Good luck.

Volvo XC40 every day of the week and twice on Sunday, really spacious, huge boot, safe , reliable and a dream to drive with an elevated driving position. Stay away from Vauxhalls truly terrible shoddy cars.

Our Kadjar is a 1.2 turbo and it does absolutely fine on the motorway. I think it’s boot is bigger than the Kuga.

Just an FYI, it’s relatively cheap and easy to add parking sensors to a car, so don’t discredit a car if they don’t have them

I drove my friends Moka the other day and really thought the quality of the drive was also. If you like to keep a car for a length of time I would definitely look at a Skoda.