Which of these cars would you choose?

[enweto]

My second car post of the evening! I am looking for a reliable small car that is value for money.

Which of the following would you buy?

Hyundai i10 - 2019 - 12,000miles - £9500
Corsa - 2019 - 39,000miles - £8500
Toyota Aygo - 2019 - 28,000miles - £9500

I currently drive a Hyundai and like it.
I like the colour of the corsa (blushes)
I have heard Toyota is a v.reliable make.

Which would you go for?

Aygo.

Wouldn't touch the Corsa, and the i10 has granny miles (also, has the base model build quality of Hyundai improved a lot? - the last i10 I drove was very tinny).

@DogInATent Why are granny mikes bad? I get that the engine has more wear & tear from short journeys - but would there be much damage after just 4 years?

*miles!

I’d agree with that, my mum only does “granny miles” and she has more issues with her cars than I’ve ever had. Her brakes kept seizing up and the guy at the garage basically told her she didn’t drive it enough!! On the surface her car looks immaculate with low mileage and always kept in the garage, but I wouldn’t buy it off her!!

The i10 everytime, the Aygo is a city car more space in the i10. Very reliable they give a 5 yr warranty so should still be covered.

I've had a Toyota for a good 8 years or so now, but a Yaris, and I love it, it's been very reliable and not had anything major wrong.

Whoever got my Mum's car found a genuine bargain. 6,000 in 3 years. It does happen.
Op I'd go for the Toyota, after checking the reg online to make sure it's ULEZ compliant.

Where are you going to drive OP? City or long distance drive?

Hyundai i10 is great as a city car but have driven it on my commute on main road and could see the fuel gauge (petrol)going down very quickly. It will be very economical in town but on on long distance.

Diesels are better on long distances-neighbour’s diesel Suzuki had problems with fuel filter clogging up as the distance she drove to work was not enough to burn the residue.

Ask yourself where and what distance you’ll be driving and look for the car that suits your needs and going to be most economical to run.

How many seats do you need? AFAIK Aygos only have 2 seats in the back, ie 4 seat belts in total, so you wouldn't be able to take a fifth passenger occasionally.

I've driven Vauxhalls for decades. Not Corsas as they didn't suit my situation. Never had a problem.

As cars are designed to be driven I would be very wary of a low mileage one. Specially since the pandemic as it could have been sitting unused for months on end, which is very bad for cars. High mileage will produce wear and tear but the parts designed to move will have been moving and lubricated.

I'd say it's hard to judge how well a car has been looked after, but a full service history is a must, which shows that its owner(s) at least looked after it to that extent.

I've just swapped my Aygo for a Hyundai I10, they're both good cars but the Aygo is very small. You could only put two people in the back of my old one and boot was tiny.

I've had the Hyundai nearly a month and like it a lot so far, it's got a bit more oomph than the Aygo but seems good on petrol. I can get three people in the back and the boots a better size.

I used a new Aygo for a few months while waiting for my new car to be built and I can honestly say that’s it’s pennies to run in terms of fuel tax tyres etc it’s got all the mod technology but it’s so lightweight doesn’t feel good on by pass or motorways or in rain and I didn’t feel very secure or safe on the road in it it was like a tin can, if it’s for town driving then yes I’d reccomend it but for longer commutes I wouldn’t. I’ve had lots of corsas from vxr to bog standard and couldn’t ever complain about them so I’d pick that

The hyaundai cause it has less miles.

Toyota

Thanks everyone, this thread has been so helpful!

Today I put a £100 deposit down on an i10, not the one in the OP as I found one with a colour I liked better.

The one I’ve gone for is 2018, 18,000 miles and cost £8,900. It had done 6,000 miles in 2020 (first service), 13,000 in 2021, no service in 2022, and latest one last week by the dealer.

Does that sound okay? I only put a deposit for now so I have time to think about it and can still back out if it sounds like a mistake.

While talking with the dealer I asked if they’d MOT it for me as an extra and they said they would. But, looking it up, the MOT isn’t actually due until September so they can’t do it now can they, it’s too early.
Feeling a bit silly I didn't haggle for a discount instead.

Oh and it comes with a 12 month warranty.

I would have liked a 2019 car with mileage in the 20s and service every year, but not a huge amount of choice round here. Hoping my compromise seems ok?

Is this from a Hyundai dealer? If so I'd check that the missing service won't affect the warranty. Warranties are usually dependent on the service schedule being maintained. Missing one may render what's remaining redundant.

Depending on the above, I'd go for one that's been fully serviced, even if it costs a bit more.

I drove a Corsa for 5 years and only had one major issue. The exhaust fell off while driving but was easily fixed. It passed its last two MOTs however wanted to get rid of it as I was fed up of having a small car!

Thanks, that’s good to know, I’ll check. Yes it’s from a Hyundai dealer, the manufacturer warranty runs out in September at 5 years but dealer said they’d extend it to 12 months.

What sort of warranty is it? Is it from the manufacturer or a third party like RAC/AA? I would avoid those like the plague. BIL had a 3rd party warranty on his car for 12 months and the engine broke within 12 months! He contacted the AA who issued the warranty and fobbed him off refusing to do anything!

While talking with the dealer I asked if they’d MOT it for me as an extra and they said they would. But, looking it up, the MOT isn’t actually due until September so they can’t do it now can they, it’s too early.
You can get a new MOT any time you like - but it won't be valid for longer than 12 months (or max 13 if you get it done in the month leading up to the anniversary).

Ok, so that's not as bad if it's from a main dealer but is worth checking. I know that service schedules went pear shaped during COVID lockdowns but 2022 was past all that, so is a bit odd.

Just rereading your post, also check when the car was registered as you said it's a 2018 model but was first serviced in 2020. That might be ok if registered in December 2018 (68 plate) and then serviced January 2020 but anything longer could also be an issue.

I believe Hyundai have a 12000 mile/12 month schedule, whichever comes first. Although the mileage is low, you still have to respect the 12 months. Any longer and I'd walk away as the combination of no service in 2022 plus this would be a red flag for me.

Oh okay, good to know, thank you.

So I guess the sensible thing to do now might be to wait for them to MOT it before I pay the full price, and ask them to rectify any issues? But whether they will MOT it without knowing for sure I will buy it is another question. I wish I’d thought this through more.

Some useful reading. Hard as it may be to keep looking, be prepared to walk away. £9000 is a lot of money so you need to be 100% happy.

www.webuyanycar.com/guides/selling-and-buying-cars/car-service-history/#:~:text=With%20an%20incomplete%20service%20history,money%20in%20the%20long%20run.

Thanks @SamanthaCaine so glad to have your advice. It is a 68 plate, but was was registered in September 2018. The first service was June 2020.

It hasn’t been taxed since January.

I think because it is ‘Hyundai approved’ I assumed it would all be okay though.

Why could the missing services be a red flag?

Thanks for your help.