Help me find a car... pls

[MiMiChuna]

Been car-less for 3 months, after the car I trade mine in for (back in July) was full of problems & had to be returned. My car had already been sold on so full money back was the only option.

I thought we'd find something else fairly quickly. But looking for a car, without a car, has left me restricted to local garages which is proving v limiting. Got no one to run me about to view cars in areas I can't easily reach. We live in an area that isn't public transport friendly. The situation is now dire for a whole load of reasons & I need help sorting it.

My budget is £10-12k, I've been fixed on getting a Toyota Yaris but with being restricted to local garages, there's nothing suitable come up. My local dealer prices above the market, only dropping to a potentially realistic price over about 2-4 months from what I've observed, but they focus on cars in the bracket £17k+. Only car supermarket near me is carshop & they hardly ever get yaris in (can't afford their £150 non-refundable charge to have cars brought over from other sites to view).

I wanted a yaris as my last car was a yaris, extremely long lasting & reliable. I also value their 10 yr warranty. However I feel I need to widen my potential models to get a car ASAP. Needs to be reliable for next 5+ yrs, as new / low mileage as possible, low-ish running costs, high safety rating obvs, no smaller than a yaris.

What else could / should I be looking at??

I'm terrified to make a mistake as cars are so expensive now there'll be no money to replace & as a lone parent with no support, our car is our lifeline to functioning well (really struggling at the moment physically & emotionally).

Thanks for any guidance.

And also dud makes / models to avoid also useful!

I know nothing about cars and found buying ours overwhelming. Our budget was 10k a couple of years ago and we got a two and a half year old Suzuki S Cross Sx4 with less than 20k miles on the clock. It’s a good size but still neat and zippy to drive. Does everything required in terms of motorway and town driving and has a good boot. There are two or three different Suzuki models which are all a similar size and spec and I’d say they are well worth considering. We haven’t had to spend anything on it apart from standard servicing. Good luck!

Have you looked on Zoopla or other apps that bring the car to you?

I’d look at companies that bring them to you, but look at the terms and conditions carefully, so you can send it back if necessary.

Other than that- who knows. Fiat are not supposed to have the best reputation for reliability, but I’ve never had one, so don’t know. Ford Fiesta, Skoda Fabia, Seat, Mazda 2, Hyundai i10, VW Polo. VW probably more expensive.

What about a Nissan micra, or a Honda or a mazda 2.

A company like Available Car will deliver, and they'll have loads of choice.

I want to see & test drive the car before purchase, and have a chance to reflect in a none pressured way. So I want a car already here than brought over for me if that makes sense.