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Original poster

can anyone recommend their small car?

48 replies

Mandyville · 16/08/2011 21:28

I'm about to buy my first! Needs to fit two car seats in the back (easy to fit ones, fortunately - a Kiddy and a Maxi-Cosi infant seat). I want five doors, I think. Don't need to fit a big buggy in the boot, particularly... Do want something small as I can imagine I'm going to be spending a lot of time parking it (sigh...). Fuel efficiency would be nice. Safety is important, but I have no clear idea about you measure that for an older car (I'm thinking something maybe 5-7 years old).

Any thoughts, oh wise car-owners?

OP posts:

Cheria · 17/08/2011 11:30

I just bought a Toyota Yaris. I love it. It's a lot more spacious in side than it looks from the outside - no prob for childseats. It's fun to drive too, and pretty economical.

TeamDamon · 17/08/2011 11:34

Another happy Yaris owner here - quite a tall car so nice and roomy inside, very easy to drive, boot surprisingly spacious (I've had a Yaris since DS was born and fitted a fairly substantial pram in the boot), very easy to park!

Original poster

Mandyville · 17/08/2011 11:37

Parkers say the 07 and onwards Clios SHOULD be more reliable than the older ones, but are reserving judgement. Most niggles seem to be rattles and squeaks prior to 07 (again, according to Parkers). BUT it's about half the price of a similar era Yaris and safer to boot. Argh! I bet DH will rebel against the idea on reliability grounds too...

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JenaiMarrHePlaysGuitar · 17/08/2011 11:44

Are Yaris and Clios in the same group for NCAP ratings? They only compare like with like - so although my little MX-5 has a fairly decent rating, that's in comparison to other roadsters and not, say, to a Discovery.

JIRkids · 17/08/2011 11:44

Yaris too for me. It is small enough to park easily but still feels quite substantial.

TheMonster · 17/08/2011 11:46

I second a VW Polo. I love my trusty German steed.

I do not recommend a Citroen C3. We had one, it was 3 years old, and was practically falling apart as we drove it. Awful car.

Original poster

Mandyville · 17/08/2011 11:53

Good Q Jenai... I was assuming yes (similar size etc.). OK, have checked. Yes, they're super-minis. Both 5 for adults but the Clio is 4 for kids while the Yaris is 3 for kids. The Fabia is 4 for adults and 3* for kids.

OP posts:

Sirzy · 17/08/2011 11:56

Yes corsas have iso fix

mollymole · 17/08/2011 11:58

son has had 2 clios and never had any trouble with either

Muckyhighchair · 17/08/2011 12:01

KIA picacanto all the way

5doors
Very cheap to run mine did( till I up grated to a landy) £30ish for about 500 miles. I live in the midlands put a full tank in a 35 litre tank and it would take to me to Cornwall and back on that.

Has a isofix seats,

I had the 1 litre put it drove like a 1.2-1.4 lots of people used to drive mine all were surprised at it.

Very easy to park

Low low low tax and insuance

A warranty which kia passes onto new owners so if you have which is 5 years old you still got 2 yrs on it

You get a very good reg for your money, I sold mine for 2500 08 reg, but it did have 80,000 on the clock

You put a small buggy in the boot, or a weekly shop. The boot is fairly small but I managed fine. The seats fold flat too which is a bonus if your moving things a round.

The 1.1 litres have blue tooth and air con plus a lot more extras.

A fab little car really

Muckyhighchair · 17/08/2011 12:03

And another plus it has a higher roof than other smaller cars, which means adults in the back don't have to sit bent over

Quenelle · 17/08/2011 12:05

I have a 51 plate Clio. Don't know much about it performance wise, but it passed its MOT this year with flying colours

Quenelle · 17/08/2011 12:06

Oh, my Clio doesn't take Isofix carseats, if that's an issue...?

drcrab · 17/08/2011 12:11

I loved my Yaris - even though I had it before we had children. Because we carry alot of crap about, we have now got a bigger car, but we've always looked back on the Yaris v fondly. If people say they can get car seats in them, then I'd definitely go back to them.

we have friends who have a Nissan Micra and it fits 2 car seats and 2 adults (and I imagine a buggy). We also have friends who have the Honda Jazz. and they have 2 kids too.

I'd go for a Japanese car anyday. We currently have a Honda Civic and A Toyota Avensis. Brilliant.

MrsTittleMouse · 17/08/2011 12:17

My Mum loves her Yaris and we've never had any problems getting car seats into it. She's had Yarises for ages, so they must have been around for a while and I'm sure that you would be able to pick up a second hand one. The only caveat is that the boot is a little small - you say that you don't have a pushchair, but even so I'd make sure that you can fit your stuff in before you buy. Having said that, my Mum has managed to fit her, me, both DDs and all our stuff for a long weekend (including pushchair) into her car. :)

LadyWellian · 17/08/2011 12:17

MrsW I've got a Swift as it was one of the few new cars we could afford when we scrapped our old Nissan Primera under the scrappage scheme. We looked at Citroens then but bits were falling off them in the showroom and we didn't think that a good sign.

My Swift has 5 doors, it's great to drive though a bit sluggish on the motorway (that upsets DH - I take about 25 mins to get up to 60mph so it's not an issue for me). However, boot is v small - four bags of shopping and it's full. We had a courtesy Corsa when someone drove into our Swift and the boot was cavernous in comparison.

Mandy I don't think it would be big enough for you, so sorry for thread hijack!

Having said that, we did drive it back from Wales with three of us, our luggage and a rocking chair.

tortilla · 17/08/2011 12:18

Do you count a VW Golf as small? I had mine for 9 years and it was brilliant. No major problems - clip broke on the windows once so I needed to replace a window and I had to replace a clip under the car once, but there were no other servicing issues in the whole 9 years, and it never ever failed to start even on the coldest days. Easy to drive and park but felt solid and safe. Ample room for car seats, and even an 02 reg had isofix. Loads of room in the boot if needed - we moved flats in 3 car trips once and did lots of journeys on self-catering holidays!

We eventually upgraded to a Volvo - DH got a new job with car allowance so we thought we might as well get something biggerbut honestly I would have been happy sticking with the same old Golf if we hadn't had that opportunity. I would definitely buy one again, and happily buy one 5-7 years old.

acatcalledbob · 17/08/2011 12:26

I have a Fiat 500 which I LOVE but wouldn't suit you as only 3 doors (DD1 can strap herself in and DD2 climbs in so I just fasten her car seat). Bags of room inside, can fit a whole supermarket shop in the boot, very efficient and parks anywhere. However, have a look at the Fiat Panda. My dad sold cars his whole life and has been driving a panda for 6 years - loves it to bits. Does 70mpg, cheap as chips to maintain, easy to park and 5 doors - might have to watch for buggy space in the boot for smaller cars.....

mrswoodentop · 17/08/2011 12:46

Oh might be too small for us then LadyW ,also wondering about Honda Jazz or Nissan Note

FilthyDirtyHeathen · 17/08/2011 13:00

Another HUGE recommendation for the YARIS. We have two at the moment, one we have had for 10 years which is still going strong and new one. The new model is spacious inside, space for three in the back with plenty of leg room, a surprisingly big boot, great visibility all round and good headroom. It's a BIG, small car and incredibly fuel efficient which of course means it is cheap as chips to tax for the year.

HarrietJones · 17/08/2011 15:10

Yaris has isofix. Even my older one.
Re safety someone crashed into me a few years ago and their car was smashed up & mine was hardly scratched. The garage said Yaris are well known for surviving accidents hence the lower insurance

startwig1982 · 18/08/2011 22:16

I have a 2003 Clio which is fab to drive and has isofix as well. I've had a few costs with it-the biggest being replacing the cambelt, which is in an awkward place. My dh has just changed his fabia which also has isofix and has been brilliant for 10 years. It also has a camchain rather than belt which is good. I'm not so keen on the new design but skodas are great as they're basically vw but a lit cheaper!!

Original poster

Mandyville · 19/08/2011 10:16

startwig that's really helpful.

I'm now also thinking about the Hyundai i10. It's a bit new (08) and therefore more expensive than the Skoda or the Clio, BUT it's really safe and has better fuel economy than either.

Sigh... If it's this difficult to even decide what to look for, how hard is it going to be to actually hand over the cash?! The shortlist is now Clio, Fabia, i10 and Yaris. But Yarises are properly pricey compared to the others.

OP posts:

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