Tell me about your terrific small car...

[lljkk]

Looking for something in the lowest road tax band.
Would buy 2nd hand, thinking 2-5 years old.
Petrol probably best (we don't do a huge amount of miles).
4 seater type thing (have ruled out Smart Car).
Much desired are usual nice features like reliability, cheap to run, good fuel economy.
Don't care about style or trendy.

Am already thinking Citroen C1, Micra, Ford Ka.

Any other suggestions?

Daihatsu Sirion (links to Whatcar review) It's quite cheap and cheerful but mine has proved to be very reliable over the past 3 years and I do quite a lot of mileage - have done over 53,000 in 3 years - and my fuel tracker is currently saying that average MPG I am getting is around 47 Miles Per Gallon.

A negative is the small boot. A positive is that I can fit 3 car seats in the rear (two high back booster and one forward facing babyseat)

Just had a service and it was £202 (at a dealer, in the South East). Service costs vary as different things get done on different services.

Just had to buy 2 new tires, cost £100 for a pair. So another cost to consider when buying cars, tires do need replacing from time to time.

Daihatsu is part of Toyota Group and the Sirion as far I know is the same wheelbase as the Yaris, though has a different shell. Daihatsu is ceasing to import new cars to the UK, so you will now find only second hand ones. Service is not affected, my Daihatsu dealer (who now has become a Kia dealer) can get parts easy enough and as they were a Daihatsu dealer their technicians know the cars well.

Why don't you like the Kia? My next car could well be a Kia as that is what my local garage now sells.

Yaris every time.

Love my Yaris. Fits me, my 2 kids, 6'9" DH and stuff for day out/shopping including buggy in the boot. Cheap tax & insurance, reliable, turns on a sixpence.

I have a diesel, pay £55 for a tank of fuel and get about 530 miles out of it.

I am a novice driver, trying to overcome my fear of driving. I got a brand new Nissan Micra and it feels nice to drive it, so small, easy to handle and great for short drivers like me (I am 1.52 m). Honestly it was very difficult to find a comfortable position to drive in several minis I tried. I wrote a funny review about it.
beginnerdriver.blogspot.fi/2012/11/evaluating-which-car-to-buy-test.html

I'm really loving my Kia Picanto but I've only had it for a couple of months. £0 tax, we get 45mpg out of it doing stoppy-starty driving along tiny country lanes and it's got really good space in the back (but not much boot though). We test drove a Fiesta which would've been our second choice (more boot space) but we preferred the Kia warrantee and the better mpg.

I would gnaw off my arm for a Fiat 500 but they're just too expensive.

I have Aygo - its very much a mum car - very tiny, but has 5 doors, boot will fit a maclaren buggy + 2 bags of shopping. Cheap to run - I love it, because its my first ever car and does the job. Fiat 500 much more glam though!

Polo.

The only reason we sold mine was coz the boot wasn't quite big enough for the crap associated with a toddler & a newborn and a Quinny. As soon as we ditch the buggy I'm selling the Golf & going back to a Polo!

I don't know what car I would chose. New cars are not easily fixed and they seem to hit problems at about the 3-5 year mark. Big problems. I'd love an e-type, but it's a bit beyond my price range and not very practical. I love the fiat 500s and the minis, again beyond my price range. So we have just got a spectacularly dull Hyundai.

I've just bought a clio 1.5 diesel. I love it! £30 tax per yr £20 does around 200 miles. It has 4 doors and plenty of boot space, it's actually quite nippy to, honestly I have not loved a car this much since I became a mum with a sensible car.

I'm on my second Fiat 500.

It's such a reliable great little car.
I have nothing but positive things to say about it.
First one was a 1.4 Sport. This one is a twinair - tax free and very economical.
Having said that, I do have my eye on a Chrysler Ypsilon - they're lovely.

Yes to Toyota Yaris, definitely. One of the older style ones - the new ones are bigger since they started making the Aygo.

Another Fiat 500 Sport here... Absolutely love it!! Tax is about £30 a year, I think.

Fiat 500.
Isofix seats
Sunroof
Bluetooth connection that plays iPhone music through speakers
Enough said, love it!

I have a corsa, fantastic car very reliable. My last 3 cars have all been corsas only changed to upgrade rather than because their is anything wrong with the car.

I've has a Micra for 8 years and it's fab! Economical, quite nippy, exceptionally reliable, cheap to service and run. I can't think of a time I've ever had to pay anything apart from a standard service and MOT. The only disadvantage is the lack of leg room in the back.

Nissan Micra fan here. I had the Micra in its various forms for 20 years, and in all that time one car broke down once. The AA man who rescued me said he had never been called out to a mechanical/electrical fault breakdown on a Nissan Micra, which is a pretty positive endorsement.

Small, nippy, incredibly economical, and surprisingly roomy.

I've had Yaris as hire cars several times and they are lovely.

DF drives one and seems to like it.

Tiny tiny are really sweet,, but if it's a second car and you have DCs, just big enough if your main car needs mending is hugely useful.

Toyota Aygo fan here.
It's dh's car but I quite like to steal it at the weekend as it's soooo easy to park! (I have a Toyota Avensis).
It's nearly 3 years old and has been very reliable on a daily 20 mile commute. Dh also does occassional commutes into London (60 miles each way I guess) and I offer him my car but he invariably takes his as he likes it so much. We can fit all 4 of us in comfortably, the car seats fit easily.
Did I mention how little space it needs to park? :) however, that does mean it has a small boot. Originally we thought it was going to be my car and we checked the umbrella fold pushchair and buggy board could fit in, and the jogging hybrid pushchair if I put a seat down.
Fuel consumption range is easily over 50mpg (1 litre petrol). Service costs are low. Tax is low.

Do not get a twingo

Wow, what wonderful lot of replies. Thanks so much.

My Kia is 2003? Sedona & a Lemon.

It is unreliable, expensive to repair, rather expensive parts, has a turning radius measured in counties, so awful to park, terrible visibility (I hate sitting up so high) & bad fuel economy (or is 31mph ok?).

Bought it 3 years ago for £3k, spent almost £3k on repairs, if we sold it today we'd be lucky to get £1k.

My thinking is to keep big beast of a plonker car (Sedona) for when big car is useful, but 80+% of our journeys are only 1-4 people with little stuff, so small reliable car that can be parked anywhere would be lovely.

*ps: this is all my fantasy Christmas gift wishlist because DH is dead set against us getting 2nd car, but I will try it on, anyway.

DH has a Nissan Note. He hates it because it is underpowered but it does have very good fuel economy. His has special tyres though which cost £100 each so best to check the model first

DM has a Honda Jazz. Cheap to run and reliable and a nice car, but I think they are quite pricey to buy.

Had a C3 - totally reliable and lovely.

Audi a1 diesel is bloody brilliant, looks fab, nice and sporty, low tax and insurance and lovely to drive.

We are just trading one in, only because I need 4 doors, you can get a 4 door one now but only came out short while ago so you could only get 2 door second hand one probably.

It was unbelievably fuel efficient, could go for weeks on a tank of fuel and felt very stable and safe to drive.

Skoda Fabia. Cheap, utterly reliable, basic but roomy. Always starts, however cold the weather, and easy to fix if you prang it. I drive a lot for work and have been super impressed for the last seven years. No gizmos, no glamour - but also no attempts to thieve it/key it!

OMG OMG OMG DH has said YES to me getting a car for Christmas (!!).

I had to make a big concession, he gets to remodel the kitchen. I badly do not want the disruption & don't see the need. But it felt like a fair swap.

I started to suggest he could have his long-longed for conservatory too, until he pointed out that we probably couldn't afford it (£16k expected spend on car-flooring-kitchen remodel is enough).

Still, wheeeeee!!!

(Frantically searching used car whilst DH gleefully measure up kitchen dimensions, must reread to see if anyone says anything bad about the Fiat 500).