Aygo, C1, 107 or something else? Which small, economical car for 5k budget?

[SoftKittyWarmKitty]

I need to replace my 13 yo Clio which I've had for 7.5 years but is now on its last legs.

I've got a max of £5k to spend (preferably a bit less) and I'm looking for something small that's economical to run, preferably with cheap road tax, up to about 5 years old. I love Clios and quite like the look of the newish Corsa and KA, but there doesn't seem to be many of those around of that age within my budget, so I've been shortlisting Aygos, C1's and 107's on Auto Trader. The thing with them is they're mainly 1.0 engine size and I'm unsure if I'll find it under powered or a bit low spec. I intend keeping whatever car I get for at least 5 years so I need to love it .

Any advice on these cars or suggestions for others gratefully received.

Don't get hung up on road tax - I really don't understand why people do. It's such a small percentage of the overall cost of car ownership - makes very little difference whether the RFL is free or £100. I'd be looking at Kia Picantos and Hyundai i30s.

Thanks, I'll look at those. I'm just keen to reduce the cost of my road tax which is currently £200 per year.

I'm just keen to reduce the cost of my road tax which is currently 200 per year.

So buy a car for 4000 - you've got enough for 5 year's car tax.

Thanks, I'll look at those. I'm just keen to reduce the cost of my road tax which is currently £200 per year

That's not an unreasonable desire I think although there are some people out there for whom it's the be all and end all to have a zero rated car rather than one which costs £35. You can probably save £100 per year without compromising your choice of car.

Also sorry I meant the Hyundai i10!

Argo, c1 and tiny Peugeot are all basically the same car - sit inside and you'll see! So I'd go for whichever you can negotiate the best price on.

We used to have a c1, I loved it. Nippy, easy to park, nice inside. I still miss it, but sadly I need a mumbus these days.

£5k gets you a 3 year old 10k miles Picanto with 4 years of warranty remaining.

If you can stretch to £6.8k you can have a brand new Dacia Sandero with a 7 year/100k mile warranty. OK it's quite basic but it's great value motoring/piece of mind.

Unfortunately I can't stretch to that. At a push I might be able to go a few hundred over the £5k but that's it and tbh, I'd prefer to spend less. I've found a dealer within walking distance that has an Aygo, C1 and 107 in stick so I'm going to have a look when I'm off work next week.

In stock, not in stick .

You may find the Aygo/C1/107 a little tinny and unrefined after the Clio - I just could not believe the amount of road noise in the Aygo at local speeds so make sure you take a good long test drive. Do go and check out our Korean friends at Kia and Hyundai though.

Have an Aygo and love it. Never looked at a Peugeot or Citroen as I hadn't heard very good things about reliability but believe they are very similar cars. No road tax on mine and the fuel economy is great. There are three Aygos in my family and we are all happy with them.

I also looked at a ford ka (wanted five doors), a vauxhall Adam (way too expensive), Kia picanto (the sales man was so rude I would never consider a Kia ever again) and a VW polo (nearly got this but the MPG of the aygo swung it for me - 50 mile round trip to work.)

The Hyundai i10 is supposed to be a great small car, and don't seem very expensive.

I forgot to add, all the Aygos in my family are mid-high range. I test drove a basic one and I wasn't impressed.

I was going to suggest a Hyundai i10 too. Mine was only £20 road tax per year and economical with fuel. It had more extra's as standard too. The only issue for me was the tiny boot.

I have a fairly basic 107 and I hate it!! It's incredibly easy to park and cheap to fill but that is about it for perks.

Thanks for all the advice. I looked at a used Aygo but it was quite scratched plus the teeny boot size put me off. In the end I bought a 6yo Citroen C2 in the top spec for the range, with really low mileage and one previous owner. Part-ex'd my old car and I paid way less than my budget, so still got some money in the bank. Am very happy .

Really glad you found something, OP! TBH, I can imagine a used aygo might be quite scratched - there's not a lot to them even though I love mine. Having said that my mum has a 60 plate and hers still looks new. Not sure how old the one was that you looked at.

The boot is the one negative for me but it's not our main car so does me for my needs and means I can't store rubbish! My friend at work has a 58 plate Citroen C3 and really likes it. Unfortunately, Citroen and Fiat are on my DP's no-go list. As much as I love my aygo, I'd really have liked a navy blue Fiat 500 but he firmly put his foot down!