NLC - small car purchasing advice

[r055]

dropped the OH's corsa off to my mechanic friend last night to get a few things done. (you might have seen the thread about the corsa electrics I posted?)
Anyway, it needed a new steering rack - that was the original reason for getting it over to him. But because of all the things that is worng with it, I got him to check all that.

Its got HGF.
needs a new steering rack
needs a service
electrics have always been a problem with it - winding the window down locks all the doors
Its MOT is due in March

So on the look out for a new car now ...

She is drawn to either the fiat 500, mini or suzuki swift.
Are there any other decent cars out there that you have or have tried and liked?
Im trying to get her to go for a CTR or even the non typeR civic but she doesnt like the look of it.

I know there must be some great deals on just now with the state of the economy, so any pointers much appreciated.

do you think I should use corsa as PX, even though its fecked?

TIA Ross

[mac]

Panda 100HP?

[tuscan_thunder]

sell the Corsa privately: should get a first time buyer/new driver sale with a car like that.

I had a Mini when they first came out: great chassis, good steering, really properly quick cross-country. Image (now) is a bit off though.

The Swift's a very good car but more thirsty than you might think.

I like the 500 and also, as mentioned above, the Panda 100hp. You'll maybe struggle to get too brilliant a deal on either of the Fiats as they're both reasonably in demand.

I'd look at a second hand (but still pretty new) Clio 197 as well. Something about them I just like.

[r055]

sell the Corsa privately: should get a first time buyer/new driver sale with a car like that.

even if its knackered?
I'll not be able to sleep at night!
At least px'ing at a dealers gives you satisfaction of getting one over the greasy salesmen

[tuscan_thunder]

ahh: well in that case, p/x.

[TommyK]

I had an L plate Mk3 Golf for a couple of years. It had done 150k when I sold it and was absolutely solid. You should be able to pick up something similar, with sub-100k mileage for less than a grand. If I was to get a cheap second car, that would be my first choice.

[H8OAG]

Ling will be along in a a minute to tell you about her new Ford Fiesta leasing deal for £125 per month plus vat

[gorrie]

Outgoing Fiesta ST models are cheap.
Ford Direct have a 1yr old 57-plate Performance Blue car with 5K on the clock... full leather & heated front seats, and some other nice extras.... £9.6K (which is actually on the steep side).
I'm sure I saw a white 57 plate with Blue stripes at Peoples in Livi for under £9K.

(56->07 plate hawk eye scoobies are under £10K now as well).

[j2 lot]

Ross, Vauxhall will give you a grand to scrap the Corsa if you buy one of the more eco Corsa or Astra models- might be worth a look as you get guilt free disposal and a good 'trade in' return

It does mean you are getting a fairly mundane replacement though

[Mike Scib]

Fabia VRS.....

[whaleys]

I had a Swift when it was first released, nice car, you get a lot for the money. Wifey also liked the keyless entry and engine start, something about not having to fiddle around with handbag and shopping bags to get to a key.

Other more interesting things are it was pretty nippy, has a short gear change making it feel sporty and in my opinion with decent alloys is a really good looking car.

[r055]

Ling will be along in a a minute to tell you about her new Ford Fiesta leasing deal for £125 per month plus vat

yeah - been looking at that Iain - looks great value

I had a Swift when it was first released, nice car, you get a lot for the money.

They are doing a 0% interest on finance just now which is quite nice

Ross, Vauxhall will give you a grand to scrap the Corsa if you buy one of the more eco Corsa or Astra models

she does like the Astras TBH - I used to have an astra van and it was great!
although saying that, I used to have a vectra and I loved that as well! do I need help?

[Neil72]

There seems to be a lot of Mini knockers on here (who have probably never sat inside one) but IMO the car is without equal if you're looking for a small runaround and price or bootspace are not driving factors.

I've had 2 and the ownership experience is absolutely first class.

Beautifully engineered, miniscule running costs, class leading residuals, great steering, great handling (courtesy of fully independent rear suspension, no nasty torsion beam here). Ride is good too if you go for 15" wheels. 6 speed box and great stability make it a brilliant motorway cruiser as well. You don't mention budget but well worth spending the extra to get a later R56 model.

MX5's are cheap these days.....new Fiesta ? Mazda 2 ?

[Mr Momo]

Ex MINI CooperS driver - loved it (new one is fugly IMHO) - you could get an Cooper or a ONE (chipped) for good money

You can get a new Panda 100HP for about £7.5k with metallic (can't believe supplies are going to dry up).

Go for it !

[renmure]

I have had my Mini Cooper for nearly 3 years now and have been looking around for something else.
The only other interesting wee car with a bit of cheeky looks and fun factor was a Fiat 500. The local Dealer were good enough to arrange a longish fri/sat/sun test drive but it really didn't 'click' with me. Felt a bit too flimsy and sounded a bit tinny and cheap compared to the Mini. All-in-all it looks like it will be another Mini for me. I guess after 3 years / 30k miles of absolutely trouble free motoring that's probably not a bad decision.