[Archived] Small Cars

[cletus]

The better half is hoping to get rid of her old Fiesta. She wants to trade it in for a new 'small' car, hopefully taking advantage of the government £2000 scrappage (sp?) scheme

I said i`d ask around for any handy info....so,

Has anybody used this scheme?

What good deals are out there?

What are the best small cars, economically, value-wise & price-wise?

She is on a budget, so no overly expensive cars please. She`s looking at paying up to £150 a month & hopefully getting the £2k trade-in.

Any help/advice would be most welcome

[adopted scouser]

Toyota are running their own scheme called swappage. Think they offer £2K and the Yaris is a great little motor.

[Tom]

I was reading a comparison by what car and the new Polo came out top follwed by the Fiesta although both may be a bit pricey.

I was going to get a new Polo myself but decided to go for a golf

[Drummer Boy]

We have had two small Fiats and can confirm that this is a part of the market in which they truly excel - of the current bunch my neighbour tells me he would swap his missus before his (sporty) 500. Cheap to buy, cheap to run and cheap to insure - have a look and see what you think. Oh, and ours were totally reliable

[Hughesy]

Dont get a micra FFS!

[Paul]

We have had two small Fiats and can confirm that this is a part of the market in which they truly excel - of the current bunch my neighbour tells me he would swap his missus before his (sporty) 500. Cheap to buy, cheap to run and cheap to insure - have a look and see what you think. Oh, and ours were totally reliable

I can echo this. Last April my wife's very old Clio blew up, which was a shame as the 17 year old was learning to drive on it. My wife did all the research and we then went round the local garages. I was stunned when she told me we were going to look at the Fiat 500 and immediately thought of the rust buckets of my youth. To cut the story short my wife fell in love with the car and we bought one. It is fantastic. Modern, stylish, fun to drive, reliable and extraordinarily cheap to run. £35 road tax for example. My wife is the envy of friends! Highly recommended especially if you are doing lots of short, local trips - I'm not so sure if I'd want to use it regularly on long motorway drives.

The only downside is this car is in demand and Fiat refuse to do deals. I don't know if it's in the scrappage scheme. I found it impossible to get any sort of deal out of the garage and we were paying cash!

[thenodrog]

Toyota are running their own scheme called swappage. Think they offer £2K and the Yaris is a great little motor.

Yaris..... Very reliable. Awful in the snow for some unknown reason. I ditched it (and mine... worse than useless) and drove around in my daughters Ford Fiesta for a week, it went everywhere with relative ease.

On a more general note I detest just about all small cars, both driving em and following em.

[mellison24]

I went through the same last year, but needed another year of age on my motor. At the time, I was recommended:

Fiat500 (my gf's car. I'm jealous tbh. Bad considering it's a somewhat girlie looking car. The new 'old mini'.)

Toyota Yaris.

Toyota IQ (bit too small for my liking).

Citreon C2 (you should generally avoid french cars, but my best mate has never had a problem with his.....had it 2 years, touch wood).

There's also that Alfa Romeo mentioned in May 2009 on Top gear for about 7.5k (I think).

Depends on budget and personal preference, but I'd go for the Fiat 500. A nice little motor and would suit your lady well (suits mine anyway).

[unluckymorton]

The better half is hoping to get rid of her old Fiesta. She wants to trade it in for a new 'small' car, hopefully taking advantage of the government £2000 scrappage (sp?) scheme

I said i`d ask around for any handy info....so,

Has anybody used this scheme?

What good deals are out there?

What are the best small cars, economically, value-wise & price-wise?

She is on a budget, so no overly expensive cars please. She`s looking at paying up to £150 a month & hopefully getting the £2k trade-in.

Any help/advice would be most welcome

A mate of mine has just got a new Mazda 2, similar to the new Fiesta but far cheaper. But iif it's value for money why not look at a fiat Panda, cheap to buy and cheap to run, it's the lowest possible insurance group and you get all the extras.

[Hasta]

I've had a couple of SEAT Ibiza's now and had no problems with them.

If your scrapping and buying new, for value the Hyundai's are quite good - especially with the 5 year warranty.

[T4E]

Anything German. Can't go wrong with a Polo.

The Toyota scheme is good though, and the Yaris is a good car.

German or Japanese.

[Bing]

Fiat 500 it has to be. Just about the coolest car out there at the moment - cheap to insure and tax, well kitted out and very funky looking.

[Gamst]

I used the scrappage scheme to buy a Hyndai I20. Its a lovely little car with high spec for a small car. Offers very good value for money! I also think its nicer to drive than the '04 Polo I used to own.

[Sandiway Blue]

The better half is hoping to get rid of her old Fiesta. She wants to trade it in for a new 'small' car, hopefully taking advantage of the government £2000 scrappage (sp?) scheme

I said i`d ask around for any handy info....so,

Has anybody used this scheme?

What good deals are out there?

What are the best small cars, economically, value-wise & price-wise?

She is on a budget, so no overly expensive cars please. She`s looking at paying up to £150 a month & hopefully getting the £2k trade-in.

Any help/advice would be most welcome

Well worth a look at "what car?" website and also "what green car?" website too,i am in the same boat myself as i want a small 5-door family car that is cheap to run and if its environmentally friendly then better still!

[Ricky]

My mum just did the scrappage scheme and picked up a little Kia picanto. Looking past the badge it's a great little car. Comes with a 7 year warranty which can't be bad.

[Sandiway Blue]

Well,after having a lengthy good look around i am very tempted to get the Hyundai i20.It looks to have plenty of spec for the money,cheap to run plus the added bonus of a five year warranty.Does anybody have one of these?

[matt65]

The Mrs bought a citroen C1 against my better judgement but i must admit its a cracking little

car,£35 a year road tax,about 55 mpg and real low insurance,quite roomy inside as well,apart from

the boot,its the same as a pug 107 and Toyato Aygo as they are all made in the same factory but

come out with different badges.She's getting another next time round.