Small car high mileage

[del320]

...mmm, hows about this?....

 

[scumbag]

http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/news/spyshots/211785/500_abarth_ss.html

Ah yes, AutoExpress, the James Allen of the motoring press, the Fifth Gear of the Magazine shelfs!!!

160bhp may be more like it.

 

[MBManInKen]

Nobody has mentioned these cars. Being a Suzuki, it should be pretty reliable and it will turn heads, as well as being something non-mediocre...

 

[scumbag]

Nobody has mentioned these cars. Being a Suzuki, it should be pretty reliable and it will turn heads, as well as being something non-mediocre...

just don't have an accident in it.

They are about 8inches long and 7mm high.

Johns daughter is a about that much taller than me, and I am 8foot 12inch as it is.

 

[Dinnie]

Thanks Dinnie but this picture and the very unfavourable response by Renault has made the selection a non starter

Regards
John

I think Renault has sorted the problem, free fix at dealer. I remember seeing lots of owners complaining on watchdog

 

[jaymanek]

Forget Focus... great when new, a disaster after 3 years and 60K miles... we have an MOT station and focus's must have one of the highest failure rates... they are simply rubbish in terms of longevity and with your budget in mind its no good looking at the quality of a car when its fresh out the factory...

Ford admit to making cars to last less than 100K...

 

[glojo]

Forget Focus... great when new, a disaster after 3 years and 60K miles... we have an MOT station and focus's must have one of the highest failure rates... they are simply rubbish in terms of longevity and with your budget in mind its no good looking at the quality of a car when its fresh out the factory...

Ford admit to making cars to last less than 100K...

Hi Jay,
Could you possibly post or pm the most common issues as my daughter is trying to steer me towards the Focus.

Her second choice is the Peugeot, followed by the Polo.

regards
John

 

[timskemp]

You'll hear disaster stories about all mainstream cars. No reason a Focus shouldn't run to 250k miles if properly maintained which is the problem. Mainstream stuff is normally run on tight budget by 3rd owner, so maintenance is often skipped. Hence the cambelt scare stories for Vauxhalls.

 

[w124coupe]

John, having just been through the process for my 17 year old, I would suggest a quick trawl of the NCAP site before you shortlist.

Some of the older design superminis (e.g. the Ka) are not very good in a crash.

I decided that I wanted my eldest child to be as protected as I am with all the airbags, seatbelt pre-tensioners, crumple zones etc.

Some surprising winners and losers on the site....

 

[A210AMG]

Hello

I bought a Polo a while back off a colleague as at the time I was doing too many miles in a MX5 and the offer was too good to miss (he was PXing it against a new TT so offered it me)

It had done 77K when I sold it, only a 1.3L and looked as good as new, Typical VW build quality, bright red paintwork and little alloys it looked great.

The lady who bought it from me had a full AA check and he spent ages checking the car including a test drive, Everything A1 .

So I would recomend a VW Polo, great little car, good image, solid, cheap..ish to insure (if your 17 nothing is cheap..)

Just make sure you get power steering mine wasn't and quite hard!!

 

[Howard]

Hi John ,

On the way back from dinner tonight , i got a picture of the polo ...

The interior of the cabin is totally intact !

 

[mkindy]

Cor! Started something by mentioning the Focus. I hope you have the good sense to get one. Dont get stuck on the "German must be best thing" because it aint true. I love German cars but they're just as unreliable as anything else now days....BMW eating their own throttle butterflies, Mercs doing their own gearbox fluid changes and VW/Seat/Skoda needing millions of plug caps changing...The more complex cars get I affraid the bigger the £££ if it goes wrong.

Complete the phrase from Clarkson....."I've got a ----- at home and it's the most reliable car I've ever owned, it's great" Missing word Mercedes or Focus?

Just remember most are just used as second cars not pampered luxury cars. If I was on a limited budget I know what I would go for.

 

[rf065]

My son bought a SEAT and it is a really good car for less money than VW.
It also seems to avoid "image issues", no way would he be seen in a Ford Ka or as Skoda, but a SEAT is not seen as something to avoid or too flash either.

Russ

 

[scumbag]

", no way would he be seen in a Ford Ka

Russ

Well it is a Girls car!

 

[scumbag]

Just remember most are just used as second cars not pampered luxury cars. If I was on a limited budget I know what I would go for.

What are? Ford Focus's

The focus, Mondeo and Fiesta are Fords biggest sellers along with the best thing they make, the Transit! Hire companies collect them by the dozen, and off load after 6 months, or a year depending on who uses them.

Very well looked after indeed!

 

[glojo]

Forget Focus... great when new, a disaster after 3 years and 60K miles... we have an MOT station and focus's must have one of the highest failure rates... they are simply rubbish in terms of longevity and with your budget in mind its no good looking at the quality of a car when its fresh out the factory...

Ford admit to making cars to last less than 100K...

I have taken onboard your much appreciated remarks, pestered my brother (who is in New Zealand) who once owned a highish mileage Focus and given in to my daughter's choice.

I'm still hoping the car's we look at do not pass our critical eye and we can steer her towards a Polo but the bottom-line must eb she likes the looks of the car and of course any safety issues.

Good cars with excellent safety. At that age can get a bit tatty round the edges. Can knock out their rear wheel bearings and the rear control blade suspension can wear leading to a £700+ bill to replace both units. Pretty bullet proof otherwise. Smaller engine sizes tend to sell better on the second hand market due to perceived better economy but not much in it. High mileage diesels can develop problems. Anyone can service them tho. For £2k I would expect a good history and 2/3 long term owners max. Any more spells trouble IMHO. http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/carbycar/index.htm?md=116&

Does anyone know an esy way of detecting these issues?

Is it just a case of releasing the hand-brake and tugging on the rear wheels? I am hoping to drag along my son to do this.

Thanks everyone for the helpful advice and yes I have looked at both Seat's and Skoda's but down here they are thin on the ground and appear to hold their price making them compete directly with a similar Polo.

My stipulation is that any prospective car MUST be within a 40 mile diameter of sunny Torquay.

Regards
John

 

[mkindy]

The rear bearings will hum if knackered, but if buying from a dealer and it has a new MOT from a good garage this should have been noticed. Take it for a good long drive over different roads/surfaces and check for any knocking, also check the tyres for uneven wear...usual sort of thing for any car really.

I would take the £700 bit with a pinch of salt...maybe with inflated stealer prices, but I bet a good independant garage would be a fraction, they are very simple cars to work on.

 

[C43AMG]

Thanks Guido for that excellent information.

Girls being girl's she has still got a leaning towards a French car. The latest option is pushing my budget to the limits. I am amazed that the insurance is still acceptable.

The other car we are looking at is older and has a weird sun roof.
Has anyone any experience of these and are they prone to leaking, cracking etc?

Regards
John

Those are great sun roofs John and great cars, like the old Webasto except this one is electric.

My daughters first, second (With said sunroof ) and third car where Polo's and had no major problems.

 

[scumbag]

Its just occurd to me.

Fords are cheap to fix and anyone can fix them! The reasoning behind this as an excuse to buy one, is you expect to have lots of problems needing fixing and keeps the cost of your motoring down.

VW tends to be dearer to fix, anyone can fix them too, they are common, but they tend not to go broke quite as often. This keeps the cost of your motoring down.

Same result, just too different ways to get to it!

I might not be a bad idea to get the AA/RAC to do an independant inspection of the suitable car before purchase. And I am still and advocate of having it fully and comprehensively serviced as soon as you take ownership. That would include new brake pads/shoes all round. And I would seriously consider new tyres and alignment. After all, they are the only bit holding you to the road! You can tyre most cars for around £200 with decent new tyres that will last.

 

[robert.saunders]

I had a Seat Ibiza before the A-class. Great little motor, had a sweet engine, reliable, good equipment (air con etc). Would recommend one; such as:

http://search.autotrader.co.uk/es-u...&model=IBIZA&min_pr=&max_pr=2000&max_mileage=