Car Repair Costs?

[travel_freak]

Hi,

Just been down to the garage with my clapped out old Clio. Heaps of stuff wrong with it and probably now not worth having expensive stuff done as it's such an old car. Starter motor is on its way out and will cost £200+ to replace.

Anyway, the mechanic said it is a myth that Clios are cheap to run as mechanically speaking it's often awkward to get to bits in the engine and that pushes up repair bills (I can vouch for that this year!). He said something like a Peugeot 206 would be a good bet to replace it with as this is easier and cheaper to repair when things start to go wrong.

Can anyone comment on this? I actually had in mind a VW Polo or Golf or a Hyundai Getz or Toyota Yaris? I would view this replacement as lasting me for at least 7-8 years (I don't change cars often!).

Is there a mechanic out there who could comment on repair costs for these and which option might be the most economic?

It will be an automatic and must be a small hatchback with reasonable size boot.

Thanks in advance.

Regards,

[Conor]

The mechanic is full of crap about the cost being higher because it's a bit fiddly to get at.

And £200+ for a starter motor? Is this a genuine manufacturers new, not recon, fitted at the dealership?

You need to find a new garage.

[dnc1781]

http://www.reliabilityindex.co.uk/tophundred.html?apc=3128339010848601

[travel_freak]

dnc1781, many thanks for that link which was really useful. I knew the Yaris had good received good reports but it's reassuring to see it ranked so highly, along with Japanese cars generally. I think I will seriously consider one of these.

Thanks again.

[nullogik]

He recommended the Peugeot 206?!

Those cars tend to suffer from electrical problems so I'd personally stay away from those.

How much do you have to spend on a new/secondhand car, travelfreak?