Scrappage - best deal small car - any ideas?

mandragora_2

My car died last week - and will cost £750-£1,300 to repair, so it's got to go. It will limp to the dealership if it needs to and is eligible under the scrappage scheme. I'm looking to replace it with a small car. I know there will be a wait for delivery - that's not a problem as I can survive without one until Jan if necessary.

However, I just don't know where to begin in terms of looking. It's for driving down country lanes to get to and from work (26 mile round trip) - small, runabout probably sums it up - reliable, sensible etc etc. Value for money is the more important than 'cheapest' if you know what I mean, and the budget could go up to £10k, but I was hoping to get away with less than that.

We've previously had a Fiat Punto which spent so much time in the garage I might as well have had my pay go straight into their account, so I'm not keen on another one. Other than that, no strong ideas, so all opinions welcomed. Thanks for your help

skiking

For less than 10K you are looking at anything from Hyundai up to Ford Focus/Vauxhall Astra - altho' Hyundai are a bit like hens teeth at the moment.

The cheaper the car the more value you get out of the scrappage deal as the more expensive the car the more negotiation power you have but the scrappage deal is based on the RRP so you can usually negotiate the price down on a 10K car by the more than the scrappage deal gives you.

trumpton

My OH bought a Hyundai i10 (not on scrappage deal), which he really likes. ipod ready, air con, 5 year warranty, £35 a year road tax. They have gone up a bit, but are now £7,400 OTR if you can find one. However, if you live in a rural location it might make more sense to look at what dealers you have nearby and see what they have on offer. HTH

mandragora_2

Thanks for this - hadn't looked at the Hyundai, so will see if there's a dealership open today.

Hit the internet review sites, then the dealerships yesterday and we've narrowed it down to:

Suzuki Alto - sensible option, good value
Mazda 2 - again, great value (7k-ish), nicer car than the sensible Suzuki

and,





Alfa Romeo Mito, Turismo.

£9.4k, he has one in stock. Pretty and very nice to drive..... but £3k+ more than the Suzuki

hethmar

Just remember your own car has to have valid MOT, insurance and tax at the time of order, so dont hang about too long Little Polos are nice, but I dont know what delivery time will be on them.

Mazda 2 is sposed to be a decent car. I dont think Id want a suzuki - have you googled for reviews on the cars?

cool_pinkie

Hi, Yep I agree with what Hethmar said about the terms and stuff.

I did my old car on scrappage and got a Suzuki Swift. I have automatic so it's more expensive but at the dealers I think they were about £8000 for manual and then you can get the £2000 and I had 0% finance for 3 years so I thought that was a pretty good deal! Try the Suzuki website and they have scrappage offers there.

goldspanners

mandragora wrote: »

Alfa Romeo Mito, Turismo.

£9.4k, he has one in stock. Pretty and very nice to drive..... but £3k+ more than the Suzuki

is this not just an overpriced fiat punto? it certainly looks like it.
out of those i would choose the mazda.

mandragora_2

Thanks for that - interestingly, having asked around, the Mazda certainly seems a popular choice - but I am very tempted by the Mito... Our car is fine for scrappage (17 years old, mot, tax, and, most certainly, dead - our local friendly mechanic will lend us his trailer to tow it to a local dealership, if they won't pick it up for us).

goldspanners

mandragora wrote: »

but I am very tempted by the Mito...

in your op you say you've already been burnt by a peice of italian junk so why does another one tempt you?

mandragora_2

.... because it's pretty??? I know, I know - like I said, heart strings rather than purse strings tugging here - I need to go and lie down in a darkened room till I feel less emotional about it, I guess...

Shazmar_2

I have had a Kia Picanto for 3 years and never had a pick of bother with it. Seats 5, not great for luggage space but your gonna get it for around 5 grand. You could also go for the Kia Rio bigger car and you'll probably get it for 6 grand. Both come with 5 year warranty. Kia offer a 7 year warranty on the Ceed model so they are very confident with their mechanical parts.