Which car ? - If you had choice

blacksta

i am considering buying a relative small car at least 5 years old and the options before me are the following

1. vw polo DSG 1.4 auto
2. ford fiesta 1.6 auto
3 fiat grande punto 1.4 auto
4. CHEVROLET Aveo 1.4 LT

I do more motorways miles than other and would also love car i can sell maybe 2 or 3 years time without a massive significant loss of value. Also trying to avoid cars with potential issues

My budget is btw 4 and 5k max.

Thanks for

Lum

If you're doing a lot of motorway work I wouldn't recommend any of those. You want something Focus-sized or larger. Also a little 1.4 petrol engine is not going to be economical on the motorway. 1.6-1.8 petrol or 1.7-2.0 diesel would be a better choice.

For avoiding depreciation, I'd definitely lose the Chevvy. It's a rebadged Daewoo and while there is nothing wrong with Korean cars made this century they still depreciate more than European or Japanese cars.
For avoiding issues I'd avoid anything Italian or French, and VWs aren't as good as they're made out to be either.

From your original list, that leaves the Fiesta which, handily, is a 1.6 and so should be pretty good on the motorway.

I'd still be looking for a Focus though, or something Japanese.

blacksta

I am gravitating towards the vw polo. My journey on motorway is not a constant as next year i could be commuting by public transport. Not to bothered about car fuel economics as that could be a false economy. Vw POLO (looking at autotrader holds it value) I like the focus but a bit worried about the size of the car. Most of time it is only me in the car. Can you recommend any Japanese car

Should i add a vw golf to the list?

mbugle

If you are looking for a small, relatively cheap car with good MPG, I suggest a 1.5 diesel Clio. I only have good things to say about mine and I can often get over 650 miles from a single tank. On the motorway it is more than comfortable cruising, and has enough power to get past lorries and other slow moving cars quickly. I do around 65 miles a day during the week and one tank (roughly £60 to fill up) can last up to 2 weeks!

Good luck with your search,

Mike

blacksta

mbugle wrote: »

If you are looking for a small, relatively cheap car with good MPG, I suggest a 1.5 diesel Clio. I only have good things to say about mine and I can often get over 650 miles from a single tank. On the motorway it is more than comfortable cruising, and has enough power to get past lorries and other slow moving cars quickly. I do around 65 miles a day during the week and one tank (roughly £60 to fill up) can last up to 2 weeks!

Good luck with your search,

Mike

I have just be warned to stay from French made cars and also they dont do a diesel in auto ( i might be wrong)

Lum

The reason I suggested a larger car isn't so much to do with carrying capacity as with comfort on the motorway trips. The Fiesta/Polo size cars are generally intended for mostly town/city driving. There's a reason why sales reps who are up and down the motorway on their own all day tend towards Mondeos and 3-series and it isn't just about status.

I, personally, hated the Fiesta courtesy car I had when it was on the motorway as it was short, narrow and tall so all the bumps and undulations caused by the deep lorry tracks on the M4 were magnified as the top of the car swings about more than in a larger car. It made me want to just sit in the middle lane!

If you want to look at Japanese cars, in the Focus-size cars then the Honda Civic and Toyota Corolla would be worth looking at. For Fiesta-size then Nissan Micra or Toyota Yaris.

I know a lot of people have been put off Toyota of late, after the fiasco with the brakes on their 2010 models, but this isn't an issue for the age of car you are looking at.

wba31

Have a look at the Honda Jazz. Never experienced one but heard many good things!

I have a 2004 civic (before the current shape). not a massive car but roomy inside and comfortable, and designed to go forever. they made them up to 2005 so may be a little older than you'd like, but a great car...

blacksta

I was considering the Civic and Yaris but worried about the I_Shift and MMT gears - Been reading bad reviews about this gear systems. Hence the reason i am looking at conventional auto gear systems


what do you think.

Lum

What is the reason you are looking for an automatic? Is it due to driving licence, medical reasons (e.g. unable to use left leg) or just because you don't want to have to change gears yourself.

And yes I'd forgotten about the Honda Jazz.

emmell

All I can say is those MMT boxes are dreadful, if you don't believe me, take a test drive.
ML.

getmore4less

IN the VW camp is the Skoda Fabia

Should get more for you money than the Polo and same .


what's the annual mileage

why ignore running costs and focus on depretiation.

total cost of ownership is what is important.

Does it have to be auto