Economical runabout - whats your experience

inkie

Looking out for something for about £700 - thinking corsa/micra/fiesta/AX etc, that kind of thing. PLease could you share your expeirnece of any of these cars in terms of fuel economy/insurance/reliability etc. I have an 06 Astra estate at the moment, and want to downsize to something more economical. Hubby is handy with cars and so will do repairs and servicing.

TIA Inkie :T

OrangeProse

I had a Citroen AX for a while, a few years ago. They feel a bit... flimsy sometimes, but find a good one and they're reliable, as they're pretty basic. Probably the most fun to drive of the ones you mention as well.

Micra is also good - make sure you don't get one that was once a driving instructor's car. No offence to driving instructors, but the cars tend to have spent a lot of time doing small journeys at 30mph - not ideal for the health of an engine. Look for 'Engineering Education Trust' on the V5 - means it was once owned by BSM.

I'd also consider a VW Polo or Golf 1.4 (Mark 3 - plenty around for £500 - £1000). A bit more solid than the Citroen, the Golf in particular is actually rather nice. Reliable and very easy to maintain if hubby is handy with the oily bits (if I can do it anyone can). Or, a Nissan Almera. Dumb name, very good car disguised as the dullest thing you'll ever look at. Surprisingly fun to drive!

The one I'd avoid is the Corsa. They're quite cute and I know you currently have a Vauxhall, but I found the older Corsas to be a bit rough to drive and not so reliable. Cheap to fix though, I guess.

Also avoid anything like Hyundais, Kias, Protons etc at this price level. They are cheap, and can be reliable, and you'll get newer for your money, but often spares have to be ordered from Korea/Malaysia and it can take weeks.

If you're husband is good with mechanics then I'm sure he knows what he's looking for when you go to look at potential purchases.

joshm_2

If you find a good Peugeot 205 I'd consider that too. I have an H-reg GT (not GTi, this one has a 1.4 engine) and I love it (ok, that's too strong but you get th e idea). It does about 50mpg, handles brilliantly, is cheap to insure and is reliable (and cheap to maintain since parts are easily available, cheap and the engine is very simple). To put it in perspective, I also own a Porsche and if one of them had to go, the 205 would still be on the driveway at the end of the day. The 205 was galvanised as well meaning it won't rust as quickly as some others.

Out of the cars you mention I'd take the Micra, my neighbour has a 1.0 litre one and it's great (have borrowed it a couple of times, very capable, good fun to drive, reliable and economical). That said I'm not sure how easily parts are to get hold of.

Unless you can trace the history of a Corsa or AX (or they are still factory standard) I'd be inclined to leave them - they are boy racer magnets and may well have had a hard life.

veloo

I have an old '84 reg Mazda 323 1.3 petrol, which gives me 10+ miles/litre. Very reliable, haven't had any troubles with anything on it. Everything is mechanical, which means there is a lot less to go wrong. Bangernomics? Yes, I am very much for it...

steveo3002

id suggestyou get a low(ish) miles and most rust free vw polo you can find...should easily get one around the £5-600 mark

cheap and easy fix, very basic so not much can go wrong, low insurance too

look after it with oil changes and servicing and it should last a good while