VW Up or Skoda Citigo: finance / lease / contract hire options

jamesbrownontheroad

almillar wrote: »

First question would be why are you ignoring the little SEAT - is it not out yet? I'm also sure you'd spend far less money on a second hand (or even new) Aygo, 107 or C1 since they've been around longer. If you want to justify being a snob and buying the VW, use all those other snobs as an excuse - I'm sure the VW will hold its value better because of the badge (and maybe styling, but I'm not sure about the back).

The Seat Mii is out, but subjectively, my descending order of preference would be VW, Skoda and Seat. I think this would also correlate with their general depreciation strengths.

I'd consider the Aygo etc, but have heard mixed things about their general reliability. Plus the Up/Citigo/Mii is brand new, and winning plaudits for (Car of the Year, Auto Express Car of the Year awards etc).

As for the glass bootlid on the VW, I had a look in the dealer. It appears to be a layer of glass on top of the metal bootlid - so it's not entirely glass. But it does seem like an expensive aesthetic feature in case of any damage to the rear end.

mazza111

Haven't looked at the citygo as yet, but as a skoda driver, when time comes to replace, I'll definitely be looking at another skoda, I have a 1o year old 1.4 petrol skoda fabia, 129k miles when the clutch gave way on it. With regular servicing these are great wee cars. So, will definitely either be looking at another skoda, I would prefer something small though

jamesbrownontheroad

Forgot to add - we were a VW family until about ten years ago when my folks switched to Skoda. We had one post-VW-acquisition Seat Ibiza which was a bit of a dog. All these prejudices pale into insignificance when you remember that the Up/Citigo/Mii are all bit in the same factory in Bratislava.

Snuggles

I have just been through this same dilemma. I looked at the Up and loved it, then spent a couple of weeks trying to persuade mysef to buy a Citigo, as it's essentially the same car, only cheaper etc etc.

I'm not a badge snob, we have a Fabia and it's a great car, we always get excellent service from the Skoda garage. I really wanted to want the Citigo, but I just preferred the Up, simple as that. I prefer the look of it inside and out, and for me it feels that bit more refined than the Citigo. At the spec I wanted, the price difference was £500, and for me, it was worth spending that to get the car I really wanted.

Having said all that, have you considered the new Fiat Panda as an alternative? It's a really funky little car, and Fiat have some low rate finance deals on offer at the moment.

jamesbrownontheroad

Snuggles wrote: »

Having said all that, have you considered the new Fiat Panda as an alternative? It's a really funky little car, and Fiat have some low rate finance deals on offer at the moment.

I have indeed. Not long after we first met my fianc! and I rented one in France and fell in love with as we bombed around Alsace in it. The Panda and perhaps the Nissan Note are two models I might consider.

I'm left wondering about the VW Polo. I spent a while with the Up in the dealer and then happened to have a peek at the Polo. For only a little more money it's a lot more car. It's an older design (three years plus on the market) but I've driven it and know that it's a solid dependable design. And because it's older, there are more deals to be had.

I think we're going to shop around, and maybe hold fire. Head needs time to win over the heart