Help me decide which used car to buy...

Goudy

My other half drives a Suzuki Vitara and it's been bombproof.
It's not the most luxurious car in the world inside, think tough and hard wearing though it is very comfortable.

It's a nice drive with a decent ride height but it's no bigger than a hatchback really.
It's quite well thought out with some nice touches, like large buttons on the dash you can't miss even with gloves on and there's plenty of space inside, up front, in the back and in the boot.

You can now get them with a mild hybrid engine rather than a full hybrid and they are pretty good to drive.
The electric motor chimes in to help a little and it all feels really smooth and effortless.
They are pretty low tech compared with some offering these days but that all helps reliability.

As you have passed on the Yaris Cross due to the 12v battery issue with low mileage, you'd have the same problem with some other full hybrids like the Toyota CHR, which is really the same design of powertrain as the Yaris Cross.

There's the Ford Puma, I have no experience of them but they sell well and again have a mild hybrid system that is generally less fussy than some full hybrids.
Ford have had some issues with wet cam belts but not every car suffers and they have uprated the belts since the problem first appeared.

I would also consider a Renault Captur E Tech.
That is a full hybrid but Renault have gone a slightly different way with how the electric motor integrates with the gearbox.
I've driven the same engine/gearbox in the E Tech Clio, which the Captur is based on and it's very good, about the best full hybrid I've driven, about town it mainly runs on electric with the engine just starting intermittently to recharge the battery.
Renault have been creeping up the the reliability tables in the last few years and Renault have just refreshed the styling of the Captur with a new front bumper and lights, so the later ones might be about to slip a little in price.

Some love them, some hate them but the Nissan Quahqai sells in the millions.
The new one has what Nissan call E-Power, which the petrol engine doesn't drive the wheels at all.
It's not exactly a true hybrid as most will recognise but it uses an electric motor to solely power the wheels but a petrol engine as an onboard generator that charges the battery.

The petrol engine is quite clever, as it's not powering the wheels it doesn't need to make lots of torque, it gets plenty of that for the electric motor, so it uses VC or variable compression which alters the compression ratio between low and high load depending on electrical demand adding to fuel economy.
It also helps keep the engine speed matched to road speed (when it fires up) even though it's not driving the wheels, this helps with the overall feel of the car as there's not this engine revving away on it's own at odd speeds.

 

MostlyMoss

Hadn’t considered the Suzuki’s or the Qashqai; the Puma certainly gets lots of good reviews in the small suv category.  I’ll take a closer look at those mentioned - really appreciate the detail @Goudy. 

Arunmor

I bought my missus a Kamiq, great car.  Start reading lots of reviews and gradually you will narrow it down.

You have masses of different models to choose from.

The big question is how long to you plan to keep it?  If 3 years then you want one that retains the most value at the end of 3 years.  If like us that is never a concern as the cars usually leave on a low loader.

MostlyMoss

Thanks @Arunmor - yes, looking at all the reviews for those suggested on here, then will visit nearest car supermarket to have a proper look - hope to make a decision pretty soon.

Had the current car for 16 years from new - hoping the next one outlasts me  

knightstyle

tGood article here...  https://www.autoexpress.co.uk/car-group-tests/356589/honda-hr-v-vs-renault-captur-vs-seat-arona-2021-group-test-review

Arunmor

MostlyMoss said:

Thanks @Arunmor - yes, looking at all the reviews for those suggested on here, then will visit nearest car supermarket to have a proper look - hope to make a decision pretty soon.

Had the current car for 16 years from new - hoping the next one outlasts me  

Well then buy the one you like the most at the best value.  To me Skoda are better value than VW and I don't need an Audi at a premium price.  Some folk prefer Japanese or Korean cars.

We went from no Skodas (I slightly turned my nose up at them) to a family with three.

photome

Arunmor said:

MostlyMoss said:

Thanks @Arunmor - yes, looking at all the reviews for those suggested on here, then will visit nearest car supermarket to have a proper look - hope to make a decision pretty soon.

Had the current car for 16 years from new - hoping the next one outlasts me  

Well then buy the one you like the most at the best value.  To me Skoda are better value than VW and I don't need an Audi at a premium price.  Some folk prefer Japanese or Korean cars.

We went from no Skodas (I slightly turned my nose up at them) to a family with three.

And Seat are better value than Skoda IMO and are still the same car underneath 

maxmycardagain

MostlyMoss said:

The SUV is preference - had a Forester which I loved. Plus maybe an attempt to 'future proof'. 

I'm now looking at the Kia and Hyundai too, thank you.  Not sure I'm ready for the Swift or Jazz but really appreciate your suggestions 

just done 400 miles in my Sportage diesel, in 3 months lol, love the stance, i fitted a new rear camera (Kia £600, Ebay £15) im fitting front DIY sensors and a man sized horn (the beep beep doesnt cut it), it has almost every extra many newer and mor expensive cars have, and does 50mpg, whats not to love?

MostlyMoss

Kia sounds good...

born_again

MostlyMoss said:

Kia sounds good...

Just stay away for MHEV's
Waste of time.