An economical, reliable second car ?

Mildly_Miffed

Parkhall said:

Suzuki Alto / Nissan Pixo - same car, Japanese reliability

Hyundai i10 1.2 petrol, reasonably well equiped for the money
Toyota Aygo / Peugeot 107 / Citroën C1 1.0 petrol - mechanicaly the same car, builtd in Czech Republic; focus on the service history rather than the badge. 

The i10 and the Aygo seem to be highly recommended by various sources.

The Aygo/C1/107, absolutely, but avoid the semi-auto and go for as low-spec as possible.
The newer-shape Aygo/C1/108, less tempting.

Goudy

Mildly_Miffed said:

Parkhall said:

Suzuki Alto / Nissan Pixo - same car, Japanese reliability

Hyundai i10 1.2 petrol, reasonably well equiped for the money
Toyota Aygo / Peugeot 107 / Citroën C1 1.0 petrol - mechanicaly the same car, builtd in Czech Republic; focus on the service history rather than the badge. 

The i10 and the Aygo seem to be highly recommended by various sources.

The Aygo/C1/107, absolutely, but avoid the semi-auto and go for as low-spec as possible.
The newer-shape Aygo/C1/108, less tempting.

Make sure you test drive any of these carefully. 
They can have awful clutches. They tend to bite really high and have absolutely no feel to them, acting almost like a switch and they are prone to clutch problems.

Later cars had a different, bigger, stronger clutch fitted and tend to be a little better.

fatbelly

We have a second car but it is used regularly whenever we think parking might be an issue.

It is a Seat Mii, which is the same as VW Up and Skoda Citigo.

You are going to need 3k as the oldest is 2012. Avoid sky high mileages but note that they do go on well

Any of the manual versions are fine - you might want to avoid the base base specs without air con but that does tend to pack up anyway.

On a long trip I do 70 mpg, tax is £20 or zero and my insurance renewal came through at £130 (per year). Some examples of Mii/Citigo follow. You tend to pay more for the Up, even though it's the same car made in the same factory

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202501318593639

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202506233794992

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202507104365581

Rosa_Damascena

fatbelly said:

We have a second car but it is used regularly whenever we think parking might be an issue.

That is the problem with having a smart car, you don't want to just plonk it anywhere.

Barkin

Goudy said:

Mildly_Miffed said:

Parkhall said:

Suzuki Alto / Nissan Pixo - same car, Japanese reliability

Hyundai i10 1.2 petrol, reasonably well equiped for the money
Toyota Aygo / Peugeot 107 / Citroën C1 1.0 petrol - mechanicaly the same car, builtd in Czech Republic; focus on the service history rather than the badge. 

The i10 and the Aygo seem to be highly recommended by various sources.

The Aygo/C1/107, absolutely, but avoid the semi-auto and go for as low-spec as possible.
The newer-shape Aygo/C1/108, less tempting.

Make sure you test drive any of these carefully. 
They can have awful clutches. They tend to bite really high and have absolutely no feel to them, acting almost like a switch and they are prone to clutch problems.

Later cars had a different, bigger, stronger clutch fitted and tend to be a little better.

They're also prone to water getting in around the rear hatch, so check carefully for musty smells and damp carpet in the boot and rear footwells.

Great little cars though - were I in the market for that type of car, I'd have one in a heartbeat.

Indout96

As this has been going on awhile I may be too late but I would go just a little larger and stick in my recommendation for the Volvo C30 
Virtually bomb proof
Solid as a rock and good in an accident.
Decent mileage (D2 can be well over 60mpg on Motorway runs we once went from Yorkshire to South Wales and averaged 72MPG)
All the gadgets will still be working although CDs for SatNav will not be available any more

victor2

BrilliantButScary said:

IParkhall said:

BrilliantButScary said:

Rather than buy a second car, have you thought about moving house, so you can access public transport and services more easily.

Location, location, location. Mine is too good to move.

I'm playing Devil's Advocate, but what happens in the future if you are unable to drive anymore. 

Future proofing in retirement is important, not just from the financial perspective, but also to ensure independence, comfort and support.

From personal experience, an Hyundai i10 would be my recommendation for an economical, reliable second car. 

It's not so much if, but when. I still drive, but don't know how many more years of safe driving I have left in me. I have my free bus pass and the nearest stop is about a 10 minute walk away for the hourly bus into town. Done it once just to see how it works. Obviously not as convenient as driving, but the option is there, for now at least. Age creeps up on you at the rate of a speeding car!

How are you getting back from the car repair place once you've taken the car there, and why do they need it for a week? Can they offer a courtesy car?