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An automatic car with around £3k budget?
Know absolutely diddly squat about automatics as never entertained them before in my life ever.
However my mother is more than likely going to be in the situation where she needs to make the move from manual to automatic.
Her budget is probably going to be in & about the given figure. Can't see it being much more at her stage.
SUVs, MPVs, or whatever other abbreviated tag these big cars have will be of no use to her.
Something on the size of Focus / Golf / Astra etc ideally.
I don't really know if there's known decent/bad automatics out there whereas say the manual may be decent but the automatic version isn't or whatever.
I'm just coming through for a bit of info really to get an idea of what she should be looking at at this price point.
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VW up. I've had one for 8 years and love it. Automatic, a bit peppy and very small so easy to park.
Mine's like this….
2015 Silver Volkswagen up! for sale for £3,471 in SHEFFIELD, SOUTH YORKSHIRE
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30kWh Leaf with an alleged three year warranty? https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202603271074108
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If she is only going to use it for short journeys, an older electric car would probably be perfect. They are easy to drive. No messing about with the clutch and gears. The Nissan Leaf above would be perfect as a local runabout. Driving longer distances would require an awful lot of planning, though.
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If you have somewhere to install an electric charger, then an electric car makes sense. If not, then public charging is either too slow or too expensive for an electric vehicle to be worthwhile.
If it sticks, force it.
If it breaks, well it wasn't working right anyway.0 -
From previous posts I think the OP is vehemently anti-EV, although whether that also applies to his mother is as yet unknown.
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One of the small Hyundai or Suzuki autos would be ideal, but they go for big money as they are in high demand.
A Honda Jazz auto is good too.
Avoid anything with an automated manual gearbox, Vauxhall & Ford used them, the way to tell what is in it is to look at the gear selector.
If it is all in one slot and says PRND21 or PRND2L it is a torque converter (the best type, reliable & work well)
All in one slot and says PRNDS it will be CVT ok if the car says Honda on the back, but If it says Nissan on the back RUN AWAY
If it has a weird triple slot like an H with a blob on the side and says AM +/- PR it is an automated manual. Run away!
Another way to tell an automated manual is to try and reverse it as if you were backing into a small space, if it is jerky and you are seriously worried that it will hit something, it is an automated manual.
As has been mentioned, an EV is effectively an auto, and cheap to run if there is a drive with an outdoor socket (rated for EVs) to plug in a charger, and there are loads about under £3k.
I want to go back to The Olden Days, when every single thing that I can think of was better.....
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Echo what Facade put, you want what is called a Torque converter or a CVT. Run away from anything else. Avoid the Ishift Honda's, CVT is fine though.
Would also avoid a diesel, guessing she is likely a low mileage driver.
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£3k for a well looked after small automatic isn't a huge amount, they are few and far between and demand is high.
Brands to look at as above. Suzuki, Hyundai, Kia, possibly an early Toyota hybrid. For that money I'd also be looking at private sale rather than 'bomb site' dealers, as they will be selling £1k cars for £3k and any warranty isn't worth the premium.
The guide above about looking at gearstick isn't 100% accurate. Some vehicles are CVT, have no S mode, but manual shift 'A/M' and paddles behind the steering wheel.
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We charge our EV using a charger that just plugs into a normal mains outlet. For our low mileage, that’s fine. We can charge up enough power for 50 miles overnight.
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For a low mileage user EVs work really well. Plus, as others have said, the op will really struggle to get a decent small auto for only £3k.
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