Cheap & reliable commuter?

singlemindedly

I have a 1996 Nissan Almera, a large car for me - 5-door. I'm single, so all I really need is a tiny car (even a Smart would be big enough for me), but I commute on motorways, about 80 miles/day.

With petrol costing what it does, I'm seriously thinking about trading in my trusty Nissan for something smaller, but I'm confused... all those small cars are being sold as "city cars" and reviews often say they're no good on motorways. Why is that? Does their petrol use go up exponentially if you go at motorway speeds, or what?

I'm looking for a reliable (!!) used model that won't cost the world, my Nissan is worth maybe £1,000 so I'd like something around that price range. Any thoughts?

Much appreciated!

Pew_Pew_Pew_Lasers!

Stick with what you have. Its a known quantity.

Riq

I was going to say Honda Civic but then noticed your price range.

I have a Honda Civic, I have only owned three cars in my life and all have been Civics.

Fogg1969

I'd suggest a 2nd hand Corsa Turbo Diesel.

cowbutt

singlemindedly wrote: »

I have a 1996 Nissan Almera, a large car for me - 5-door. I'm single, so all I really need is a tiny car (even a Smart would be big enough for me), but I commute on motorways, about 80 miles/day.

With petrol costing what it does, I'm seriously thinking about trading in my trusty Nissan for something smaller, but I'm confused... all those small cars are being sold as "city cars" and reviews often say they're no good on motorways. Why is that? Does their petrol use go up exponentially if you go at motorway speeds, or what?

No, but they'll be noisier and take longer to get up to speeds for joining the motorway and overtaking. I'd also be concerned that there's less protection in the event of a collision.

I'm looking for a reliable (!!) used model that won't cost the world, my Nissan is worth maybe £1,000 so I'd like something around that price range. Any thoughts?

Much appreciated!

You won't get a Smart or anything like that for that sort of money. Conceivably, there might be a diesel bargain out there somewhere, but if your Almera is reliable (and I bet it's probably getting 40+ MPG on motorway runs), it's probably not worth the risk of changing to a car with an unknown reliability record. Hang onto your Almera until it's dying (I'd imagine you'd get at least another 3-5 years out of it), then see what your needs are then.