reliable, cheapish car

bastic · 2 May 2021 at 12:06

Hi all.

at some point in the next 2-3 months, wife will have to start driving to work as it will save her around 40-50min on new commute.
put a side she has no driving licence, we are looking for a reliable cheapish car.. that is also fairly economical..

possibly £3-4k budget.
doesn't have to be fancy..
was thinking of Skoda's...fabia, in hatchback or estate - estate ideal as can stick bike(s) in the back without taking wheels off...maybe roomster ?
but maybe something like focus ? golf ? or older volvo ?

Never owned a car as we never needed one living in london.

Any recommendations please ?
get the point that mileage, previous servicing are on top of the check lists

Thanks!

ShiWarrior · 2 May 2021 at 12:45

maybe an Octavia (non estate) big boot, good for bikes

or being as a first car, something like a fiesta to start with is ideal

bastic · 2 May 2021 at 12:50

ShiWarrior said:
maybe an Octavia (non estate) big boot, good for bikes

or being as a first car, something like a fiesta to start with is ideal

I do drive but never owned a car

Ocavias are on the list as well.
trying to find a balance...if SHMBO wants to learn to drive, she might as well in a normal sized car

inflames · 2 May 2021 at 13:02

Some good cars already listed with a decent size boot for the bikes. Maybe a c-class estate or Audi A4 avant or Toyota Avensis?

bastic · 2 May 2021 at 13:16

inflames said:
Some good cars already listed with a decent size boot for the bikes. Maybe a c-class estate or Audi A4 avant or Toyota Avensis?

would those in that price bracket be reliable considering they will be older ?

Dominic-Toretto · 2 May 2021 at 13:28

Honda civic would be my pick.....

inflames · 2 May 2021 at 13:36

bastic said:
would those in that price bracket be reliable considering they will be older ?

The Avensis would be, but they are really dull to drive. The merc and Audi can be very reliable, only if they are have been well looked after but you can say that about any car. I know a lot of people who say in the would have bangernomics alway buy jap.
My wife owns a Mazda 6 and that has been a very reliable car over the last four years. We also manage to fit the push bikes in the back.

bastic · 2 May 2021 at 13:53

Squidward said:
Honda civic would be my pick.....

been looking on accords not that long ago...look cool in estate..

inflames said:
The Avensis would be, but they are really dull to drive. The merc and Audi can be very reliable, only if they are have been well looked after but you can say that about any car. I know a lot of people who say in the would have bangernomics alway buy jap.
My wife owns a Mazda 6 and that has been a very reliable car over the last four years. We also manage to fit the push bikes in the back.

I've heard that older jap car engines are reliable.. will think about them more...

Robzere31 · 2 May 2021 at 18:23

We've had a Fabia for 6 years now. Most of those it was our only car so had to do everything.

Very reliable, only had to replace service items, tyres, brakes etc over the 45,000 miles we've put on it.

I've had my road bike in the back of it several times (with the back seats folded down admittedly)

Good on fuel, regularly get 55+ mpg on a run.
Whilst it's no Ferrari in the 0-60 category, it keeps up with everyday traffic & its easy to park/drive for newer drivers.
Should also be cheap to insure.

bastic · 2 May 2021 at 19:50

Robzere31 said:
We've had a Fabia for 6 years now. Most of those it was our only car so had to do everything.

Very reliable, only had to replace service items, tyres, brakes etc over the 45,000 miles we've put on it.

I've had my road bike in the back of it several times (with the back seats folded down admittedly)

Good on fuel, regularly get 55+ mpg on a run.
Whilst it's no Ferrari in the 0-60 category, it keeps up with everyday traffic & its easy to park/drive for newer drivers.
Should also be cheap to insure.

My mate has Fabia hence it's on the list

40 miles a day commute for him was only £100 in petrol a month !

ODuffer · 2 May 2021 at 19:59

I've had a Citroen C2 SX HDI for a couple of years. It cost me 2K, it's been quite a reliable sh1tbox really, I can't complain. Very good MPG.

bastic · 2 May 2021 at 20:51

ODuffer said:
I've had a Citroen C2 SX HDI for a couple of years. It cost me 2K, it's been quite a reliable sh1tbox really, I can't complain. Very good MPG.

Would prefer panda to c2 lol

Haggisman · 2 May 2021 at 21:01

As a brand new driver, I would have thought insurance cost would be a major factor?

Fabia is a good shout, dirt cheap to insure, and theres the estate version which will give you a bit more space for the bikes if desired

hawker1986 · 3 May 2021 at 07:09

Another vote for Honda Civic - very reliable and the boot is huge

4K8KW10 · 3 May 2021 at 08:48

Mazdas and Hondas tend to be rust buckets. I won't buy ever again these brands.

Avalon · 3 May 2021 at 10:17

4K8KW10 said:
Mazdas and Hondas tend to be rust buckets. I won't buy ever again these brands.

Just like basically every other brand at this sort of age if it’s not been looked after for a decade+ then?

Op, what sort of distance will she be driving? Is the congestion charge likely to factor in? I would also be running some insurance numbers before setting a car budget, 3-4K is the likely premium on some of the options being discussed for a new driver in an urban setting and that may restrict options.

Tinders · 3 May 2021 at 10:23

A4/C class/3 series arent really all that big as estates. Anything petrol and Jap should be a decent bet. Id avoid diesels, if you really want a diesel then get the Accord diesel, thats the only one in my experience thats been proven to be reliable.

4K8KW10 · 3 May 2021 at 10:37

Avalon said:
Just like basically every other brand at this sort of age if it’s not been looked after for a decade+ then?

You can't look after corrosion. It's ridiculous.

Ever heard that some brands are made with corrosion protection from the get-go in the factory?

Tinders · 3 May 2021 at 10:40

Ive run Honda's for years, never had any issues with rust. Ive still got an 04 Accord in the yard and its not got a spec of rust. Even old mercs rust!

Nasher · 3 May 2021 at 10:46

Still loads of S2000s around used daily which look clean as well.