A cheapish automatic for commuting with warranty?

Phal · 30 Mar 2018 at 14:10

Looking to get a car for my wife to drive to work. The commute will be 45-50 miles a day and the car needs to be an automatic since that's all her license covers.

We're not looking to commit to anything more expensive with finance right now so it needs to be cheap - I've been looking at stuff up to £3k but I'm not sure if that's a realistic budget or if we need to go higher.

Is there anything with a decent warranty at this price range? I know lots of smaller dealers will offer warranties at a price etc but I'm not sure if those warranties are worth the paper they are printed on?

Thanks in advance!

paradigm · 30 Mar 2018 at 14:40

Even the cheapest 5-6 year old Hyundai and Kias don’t come in until £5,000 ish. At £3k you are best just choosing on condition.

The 1.4 DSG polo my wife drives has been faultless for the last 18 months, it’s a 2010 (60 plate), they are around your budget these days.

IAmATeaf · 30 Mar 2018 at 18:58

What sort of warranty do you think you might get with a budget of 3k? Best bet is to try and get either the most renowned reliable car or the easiest to repair.

xs2man · 31 Mar 2018 at 09:52

As said above, you don't have the budget to get anything with a warranty. Well, not one that's worth anything. So best to buy something known for reliability, in the best condition you can find it.

I would suggest the safe choice. Something Japanese. A Yaris or Auris should be doable in budget. Diesel will be more economical, but up to you whether you want to go down the diesel route in the current climate. The petrol is supposed to be pretty economical too, especially in the Yaris. The Auris might be a bit more comfortable to drive though, since she is doing a reasonable mileage, which may be border line as to benefiting from the economy of the diesel.

Or, a firm favourite around here, a Ford Focus. Which should, at least, be not too expensive to repair.

paradigm · 31 Mar 2018 at 10:39

The problem with both the Yaris and Auris is the daft gearbox. The MMT "Multimode" is simply horrid, the Mother in Law has one (Auris) that she bought at the same time as the wife bought her Polo, the gearbox has a mind of its own, is the least smooth box in the world, can't crawl, doesn't have a creep function or hill hold, and trying to reverse it slowly is nigh-on impossible. It's a very poorly implemented automated manual box (with a single clutch).

radderfire · 31 Mar 2018 at 10:41

Skoda Fabia around 2009 is within budget. Skodas are cheap to run, and Skoda as a brand does well in customer satisfaction surveys by JD Power.

https://www.honestjohn.co.uk/carbycar/skoda/fabia-2007/

Howard · 31 Mar 2018 at 23:22

paradigm said:
The problem with both the Yaris and Auris is the daft gearbox. The MMT "Multimode" is simply horrid, the Mother in Law has one (Auris) that she bought at the same time as the wife bought her Polo, the gearbox has a mind of its own, is the least smooth box in the world, can't crawl, doesn't have a creep function or hill hold, and trying to reverse it slowly is nigh-on impossible. It's a very poorly implemented automated manual box (with a single clutch).

Indeed, it’s a great value car as long as you get the manual. Even a CVT would have been nicer