First car (Mii/Up!/Citigo)

sandys

sandys

sandys

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28 Jan 2003
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Bristol
Hi there,

Looking at one of these for my daughters first car, from what I can see, apart from being a bit pricy for what they are, they seem to be pretty decent and reliable, anyone know about these and what I should be looking for?

Engines seem to range from 60/75/90bhp, having done some quotes it looks like 60-75 is my best bet for 'reasonable' insrance, the 90 is a bit too much as is the GTi despite me having much want for it, I don't fancy the young driver 2.5k insurance premium on it.

Cheers
 
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My wife's, got a 75hp Up! I really like it. Only thing we've had to do in 3 years is put a new battery in it. If you get one with stop/start is zero VED as well. It's geared for town driving so not great on the motorway. Really easy to drive and you can park it in some really tight spaces.
 
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I saw that some were zero VED but think that changes after 2017 to standard tax rate, is that correct, I'm looking to buy a newer one as I wrote my Abarth off last week :( so need some wheels 'til next year, giving me time to procrastinate on the replacement, when I am done I will use it for my daughter to learn, we'd probably have it for 5yrs or so whilst she works the insurance down, so having a little newer to start with it should hopefully last well.
 
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Yup, done this already and they really aren't cheaper, most of the bigger cars start at 2k for the quotes we have done even when sub group 5, quite surprising.

The little VAG box on wheels is half that and had a decent safety rating 'till the test was changed, bit like my Punto that went from 5 stars NCAP to zero, it didn't get less safe over time.

As a car for getting around a city, why do you need more really.
 
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sandys said:
Yup, done this already and they really aren't cheaper, most of the bigger cars start at 2k for the quotes we have done even when sub group 5, quite surprising.

The little box is half that.
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It's a flipping lottery, try something like a Passat :cry: I'd have a proper close look at telemetric policies, I've heard some surprising things over the years I.E. a young lad having his policy cancelled because he took a night job
 
sandys said:
even when sub group 5
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Insurance group is essentially meaningless these days, so I wouldn't take that as a barometer for anything.
(e.g. My 190hp Cooper S Countryman was noticeable cheaper to insure than a 150hp Ford Kuga, despite being several insurance groups higher)


It's worth looking at some of the bigger engine / more powerful variants rather than the base spec models (obviously not the GTI versions etc), but the more "family car" variants like the 120-150hp versions rather than the <100hp models.


Personally whilst I get the appeal of the smaller cars, I wouldn't want my kids learning to drive in one - the bigger cars are much safer in the event of a crash.
 
Some reviews:


Used Volkswagen Up Hatchback (2012 - 2023) Review

Volkswagen Up Hatchback (2012 - 2023) in-depth review. Read our experts' views on the engine, practicality, running costs, overall performance and more.
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I agree that bigger cars offer more safety. If it's mostly being used for city driving then I guess this is less of an issue. Primary safety is how the car is being driven though.

There's also the Skoda Fabia.
 
They are all prices from telemetric policies, bloody costly for youngsters.

I'm not really a big fan of a big bruiser as a single user city car to be honest, unnecessary, its partly why I'm struggling to choose a new daily, for sure it'd not ideal as a motorway cruiser, that is obvious, it's little triple would cry.

Whilst it is small it's not that bad, similar width to my MX5 or a Mini within 5cm, and 20cm shorter mostly because it's got a tiny lawnmower engine up front :D
 
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we have had from new a vw up! 60bhp and a skoda citigo 1.0 mpi, both since 2017 and both with around 50k miles as first cars for 2 of the daughters
the skoda has had the only mechanical issue so far in 7 years with the rear brake drums failing inside and needing rebuilt. Cheap to fuel and run, great for city driving and really manoeuvrable although a little tinny inside. You cant go too fast in them but they are both loads of fun to throw around.
 
Checking some of the MOT histories on the used cars I have been looking at, that issue has popped up on a couple, along with mention of imbalance, so seems a weak point but not expensive.
 
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sandys said:
Yup, done this already and they really aren't cheaper, most of the bigger cars start at 2k for the quotes we have done even when sub group 5, quite surprising.
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With new drivers, the risk isn't really the damage to their car, it's the cost of fixing or replacing the expensive car they hit! There's not much you can do to reduce it, it's just a case of sucking it up while they get experience.
 
Feek said:
With new drivers, the risk isn't really the damage to their car, it's the cost of fixing or replacing the expensive car they hit! There's not much you can do to reduce it, it's just a case of sucking it up while they get experience.
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And then continuing to suck it up as they're bleeding us all dry these days :o :D
 
I had a '17 Citigo, the thing was a great little car. The only thing that stuck out for me was some sort of whine (alternator?) that it would start to make above 70mph which was a rare occurrence given the engine.
 
What about a Yaris or Jazz, they seem to be quite cheap to insure as mainly (generalisation here) driven by the 'older' generation?
 
My mother has owned a Nissan Pixo for probably 7 or 8+ years and it has never broken down even once, never failed to start once and never needed an expensive repair once.

Zero road Tax paid in that time, small, easy enough to drive.

Suzuki Alto is the same car.
 
We looked at pretty much everything and honed in on these because she likes them and feels comfortable, as do I, it's her car after all and she is paying for it (well half anyway, I'm matching the rest)

Should hopefully pick one up this weekend, we have a choice of 3 we have whittled it down to plus a GTi wildcard, just need to convince the missus that an Up! GTi is a perfect first car now and that she won't kill herself in it, because I have to use it too and I'd rather have a touch more oompf than 60bhp. :D

I'm covering the insurance anyway so the extra premium is going to be my penalty.
 
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sandys said:
We looked at pretty much everything and honed in on these because she likes them and feels comfortable, as do I, it's her car after all and she is paying for it (well half anyway, I'm matching the rest)

Should hopefully pick one up this weekend, we have a choice of 3 we have whittled it down to plus a GTi wildcard, just need to convince the missus that an Up! GTi is a perfect first car now and that she won't kill herself in it, because I have to use it too and I'd rather have a touch more oompf than 60bhp. :D

I'm covering the insurance anyway so the extra premium is going to be my penalty.
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Biggest issue for a new driver won't be the power, as it only has 115 BHP anyway. The problem will be the rubber band tyres and diamond cut alloys that the GTi has.

Most new drivers don't crash but most will misjudge the gap to a kerb.
 
Yup they are low profile and we have enough problems as experienced drivers in our own cars, my tyre budget is ridulous :D, still the tyres are a 3rd the price of our cars and she's pretty good, we do under 17s driving already and also it's a decent car for club motorsport so we'll do hillclimbs, sprints and solos in it until she is old enough for go in my MX5 (juniors not allowed in soft tops) another reason for wanting some go, even though it'll never be truly competitive as you can run 2litres in class so clios/type rs etc. are a much better pick but insuring her on one of those......

Though I better double check the bluebook rules haven't changed to makes sure 999cc with turbo multiplier doesn't take us over the class limit.

EDIT - we're golden, still under 2 litre with a 1.7 multi, a point my Punto failed on so was unable to compete in standard class.
 
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